ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Earliest ancestor of land herbivores discovered: 300-million-year-old predator showed way to modern terrestrial ecosystem
• For cells, internal stress leads to unique shapes
• Red moon at night: Stargazer's delight
• Information storage for the next generation of plastic computers: Efficient conversion from magnetic storage to light is key
• How kids' brain structures grow as memory develops
• Mars: Meteorites yield clues to Red Planet's early atmosphere
• Eavesdropping on brain cell chatter
• Theoretical biophysics: Adventurous bacteria decide how to preserve species?
• Quantum computing? Progress in the fight against quantum dissipation
• Cancer drugs block dementia-linked brain inflammation, study finds
• How smells stick to your memories: Your nose can be a pathfinder
• Ancient shark fossil reveals new insights into jaw evolution
• Searching for dark energy with neutrons: With neutrons, scientists can now look for dark energy in the lab
• Crucial new information about how the ice ages came about
• Sperm meets egg: Protein essential for fertilization discovered
• Scientists capture ultrafast snapshots of light-driven superconductivity
• Scientists re-define what's healthy in newest analysis for human microbiome project
• HIV-positive women respond well to HPV vaccine, study shows
• Synapses: stability in transformation
• Shade grown coffee shrinking as a proportion of global coffee production
• DNA looping damage tied to HPV cancer, researcher discovers
• Floating nuclear plants could ride out tsunamis: New design for enhanced safety, easier siting and centralized construction
• Trials of the Cherokee were reflected in their skulls
• Expect changes in appetite, taste of food after weight loss surgery
• Pressure relief valve in cellular membrane identified
• Making new materials an atomic layer at a time
• Using video surveillance to measure peoples' hand washing habits
• Ant colonies help evacuees in disaster zones
• Multiple births don't have to be an inevitable result of fertility treatments
• How toddlers learn verbs: New insight
• Global scientific team 'visualizes' a new crystallization process
• Augmented reality: Bringing history and the future to life
• Progress in understanding immune response in severe schistosomiasis
• Fighting neuroblastomas by blocking DNA replication, repair
• Relieving electric vehicle range anxiety with improved batteries
• Computer software analyzing facial expressions accurately predicts student test performance
• Diverse gene pool critical for tigers' survival, say experts
• Body mass index associated with breast cancer, regardless of body shape
• Scientists achieve first direct observations of excitons in motion
• Fish exposed to antidepressants exhibit altered behavioral changes
• Gate for bacterial toxins found in cells
• EU must take urgent action on invasive species, experts urge
• At the origin of cell division: The features of living matter emerge from inanimate matter in simulation
• Potential use of Google Glass in surgical settings
• A study in scarlet: Hot newborn stars formed out of the clouds
• Warm U.S. West, cold East: 4,000-year pattern; Global warming may bring more curvy jet streams during winter
• Lemurs match scent of a friend to sound of her voice
• Thyroid disease risk varies among blacks, Asians, whites
• Mothers with higher BMI have increased risk of stillbirth, infant death

Earliest ancestor of land herbivores discovered: 300-million-year-old predator showed way to modern terrestrial ecosystem Posted: 16 Apr 2014 02:22 PM PDT New research demonstrates how carnivores transitioned into herbivores for the first time on land. Previously unknown, the 300-million-year old fossilized juvenile skeleton of Eocasea martini is less than 20 cm long. Found in Kansas, it consists of a partial skull, most of the vertebral column, the pelvis and a hind limb. By comparing the skeletal anatomy of related animals, scientists discovered that Eocasea martini belonged to the caseid branch of the group Synapsid. This group, which includes early terrestrial herbivores and large top predators, ultimately evolved into modern living mammals. Eocasea lived nearly 80 million years before the age of dinosaurs.

For cells, internal stress leads to unique shapes Posted: 16 Apr 2014 01:26 PM PDT A cell's unique shape results from an internal tug-of-war: the cell needs to maintain structural integrity while also dynamically responding to the pushes and pulls of mechanical stress, researchers have discovered. The researchers studied the supportive microtubule arrangement in the tissue of pavement cells from the first leaves -- or cotyledons -- of a young Arabidopsis thaliana plant.

