ScienceDaily: Top News

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• New optical signal processing to satisfy power-hungry, high-speed networks
• Biologists use Sinatra-named fly to show how to see the blues -- and the greens
• If you don't snooze, do you lose? Wake-sleep patterns affect brain synapses during adolescence
• Graphene's 'Big Mac' creates next generation of chips
• Scientists discover three new gene faults which could increase melanoma risk by 30 percent
• Smarter toxins help crops fight resistant pests
• Novel technique uses RNA interference to block inflammation
• New membrane lipid measuring technique may help fight disease
• Blame 'faulty' frontal lobe function for undying optimism in face of reality
• Water-soluble 'gelatinase inhibitor' compounds show promise for treating neurological diseases
• Bone marrow cells migrate to tumors and can slow their growth
• Gene technology can help food crops must to withstand harsher weather
• Subtly shaded map of moon reveals titanium treasure troves
• Almahata Sitta meteorite could come from triple asteroid mash-up
• 'Non-invasive' cultivar? Buyer beware
• HIV: Ancient gene found to control potent antibody response to retroviruses

New optical signal processing to satisfy power-hungry, high-speed networks Posted: 09 Oct 2011 04:25 PM PDT A new all-optical signal processing device to meet the demands of high capacity optical networks and with a wide range of applications including ultrafast optical measurements and sensing has been developed.

Biologists use Sinatra-named fly to show how to see the blues -- and the greens Posted: 09 Oct 2011 11:02 AM PDT Biologists have identified a new mechanism for regulating color vision by studying a mutant fly named after Frank ('Ol Blue Eyes) Sinatra. Their findings focus on how the visual system functions in order to preserve the fidelity of color discrimination throughout the life of an organism. They also offer new insights into how genes controlling color detection are turned on and off.

If you don't snooze, do you lose? Wake-sleep patterns affect brain synapses during adolescence Posted: 09 Oct 2011 11:02 AM PDT An ongoing lack of sleep during adolescence could lead to more than dragging, foggy teens, a new study suggests.

Graphene's 'Big Mac' creates next generation of chips Posted: 09 Oct 2011 11:02 AM PDT Scientists in the UK have come one step closer to creating the next generation of computer chips using wonder material graphene.

Scientists discover three new gene faults which could increase melanoma risk by 30 percent Posted: 09 Oct 2011 11:02 AM PDT Researchers have discovered the first DNA faults linked to melanoma -- the deadliest skin cancer -- that are not related to hair, skin or eye color.

Smarter toxins help crops fight resistant pests Posted: 09 Oct 2011 11:02 AM PDT An international collaboration has found that a small genetic manipulation restores the efficacy of crop-protecting toxins derived from bacteria against pest insects that have become resistant.

Novel technique uses RNA interference to block inflammation Posted: 09 Oct 2011 11:02 AM PDT Researchers have found a way to block, in an animal model, the damaging inflammation that contributes to many disease conditions.

New membrane lipid measuring technique may help fight disease Posted: 09 Oct 2011 11:02 AM PDT Chemists have developed a technique which successfully quantifies signaling lipids on live cell membranes in real time, opening up possible new routes for treating diseases.

Blame 'faulty' frontal lobe function for undying optimism in face of reality Posted: 09 Oct 2011 11:02 AM PDT Why, in the face of clear evidence to suggest to the contrary, do some people remain so optimistic about the future? Researchers have shown that people who are very optimistic about the outcome of events tend to learn only from information that reinforces their rose-tinted view of the world. This is related to "faulty" function of their frontal lobes.

Water-soluble 'gelatinase inhibitor' compounds show promise for treating neurological diseases Posted: 07 Oct 2011 01:16 PM PDT Scientists have taken a promising step on the road to developing new drugs for a variety of neurological diseases. The researchers focused on the design, synthesis and evaluation of water-soluble "gelatinase inhibitor" compounds.

Bone marrow cells migrate to tumors and can slow their growth Posted: 07 Oct 2011 07:33 AM PDT Bone marrow-derived cells participate in the growth and spread of tumors of the breast, brain, lung, and stomach. To examine the role of BMDCs, researchers developed a mouse model that could be used to track the migration of these cells while tumors formed and expanded. Their results strongly suggest that more effective cancer treatments may be developed by exploiting the mechanism by which bone marrow cells migrate to tumors and retard their proliferation.

Gene technology can help food crops must to withstand harsher weather Posted: 07 Oct 2011 07:21 AM PDT Rapid population growth and a swiftly changing climate compound the challenges of ensuring a secure global food supply. Genetically modified plants could help to solve the problem, believes Norwegian a crop researcher. By 2050, 70 per cent more food will need to be produced worldwide on roughly the same area of farmland to keep up with global population growth. At the same time, major changes in climate are expected to occur. Some agricultural researchers believe that in order to ensure a secure global food supply, we will have to use every existing means -- including genetically modified organisms (GMO).

Subtly shaded map of moon reveals titanium treasure troves Posted: 07 Oct 2011 07:21 AM PDT A map of the Moon combining observations in visible and ultraviolet wavelengths shows a treasure trove of areas rich in Titanium ores. Not only is titanium a valuable element, it is key to helping scientists unravel the mysteries of the Moon's interior.

Almahata Sitta meteorite could come from triple asteroid mash-up Posted: 07 Oct 2011 07:21 AM PDT Analysis of fragments of the Almahata Sitta meteorite, which landed in Sudan in 2008, has shown that the parent asteroid was probably formed through collisions of three different types of asteroids. The meteorites are of particular interest because they contain material both primitive and evolved types of asteroids.

'Non-invasive' cultivar? Buyer beware Posted: 07 Oct 2011 04:32 AM PDT Cultivars of popular woody ornamental plants that have reduced viable seed production and are being advertised as "non-invasive" in the horticultural and nursery industries are probably nonetheless quite capable of spawning invasions, according to researchers. More rigorous testing, or complete sterility, should be required to allow claims that a cultivar of a potentially invasive species is environmentally safe.

HIV: Ancient gene found to control potent antibody response to retroviruses Posted: 06 Oct 2011 02:34 PM PDT A researcher has identified a gene that controls the process by which antibodies gain their ability to combat retroviruses. He has shown that the gene TLR7 allows the antibody generating B cells to detect the presence of a retrovirus and promotes a process by which antibodies gain strength and potency, called a germinal center reaction.

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