ScienceDaily: Your source for the latest research news

Top Science News

February 16, 2017

Geology of Ceres and Origin of Organics

Printable Solar Cells Just Got a Little Closer

Four-Stroke Engine Makes Hydrogen from Methane

Using Heat Flow to Levitate Variety of Objects

Feb. 16, 2017 — NASA's Dawn spacecraft recently detected organic-rich areas on Ceres. Scientists evaluated the geology of the regions to conclude that the organics are most likely native to the dwarf planet. Data ... read more

Feb. 16, 2017 — A new innovation could make printing solar cells as easy and inexpensive as printing a newspaper. Researchers have cleared a critical manufacturing hurdle in the development of a relatively new class ... read more

Feb. 16, 2017 — When is an internal combustion engine not an internal combustion engine? When it's been transformed into a modular reforming reactor that could make ... read more

Feb. 16, 2017 — Scientists have demonstrated how to levitate a variety of objects -- ceramic and polyethylene spheres, glass bubbles, ice particles, lint strands and thistle seeds -- between a warm plate and a cold ... read more

Latest Top Headlines

updated 6:03pm EST

Pizza, Burgers and the Like: A Single High-Fat Meal Can Damage the Metabolism

Feb. 16, 2017 — The global proliferation of overweight and obese people and people with type 2 diabetes is often associated with the consumption of saturated fats. Scientists have found that even the one-off consumption of a greater amount of palm oil reduces the ... read more

When Your Eyes Override Your Ears: New Insights Into the McGurk Effect

Feb. 16, 2017 — Seeing is not always believing -- visual speech (mouth movements) mismatched with auditory speech (sounds) can result in the perception of an entirely different message. This mysterious illusion is known as the McGurk effect. Neuroscience researchers have created an algorithm to reveal key insight ... read more

Genome Surgery With CRISPR-Cas9 to Prevent Blindness

Feb. 16, 2017 — CRISPR-Cas9 can be delivered directly into the eye of living animals to treat age-related macular degeneration efficiently and safely, ... read more

Brain Differences in ADHD

Feb. 16, 2017 — Largest imaging study of ADHD to date identifies differences in five regions of the brain, with greatest differences seen in children rather ... read more

How to Roll a Nanotube: Demystifying Carbon Nanotubes' Structure Control

Feb. 15, 2017 — A key advancement in the design of high performance carbon-based electronics has been made by scientists, outlines a ... read more

Deadly Spider's Unique Spinning Technique Could Inspire Tougher Materials

Feb. 15, 2017 — The unique spinning technique used by the venomous American brown recluse spider could inspire scientific developments and improve materials used in space travel, ... read more

Black-Hole-Powered Jets Forge Fuel for Star Formation

Feb. 14, 2017 — Astronomers have discovered a surprising connection between a supermassive black hole and the galaxy where it resides. Powerful radio jets from the black hole - which normally suppress star formation - are stimulating the production of cold gas in the galaxy's extended halo of hot gas. This newly ... read more

Is a Stretchable Smart Tablet in Our Future?

Feb. 15, 2017 — Engineering researchers have developed the first stretchable integrated circuit that is made entirely using an inkjet printer, raising the possibility of inexpensive mass production of ... read more

Underwater Seagrass Beds Dial Back Polluted Seawater

Feb. 16, 2017 — Seagrass meadows -- bountiful underwater gardens that nestle close to shore and are the most common coastal ecosystem on Earth -- can reduce bacterial exposure for corals, other sea creatures and humans, according to ... read more

Outdoor Air Pollution Tied to Millions of Preterm Births

Feb. 16, 2017 — Outdoor air pollution has been linked to 2.7 million preterm births per year, a major study has concluded. When a baby is born preterm (at less than 37 weeks of gestation), there is an increased risk of death or long-term physical and ... read more

In the Developing Ears of Opossums, Echoes of Evolutionary History

Feb. 16, 2017 — Hidden in the development of opossums is one possible version of the evolutionary path that led from the simple ears of reptiles to the more elaborative and sensitive structures of mammals, including humans, animal scientists ... read more

Ötzi the Iceman: Researchers Validate the Stability of Genetic Markers

Feb. 16, 2017 — Biomarkers are biological attributes that can give doctors or researchers clues about the health status or illnesses of a patient. Scientists are placing great hope in a new type of biomarker, so-called microRNAs. These short ribonucleic acid molecules are notable for their very high level of ... read more

Inducing Empathy-Like Behavior: ASD Treatment?