Red moon at night: Stargazer's delight Posted: 16 Apr 2014 01:26 PM PDT Monday night's lunar eclipse proved just as delightful as expected to those able to view it. On the East Coast, cloudy skies may have gotten in the way, but at the National Science Foundation's National Optical Astronomy Observatory near Tucson, Ariz., the skies offered impressive viewing.

Information storage for the next generation of plastic computers: Efficient conversion from magnetic storage to light is key Posted: 16 Apr 2014 01:24 PM PDT Inexpensive computers, cell phones and other systems that substitute flexible plastic for silicon chips may be one step closer to reality, thanks to new research. Scientists have made a new proposal for overcoming a major obstacle to the development of such plastic devices -- the large amount of energy required to read stored information.

How kids' brain structures grow as memory develops Posted: 16 Apr 2014 11:33 AM PDT Our ability to store memories improves during childhood, associated with structural changes in the hippocampus and its connections with prefrontal and parietal cortices. New research is exploring how these brain regions develop at this crucial time. Eventually, that could give insights into disorders that typically emerge in the transition into and during adolescence and affect memory, such as schizophrenia and depression.

Mars: Meteorites yield clues to Red Planet's early atmosphere Posted: 16 Apr 2014 11:33 AM PDT Geologists analyzed 40 meteorites that fell to Earth from Mars to understand the history of the Martian atmosphere. Their new article shows the atmospheres of Mars and Earth diverged in important ways early in the solar system's 4.6 billion year evolution.

Eavesdropping on brain cell chatter Posted: 16 Apr 2014 11:33 AM PDT Everything we do -- all of our movements, thoughts and feelings -- are the result of neurons talking with one another, and recent studies have suggested that some of the conversations might not be all that private. Brain cells known as astrocytes may be listening in on, or even participating in, some of those discussions. But a new mouse study suggests that astrocytes might only be tuning in part of the time -- specifically, when the neurons get really excited about something.

Theoretical biophysics: Adventurous bacteria decide how to preserve species? Posted: 16 Apr 2014 11:33 AM PDT To reproduce or to conquer the world? Surprisingly, bacteria also face this problem. Theoretical biophysicists have now shown how these organisms should decide how best to preserve their species.

Quantum computing? Progress in the fight against quantum dissipation Posted: 16 Apr 2014 10:34 AM PDT Scientists have confirmed a 50-year-old, previously untested theoretical prediction in physics and improved the energy storage time of a quantum switch by several orders of magnitude. High-quality quantum switches are essential for the development of quantum computers and the quantum internet -- innovations that would offer vastly greater information processing power and speed than classical (digital) computers, as well as more secure information transmission.

Cancer drugs block dementia-linked brain inflammation, study finds Posted: 16 Apr 2014 10:33 AM PDT A class of drugs developed to treat immune-related conditions and cancer -- including one currently in clinical trials for glioblastoma and other tumors -- eliminates neural inflammation associated with dementia-linked diseases and brain injuries, according to researchers. In their study, the researchers discovered that the drugs, which can be delivered orally, eradicated microglia, the primary immune cells of the brain. These cells exacerbate many neural diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, as well as brain injury.

How smells stick to your memories: Your nose can be a pathfinder Posted: 16 Apr 2014 10:33 AM PDT Waves in your brain make smells stick to your memories and inner maps. Researchers have recently discovered the process behind this phenomenon. The brain, it turns out, connects smells to memories through an associative process where neural networks are linked through synchronized brain waves of 20-40 Hz.

Ancient shark fossil reveals new insights into jaw evolution Posted: 16 Apr 2014 10:33 AM PDT The skull of a newly discovered 325-million-year-old shark-like species suggests that early cartilaginous and bony fishes have more to tell us about the early evolution of jawed vertebrates -- including humans -- than do modern sharks, as was previously thought. The new study shows that living sharks are actually quite advanced in evolutionary terms, despite having retained their basic 'sharkiness' over millions of years.

