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Earliest evidence of using flower beds for burial found in Raqefet Cave in Mt. Carmel

The earliest evidence of using flower beds for burial, dating back to 13,700 years ago, was discovered in Raqefet Cave in Mt. Carmel in northern Israel. In four different graves from the Natufian period, dating back to 13,700-11,700 years ago, dozens of impressions of Salvia plants and other species of sedges and mints (the Lamiaceae family), were found under human skeletons.

Lifesaving HIV treatment could reach millions more people following landmark study

Millions more people could get access to life-saving HIV drug therapy, following a landmark study.

Fossil insect traces reveal ancient climate, entrapment, and fossilization at La Brea Tar Pits

The La Brea Tar Pits have stirred the imaginations of scientists and the public for over a century. But the amount of time it took for ancient animals to become buried in asphalt after enduring gruesome deaths has remained a mystery. Recent forensic investigations reveal new insights into fossilization and the prevailing climate at the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits toward the end of the last Ice Age.

Live fast, die young: Long-lived mice are less active, biologists find

Female mice with a high life expectancy are less active and less explorative. They also eat less than their fellow females with a lower life expectancy. Behavioral biologists reveal that there is a correlation between longevity and personality for female house mice, and a minimum amount of boldness is necessary for them to survive.

Biomarker predicts heart attack risk based on response to aspirin therapy

Aspirin has been widely used for more than 50 years as a common, inexpensive blood thinner for patients with heart disease and stroke, but doctors have little understanding of how it works and why some people benefit and others don't.

New approaches to understanding infection may uncover novel therapies against influenza

The influenza virus' ability to mutate quickly has produced new, emerging strains that make drug discovery more critical than ever. For the first time, researchers have mapped how critical molecules regulate both the induction and resolution of inflammation during flu infection.

First comprehensive regulatory map is a blueprint for how to defeat tuberculosis

Researchers have taken the first steps toward a complete representation of the regulatory network for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This map will yield unique insights into how the bacteria survive in the host.

Laser system allows determination of atomic binding energy of the rarest element on earth

The radioactive element astatine, the name of which is derived from the Greek word for 'instability,' is so rare on earth that it has not yet been investigated to any greater extent and, as a consequence, very little is known about it. Using artificially generated astatine, a physicist has now managed for the first time to experimentally explore one of its fundamental parameters, the ionization potential, and thus determine one of the most important properties of the rare element.

Technological breakthrough paves the way for better drugs

Researchers have developed the first method for directly measuring the extent to which drugs reach their targets in the cell. The method could make a significant contribution to the development of new, improved drug substances.

Ancient jigsaw puzzle of past supercontinent revealed

A new study has revealed the past position of the Australian, Antarctic and Indian tectonic plates, demonstrating how they formed the supercontinent Gondwana 165 million years ago.

Playing cricket: Physicists cast new light on spin-bowling

As the Ashes series gets underway next week, a pair of brothers from Australia have been exploring the physics behind the spin of a cricket ball. While physicists are much more accustomed to measuring the spin of electrons, protons and neutrons, physicists have now presented equations that govern the trajectory of a spinning ball as it moves through the air in the presence of a wind.

Limiting global warming is not enough

So far, international climate targets have been restricted to limiting the increase in temperature. But if we are to stop the rising sea levels, ocean acidification and the loss of production from agriculture, CO2 emissions will have to fall even more sharply.

New insights into the early bombardment history on Mercury

Astronomers have studied the surface of Mercury to better understand if the plains were formed by volcanic flows or composed of material ejected from the planet's giant impact basins.

Radically better smarphones may be possible using system inspired by bird migration: Molecular chains hypersensitive to magnetic fields

Researchers have for the first time created perfect one-dimensional molecular wires of which the electrical conductivity can almost entirely be suppressed by a weak magnetic field at room temperature. The underlying mechanism is possibly closely related to the biological compass used by some migratory birds. This spectacular discovery may lead to radically new magnetic field sensors, for smartphones for example.

Unique epigenomic code identified during human brain development

Experience of parents with their children and teachers with their students demonstrate how kids change their behaviors and knowledge from infancy to adolescence. Until now, little was known of the causes that could lead to these changes. New findings uncovers dynamic changes in the epigenome that occur during brain circuitry formation.

Feeding galaxy caught in distant searchlight

Astronomers have spotted a distant galaxy hungrily snacking on nearby gas. Gas is seen to fall inwards towards the galaxy, creating a flow that both fuels star formation and drives the galaxy's rotation. This is the best direct observational evidence so far supporting the theory that galaxies pull in and devour nearby material in order to grow and form stars.

Farming started in several places at once: Origins of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent

For decades archaeologists have been searching for the origins of agriculture. Their findings indicated that early plant domestication took place in the western and northern Fertile Crescent. In a new study, researchers demonstrate that the foothills of the Zagros Mountains of Iran in the eastern Fertile Crescent also served as a key center for early domestication.

