ScienceDaily: Top News

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• New kind of cosmic flash may reveal birth of a black hole
• Unusual comparison nets new sleep loss marker
• Human brain cells developed in lab, grow in mice
• Hubble sees the remains of a star gone supernova
• Gray hair and vitiligo reversed at the root
• Self-affirmation improves problem-solving under stress
• Mathematicians help unlock brain function
• 'Dark oxidants' form away from sunlight in lake and ocean depths, underground soils
• New dinosaur fossil discovered in China: Meat-eating dinosaur from late Jurassic period was less than a year old
• Monkey math: Baboons show brain's ability to understand numbers
• 'Going negative' pays for nanotubes
• Injectable nano-network controls blood sugar in diabetics for days at a time
• Researchers outline concerns about unproven stem cell therapies
• Computer simulations reveal the energy landscape of ion channels
• Flight behavior of hungry malaria mosquitoes analyzed
• How to frustrate a quantum magnet: 16 atomic ions simulate a quantum antiferromagnet
• Hearing the Russian meteor, in America: Sound arrived in 10 hours, lasted 10 more
• Individual brain cells track where we are and how we move
• Telling time on Saturn: Undergraduate student shows how planet's magnetosphere changes with the seasons
• Sahara olive tree: Genetic heritage to be preserved
• Malaria: A vector infecting both apes and humans
• Boom in jellyfish: Overfishing called into question
• How to clean seaweed from beaches: Dry it and use the biomass for energy
• New mechanism discovered in meiosis: How modification of an enzyme governs critical processes in sexual reproduction
• New mouse model confirms how type 2 diabetes develops

New kind of cosmic flash may reveal birth of a black hole Posted: 03 May 2013 08:04 PM PDT According to an astrophysicist, a new kind of cosmic flash may reveal something never seen before: the birth of a black hole.

Unusual comparison nets new sleep loss marker Posted: 03 May 2013 08:04 PM PDT For years, medical researchers have used what they have learned in fruit flies to look for markers of sleep loss in humans. They have now reversed the process in a new article, taking what they find in humans back to the flies and gaining new insight into humans as a result: identification of a human gene that is more active after sleep deprivation.

Human brain cells developed in lab, grow in mice Posted: 03 May 2013 08:03 PM PDT A key type of human brain cell developed in the laboratory grows seamlessly when transplanted into the brains of mice, UC San Francisco researchers have discovered, raising hope that these cells might one day be used to treat people with Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and possibly even Alzheimer's disease, as well as and complications of spinal cord injury such as chronic pain and spasticity.

Hubble sees the remains of a star gone supernova Posted: 03 May 2013 12:15 PM PDT These delicate wisps of gas make up an object known as SNR B0519-69.0, or SNR 0519 for short. The thin, blood-red shells are actually the remnants from when an unstable progenitor star exploded violently as a supernova around 600 years ago. There are several types of supernovae, but for SNR 0519 the star that exploded is known to have been a white dwarf star -- a sun-like star in the final stages of its life.

Gray hair and vitiligo reversed at the root Posted: 03 May 2013 10:29 AM PDT It's true -- the cure for gray hair is coming. New research shows that people going gray develop oxidative stress via accumulation of hydrogen peroxide in the hair follicle, causing our hair to bleach itself from the inside out. Now, this can be remedied with a proprietary treatment described as a topical, UVB-activated compound called PC-KUS (a modified pseudocatalase). What's more, the same treatment works for the skin condition, vitiligo.

Self-affirmation improves problem-solving under stress Posted: 03 May 2013 10:29 AM PDT New research provides the first evidence that self-affirmation can protect against the damaging effects of stress on problem-solving performance. Understanding that self-affirmation -- the process of identifying and focusing on one's most important values -- boosts stressed individuals' problem-solving abilities will help guide future research and the development of educational interventions.

Mathematicians help unlock brain function Posted: 03 May 2013 10:29 AM PDT Mathematicians will bring researchers one step closer to understanding how the structure of the brain relates to its function in two recently published studies.

'Dark oxidants' form away from sunlight in lake and ocean depths, underground soils Posted: 03 May 2013 10:29 AM PDT All forms of life that breathe oxygen -- even ones that can't be seen with the naked eye, such as bacteria -- must fight oxidants to live. But neutralizing environmental oxidants such as superoxide was a worry only for organisms that dwell in sunlight -- in habitats that cover a mere 5 percent of the planet. That was the only place where such environmental oxidants were thought to exist. Now researchers have discovered the first light-independent source of superoxide. The key is bacteria common in the depths of the oceans and other dark places.

New dinosaur fossil discovered in China: Meat-eating dinosaur from late Jurassic period was less than a year old Posted: 03 May 2013 10:27 AM PDT Fossil remains in northwestern China have been identified as a new species of small theropod, or meat-eating, dinosaur.

Monkey math: Baboons show brain's ability to understand numbers Posted: 03 May 2013 10:27 AM PDT Opposing thumbs, expressive faces, complex social systems: it's hard to miss the similarities between apes and humans. Now a new study with a troop of zoo baboons and lots of peanuts shows that a less obvious trait -- the ability to understand numbers -- also is shared by humans and their primate cousins.

'Going negative' pays for nanotubes Posted: 03 May 2013 08:47 AM PDT Researchers turn carbon nanotubes into negatively charged liquid crystals that could enhance the creation of fibers and films.

