ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Simulating black hole radiation with lasers: Lasers produce the first Hawking radiation ever detected
• New test for consciousness in 'comatose' patients
• New advances in the study of silicon structure
• Physicists chip away at mystery of antimatter imbalance
• Are electron tweezers possible? Apparently so
• Americans using more fossil fuels
• Computer trained to evaluate breast cancer
• Obese monkeys lose weight on drug that attacks blood supply of fat cells
• Greenhouse gas index continues to climb
• Lipid blocks influenza infection
• Neurological disorder impacts brain cells differently
• Ancient lunar dynamo may explain magnetized moon rocks
• No need to shrink guts to have a larger brain
• Biochemical factor important in tumor metastasis unraveled
• First proof of principle for treating rare bone disease
• First of its kind gene map of sulfate-reducing bacterium created
• Chemists reveal the force within you: New method for visualizing mechanical forces on cell surface
• Do plants perform best with family or strangers? Researchers consider social interactions
• Clear vision despite a heavy head: Model explains the choice of simple movements
• Methane may be answer to 56-million-year question: Ocean could have contained enough methane to cause drastic climate change
• Lose the fat and improve the gums, dental researchers find
• Weird world of water gets a little weirder
• Fast new test for terrible form of food poisoning
• Tear drops may rival blood drops in testing blood sugar in diabetes
• Breakthrough in understanding the genetics of high blood pressure
• Biologists slow the aging process in fruit flies: Study has implications for humans
• Long-term carbon storage in Ganges basin may portend global warming worsening
• Fundamental discovery casts enzymes in new light
• Dairy foods may improve bone health during diet and exercise in overweight premenopausal women
• Depression and chronic stress accelerates aging
• Chemists develop compounds capable of forming heath-resistant, economic and biocompatible gels
• Temperature differences give rise to electricity
• Half-billion-year-old predator tracked: Multi-legged creature ruled the seas

Simulating black hole radiation with lasers: Lasers produce the first Hawking radiation ever detected Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:05 PM PST A team of Italian scientists has fired a laser beam into a hunk of glass to create what they believe is an optical analogue of the Hawking radiation that many physicists expect is emitted by black holes.

New test for consciousness in 'comatose' patients Posted: 09 Nov 2011 04:36 PM PST Researchers have developed a portable test which will permit a simpler and less expensive diagnosis of 'vegetative' patients who still have consciousness, despite the fact that they do not have the means to express it.

New advances in the study of silicon structure Posted: 09 Nov 2011 04:36 PM PST Amorphous silicon is one of the key materials in the manufacturing of next-generation solar panels and flat-screen televisions. A recent study has revealed that the energy of amorphous silicon – the state in which it exhibits the greatest stability – is 50% lower than the value commonly accepted until now. According to the researchers, this information is important for understanding the structure of the material and improving its properties.

Physicists chip away at mystery of antimatter imbalance Posted: 09 Nov 2011 01:13 PM PST Why there is stuff in the universe is one of the long-standing mysteries of cosmology. A team of researchers has just concluded a 10-year-long study of the fate of neutrons in an attempt to resolve the question, the most sensitive such measurement ever made. The universe, they concede, has managed to keep its secret for the time being, but they've succeeded in significantly narrowing the number of possible answers.

Are electron tweezers possible? Apparently so Posted: 09 Nov 2011 01:13 PM PST A recent paper demonstrates that the beams produced by modern electron microscopes can be used not just to look at nanoscale objects, but to move them around, position them and perhaps even assemble them.

Americans using more fossil fuels Posted: 09 Nov 2011 11:30 AM PST American energy use went back up in 2010 compared to 2009, when consumption was at a 12-year low. The United States used more fossil fuels in 2010 than in 2009, while renewable electricity remained approximately constant, with an increase in wind power offset by a modest decline in hydroelectricity. There also was a significant increase in biomass consumption, according to the most recent energy flow charts.

Computer trained to evaluate breast cancer Posted: 09 Nov 2011 11:30 AM PST Computer scientists and pathologists are training computers to analyze breast cancer microscopic images. The computer analysis were more accurate than those conducted by humans.

