|  Epic ocean voyages of coral larvae revealed  | A computer simulation has revealed the epic, ocean-spanning journeys traveled by millimeter-sized coral larvae through the world's seas. The model is the first to recreate the oceanic paths along which corals disperse globally, and will eventually aid predictions of how coral reef distributions may shift with climate change. | Read More » 3-D graphene: Solar cells' new platinum?  | Platinum is a key material in dye-sensitized solar cells, where it is used to make counter electrodes. A new, 3-D form of graphene made from carbon monoxide and lithium oxide was used to replace the platinum with virtually no loss in electrical generating capacity. | Read More » Iron is at core of Alzheimer's disease, study suggests  | Conventional thinking holds that Alzheimer's disease is likely caused by one of two proteins, one called tau, the other beta-amyloid. Now a new study suggests a third possible cause -- an accumulation of iron that destroys cell function. | Read More » Social giving makes us happier  | People usually feel good when they make a charitable donation, but they feel even better if they make the donation directly to someone they know or in a way that builds social connection. New research investigates for the first time how social connection helps turn generous behavior into positive feelings on the part of the donor. | Read More » New findings on how the ear hears could lead to better hearing aids  | A healthy ear is much better at detecting and transmitting sound than even the most advanced hearing aid. But now researchers have uncovered new insights into how the ear -- in particular, the cochlea -- processes and amplifies sound. The findings could be used for the development of better devices to improve hearing. | Read More » Appetite hormone misfires in obese people  | Glucagon, a hormone involved in regulating appetite, loses its ability to help obese people feel full after a meal, but it continues to suppress hunger pangs in people with type 1 diabetes, according to a recent study. | Read More » How untying knots promotes cancer  | Protein elF4E can promote cancer by activating another protein, 4A, to untangle knots in mRNA allowing gene translation to proceed. The discovery resolves a 35-year old mystery. | Read More » Quantum algorithm could improve stealth fighter design  | Researchers have devised a quantum algorithm for solving big linear systems of equations. Furthermore, they say the algorithm could be used to calculate complex measurements such as radar cross sections, an ability integral to the development of radar stealth technology, among many other applications. | Read More » Gestational diabetes tied to seven-fold increase in sleep apnea risk  | Women diagnosed with gestational diabetes are nearly seven times more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea than other pregnant women, according to a recent study. | Read More » A new role for sodium in the brain  | Researchers have found that sodium – the main chemical component in table salt – is a unique "on/off" switch for a major neurotransmitter receptor in the brain. This receptor, known as the kainate receptor, is fundamental for normal brain function and is implicated in numerous diseases, such as epilepsy and neuropathic pain. | Read More » Ancient cycads found to be pre-adapted to grow in groves  | Cycads been around since before the age of the dinosaurs. Cycads living today have large, heavy seeds that suggests they rely on large fruit-eating animals to disperse their seeds. Yet there is little evidence that they are eaten and dispersed by today's larger-bodied animals, such as elephants. If these plants are adapted for dispersal by animals that have been missing from Earth's fauna for tens of thousands of years, how are they still around today? | Read More » How sleep helps brain learn motor task  | Sleep helps the brain consolidate what we've learned, but scientists have struggled to determine what goes on in the brain to make that happen for different kinds of learned tasks. In a new study, researchers pinpoint the brainwave frequencies and brain region associated with sleep-enhanced learning of a sequential finger tapping task akin to typing, or playing piano. | Read More » Study advances iris images as a long-term form of identification  | A new report by biometric researchers uses data from thousands of frequent travelers enrolled in an iris recognition program to determine that no consistent change occurs in the distinguishing texture of their irises for at least a decade. These findings inform identity program administrators on how often iris images need to be recaptured to maintain accuracy. | Read More » New explanation for key step in anthrax infection proposed  | A new hypothesis concerning a crucial step in the anthrax infection process has been advanced. | Read More » First pre-clinical gene therapy study to reverse Rett symptoms  | The concept behind gene therapy is simple: Deliver a healthy gene to compensate for one that is mutated. New research suggests this approach may eventually be a feasible option to treat Rett Syndrome, the most disabling of the autism spectrum disorders. | Read More » Infection during newborn's first week of life associated with bacterial infection in the mother  | Early-onset neonatal infection, defined as infection in the first 7 days of life, is associated with maternal infection and colonization, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis. | Read More » New skylight scoops up daylight, save energy  | Light scoops provide optimal levels of daylight throughout the changing seasons and daily fluctuations in weather by capturing and strategically redirecting daylight into buildings. | Read More » Stabilizing aircraft during takeoff and landing using math  | During ground take-off/landing maneouvres, aircraft landing gear can