ScienceDaily: Top News

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• 'Microring' device could aid in future optical technologies
• New evidence for first production of oxygen on Earth
• Magnetic attraction: Microchip demonstrates concept of 'MRAM for biomolecules'
• Research could lead to new treatments for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and viral infections
• Stranded dolphins exhibit bubbles, and ability to recover
• Bioluminescence: Explanation for glowing seas suggested
• Pollutants linked to 450 percent increase in risk of birth defects in rural China
• Common link suggested between autism and diabetes: Study implicates hyperinsulinemia in increased incidence of autism
• U.S. rivers and streams saturated with carbon
• Young human-specific genes correlated with brain evolution
• Bridging the gap: Neuroscientists find normal brain communication in people who lack connections between right and left hemispheres
• Computer games help people with Parkinson's disease, pilot study shows
• Using new technique, scientists uncover a delicate magnetic balance for superconductivity
• Fallout of a giant meteorite strike revealed in new model
• Antibody treatment protects monkeys from Hendra virus disease
• Solving the mysteries of short-legged Neandertals
• 'Albedo effect' in forests can cause added warming, bonus cooling
• Bolivia's jaguars set a record
• Fiery volcano offers geologic glimpse into land that time forgot
• Spiral arms hint at presence of planets: High resolution image of young star with circumstellar disks verifies predictions
• Planet-sized object as cool as Earth revealed in record-breaking photo
• Key property of potential 'spintronic' material measured
• NASA, Japan release improved topographic map of Earth
• Orion's Belt lights up Cassini's view of Enceladus
• NASA's Spitzer detects comet storm in nearby solar system
• What makes tires grip the road on a rainy day?
• World record in 3-D imaging of porous rocks: Stack of 35 million megapixel-photos
• Glowing beacons reveal hidden order in dynamical systems: Experimental confirmation of a fundamental physical theorem
• Internet security: Researchers break W3C standard
• Researchers examine BPA and breast cancer link

'Microring' device could aid in future optical technologies Posted: 19 Oct 2011 11:52 PM PDT Researchers have created a device small enough to fit on a computer chip that converts continuous laser light into numerous ultrashort pulses, a technology that might have applications in more advanced sensors, communications systems and laboratory instruments.

New evidence for first production of oxygen on Earth Posted: 19 Oct 2011 07:19 PM PDT A new study is believed to have resolved a major debate about when oxygen began to be produced on Earth and how long it took before oxygen levels were enough to support the growth of life. Researchers made the discovery by examining key elements in banded iron formations through time.

Magnetic attraction: Microchip demonstrates concept of 'MRAM for biomolecules' Posted: 19 Oct 2011 06:28 PM PDT Researchers have developed a low-power microchip that uses a combination of microfluidics and magnetic switches to trap and transport magnetic beads. The novel transport chip may have applications in biotechnology and medical diagnostics.

Research could lead to new treatments for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and viral infections Posted: 19 Oct 2011 05:01 PM PDT The intestinal ecosystem is even more dynamic than previously thought, according to two new studies. The research provides a new understanding of the unique intestinal environment and suggest new strategies for the prevention of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and viral infections, the researchers said.

Stranded dolphins exhibit bubbles, and ability to recover Posted: 19 Oct 2011 04:13 PM PDT Scientists know that the blood and tissues of some deceased beaked whales stranded near naval sonar exercises are riddled with bubbles. It is also well known that human divers can suffer from bubbles-induced decompression sickness, also known as the bends. What researchers know comparatively little about is how living marine mammals handle the compression of lung gas as they dive deep and then resurface.

Bioluminescence: Explanation for glowing seas suggested Posted: 19 Oct 2011 04:08 PM PDT It has long been known that distinctive blue flashes -- a type of bioluminescence -- that are visible at night in some marine environments are caused by tiny, unicellular plankton known as dinoflagellates. However, a new study has, for the first time, detailed the potential mechanism for this bioluminesence.

Pollutants linked to 450 percent increase in risk of birth defects in rural China Posted: 19 Oct 2011 03:51 PM PDT Pesticides and pollutants are related to an alarming 450 percent increase in the risk of spina bifida and anencephaly in rural China, according to scientists.