Injectable nano-network controls blood sugar in diabetics for days at a time Posted: 03 May 2013 08:47 AM PDT In a promising development for diabetes treatment, researchers have developed a network of nanoscale particles that can be injected into the body and release insulin when blood-sugar levels rise, maintaining normal blood sugar levels for more than a week in animal-based laboratory tests.

Researchers outline concerns about unproven stem cell therapies Posted: 03 May 2013 08:46 AM PDT An international group of leading stem cell researchers has issued a statement that specifies concerns about the development and use of unproven stem cell therapies. The commentary is published ahead of a debate in the Italian parliament on whether to change a recent law that allows certain untested stem cell therapies to be used by the public health system. The authors of the commentary argue that rigorous clinical testing and regulation of stem cell therapies are essential to introduce safe and effective medical interventions for patients.

Computer simulations reveal the energy landscape of ion channels Posted: 03 May 2013 07:51 AM PDT Ion channels are important drug targets. A young team of researchers investigated the opening and closing mechanisms of these channels. The time consuming calculations were performed using the high performance computer cluster, which is currently the fastest computer in Austria.

Flight behavior of hungry malaria mosquitoes analyzed Posted: 03 May 2013 07:51 AM PDT Malaria mosquitoes go to work cautiously before landing on human skin and biting. Just before a mosquito lands, it reacts to both odors and heat given off by the human body. Researchers came to this conclusion after studying images made with infrared-sensitive cameras.

How to frustrate a quantum magnet: 16 atomic ions simulate a quantum antiferromagnet Posted: 03 May 2013 07:50 AM PDT Frustration crops up throughout nature when conflicting constraints on a physical system compete with one another. The way nature resolves these conflicts often leads to exotic phases of matter that are poorly understood. In a new article, researchers describe how to frustrate a quantum magnet composed of sixteen atomic ions -- to date the largest ensemble of qubits to perform a simulation of quantum matter.

Hearing the Russian meteor, in America: Sound arrived in 10 hours, lasted 10 more Posted: 03 May 2013 07:50 AM PDT How powerful was February's meteor that crashed into Russia? Strong enough that its explosive entry into our atmosphere was detected almost 6,000 miles away in Lilburn, Ga., by infrasound sensors -- a full 10 hours after the meteor's explosion. A researcher has modified the signals and made them audible, allowing audiences to "hear" what the meteor's waves sounded like as they moved around the globe on February 15.

Individual brain cells track where we are and how we move Posted: 03 May 2013 06:49 AM PDT Researchers have gained new insights into how our brains form maps of our environment. They found that special cells can note either a fixed location, or the distance a mammal travels, depending on the cues it gets from the environment.

Telling time on Saturn: Undergraduate student shows how planet's magnetosphere changes with the seasons Posted: 03 May 2013 06:49 AM PDT An undergraduate student has discovered that a process occurring in Saturn's magnetosphere is linked to the planet's seasons and changes with them, a finding that helps clarify the length of a Saturn day and could alter our understanding of the Earth's magnetosphere.

Sahara olive tree: Genetic heritage to be preserved Posted: 03 May 2013 06:47 AM PDT The Saharan cousin of Mediterranean olive trees remains largely unknown. However, this subspecies (called the Laperinne's olive tree) is of great interest for several reasons. Researchers have shown that its longevity is ensured by its original vegetative reproduction. Extremely drought-resistant, this "relict" tree could act as a genetic resource to improve its domestic counterparts, provided conservation actions are implemented to prevent its disappearance.

Malaria: A vector infecting both apes and humans Posted: 03 May 2013 06:47 AM PDT In 2010, a study revealed that the main agent of malaria in humans, called Plasmodium falciparum, arose from the gorilla. Today, the vector which transmitted the parasite from apes to humans has just been identified. Scientists have determined which species of anopheles mosquitoes transfer the disease to apes. Among them is Anopheles moucheti, known for biting humans. Therefore, it appears to be the species which originally infected us through our 'cousins'. And it could do it again today.

Boom in jellyfish: Overfishing called into question Posted: 03 May 2013 06:47 AM PDT Will we soon be forced to eat jellyfish? Since the beginning of the 2000s, these gelatinous creatures have invaded many of the world's seas, like the Japan Sea, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, etc. Is it a cyclic phenomenon, caused by changes in marine currents or even global warming? Until now, the causes remained unknown. A new study exposes overfishing as the main factor.

How to clean seaweed from beaches: Dry it and use the biomass for energy Posted: 03 May 2013 06:41 AM PDT Scientists have developed an algae removal and treatment system that turns this underused residue into a renewable source of energy: biomass. The process involves several stages of washing, drying and compacting without leaving the beach. The system is cheaper, more efficient and more environmentally friendly than the procedure commonly followed now.

New mechanism discovered in meiosis: How modification of an enzyme governs critical processes in sexual reproduction Posted: 03 May 2013 06:41 AM PDT Scientists have made an important discovery in meiosis research. They have identified a new mechanism that plays an important role in meiosis.

New mouse model confirms how type 2 diabetes develops Posted: 03 May 2013 06:41 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new mouse model that answers the question of what actually happens in the body when type 2 diabetes develops and how the body responds to drug treatment. Long-term studies of the middle-aged mouse model will be better than previous studies at confirming how drugs for type 2 diabetes function in humans.

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