Searching for dark energy with neutrons: With neutrons, scientists can now look for dark energy in the lab Posted: 16 Apr 2014 10:33 AM PDT It does not always take a huge accelerator to do particle physics: First results from a low energy, table top alternative takes validity of Newtonian gravity down by five orders of magnitude and narrows the potential properties of the forces and particles that may exist beyond it by more than one hundred thousand times. Gravity resonance spectroscopy is so sensitive that it can now be used to search for Dark Matter and Dark Energy.

Crucial new information about how the ice ages came about Posted: 16 Apr 2014 10:33 AM PDT Scientists have discovered new relationships between deep-sea temperature and ice-volume changes to provide crucial new information about how the ice ages came about. The researchers found, for the first time, that the long-term trends in cooling and continental ice-volume cycles over the past 5.3 million years were not the same. In fact, for temperature the major step toward the ice ages that have characterized the past two to three million years was a cooling event at 2.7 million years ago, but for ice-volume the crucial step was the development of the first intense ice age at around 2.15 million years ago. Before these results, these were thought to have occurred together at about 2.5 million years ago.

Sperm meets egg: Protein essential for fertilization discovered Posted: 16 Apr 2014 10:32 AM PDT Interacting proteins on the surface of the sperm and the egg have been discovered by researchers. These are essential to begin mammalian life. These proteins, which allow the sperm and egg to recognize one another, offer new paths towards improved fertility treatments and the development of new contraceptives.

Scientists capture ultrafast snapshots of light-driven superconductivity Posted: 16 Apr 2014 10:32 AM PDT A new study pins down a major factor behind the appearance of superconductivity -- the ability to conduct electricity with 100 percent efficiency -- in a promising copper-oxide material. Scientists used carefully timed pairs of laser pulses to trigger superconductivity in the material and immediately take x-ray snapshots of its atomic and electronic structure as superconductivity emerged.

Scientists re-define what's healthy in newest analysis for human microbiome project Posted: 16 Apr 2014 10:31 AM PDT A new look at the Human Microbiome Project shows wide variation in the types of bacteria found in healthy people. Based on their findings, there is no single healthy microbiome. Rather each person harbors a unique and varied collection of bacteria that's the result of life history as well their interactions with the environment, diet and medication use.

HIV-positive women respond well to HPV vaccine, study shows Posted: 16 Apr 2014 09:56 AM PDT A vaccine can safely help the vast majority of HIV-positive women produce antibodies against the cancer-causing human papillomavirus, even if their immune system is weak and even if they've had some prior HPV exposure, a three-nation clinical trial found. HPV causes cervical and other cancers. The commonly used HPV vaccine Gardasil had not been tested in seriously immune-suppressed women with HIV. In addition, vaccines are often less effective in HIV-positive people.

Synapses: stability in transformation Posted: 16 Apr 2014 09:56 AM PDT Synapses are the points of contact at which information is transmitted between neurons. Without them, we would not be able to form thoughts or remember things. For memories to endure, synapses sometimes have to remain stable for very long periods. But how can a synapse last if its components have to be replaced regularly? New research shows that synapses remain stable if their components grow in coordination with each other.

Shade grown coffee shrinking as a proportion of global coffee production Posted: 16 Apr 2014 09:54 AM PDT Over the past couple of decades, global coffee production has been shifting towards a more intensive, less environmentally friendly style, a new study has found. That's pretty surprising if you live in the U.S. and you've gone to the grocery store or Starbucks, where sales of environmentally and socially conscious coffees have risen sharply and now account for half of all U.S. coffee sales by economic value.

DNA looping damage tied to HPV cancer, researcher discovers Posted: 16 Apr 2014 08:30 AM PDT Certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) are known to cause about five percent of all cancer cases, yet all the mechanisms aren't completely understood. Now, researchers have leveraged Ohio Supercomputer Center resources and whole-genome sequencing to identify a new way that HPV might spark cancer development -- by disrupting the human DNA sequence with repeating loops when HPV is inserted into host-cell DNA as it replicates.

