Friday, April 24, 2015

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


Are bees 'hooked' on nectar containing pesticides?

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 08:41 PM PDT

Bees are attracted to nectar containing common pesticides, scientists have discovered. This could increase their chances of exposure to high levels of pesticides.

Fracking? Injecting wastewater? New insight on ground shaking from human-made earthquakes

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 06:56 PM PDT

Significant strides in science have been made to better understand potential ground shaking from induced earthquakes, which are earthquakes triggered by human practices. Earthquake activity has sharply increased since 2009 in the central and eastern United States. Many questions have been raised about whether hydraulic fracturing -- commonly referred to as "fracking" -- is responsible for the recent increase of earthquakes. The increase has been linked to industrial operations that dispose of wastewater by injecting it into deep wells.

James Webb Space Telescope: Building Hubble's successor

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 06:41 PM PDT

Inside NASA's giant thermal vacuum chamber, called Chamber A, at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the James Webb Space Telescope's Pathfinder backplane test model, is being prepared for its cryogenic test. Previously used for manned spaceflight missions, this historic chamber is now filled with engineers and technicians preparing for a crucial test.

Four-dimensional printing unfolding as technology that takes 3D printing to an entirely new level

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 06:35 PM PDT

The fourth dimension is time, shape shifting in fact, and scientists are already working on the next revolution in additive manufacturing.

Second possible specimen of 'pocket shark' ever found

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:27 PM PDT

An extraordinarily rare ocean discovery of an inches-long 'pocket shark' has been made. Sharks come in all shapes and sizes and are best known as a dominant predator in the marine food web. Understanding their movements, behaviors and anatomies gives fishery managers a better idea of their diets and relationships with other species.

Can a parent's concerns predict autism?

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:25 PM PDT

New research shows that many parents notice signs of autism spectrum disorder in their infant children far before an official diagnosis. The study concludes that parental concerns for their children starting as early as six months of age can be predictive of autism spectrum disorder.

Why do animals fight members of other species?

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:25 PM PDT

Why do animals fight with members of other species? A nine-year study by biologists says the reason often has to do with 'obtaining priority access to females' in the area.

Long-term exposure to air pollution may pose risk to brain structure, cognitive functions

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 03:23 PM PDT

Air pollution, even at moderate levels, has long been recognized as a factor in raising the risk of stroke. A new study suggests that long-term exposure can cause damage to brain structures and impair cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults.

Silver nanoclusters inside synthetic DNA to create a programmed, tunable fluorescent array

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 12:48 PM PDT

Scientists use a novel form of nanotechnology to create a positionable silver cluster with DNA-programmed tunable fluorescent color.

Chance and circumstance tip immune control of cancer

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 12:47 PM PDT

Researchers developed a new computational model that elucidates the dynamic interplay between cancer and the immune system.

Astronomers find runaway galaxies

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 12:47 PM PDT

We know of about two dozen runaway stars, and have even found one runaway star cluster escaping its galaxy forever. Now, astronomers have spotted 11 runaway galaxies that have been flung out of their homes to wander the void of intergalactic space.

Many Dry Tortugas loggerheads actually Bahamas residents

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 12:46 PM PDT

Many loggerhead sea turtles that nest in Dry Tortugas National Park head to rich feeding sites in the Bahamas after nesting, a discovery that may help those working to protect this threatened species.

Revolutionary discovery leads to invention of new 'building blocks'

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 11:28 AM PDT

Taking a revolutionary 'building blocks' approach, a research team has invented a new thinking pathway in the design and synthesis of macromolecules by creating an original class of giant tetrahedra. Through a reaction called 'click chemistry,' these tetrahedron building blocks can then be precisely manipulated to unite with other tetrahedrons.

A GPS for chromosomes: Microtubules direct chromosomes during cell division

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 11:27 AM PDT

Scientists have identified a " Highway Code" within cells, a finding that changes the way we perceive how chromosomes move during cell division. Using chromosomes as a model to explain this navigation system, the research team show how this signaling mechanism determines the path through which molecular transporters travel. They have revealed that the existence of specific signals on microtubules -- which work as intracellular highways -- give directions to chromosomes on which route to take in the course of cell division.

Scientists see deeper Yellowstone magma

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 11:27 AM PDT

Seismologists have discovered and made images of a reservoir of hot, partly molten rock 12 to 28 miles beneath the Yellowstone supervolcano, and it is 4.4 times larger than the shallower, long-known magma chamber. The hot rock in the newly discovered, deeper magma reservoir would fill the 1,000-cubic-mile Grand Canyon 11.2 times.

Dolphins use extra energy to communicate in noisy waters

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 10:04 AM PDT

Dolphins that raise their voices to be heard in noisy environments expend extra energy in doing so, according to new research that for the first time measures the biological costs to marine mammals of trying to communicate over the sounds of ship traffic or other sources.

World Happiness Report 2015 ranks happiest countries

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 10:03 AM PDT

Since it was first published in 2012, the World Happiness Report demonstrated that well-being and happiness are critical indicators of a nation's economic and social development, and should be a key aim of policy. This year's report looks at the changes in happiness levels in 158 countries, and examines the reasons behind the statistics.

A focus on flight: Birds use just two postures to avoid obstacles during flight

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 10:03 AM PDT

A new study shows birds use two highly stereotyped postures to avoid obstacles in flight. The study could open the door to new ways to program drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles to avoid similar obstacles.

Differences in personality influence survival in field crickets

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 10:03 AM PDT

An individual's behaviour in risky situations is a distinct personality trait both in humans and animals that can have an immediate impact on longevity. Researchers have now found differences in personality types for the first time in a population of free living field crickets. Risk-prone individuals showed a higher mortality as they stayed more often outside their burrow where they can be easily detected by predators, compared to risk averse individuals. Moreover, shy individuals are not encountered so often by researchers, causing potential bias in collected scientific data. This methodological problem has been a neglected in many personality studies but has been accounted for uniquely in the present study.

