The EDGE: ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Monday, July 2, 2012

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Monday, July 2, 2012

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Curvy mountain belts (June 29, 2012) -- Mountain belts on Earth are most commonly formed by collision of one or more tectonic plates. The process of collision, uplift, and subsequent erosion of long mountain belts often produces profound global effects, including changes in regional and global climates, as well as the formation of important economic resources, including oil and gas reservoirs and ore deposits. Understanding the formation of mountain belts is thus a very important element of earth science research. ... > full story

Easter Island drug raises cognition throughout life span in mice (June 29, 2012) -- Cognitive skills such as learning and memory diminish with age in everyone, and the drop-off is steepest in Alzheimer's disease. Texas scientists seeking a way to prevent this decline reported exciting results this week with a drug that has Polynesian roots. The researchers added rapamycin to the diet of healthy mice throughout the rodents' life span. Rapamycin, a bacterial product first isolated from soil on Easter Island, enhanced learning and memory in young mice and improved these faculties in old mice, the study showed. ... > full story

New fuel cell keeps going after the hydrogen runs out (June 29, 2012) -- Materials scientists have demonstrated a solid-oxide fuel cell that converts hydrogen into electricity but can also store electrochemical energy like a battery. This fuel cell can continue to produce power for a short time after its fuel has run out. ... > full story

Scientists urge new approaches to plant research (June 29, 2012) -- If humans are to survive as a species, we must turn more to plants for any number of valuable lessons, experts say. ... > full story

New gene mutations that lead to enlarged brain size, cancer, autism, epilepsy identified (June 29, 2012) -- Scientist have discovered new gene mutations associated with markedly enlarged brain size, or megalencephaly. ... > full story

Moderate doses of alcohol increase social bonding in groups (June 29, 2012) -- A new study reveals that moderate amounts of alcohol -- consumed in a social setting -- can enhance positive emotions and social bonding and relieve negative emotions among those drinking. ... > full story

Bees shed light on human sweet perception and metabolic disorders (June 29, 2012) -- Scientists have discovered that honey bees may teach us about basic connections between taste perception and metabolic disorders in humans. By experimenting with honey bee genetics, researchers have identified connections between sugar sensitivity, diabetic physiology and carbohydrate metabolism. Bees and humans may partially share these connections. ... > full story

Clothing the body electric: Cotton T-shirt fabric can store electricity, maybe keep your cell phone charged (June 29, 2012) -- The fabric in a cotton T-shirt was converted into a material that can store electricity. A flexible source of electrical power made from this kind of material might one day be able to charge your cell phone, or any number of other mobile electronic devices. ... > full story

Making the shortest light bursts leads to better understanding of nature (June 29, 2012) -- An attosecond is a ridiculously brief sliver of time – a scant billionth of a billionth of a second. This may seem too short to have any practical applications, but at the atomic level, where electrons zip and jump about, these vanishingly short timescales are crucial to a deeper understanding of science. ... > full story

New properties of stem cells via simulated microgravity (June 29, 2012) -- A recent study set out to illustrate novel mechanical transduction properties of hematopoietic stem cells in relation to defining the expression of humoral factors by facilitating paracrine/autocrine signalling via microgravity. ... > full story

Stealthy microscopy method visualizes E. coli sub-cellular structure in 3-D (June 29, 2012) -- A sub-cellular world has been opened up for scientists to study E. coli and other tissues in new ways, thanks to a microscopy method that stealthily provides 3-D, high-quality images of the internal structure of cells without disturbing the specimen. ... > full story

Scientists help create an extra second of summer: Leap second to be added on July 1, 2012 (June 29, 2012) -- Scientists will be adding a leap second at 00:59 BST on July 1 to its atomic clocks, to ensure UK time remains synchronized with international time. ... > full story

'Ambient' bullying gives employees urge to quit (June 29, 2012) -- Merely showing up to work in an environment where bullying goes on is enough to make many of us think about quitting, a new study suggests. ... > full story

Welsh reindeer is Britain's oldest rock art, U-series dating suggests (June 29, 2012) -- A reindeer engraved on the wall of a cave in South Wales has been found to date from at least 14,505 years ago -- making it the oldest known rock art in the British Isles. ... > full story

Caffeine boosts power for elderly muscles (June 29, 2012) -- Caffeine boosts power in older muscles, suggesting the stimulant could aid elderly people to maintain their strength, reducing the incidence of falls and injuries, according to new research. ... > full story

How to bend it like Beckham: Physics students calculate perfect soccer ball kicking formula (June 29, 2012) -- Now that David Beckham won't be appearing at the London 2012 Olympics, other members of Team GB wanting to brush up on their free-kicks can rest easy. A physics students has figured out the optimum way of kicking a soccer ball in order to make it bend into the goal. The ex-England captain's curling free-kicks became legendary, and even inspired the title of the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham. ... > full story

