ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Researchers examine impact of 'green politics' on recent national elections
• Protein plays role in helping plants see light
• Certain mouth bacteria signal pancreatic cancer, study finds
• T. rex was bigger and grew faster than previously thought, computational analysis reveals
• Proper protein intake crucial for moderating energy intake, keeping obesity at bay
• Feeding the world while protecting the planet: Global plan for sustainable agriculture
• Bacterial communication could affect Earth's climate, researchers discover
• Fuel and plastics production could be made more energy efficient and cost effective
• Wet and mild: Researchers take the temperature of Mars' past
• Naked mole rat genome sequenced: San Antonio colony of long-lived rodents contributes to study
• 'Dark matter' of the genome revealed through analysis of 29 mammals
• Researchers reconstruct genome of the Black Death; Bacteria found to be ancestor of all modern plagues
• Self-replication process holds promise for production of new materials
• New molecular target for diabetes treatment discovered
• Clean correction of a patient's genetic mutation: New gene therapy methods accurately correct mutation in patient's stem cells
• Significant breakthrough in study of chlamydia
• By reprogramming skin cells into brain cells, scientists gain new insights into mental disorders
• Improving gene therapy for heart disease, cancer
• Sugar high for bees
• Possible trigger for volcanic 'super-eruptions' discovered
• New pine breeding technique may help trees adapt to climate change
• Clearing the 'cosmic fog' of the early universe: Massive stars may be responsible
• Borrowing from brightly-colored birds: Physicists develop lasers inspired by nature
• Erasing history? Temporal cloaks adjust light's throttle to hide an event in time
• Potential new drugs plug brain's biological 'vacuum cleaner' and target HIV
• New Saudi Arabias of solar energy: Himalaya Mountains, Andes, Antarctica
• Scientists move closer to predicting who will and will not fight off severe infections
• Smoking cigarettes simulates cystic fibrosis
• Distant galaxies reveal the clearing of the cosmic fog; New VLT observations chart timeline of reionization
• Amateur skywatchers help space hazards team
• How the brain’s own marijuana-like chemicals suppress pain
• 'Snowball Earth' hypothesis challenged
• New mystery on Mars' forgotten plains
• Oldest fossil rodents in South America discovered; Find is 10 million years older and confirms animals from Africa

Researchers examine impact of 'green politics' on recent national elections Posted: 12 Oct 2011 03:56 PM PDT Democrats who took "green" positions on climate change won much more often than did Democrats who remained silent in 2008 and 2010, according to researchers. Republicans who took "not-green" positions won less often than Republicans who remained silent, the researchers found.

Protein plays role in helping plants see light Posted: 12 Oct 2011 03:56 PM PDT Scientists report for the first time the elusive role a critical protein plays in this molecular signaling pathway that regulates phototropism in plants.

Certain mouth bacteria signal pancreatic cancer, study finds Posted: 12 Oct 2011 03:56 PM PDT Particular types of mouth bacteria, some of which are found in gum disease, are associated with the development of pancreatic cancer, indicates a small study.

T. rex was bigger and grew faster than previously thought, computational analysis reveals Posted: 12 Oct 2011 03:56 PM PDT A new study reveals that T. rex grew more quickly and reached significantly greater masses than previously estimated. In a departure from earlier methods, the new study uses mounted skeletons to generate body mass estimates.

Proper protein intake crucial for moderating energy intake, keeping obesity at bay Posted: 12 Oct 2011 03:56 PM PDT Obesity is a growing problem worldwide, but proper protein consumption can help keep it at bay, according to a new study.

Feeding the world while protecting the planet: Global plan for sustainable agriculture Posted: 12 Oct 2011 12:17 PM PDT An international team of researchers from Canada, the US, Sweden and Germany has come up with a plan to double the world's food production while reducing the environmental impacts of agriculture.

Bacterial communication could affect Earth's climate, researchers discover Posted: 12 Oct 2011 12:17 PM PDT Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) scientists have discovered that bacterial communication could have a significant impact on the planet's climate.

Fuel and plastics production could be made more energy efficient and cost effective Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:27 AM PDT Researchers have overcome a major hurdle in the quest to design a specialized type of molecular sieve that could make the production of gasoline, plastics and various chemicals more cost effective and energy efficient.