Obese monkeys lose weight on drug that attacks blood supply of fat cells Posted: 09 Nov 2011 11:30 AM PST Obese rhesus monkeys given an experimental anti-obesity drug lost on average 11 percent of their body weight over four weeks. The targeted combination drug selectively attacks blood vessels that support white fat.

Greenhouse gas index continues to climb Posted: 09 Nov 2011 11:30 AM PST NOAA's updated Annual Greenhouse Gas Index (AGGI), which measures the direct climate influence of many greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, shows a continued steady upward trend that began with the Industrial Revolution of the 1880s.

Lipid blocks influenza infection Posted: 09 Nov 2011 10:18 AM PST A natural lipid in the fluid lining the lungs inhibits influenza infections in both cell cultures and mouse models, according to researchers. These findings, combined with previous studies demonstrating effectiveness against respiratory syncytial virus, suggest that the molecule, known as POPG, may have broad antiviral activity. Supplemental POPG could be an important, inexpensive and novel approach for the prevention and treatment of influenza and other respiratory virus infections.

Neurological disorder impacts brain cells differently Posted: 09 Nov 2011 10:18 AM PST In a new paper, researchers describe in deeper detail the pathology of a devastating neurological disorder, but also reveal new cellular targets for possibly slowing its development.

Ancient lunar dynamo may explain magnetized moon rocks Posted: 09 Nov 2011 10:18 AM PST The presence of magnetized rocks on the surface of the moon, which has no global magnetic field, has been a mystery since the days of the Apollo program. Now a team of scientists has proposed a novel mechanism that could have generated a magnetic field on the moon early in its history.

No need to shrink guts to have a larger brain Posted: 09 Nov 2011 10:13 AM PST The so-called expensive-tissue hypothesis, which suggests a trade-off between the size of the brain and the size of the digestive tract, has been challenged. Researchers have now shown that brains in mammals have grown over the course of evolution without the digestive organs having to become smaller. The researchers have further demonstrated that the potential to store fat often goes hand in hand with relatively small brains -- except in humans, who owe their increased energy intake and correspondingly large brain to communal child care, better diet and their ability to walk upright.

Biochemical factor important in tumor metastasis unraveled Posted: 09 Nov 2011 09:57 AM PST A protein called "fascin" appears to play a critical transformation role in TGF beta mediated tumor metastasis, say researchers.

First proof of principle for treating rare bone disease Posted: 09 Nov 2011 09:57 AM PST Scientists have developed a new genetic approach to specifically block the damaged copy of the gene for a rare bone disease, while leaving the normal copy untouched.

First of its kind gene map of sulfate-reducing bacterium created Posted: 09 Nov 2011 09:57 AM PST Critical genetic secrets of a bacterium that holds potential for removing toxic and radioactive waste from the environment have been revealed in a new study. Researchers have created a first-of-its-kind gene map of Desulfovibrio vulgaris, which can be used to identify the genes that determine how these bacteria interact with their surrounding environment.

Chemists reveal the force within you: New method for visualizing mechanical forces on cell surface Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:58 AM PST A new method for visualizing mechanical forces on the surface of a cell provides the first detailed view of those forces, as they occur in real-time. Emory chemists were able to measure something that's never been measured before: The force that one molecule applies to another molecule across the entire surface of a living cell, and as this cell moves and goes about its normal processes.

Do plants perform best with family or strangers? Researchers consider social interactions Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:58 AM PST In the fight for survival, plants are capable of complex social behaviors and may exhibit altruism towards family members, but aggressively compete with strangers. A growing body of work suggests plants recognize and respond to the presence and identity of their neighbors. But can plants cooperate with their relatives?

Clear vision despite a heavy head: Model explains the choice of simple movements Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:56 AM PST The brain likes stereotypes -- at least for movements. Simple actions are most often performed in the same manner. A mathematical model explains why this is the case and could be used to generate more natural robot movements and to adapt prosthetic movements.

Methane may be answer to 56-million-year question: Ocean could have contained enough methane to cause drastic climate change Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:15 AM PST The release of massive amounts of carbon from methane hydrate frozen under the seafloor 56 million years ago has been linked to the greatest change in global climate since a dinosaur-killing asteroid presumably hit Earth nine million years earlier. New calculations by researchers show that this long-controversial scenario is quite possible.