Father's Diet Impacts Son's Ability to Reproduce

New Malaria Vaccine Effective in Clinical Trial

Brain Damage Found in Former Soccer Players

Feb. 7, 2017 — Researchers have induced empathy-like behavior by identifying then manipulating a brain circuit in an experimental model, an indication that new ... read more

Feb. 15, 2017 — The view that males just pass on genetic material and not much else to their offspring has now been debunked. Instead, new research found a father's ... read more

Feb. 15, 2017 — Researchers have demonstrated in a clinical trial that a new vaccine for malaria called Sanaria® PfSPZ-CVac has been up to 100 percent effective when assessed at 10 weeks after last dose of vaccine. ... read more

Feb. 15, 2017 — Evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a potential cause of dementia caused by repeated blows to the head, has been found in the brains of former association football (soccer) ... read more

Latest Health Headlines

updated 6:03pm EST

DEET and PMD Spray-on Repellents Most Effective at Repelling Mosquitoes

Feb. 16, 2017 — In a crowded marketplace of products advertised to repel mosquitoes, consumers are wise to trust spray-on repellents containing DEET or PMD, say researchers. In a comparison study of several mosquito-repellent products, 'wearable' devices such as bracelets or sonic repellers were found to be largely ineffective in repelling Aedes aegypti ... read more

Targeted Radiosurgery Better Than Whole-Brain Radiation for Treating Brain Tumors

Feb. 16, 2017 — Tumors that originate in other organs of the body and spread to the brain are known as metastatic brain tumors. According to the American Brain Tumor Association, this tumor type is the most common in adults, affecting as many as 300,000 people each ... read more

After Joint Replacement Surgery, Smokers at Increased Risk of Reoperation for Infection

Feb. 16, 2017 — For patients undergoing total hip or knee replacement, smoking is associated with an increased risk of infectious (septic) complications requiring repeat surgery, reports a new ... read more

Targeting the Biological Clock Could Slow the Progression of Cancer

Feb. 16, 2017 — Does the biological clock in cancer cells influence tumor growth? Yes, according to a new ... read more

Linguist's 'Big Data' Research Supports Waves of Migration Into the Americas

Feb. 16, 2017 — Linguistic anthropologists are applying the latest technology to an ancient mystery: how and when early humans inhabited the New World. Their new research suggests complex patterns of contact and migration among the early peoples who first settled ... read more

Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy Exceeding Ten Years May Protect from Dementia

Feb. 16, 2017 — Postmenopausal estrogen-based hormone therapy lasting longer than ten years was associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer's disease in a large study. The study explored the association between postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy, Alzheimer's disease, dementia and cognition in two nation-wide case-control studies and two longitudinal ... read more

Using an Air Conditioner in Summer May Affect Sleep Quality

Feb. 16, 2017 — Using an air conditioner helps people sleep better on sweltering nights. However, researchers found that when airflow is directed at a human body, even at an insensible velocity, it impacts on sleep conditions causing sleeping positions and affects the depth of ... read more

Nodding Syndrome Caused by Response to Parasitic Protein, International Study Suggests

Feb. 15, 2017 — New clues to the link between Nodding syndrome, a devastating form of pediatric epilepsy found in specific areas of east Africa, and a parasitic worm that can cause river blindness have now been uncovered by researchers. The study suggests that the ... read more

Carbs During Workouts Help Immune System Recovery

Feb. 16, 2017 — Eating carbohydrates during intense exercise helps to minimize exercise-induced immune disturbances and can aid the body's recovery, research ... read more

Depression Symptoms Among Men When Their Partners Are Pregnant

Feb. 15, 2017 — Men who were stressed or in poor health had elevated depression symptoms when their partners were pregnant and nine months after the birth of their child, according to the results of a study of expectant and new fathers in New ... read more

People Can 'Suppress' Hay Fever With Three Years of Pollen Pills or Injections

Feb. 14, 2017 — Patients blighted by hay fever could markedly reduce symptoms for several years after a three-year course of treatment, but not after two years of treatment, researchers have ... read more

Heavy Snowfall, Longer Duration, Associated With Higher Risk of Heart Attack

Feb. 13, 2017 — People living in areas with winter snow may need to think twice before shoveling after a heavy snowstorm. According to a new study, snowfall is associated with a higher risk of hospital admission for heart attack, or myocardial infarction, after heavy snowfall, especially in men. The study also found associations with larger snowfalls and longer ... read more

Disturbances in Dynamic Space-Time Fabric?