Wet and mild: Researchers take the temperature of Mars' past Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:27 AM PDT Researchers have directly determined the surface temperature of early Mars for the first time, providing evidence that's consistent with a warmer and wetter Martian past.

Naked mole rat genome sequenced: San Antonio colony of long-lived rodents contributes to study Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:26 AM PDT Sequencing the genome of the long-lived naked mole rat opens a "treasure trove" of information to scientists. An international team now reports the completed naked mole rat genome sequence.

'Dark matter' of the genome revealed through analysis of 29 mammals Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:26 AM PDT An international team of researchers has discovered the vast majority of the so-called "dark matter" in the human genome, by means of a sweeping comparison of 29 mammalian genomes. The team has pinpointed the parts of the human genome that control when and where genes are turned on. This map is a critical step in interpreting the thousands of genetic changes that have been linked to human disease.

Researchers reconstruct genome of the Black Death; Bacteria found to be ancestor of all modern plagues Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:26 AM PDT An international team has sequenced the entire genome of the Black Death, one of the most devastating epidemics in human history.

Self-replication process holds promise for production of new materials Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:26 AM PDT Scientists have developed artificial structures that can self-replicate, a process that has the potential to yield new types of materials.

New molecular target for diabetes treatment discovered Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:26 AM PDT Researchers have identified a key molecular pathway responsible for the natural decrease in the proliferation of insulin-producing cells that occurs as a person ages. Artificially activating this pathway, which is normally not functional in adults, may be a new way to combat diabetes.

Clean correction of a patient's genetic mutation: New gene therapy methods accurately correct mutation in patient's stem cells Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:26 AM PDT For the first time, scientists have cleanly corrected a gene mutation in a patient's stem cells, bringing the possibility of patient-specific therapies closer to reality. The team targeted a mutation responsible for cirrhotic liver disease and lung emphysema. Using cutting-edge methods, they corrected the sequence of a patient's genome, removed all exogenous DNA and showed that the gene worked normally.

Significant breakthrough in study of chlamydia Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:14 AM PDT A breakthrough in the study of chlamydia genetics could open the way to new treatments and the development of a vaccine for this sexually transmitted disease. For decades research progress has been hampered because scientists have been prevented from fully understanding these bacteria as they have been unable to manipulate the genome of Chlamydia trachomatis.

By reprogramming skin cells into brain cells, scientists gain new insights into mental disorders Posted: 12 Oct 2011 09:42 AM PDT By reprogramming skin cells from patients with mental disorders, scientists are creating brain cells that are now providing extraordinary insights into afflictions like schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease.

Improving gene therapy for heart disease, cancer Posted: 12 Oct 2011 09:41 AM PDT A new study could lead to improved gene therapies for conditions such as heart disease and cancer as well as more effective vaccines for tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases.

Sugar high for bees Posted: 12 Oct 2011 09:41 AM PDT Mathematicians have found that efficient feeding depends on how sugary a flower's nectar is, and whether an animal dips or sucks the nectar out. The researchers found that animals such as bees, which probe with their tongues, are "viscous dippers," and are most efficient when feeding on more sugary, or viscous, nectar. Suction feeders, such as birds and butterflies that draw nectar up through tubes, do their best when sucking up thinner, less sugary nectar.

Possible trigger for volcanic 'super-eruptions' discovered Posted: 12 Oct 2011 09:41 AM PDT The "super-eruption" of a major volcanic system occurs about every 100,000 years and is considered one of the most catastrophic natural events on Earth, yet scientists have long been unsure about what triggers these violent explosions. A new model points to a combination of temperature influence and the geometrical configuration of the magma chamber as a potential cause for these super-eruptions.

New pine breeding technique may help trees adapt to climate change Posted: 12 Oct 2011 09:40 AM PDT A breakthrough in pine tree breeding will help forests to adapt to climate change and bioenergy use. The technique can create new tree variants in half the time it take for current breeding methods and is expected to increase the security and competitiveness of the U.S. forestry industry.

Clearing the 'cosmic fog' of the early universe: Massive stars may be responsible Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:37 AM PDT The space between the galaxies wasn't always transparent. In the earliest times, it was an opaque, dense fog. How it cleared is an important question in astronomy. New observational evidence shows how high energy light from massive stars could have been responsible.