Multiple mergers generate ultraluminous infrared galaxy (June 29, 2012) -- Ultraluminous infrared galaxies are the most luminous class of galaxies in the relatively near or local Universe. Most of their energy output is in the infrared range, suggesting that they contain a large amount of dust, an indication of immense star formation. ... > full story

Colorful light at the end of the tunnel for radiation detection (June 29, 2012) -- Nanomaterials researchers have developed a new technique for radiation detection that could make radiation detection in cargo and baggage more effective and less costly for homeland security inspectors. ... > full story

Evidence of life on Mars could come from Martian moon Phobos (June 29, 2012) -- A mission to a Martian moon could return with alien life, according to experts, but don't expect the invasion scenario presented by summer blockbusters like "Men in Black 3" or "Prometheus." A sample from the moon Phobos, scientists believe, would almost surely contain Martian material blasted off from large asteroid impacts. If life on Mars exists or existed within the last 10 million years, a mission to Phobos could yield our first evidence of life beyond Earth. ... > full story

First-ever changes in an exoplanet atmosphere detected (June 29, 2012) -- Astronomers have using data made an unparalleled observation, detecting significant changes in the atmosphere of a planet located beyond our solar system. ... > full story

Has the speediest pulsar been found? (June 29, 2012) -- The fastest moving pulsar may have been found about 30,000 light years from Earth. This object is known as IGR J1104-6103 and may be racing away from a supernova remnant at about 6 million miles per hour. If confirmed, this would challenge theorists to create models that explain such super speeds out of supernova explosions. ... > full story

What you eat can prevent arsenic overload (June 29, 2012) -- New research has demonstrated that people who ate more dietary vitamin B12 and animal protein had lower levels of arsenic (measured by deposition in toenails). Total dietary fat, animal fat, vegetable fat and saturated fat were also all associated with lower levels of arsenic, while omega 3 fatty acids, such as those found in fish oil, were associated with increased arsenic. ... > full story

Insights into primate diversity: Lessons from the rhesus macaque (June 29, 2012) -- The rhesus macaque has three times as much genetic variation as humans. However despite much of this extra variation within genes, protein function is not affected. Consequently damaging variations are at similar levels in macaques and humans -- indicating a strong selection pressure to maintain gene function regardless of mutation rate or population size. ... > full story

Both innate and adaptive immune responses are critical to the control of influenza (June 29, 2012) -- Both innate and adaptive immune responses play an important role in controlling influenza virus infection, according to a new study. ... > full story

Adoption of advanced techniques could propel crop improvement (June 28, 2012) -- Scientists could take greater strides toward crop improvement if there were wider adoption of advanced techniques used to understand the mechanisms that allow plants to adapt to their environments, researchers say. ... > full story

Improving efficiencies in fuel, chemical and pharmaceutical industries (June 28, 2012) -- Engineering researchers have made a major breakthrough in developing a catalyst used during chemical reactions in the production of gasoline, plastics, biofuels, pharmaceuticals, and other chemicals. The discovery could lead to major efficiencies and cost-savings in these multibillion-dollar industries. ... > full story

Cognitive-behavioral therapy effective in combatting anxiety disorders, study suggests (June 28, 2012) -- Whether it is a phobia like a fear of flying, public speaking or spiders, or a diagnosis such as obsessive compulsive disorder, new research finds patients suffering from anxiety disorders showed the most improvement when treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in conjunction with a "transdiagnostic" approach -- a model that allows therapists to apply one set of principles across anxiety disorders. ... > full story

Plasma startup creates high-energy light to make smaller microchips (June 28, 2012) -- A pair of aeronautical engineers working on fusion energy -- harnessing the energy-generating mechanism of the sun -- may have found a way to etch the next generation of microchips. ... > full story

Programmable DNA scissors found for bacterial immune system (June 28, 2012) -- Scientists have discovered a programmable RNA complex in the bacterial immune system that guides the cleaving of DNA at targeted sites. This discovery opens a new door to genome editing with implications for the green chemistry microbial-based production of advanced biofuels, therapeutic drugs and other valuable chemical products. ... > full story

Cassini finds likely subsurface ocean on Saturn's moon Titan (June 28, 2012) -- Data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have revealed Saturn's moon Titan likely harbors a layer of liquid water under its ice shell. Researchers saw a large amount of squeezing and stretching as the moon orbited Saturn. They deduced that if Titan were composed entirely of stiff rock, the gravitational attraction of Saturn would cause bulges, or solid "tides," on the moon only 3 feet (1 meter) in height. Spacecraft data show Saturn creates solid tides approximately 30 feet (10 meters) in height, which suggests Titan is not made entirely of solid rocky material. ... > full story

New insights into the effects of stress on pregnancy (June 28, 2012) -- Expectant mothers who dealt with the strain of a hurricane or major tropical storm passing nearby during their pregnancy had children who were at elevated risk for abnormal health conditions at birth, according to a new study that offers new insights into the effects of stress on pregnancy. ... > full story