Floating nuclear plants could ride out tsunamis: New design for enhanced safety, easier siting and centralized construction Posted: 16 Apr 2014 08:29 AM PDT When an earthquake and tsunami struck the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant complex in 2011, neither the quake nor the inundation caused the ensuing contamination. Rather, it was the aftereffects -- specifically, the lack of cooling for the reactor cores, due to a shutdown of all power at the station -- that caused most of the harm. A new design for nuclear plants built on floating platforms, modeled after those used for offshore oil drilling, could help avoid such consequences in the future.

Trials of the Cherokee were reflected in their skulls Posted: 16 Apr 2014 08:29 AM PDT Researchers have found that environmental stressors -- from the Trail of Tears to the Civil War -- led to significant changes in the shape of skulls in the eastern and western bands of the Cherokee people. The findings highlight the role of environmental factors in shaping our physical characteristics.

Expect changes in appetite, taste of food after weight loss surgery Posted: 16 Apr 2014 08:28 AM PDT Changes in appetite, taste and smell are par for the course for people who have undergone Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery during which one's stomach is made smaller and small intestines shortened. These sensory changes are not all negative, and could lead to more weight loss among patients. Their findings showed that after gastric bypass surgery, patients frequently report sensory changes.

Pressure relief valve in cellular membrane identified Posted: 16 Apr 2014 08:28 AM PDT Regulation of cell volume is critical for the body's cells, for example during cellular exposure to fluids of varying salt concentrations, in cell division and cell growth, but also in diseases such as cancer, stroke and myocardial infarction. A certain chloride channel, a membrane protein that allows the passage of the chloride ion, is of crucial importance in volume regulation.

Making new materials an atomic layer at a time Posted: 16 Apr 2014 08:27 AM PDT Researchers have shown the ability to grow high quality, single-layer materials one on top of the other using chemical vapor deposition. This highly scalable technique, often used in the semiconductor industry, can produce new materials with unique properties that could be applied to solar cells, ultracapacitors for energy storage, or advanced transistors for energy efficient electronics, among many other applications.

Using video surveillance to measure peoples' hand washing habits Posted: 16 Apr 2014 07:16 AM PDT Use of video surveillance to better understand essential hygiene behavior has been pioneered by researchers. Still, despite years of global public awareness campaigns, hand washing rates remain low. Caregivers of young children in low-income, developing world settings are found to wash their hands only 17 percent of the time after using the toilet. A new study finds that video surveillance can provide insights into hand washing behavior. Study findings could inform the design, monitoring and evaluation of hygiene campaigns.

Ant colonies help evacuees in disaster zones Posted: 16 Apr 2014 07:16 AM PDT An escape route mapping system based on the behavior of ant colonies could give evacuees a better chance of reaching safe harbor after a natural disaster or terrorist attack by building a map showing the shortest routes to shelters and providing regular updates of current situations such as fires, blocked roads or other damage via the smart phones of emergency workers and those caught up in the disaster.

Multiple births don't have to be an inevitable result of fertility treatments Posted: 16 Apr 2014 07:16 AM PDT While fertility treatments have helped many people become parents, they commonly result in multiple births, increasing the risk of prematurity, and leading to lifelong complications. But this doesn't have to be the case, according researchers, who recommend sweeping changes to policy and clinical practice.

How toddlers learn verbs: New insight Posted: 16 Apr 2014 07:16 AM PDT Parents can help toddlers' language skills by showing them a variety of examples of different actions, according to new research. Previous research has shown that verbs pose particular difficulties to toddlers as they refer to actions rather than objects, and actions are often different each time a child sees them.

Global scientific team 'visualizes' a new crystallization process Posted: 16 Apr 2014 07:16 AM PDT By combining a synchrotron's bright X-ray beam with high speed X-ray cameras, scientists shot a 'movie' showing how organic molecules form into crystals. This is a first. Their new techniques will improve our understanding of crystal packing and should help lead to better electronic devices as well as pharmaceuticals -- indeed any product whose properties depend on precisely controlling crystallization.