Hiatus in global average temperatures has little effect on projected temperatures in 2100

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 10:02 AM PDT

The recent slowdown in the rise of global average air temperatures will make no difference to how much the planet will warm by 2100, a new study has found.

In search of tinnitus, that phantom ringing in the ears

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 09:58 AM PDT

About one in five people experience tinnitus, the perception of a sound -- often described as ringing -- that isn't really there. Now, researchers have taken advantage of a rare opportunity to record directly from the brain of a person with tinnitus in order to find the brain networks responsible.

Looking to fossils to predict tooth evolution in rodents: Ever-growing molars in the future?

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 09:58 AM PDT

Fifty million years ago, all rodents had short, stubby molars -- teeth similar to those found in the back of the human mouth, used for grinding food. Over time, rodent teeth progressively evolved to become taller, and some rodent species even evolved continuously growing molar teeth. A new study predicts that most rodent species will have ever-growing molars in the far distant future.

Can sound help us detect 'earthquakes' on Venus?

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 09:58 AM PDT

Detecting an 'earthquake' on Venus would seem to be an impossible task. But conditions in Venus' atmosphere are much more hospitable, and it is here that researchers hope to deploy an array of balloons or satellites that could detect Venusian seismic activity -- using sound.

Crime scene discovery: Scientist separates the DNA of identical twins

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 09:57 AM PDT

Since its first use in the 1980s -- a breakthrough dramatized in recent crime-solving dramas -- DNA profiling has been a vital tool for forensic investigators.  Now researchers have solved one of its few limitations by successfully testing a technique for distinguishing between the DNA -- or genetic fingerprint -- of identical twins. 

Thawing permafrost feeds climate change

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 09:56 AM PDT

Single-cell organisms called microbes are rapidly devouring the ancient carbon being released from thawing permafrost soil and ultimately releasing it back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, according to new research. Increased carbon dioxide levels, of course, cause the Earth to warm and accelerate thawing.

Reducing school bus pollution improves children's health

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 09:48 AM PDT

Use of clean fuels and updated pollution control measures in the school buses 25 million children ride every day could result in 14 million fewer absences from school a year, based on a new study.

Extra sleep fixes memory problems in flies with Alzheimer's-like condition

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 09:48 AM PDT

Many studies have linked more sleep to better memory, but new research in fruit flies demonstrates that extra sleep helps the brain overcome catastrophic neurological defects that otherwise would block memory formation, report scientists.

Entire genomes of woolly mammoths mapped: Clues to extinction, possibility of bringing mammoths back

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 09:48 AM PDT

An international team of researchers has sequenced the nearly complete genome of two Siberian woolly mammoths -- revealing the most complete picture to date -- including new information about the species' evolutionary history and the conditions that led to its mass extinction at the end of the Ice Age.

Nanotech-enabled moisturizer speeds healing of diabetic skin wounds

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 07:26 AM PDT

A new high-tech but simple ointment applied to the skin may one day help diabetic patients heal stubborn and painful ulcers on their feet, Northwestern University researchers report. They are the first to develop a topical gene regulation technology that speeds the healing of ulcers in diabetic animals. The scientists combined spherical nucleic acids with a common commercial moisturizer to create a way to topically knock down a gene known to interfere with wound healing.

Celestial fireworks celebrate Hubble's 25th anniversary

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 07:26 AM PDT

The glittering tapestry of young stars flaring to life in this new NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image aptly resembles an exploding shell in a fireworks display. This vibrant image of the star cluster Westerlund 2 has been released to celebrate Hubble's 25th year in orbit and a quarter of a century of new discoveries, stunning images and outstanding science.

How experience may lead to misperception

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 07:24 AM PDT

Distance, volume, brightness or duration -- when judging magnitudes, we make systematic errors. A new model combines two competing classical theories of magnitude estimates and attributes prior experience to play an important role.

Curry: Curcumin offers potential therapy for cancers caused by HPV

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 07:23 AM PDT

Curcumin, an antioxidant found in the curry spice turmeric, has been found to slow or limit the activity of the HPV virus, which causes oral and cervical cancers.

Scientists create the sensation of invisibility

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 07:23 AM PDT

The power of invisibility has long fascinated man and inspired the works of many great authors and philosophers. A team of neuroscientists now reports a perceptual illusion of having an invisible body, and show that the feeling of invisibility changes our physical stress response in challenging social situations.

High mountains warming faster than expected

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 05:54 AM PDT

High elevation environments around the world may be warming much faster than previously thought, according to members of an international research team. They call for more aggressive monitoring of temperature changes in mountain regions and more attention to the potential consequences of warming.

Ultra-sensitive sensor detects individual electrons

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 05:52 AM PDT

Scientists have created an electronic device so accurate that it can detect the charge of a single electron in less than one microsecond. It has been dubbed the 'gate sensor' and could be applied in quantum computers of the future to read information stored in the charge or spin of a single electron.

Iridescent animals shine to startle predators

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 05:51 AM PDT

Animals which appear to shimmer and shine may have evolved these qualities as a way to startle predators, new research suggests.

Scientists use nanoscale building blocks and dna 'glue' to shape 3-D superlattices

Posted: 23 Apr 2015 05:49 AM PDT

Taking child's play with building blocks to a whole new level-the nanometer scale-scientists have constructed 3D "superlattice" multicomponent nanoparticle arrays where the arrangement of particles is driven by the shape of the tiny building blocks. The method uses linker molecules made of complementary strands of DNA to overcome the blocks' tendency to pack together in a way that would separate differently shaped components.