Borrowing from brightly-colored birds: Physicists develop lasers inspired by nature Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:35 AM PDT Researchers are studying how two types of nanoscale structures on the feathers of birds produce brilliant and distinctive colors. The researchers are hoping that by borrowing these nanoscale tricks from nature they will be able to produce new types of lasers--ones that can assemble themselves by natural processes.

Erasing history? Temporal cloaks adjust light's throttle to hide an event in time Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:35 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated for the first time that it's possible to cloak a singular event in time, by sending a beam of light down an optical fiber and through a pair of "time lenses", creating a burst of light. They were able to create a small gap in the flow of light concealing that a burst of light ever occurred.

Potential new drugs plug brain's biological 'vacuum cleaner' and target HIV Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:35 AM PDT In an advance toward eliminating pockets of infection in the brain that help make HIV disease incurable, scientists report the development of new substances that first plug the biological vacuum cleaner that prevents anti-HIV drugs from reaching the brain and then revert to an active drug to treat HIV. The advance promises to allow medications to cross the so-called "blood-brain barrier" and treat brain diseases.

New Saudi Arabias of solar energy: Himalaya Mountains, Andes, Antarctica Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:35 AM PDT Mention prime geography for generation of solar energy, and people tend to think of hot deserts. But a new study concludes that some of the world's coldest landscapes -- including the Himalaya Mountains, the Andes, and even Antarctica -- could become Saudi Arabias of solar.

Scientists move closer to predicting who will and will not fight off severe infections Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:35 AM PDT Why are some people prone to severe infections, while others handle them with less difficulty? A new research report attempts to answer this question by shedding light on the genetic differences that influence our ability to fight off bacterial infections.

Smoking cigarettes simulates cystic fibrosis Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:33 AM PDT If you smoke cigarettes, you have more in common with someone who has cystic fibrosis than you think. A new research report shows that smoking cigarettes affects the lungs in a way that is very similar to cystic fibrosis, a life threatening disease affecting the lungs and other organs.

Distant galaxies reveal the clearing of the cosmic fog; New VLT observations chart timeline of reionization Posted: 12 Oct 2011 05:36 AM PDT Scientists have used the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope to probe the early Universe at several different times as it was becoming transparent to ultraviolet light. This brief but dramatic phase in cosmic history occurred around 13 billion years ago. By studying some of the most distant galaxies, the team has been able to establish a timeline for reionization for the first time. They have also demonstrated that this phase must have happened quicker than previously thought.

Amateur skywatchers help space hazards team Posted: 12 Oct 2011 05:36 AM PDT For the first time, observations coordinated by the European Space Agency's space hazards team have found an asteroid that comes close enough to Earth to pose an impact threat. The space rock was found by amateur astronomers, highlighting the value of 'crowd-sourcing' to science and planetary defense.

How the brain’s own marijuana-like chemicals suppress pain Posted: 12 Oct 2011 05:36 AM PDT There are new findings about how the brain functions to suppress pain. For the first time, it has been shown that the hippocampus of the brain, which is usually associated with memory, has an active role to play in suppressing pain during times of stress.

'Snowball Earth' hypothesis challenged Posted: 12 Oct 2011 05:34 AM PDT The hypothesis that Earth was completely covered in ice 635 million years ago has received a serious blow. The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide during that period was much lower than previously thought, according to a team of researchers.

New mystery on Mars' forgotten plains Posted: 12 Oct 2011 05:34 AM PDT One of the supposedly best understood and least interesting landscapes on Mars is hiding something that could rewrite the planet's history. Or not. In fact, about all that is certain is that decades of assumptions regarding the wide, flat Hesperia Planum are not holding up very well under renewed scrutiny with higher-resolution, more recent spacecraft data.

Oldest fossil rodents in South America discovered; Find is 10 million years older and confirms animals from Africa Posted: 11 Oct 2011 04:24 PM PDT An international team of researchers have found the oldest rodent fossils in South America. The find confirms the animals origin in Africa and contradicts the conclusion that they spread from south to north, which was deduced from the fossil record just 20 years ago.

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