Common link suggested between autism and diabetes: Study implicates hyperinsulinemia in increased incidence of autism Posted: 19 Oct 2011 03:46 PM PDT A review of the genetic and biochemical abnormalities associated with autism reveals a possible link between the widely diagnosed neurological disorder and Type 2 diabetes, another medical disorder on the rise in recent decades.

U.S. rivers and streams saturated with carbon Posted: 19 Oct 2011 03:30 PM PDT Rivers and streams in the United States are releasing substantially more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than previously thought, according to researchers. Their findings could change the way scientists model the movement of carbon among land, water and the atmosphere.

Young human-specific genes correlated with brain evolution Posted: 19 Oct 2011 03:20 PM PDT Young genes that appeared since the primate branch split from other mammal species are expressed in unique structures of the developing human brain, a new analysis finds.

Bridging the gap: Neuroscientists find normal brain communication in people who lack connections between right and left hemispheres Posted: 19 Oct 2011 03:18 PM PDT Like a bridge that spans a river to connect two major metropolises, the corpus callosum is the main conduit for information flowing between the left and right hemispheres of our brains. Now, neuroscientists have found that people who are born without that link -- a condition called agenesis of the corpus callosum, or AgCC -- still show remarkably normal communication across the gap between the two halves of their brains.

Computer games help people with Parkinson's disease, pilot study shows Posted: 19 Oct 2011 03:00 PM PDT Playing computer-based physical therapy games can help people with Parkinson's disease improve their gait and balance, according to a new pilot study. More than half the subjects in the three-month research project showed small improvements in walking speed, balance and stride length.

Using new technique, scientists uncover a delicate magnetic balance for superconductivity Posted: 19 Oct 2011 02:43 PM PDT A new imaging technology is giving scientists unprecedented views of the processes that affect the flow of electrons through materials. By modifying a familiar tool in nanoscience -- the scanning tunneling microscope -- researchers have been able to visualize what happens when they change the electronic structure of a "heavy fermion" compound made of uranium, ruthenium and silicon. What they found sheds light on superconductivity -- the movement of electrons without resistance -- which typically occurs at extremely low temperatures and that researchers hope one day to achieve at something close to room temperature, which would revolutionize electronics.

Fallout of a giant meteorite strike revealed in new model Posted: 19 Oct 2011 02:34 PM PDT Seeking to better understand the level of death and destruction that would result from a large meteorite striking Earth, researchers have developed a new model that can not only more accurately simulate the seismic fallout of such an impact, but also help reveal new information about the surface and interior of planets based on past collisions.

Antibody treatment protects monkeys from Hendra virus disease Posted: 19 Oct 2011 02:28 PM PDT A human antibody given to monkeys infected with the deadly Hendra virus completely protected them from disease, according to a new study. Hendra and the closely related Nipah virus, both rare viruses that are part of the NIH biodefense research program, target the lungs and brain and have human case fatality rates of 60 percent and more than 75 percent, respectively. These diseases in monkeys mirror what happens in humans, and the study results are cause for hope that the antibody, named m102.4, ultimately may be developed into a possible treatment for people who become infected with these viruses.

Solving the mysteries of short-legged Neandertals Posted: 19 Oct 2011 02:21 PM PDT While most studies have concluded that a cold climate led to the short lower legs typical of Neandertals, researchers have found that lower leg lengths shorter than the typical modern human's let them move more efficiently over the mountainous terrain where they lived. The findings reveal a broader trend relating shorter lower leg length to mountainous environments that may help explain the limb proportions of many different animals.

'Albedo effect' in forests can cause added warming, bonus cooling Posted: 19 Oct 2011 02:17 PM PDT Wildfire, insect outbreaks and hurricanes destroy huge amounts of forest every year and increase the amount of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere, but scientists are now learning more about another force that can significantly affect their climate impact. Researchers conclude in a new study that the albedo effect, which controls the amount of energy reflected back into space, is important in the climatic significance of several types of major forest disturbances.

Bolivia's jaguars set a record Posted: 19 Oct 2011 02:11 PM PDT In a new camera trap survey in the world's most biologically diverse landscape, researchers have identified more individual jaguars than ever before.