display unwanted oscillations, which are referred to as shimmy oscillations. Scientist are studying the dynamics of aircraft landing gear using nonlinear models. | Read More » Conditions most likely to kill encephalitis patients identified  | People with severe encephalitis — inflammation of the brain — are much more likely to die if they develop severe swelling in the brain, intractable seizures or low blood platelet counts, regardless of the cause of their illness, according to new research. | Read More » Ingredient in turmeric spice when combined with anti-nausea drug kills cancer cells  | In a laboratory, preclinical study researchers combined structural features from anti-nausea drug thalidomide with common kitchen spice turmeric to create hybrid molecules that effectively kill multiple myeloma cells. | Read More » Playing video games can boost brain power  | Certain types of video games can help to train the brain to become more agile and improve strategic thinking, according to scientists. | Read More » Plasma-treated nano filters help purify world water supply  | Access to safe drinking water is a step closer to being a reality for those in developing countries. | Read More » Better insight into molecular interactions  | How molecules in biochemical solutions do interact, is a question of great importance for understanding processes in catalysts, functional materials and even in organisms. Until now, scientists could have a look at these interactions by spectroscopy, but it was hard to distinguish the different interactions, which take place simultaneously. New research could now change the game. | Read More » Hue of barn swallow breast feathers can influence their health  | A new study shows the outward appearance of female barn swallows, specifically the hue of their chestnut-colored breast feathers, has an influence on their physiological health. | Read More » Pulsars make a GPS for the cosmos  | Scientists have written software that could guide spacecraft to Alpha Centauri, show that the planet Nibiru doesn't exist... and prove that the Earth goes around the Sun. | Read More » Human foot not as unique as originally thought  | The mechanisms of the human foot are not as unique as originally thought and have much more in common with the flexible feet of other great apes. | Read More » Honeyguide birds destroy own species' eggs to eliminate competition  | Like cuckoos, honeyguides are parasitic birds that lay their eggs in other birds' nests and dupe them into raising their young. Now scientists reveal that, unlike in cuckoos, the resemblance between honeyguide eggs and those of their bee-eater bird hosts hasn't evolved to trick hosts into accepting the imposter egg as one of their own. | Read More » Peering into the heart of aquatic embryo development  | Scientists using a pioneering bio-imaging system to record simultaneously the development of hundreds of aquatic embryos have discovered significant parent-offspring similarities in the timing and sequence of that development. | Read More » Alcohol abuse, eating disorders share genetic link  | Part of the risk for alcohol dependence is genetic. The same is true for eating disorders. Now researchers have found that some of the same genes likely are involved in both. They report that people with alcohol dependence may be more genetically susceptible to certain types of eating disorders and vice versa. | Read More » 'Zombie vortices' may be key step in star formation  | Scientists have proposed a new model that elucidates a key step in star formation. They point to "zombie vortices" as a destabilizing force needed to help protostars accumulate the mass needed to grow into stars. | Read More » Brain circuit can tune anxiety  | New findings may help neuroscientists pinpoint better targets for antianxiety treatments. | Read More » Personality effects on fertility  | A new study finds a link between men's and women's personalities and the likelihood that they will have children. | Read More » Forest-interior birds may be benefiting from harvested clearings  | Wildlife biologists suggest that forest regrowth in clearcuts may be vital to birds as they prepare for fall migration. | Read More » Hand transplantation: New method for local immunosuppression successful  | Hope for hand amputees: researchers have successfully tested a new method for local immunosuppression. | Read More » Crocodile confession: Meat-eating predators eat fruit  | A new study led by the Wildlife Conservation Society says that the American alligator and a dozen other crocodile species enjoy an occasional taste of fruit along with their normal meat-heavy diets of mammals, birds, and fish. | Read More » Hamster genome decoded  | Genome researchers have succeeded in sequencing the genome of the Chinese hamster. The Chinese hamster supplies the cell cultures used by the pharmaceutical industry to produce biopharmaceutical products such as antibodies used in medicine. | Read More » Mother's genes can impact aging process  | Researchers have shown that aging is determined not only by the accumulation of changes during our lifetime, but also by the genes we acquire from our mothers. | Read More » A brighter method for measuring the surface gravity of distant stars  | Astronomers have found a clever new way to slice and dice the flickering light from a distant star in a way that reveals its surface gravity, one of the key properties that astronomers use to calculate a star's physical properties and assess its evolutionary state. | Read More » Physicists pinpoint key property of material that both conducts and insulates  | Scientists have made the first-ever accurate determination of a solid-state triple point -- the temperature and pressure at which three different solid phases can coexist stably -- in a substance called vanadium dioxide. | Read More » | |
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