Lose the fat and improve the gums, dental researchers find Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:15 AM PST Researchers found the human body is better at fighting gum disease when fat cells, which trigger inflammation, disappear.

Weird world of water gets a little weirder Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:15 AM PST Strange, stranger, strangest! To the weird nature of one of the simplest chemical compounds -- the stuff so familiar that even non-scientists know its chemical formula -- add another odd twist. Scientists are reporting that good old H2O, when chilled below the freezing point, can shift into a new type of liquid.

Fast new test for terrible form of food poisoning Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:15 AM PST Scientists are reporting development of a fast, reliable new test that could help people avoid a terrible type of food poisoning that comes from eating fish tainted with a difficult-to-detect toxin from marine algae growing in warm waters.

Tear drops may rival blood drops in testing blood sugar in diabetes Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:15 AM PST Scientists are reporting development and successful laboratory testing of an electrochemical sensor device that has the potential to measure blood sugar levels from tears instead of blood -- an advance that could save the world's 350 million diabetes patients the discomfort of pricking their fingers for droplets of blood used in traditional blood sugar tests.

Breakthrough in understanding the genetics of high blood pressure Posted: 09 Nov 2011 07:42 AM PST A ground-breaking study into the causes of high blood pressure analyzed genetic material in human kidneys in a search for genes that might contribute to high blood pressure. The findings open up new avenues for future investigation into the causes of high blood pressure in humans.

Biologists slow the aging process in fruit flies: Study has implications for humans Posted: 09 Nov 2011 06:39 AM PST Biologists have identified a gene that slows the aging process. The biologists, working with fruit flies, activated a gene called PGC-1, which increases the activity of mitochondria, the tiny power generators in cells that control cell growth and tell cells when to live and die.

Long-term carbon storage in Ganges basin may portend global warming worsening Posted: 09 Nov 2011 06:39 AM PST Scientists have found that carbon is stored in the soils and sediments of the Ganges-Brahmaputra basin for a surprisingly long time, making it likely that global warming could destabilize the pool of carbon there and in similar places on Earth, potentially increasing the rate of CO2 release into the atmosphere.

Fundamental discovery casts enzymes in new light Posted: 09 Nov 2011 06:39 AM PST A tree outside an office window provided the inspiration for a discovery that may ultimately lead to drugs with fewer side effects, less expensive biofuels and more.

Dairy foods may improve bone health during diet and exercise in overweight premenopausal women Posted: 09 Nov 2011 06:38 AM PST A recent study found that consumption of dairy foods and higher protein resulted in improvements in markers of bone formation and reductions in markers of bone degradation in overweight and obese young women over 16 weeks of diet- and exercise-induced weight loss.

Depression and chronic stress accelerates aging Posted: 09 Nov 2011 06:37 AM PST People with recurrent depressions or those exposed to chronic stress exhibits shorter telomeres in white blood cells.

Chemists develop compounds capable of forming heath-resistant, economic and biocompatible gels Posted: 09 Nov 2011 06:37 AM PST Eating a yogurt or a jelly, using a pharmaceutical or cosmetic cream or shampoo... are just some of the numerous everyday actions in which we use gels developed through a process of gelation. Researchers have now developed a new family of compounds that enables to develop gels more resistant to high temperatures with a higher level of biocompatibility and able to work with a variety of organic solvents, and all this with an easy synthesis, scalable and low cost. This family of compounds has significant applications in industries such as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics or food industry, among others.

Temperature differences give rise to electricity Posted: 09 Nov 2011 06:35 AM PST More than half of today's energy consumption is squandered in useless waste heat, such as the heat from refrigerators and all sorts of gadgets and the heat from factories and power plants. The energy losses are even greater in cars. Automobile motors only manage to utilize 30 per cent of the energy they generate.

Half-billion-year-old predator tracked: Multi-legged creature ruled the seas Posted: 08 Nov 2011 05:14 PM PST Researchers in Canada have followed fossilized footprints to a multi-legged predator that ruled the seas of the Cambrian period about half a billion years ago.

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