Maya archaeologists unearth new 2012 monument with 'end date' of Dec. 21, 2012 (June 28, 2012) -- Archaeologists working at the site of La Corona in Guatemala have discovered a 1,300-year-old-year Maya text that provides only the second known reference to the so-called "end date" of the Maya calendar, Dec. 21, 2012. The discovery is one of the most significant hieroglyphic finds in decades. ... > full story

How flu can cause severe infections (June 28, 2012) -- Scientists have discovered a new gene in the influenza virus that helps the virus control the body's response to infection. Although this control is exerted by the virus, surprisingly it reduces the impact of the infection. ... > full story

Discovery may lead to new tomato varieties with vintage flavor and quality (June 28, 2012) -- A new genetic discovery may help plant breeders recapture heirloom flavor, processing quality and a health-promoting compound in modern tomato varieties. ... > full story

Date of earliest animal life reset by 30 million years (June 28, 2012) -- Researchers have uncovered physical proof that animals existed 585 million years ago, 30 million years earlier than all previous established records show. The discovery was made U of A geologists Ernesto Pecoits and Natalie Aubet in Uruguay. They found fossilized tracks of a centimeter long, slug-like animal left behind 585 million years ago in a silty sediment. ... > full story

Study on fungi helps explain coal formation and may advance future biofuels production (June 28, 2012) -- The evolution of white rot fungi might have helped bring an end to the geologic period characterized by the formation of large coal deposits, and may help lay the groundwork for the future production of biofuels. ... > full story

Master regulator protein brings plethora of coactivators to gene expression sites (June 28, 2012) -- A master regulator protein brings plethora of coactivators to gene expression sites. Molecular geneticists call big boss proteins that switch on broad developmental or metabolic programs "master regulators," as in master regulators of muscle development or fat metabolism. ... > full story

Milky Way struck 100 million years ago, still rings like a bell (June 28, 2012) -- Astronomers have discovered evidence that our Milky Way had an encounter with a small galaxy or massive dark matter structure perhaps as recently as 100 million years ago, and as a result of that encounter it is still ringing like a bell. ... > full story

Native species fight back: First evidence of coevolution between invasive, native species (June 28, 2012) -- Invasive species such as kudzu, privet and garlic mustard can devastate ecosystems, and, until now, scientists had little reason to believe that native plants could mount a successful defense. A new study shows that some native clearweed plants have evolved resistance to invasive garlic mustard plants -- and that the invasive plants appear to be waging a counterattack. ... > full story

Why does a diet high in DHA improve memory? (June 28, 2012) -- We've all heard that eating fish is good for our brains and memory. But what is it about DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, that makes our memory sharper? ... > full story

Earth's oldest known impact crater found in Greenland (June 28, 2012) -- Scientists in working in Western Greenland have found evidence of an asteroid or comet impact early in the Earth's history. At three billion years old, the crater is a billion years older than the previously oldest known crater. ... > full story

Pollutants could pose health risks for five sea turtle species (June 28, 2012) -- Researchers have measured for the first time concentrations of 13 compounds in five different endangered species of sea turtles that approach the amounts known to cause adverse health effects in other animals. ... > full story

Good news for aging eyes: Debilitating eyesight problems on the decline for older Americans (June 28, 2012) -- Today's senior citizens are reporting fewer visual impairment problems than their counterparts from a generation ago, according to a new study. Improved techniques for cataract surgery and a reduction in the prevalence of macular degeneration may be the driving forces behind this change, the researchers said. ... > full story

A new source of maize hybrid vigor (June 28, 2012) -- Scientists think they may have discovered a new source of heterosis, or hybrid vigor, in maize. They have been looking at small RNAs, a class of double-stranded RNA molecules that are 20 to 25 nucleotides in length. ... > full story

Turning skin cells into brain cells: Huntington's disease in a dish (June 28, 2012) -- Scientists have generated stem cells from skin cells from a person with a severe, early-onset form of Huntington's disease, and turned them into neurons that degenerate just like those affected by the fatal inherited disorder. ... > full story

Part of the genome of two hunter-gatherers from 7,000 years ago (June 28, 2012) -- A team of scientists has recovered part of the genome of two individuals who were alive in the Mesolithic Period, 7,000 years ago. The remains were found at La Braña-Arintero site, located at Valdelugueros (León), Spain. The study results indicate that current Iberian populations do not come from these recently discovered humans. ... > full story

With mind-reading speller, free-for-all conversations that are silent and still (June 28, 2012) -- Researchers have come up with a device that may enable people who are completely unable to speak or move at all to nevertheless manage unscripted back-and-forth conversation. The key to such silent and still communication is the first real-time, brain-scanning speller. ... > full story

Lymph node roundabout: Researchers probe origin of optimized antibodies against infections (June 28, 2012) -- An organism's ability to make new antibodies is of central importance in the fight against pathogens. In case of severe infections, the speed with which an immune response proceeds could mean the difference between life and death. Scientists have now found out how the division of B cells contributes to a fast immune defense. ... > full story