Augmented reality: Bringing history and the future to life Posted: 16 Apr 2014 07:14 AM PDT Have you ever wished you had a virtual time machine that could show you how your street looked last century? Or have you wanted to see how your new furniture might look, before you've even bought it? Thanks to new research you can now do just that.

Progress in understanding immune response in severe schistosomiasis Posted: 16 Apr 2014 07:13 AM PDT A mechanism that may help explain the severe forms of schistosomiasis, or snail fever, has been discovered by researchers. Schistosomiasis is one of the most prevalent parasitic diseases in the world. The study in mice may also offer targets for intervention and amelioration of the disease. Although schistosomiasis is not contracted in the United States or Europe, the World Health Organization reports that this neglected tropical disease is endemic primarily in Africa, but is also found in South America, the Middle East, and Asia.

Fighting neuroblastomas by blocking DNA replication, repair Posted: 16 Apr 2014 07:13 AM PDT PCNA is a protein essential to DNA repair and replication, and researchers are targeting it in neuroblastoma cells in order to halt tumor growth and induce cell death. Neuroblastoma is one of the deadliest childhood cancers, accounting for 15 percent of pediatric cancer deaths. For patients with high-risk neuroblastomas, the five-year survival rate is 40 to 50 percent even with the most rigorous treatments available today.

Relieving electric vehicle range anxiety with improved batteries Posted: 16 Apr 2014 07:13 AM PDT A new nanomaterial called a metal organic framework could extend the lifespan of lithium-sulfur batteries, which could be used to increase the driving range of electric vehicles. Researchers added the powder, a kind of nanomaterial called a metal organic framework, to the battery's cathode to capture problematic polysulfides that usually cause lithium-sulfur batteries to fail after a few charges. During lab tests, a lithium-sulfur battery with the new MOF cathode maintained 89 percent of its initial power capacity after 100 charge-and discharge cycles.

Computer software analyzing facial expressions accurately predicts student test performance Posted: 16 Apr 2014 07:13 AM PDT Real-time engagement detection technology that processes facial expressions can perform with accuracy comparable to that of human observers, according to new research. The study used automatic expression recognition technology to analyze students' facial expressions on a frame-by-frame basis and estimate their engagement level. The study also revealed that engagement levels were a better predictor of students' post-test performance than the students' pre-test scores.

Diverse gene pool critical for tigers' survival, say experts Posted: 16 Apr 2014 06:08 AM PDT Increasing tigers' genetic diversity -- via interbreeding and other methods -- and not just their population numbers may be the best solution to saving this endangered species, according to research. Iconic symbols of power and beauty, wild tigers may roam only in stories someday soon. Their historical range has been reduced by more than 90 percent. But conservation plans that focus only on increasing numbers and preserving distinct subspecies ignore genetic diversity, according to the study. In fact, under that approach, the tiger could vanish entirely.

Body mass index associated with breast cancer, regardless of body shape Posted: 16 Apr 2014 06:08 AM PDT A larger waist circumference is associated with higher risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, but not beyond its contribution to BMI, a new study of predominantly white women finds. The study fails to confirm previous findings that body shape itself is an independent risk factor for breast cancer.

Scientists achieve first direct observations of excitons in motion Posted: 16 Apr 2014 06:08 AM PDT A quasiparticle called an exciton -- responsible for the transfer of energy within devices such as solar cells, LEDs, and semiconductor circuits -- has been understood theoretically for decades. But exciton movement within materials has never been directly observed. Now scientists have achieved that feat, imaging excitons' motions directly. This could enable research leading to significant advances in electronics, they say, as well as a better understanding of natural energy-transfer processes, such as photosynthesis.