Fiery volcano offers geologic glimpse into land that time forgot Posted: 19 Oct 2011 02:04 PM PDT The first scientists to witness exploding rock and molten lava from a deep sea volcano, seen during a 2009 expedition, report that the eruption was near a tear in Earth's crust that is mimicking the birth of a subduction zone.

Spiral arms hint at presence of planets: High resolution image of young star with circumstellar disks verifies predictions Posted: 19 Oct 2011 02:02 PM PDT A new image of the disk of gas and dust around a sun-like star has spiral-arm-like structures. These features may provide clues to the presence of embedded but as-yet-unseen planets.

Planet-sized object as cool as Earth revealed in record-breaking photo Posted: 19 Oct 2011 01:52 PM PDT Scientists are presenting the photo of a nearby star and its orbiting companion -- whose temperature is like a hot summer day in Arizona. The planet-like companion is the coldest object ever directly photographed outside our solar system, researchers say.

Key property of potential 'spintronic' material measured Posted: 19 Oct 2011 01:45 PM PDT An advanced material that could help bring about next-generation "spintronic" computers has revealed one of its fundamental secrets to a team of scientists.

NASA, Japan release improved topographic map of Earth Posted: 19 Oct 2011 01:22 PM PDT NASA and Japan released a significantly improved version of the most complete digital topographic map of Earth on Oct. 17, produced with detailed measurements from NASA's Terra spacecraft. The map, known as a global digital elevation model, was created from images collected by the Japanese Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, or ASTER, instrument aboard Terra. So-called stereo-pair images are produced by merging two slightly offset two-dimensional images to create the three-dimensional effect of depth. The first version of the map was released by NASA and Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in June 2009.

Orion's Belt lights up Cassini's view of Enceladus Posted: 19 Oct 2011 01:21 PM PDT NASA's Cassini mission will take advantage of the position of two of the three stars in Orion's belt when the spacecraft flies by Saturn's moon Enceladus on Oct. 19. As the hot, bright stars pass behind the moon's icy jets, Cassini's ultraviolet imaging spectrograph will acquire a two-dimensional view of these dramatic plumes of water vapor and icy material erupting from the moon's southern polar region. This flyby is the mission's first-ever opportunity to probe the jets with two stars simultaneously, a dual stellar occultation.

NASA's Spitzer detects comet storm in nearby solar system Posted: 19 Oct 2011 01:19 PM PDT NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected signs of icy bodies raining down in an alien solar system. The downpour resembles our own solar system several billion years ago during a period known as the "Late Heavy Bombardment," which may have brought water and other life-forming ingredients to Earth.

What makes tires grip the road on a rainy day? Posted: 19 Oct 2011 12:45 PM PDT Scientists have recently developed a model to predict the friction occurring when a rough surface in wet conditions (such as a road on a rainy day) is in sliding contact with a rubber material (such as a car tire tread block).

World record in 3-D imaging of porous rocks: Stack of 35 million megapixel-photos Posted: 19 Oct 2011 07:55 AM PDT Physicists have established a world record in the field of three-dimensional imaging of porous materials. The scientists have generated the largest and most precise three-dimensional image of the pore structure of sandstone. The image was generated within a project of the Simulation Technology Cluster of Excellence, and contains more than 35 trillion (a number with thirteen digits) voxels.

Glowing beacons reveal hidden order in dynamical systems: Experimental confirmation of a fundamental physical theorem Posted: 19 Oct 2011 07:49 AM PDT A dynamical system in which repeated measurements on a single particle yield the same mean result as a single measurement of the whole ensemble is said to be ergodic. The ergodic theorem expresses a fundamental physical principle, and its validity for diffusive processes has now been demonstrated.

Internet security: Researchers break W3C standard Posted: 19 Oct 2011 07:49 AM PDT Standards are supposed to guarantee security, especially in the WWW. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is the main force behind standards like HTML, XML, and XML Encryption. But implementing a W3C standard does not mean that a system is secure. Researchers from the chair of network and data security have found a serious attack against XML Encryption. "Everything is insecure", is the uncomfortable message from the researchers.

Researchers examine BPA and breast cancer link Posted: 18 Oct 2011 06:41 PM PDT Chronic low-level exposure to a compound found in a variety of plastic household items could pose a threat to women who overproduce a protein linked with breast cancer, say researchers.

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