Variation between hot extrasolar planet atmospheres revealed

First results from the analysis of eight 'hot Jupiter' exoplanets suggest that winds and clouds play an important role in the atmospheric make up of these exotic planets.

Cosmic radio bursts point to cataclysmic origins

Mysterious bursts of radio waves originating from billions of light years away have left the scientists who detected them speculating about their origins. The burst energetics indicate that they originate from an extreme astrophysical event involving relativistic objects such as neutron stars or black holes.

Unique shell design gives guillemot eggs an edge for living on the edge

Unique nano-structures on guillemot eggshells eggs enable them to survive precarious habitats, on exposed cliffs with no nest. A new study shows how these structures act as self-cleaning guardians of the eggs, preventing them from falling and protecting them from salt and guano exposure.

It smells fishy: Copper prevents fish from avoiding danger

Fish fail to detect danger in copper-polluted water. A new study shows that fish cannot smell a danger odor signal emitted by other fish in waters contaminated with copper.

Jumping snails leap over global warming

Snails in the Great Barrier Reef literally jump for their life to avoid predators. But will they be able to maintain these life-saving jumps, with rising sea temperatures? A new study shows that the snails will indeed be able to keep on jumping, even at temperatures which will kill fish.

Seeing Sea stars: The missing link in eye evolution?

A study has shown for the first time that sea stars (also known as starfish) use primitive eyes at the tip of their arms to visually navigate their environment. New research has shown that sea star eyes are image-forming and could be an essential stage in eye evolution.

Octopus' blue blood allows them to rule the waves

Worldwide colonization by octopods is in their blood. They manage to survive temperature habitats ranging from as low as -1.8°C to more than 30°C due to their ability to keep supplying oxygen to their body tissues. A new study shows that a blue colored pigment, hemocyanin, in their blood, responsible for oxygen transport, crucially allows octopods to live in freezing temperatures.

Tweet all about it -- Twitter can't replace newswires, study shows

News agencies continue to have an edge over Twitter in being first with the news, a study found.

The balancing act of producing more food sustainably

A policy known as sustainable intensification could help meet the challenges of increasing demands for food from a growing global population, argues a team of scientists.

Proteins key in stem cell production identified

Researchers may be one step closer to a 'recipe' for large-scale production of stem cells for use in research and therapy.

Solitary lemurs avoid danger with a little help from the neighbors

An endangered species of Madagascan lemur uses the alarm calls of birds and other lemurs to warn it of the presence of predators, a new study has found. This is the first time this phenomenon has been observed in a solitary and nocturnal lemur species.

Scientists reveal structure of a supercooled liquid

If a liquid metal alloy is cooled slowly it will eventually form a solid phase. Before it solidifies, however, the liquid undergoes a liquid-liquid transition to a phase in which it has the same concentration but a more strongly ordered structure. This structure has now been demonstrated for the first time by material scientists.

Exercise rescues mutated neural stem cells

The genetic mutation leading to the developmental disorder "CHARGE syndrome" blocks the maturation of neural stem cells. This finding explains why CHARGE patients suffer from mental retardation and learning disabilities. Strikingly, exercise by running can completely rescue the CHARGE phenotype.

Mysterious radio flashes may be farewell greetings from massive stars collapsing into black holes

Mysterious bright radio flashes that appear for only a brief moment on the sky and do not repeat could be the final farewell greetings of a massive star collapsing into a black hole, astronomers argue.

Solar prominences put on strange and beautiful show in the Sun's sky

Cloud spotting seems to be growing in popularity as a hobby here on Earth. Now scientists studying the solar atmosphere are building their own collection of fascinating moving features that they've spotted in the Sun's sky. The unusual solar prominences include a giant disc that rotates for several hours, feathery streamers as long as fifty Earths, a super-heated jet striking the top of a prominence and twisted ribbons flowing in opposite directions at a million kilometers per hour.

Space weather forecast study turns table of effective predictions on its head

A comparison of solar flare forecasting systems has turned the performance table of apparently effective prediction methods on its head. Researchers have tested the reliability of seven techniques against their record of predicting flares and non-flare events correctly, as well as their history of missed flares and false alarms. When the predictions were put into context of the Sun's activity levels over time, some of the most seemingly successful techniques slid down the table.

In bitter cold subglacial lake, surprising life goes on

Lake Vostok, buried under a glacier in Antarctica, is so dark, deep and cold that scientists had considered it a possible model for other planets, a place where nothing could live. However, researchers have revealed a surprising variety of life forms living and reproducing in this most extreme of environments.

To feed the future, we must mine the wealth of the world's seed banks today, experts argue

With fewer than a dozen flowering plants out of 300,000 species accounting for 80 percent of humanity's caloric intake, people need to tap unused plants to feed the world in the near future, claims a plant geneticist.

Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence research network launched

A network has been launched to promote academic research in the UK relating to the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence (SETI).

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Friday, July 5, 2013

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