Fish exposed to antidepressants exhibit altered behavioral changes Posted: 16 Apr 2014 06:05 AM PDT Fish exposed to the antidepressant Fluoxetine, an active ingredient in prescription drugs such as Prozac, exhibited a range of altered mating behaviours, repetitive behaviour and aggression towards female fish, according to new research. "With increased aggression, in the highest level of concentration, female survivorship was only 33% compared to the other exposures that had a survivorship of 77-87.5%. The females that died had visible bruising and tissue damage," according to the lead author.

Gate for bacterial toxins found in cells Posted: 16 Apr 2014 06:05 AM PDT A molecule that smuggles toxins from intestinal pathogens into human cells has been discovered by scientists. "In order to prevent the toxin from entering the cell, it is necessary to find the receptor that serves as the gatekeeper. But the search for this key molecule remained unsuccessful for a long time," one researcher. The team has now identified a receptor for a clostridial toxin of this type for the first time ever.

EU must take urgent action on invasive species, experts urge Posted: 16 Apr 2014 06:05 AM PDT The EU must take urgent action to halt the spread of invasive species that are threatening native plants and animals across Europe, according to scientists. The threats posed by these species cost an estimated €12 billion each year across Europe.

At the origin of cell division: The features of living matter emerge from inanimate matter in simulation Posted: 16 Apr 2014 06:04 AM PDT Droplets of filamentous material enclosed in a lipid membrane: these are the models of a "simplified" cell used by physicists who simulated the spontaneous emergence of cell motility and division - that is, features of living material - in inanimate "objects".

Potential use of Google Glass in surgical settings Posted: 16 Apr 2014 06:04 AM PDT A new article shows the potential applications for Google Glass in the surgical setting, particularly in relation to training. Personal portable information technology is advancing at a breathtaking speed. Google has recently introduced Glass, a device that is worn like conventional glasses, but that combines a computerized central processing unit, touchpad, display screen, high-definition camera, microphone, bone-conduction transducer, and wireless connectivity.

A study in scarlet: Hot newborn stars formed out of the clouds Posted: 16 Apr 2014 06:04 AM PDT An area of the southern sky, in the constellation of Centaurus (The Centaur), is home to many bright nebulae, each associated with hot newborn stars that formed out of the clouds of hydrogen gas. The intense radiation from the stellar newborns excites the remaining hydrogen around them, making the gas glow in the distinctive shade of red typical of star-forming regions.

Warm U.S. West, cold East: 4,000-year pattern; Global warming may bring more curvy jet streams during winter Posted: 16 Apr 2014 06:03 AM PDT Last winter's curvy jet stream pattern brought mild temperatures to western North America and harsh cold to the East. A new study shows that pattern became more pronounced 4,000 years ago, and suggests it may worsen as Earth's climate warms.

Lemurs match scent of a friend to sound of her voice Posted: 15 Apr 2014 05:38 PM PDT Scientists report that ring-tailed lemurs respond more strongly to the scents and sounds of female lemurs when the scent they smell and the voice they hear belong to the same female -- even when she's nowhere in sight. Linking a particular female's call with her unique aroma gives the lemurs a way to figure out if she is nearby, since the scents tend to linger.

Thyroid disease risk varies among blacks, Asians, whites Posted: 15 Apr 2014 01:17 PM PDT An analysis that included active military personnel finds that the rate of the thyroid disorder Graves disease is more common among blacks and Asian/Pacific Islanders compared with whites. The authors write that the differences in incidence by race/ethnicity found in this study may be due to different environmental exposures, genetics, or a combination of both.

Mothers with higher BMI have increased risk of stillbirth, infant death Posted: 15 Apr 2014 01:17 PM PDT Higher maternal body mass index (BMI) before or in early pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of fetal death, stillbirth, and infant death, with women who are severely obese having the greatest risk of these outcomes from their pregnancy, according to a study. The authors suggest that several biological mechanisms could explain the association found in this study, including that being overweight or obese has been associated with increased risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, type 2 diabetes, gestational hypertension, and congenital anomalies, conditions that have been strongly associated with risk of fetal and infant death.

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