Learn Chemistry In Modified Minecraft Game

Watery Past On Mars: Possible Life?

Cell Phone Search for Galactic Fast Radio Bursts?

Feb. 15, 2017 — Mathematicians propose a theoretical framework to understand how waves and other disturbances move through materials in conditions that vary in both ... read more

Feb. 15, 2017 — Scientists are exploring whether teaching real-world science through a popular computer game may offer a more engaging and effective educational approach than traditional concepts of instruction. A ... read more

Feb. 15, 2017 — An area on Mars that appears to have been flooded in the past offers a prime target to search for past life forms on the Red ... read more

Feb. 14, 2017 — Fast radio bursts seem to come from distant galaxies, but there is no obvious reason that, every once in a while, an FRB wouldn't occur in our own Milky Way galaxy too. If it did, astronomers suggest ... read more

Latest Physical/Tech Headlines

updated 6:03pm EST

Study Associates Proximity to Oil and Gas Development and Childhood Leukemia

Feb. 15, 2017 — Young Coloradans diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia are more likely to live in areas of high-density oil and gas development compared to young Coloradans diagnosed with other types of cancer, according to ... read more

Breakthrough in 'Wonder' Materials Paves Way for Flexible Tech

Feb. 16, 2017 — Gadgets are set to become flexible, highly efficient and much smaller, following a breakthrough in measuring two-dimensional 'wonder' materials, ... read more

Research Opens Door to Smaller, Cheaper, More Agile Communications Tech

Feb. 16, 2017 — Research on the use of magnets to steer light has opened the door to new communications systems which could be smaller, cheaper and more agile than ... read more

A New Spin on Electronics

Feb. 15, 2017 — Modern computer technology is based on the transport of electric charge in semiconductors. But this technology's potential will be reaching its limits in the near future, since the components deployed cannot be miniaturized further. But, there is another option: using an electron's spin, instead of ... read more

Protostar Displays a Strange Geometry

Feb. 7, 2017 — Using observations of molecules in the protostar L1527 taken by the ALMA observatory in northern Chile, a group of researchers has uncovered new clues to understanding how dust in a collapsing molecular cloud can shed angular momentum and penetrate beyond an area known as the 'centrifugal barrier' ... read more

Ancient Jars Found in Judea Reveal Earth's Magnetic Field Is Fluctuating, Not Diminishing

Feb. 14, 2017 — Surprising new evidence derived from ancient ceramics proves that the Earth's geomagnetic force fluctuates -- not diminishes -- over time, researchers ... read more

The Heart of a Far-Off Star Beats for Its Planet

Feb. 14, 2017 — For the first time, astronomers have observed a star pulsing in response to its orbiting planet. The star, which goes by the name HAT-P-2, is about 400 light years from Earth and is circled by a gas giant measuring eight times the mass of Jupiter -- one of the most massive exoplanets ... read more

New Delta Scuti: Rare Pulsating Star 7,000 Light Years Away Is One of Only Seven in Milky Way

Feb. 14, 2017 — The newest delta Scuti (SKOO-tee) star in our night sky is so rare it's only one of seven identified by astronomers in the Milky Way. The star -- like our sun -- is in the throes of stellar evolution, to conclude as a dying ember in millions of ... read more

Sensors Embedded in Sports Equipment Could Provide Real-Time Analytics to Your Smartphone

Feb. 16, 2017 — In an effort to make big data analytics more accessible for the sports industry, researchers have utilized IoT devices -- low-cost sensors and radios -- that can be embedded into sports equipment (e.g., balls, rackets, and shoes), as well as in ... read more

Squishy Supercapacitors Bathed in Green Tea Could Power Wearable Electronics

Feb. 15, 2017 — Wearable electronics are here -- the most prominent versions are sold in the form of watches or sports bands. But soon, more comfortable products could become available in softer materials made in part with an unexpected ingredient: green tea. Researchers report a new flexible and compact rechargeable energy storage device for wearable electronics ... read more

Towards Equal Access to Digital Coins

Feb. 8, 2017 — Scientists have developed an important mathematical algorithm called 'Equihash,' Equihash is a core component for the new cryptocurrency Zcash, which offers more privacy and equality than the famous Bitcoin. Zcash came into operation as an experimental technology for a community-driven digital currency in late ... read more

Computational Methods Applied to Big Datasets Are Compelling Tools for Historical Linguistics

Feb. 7, 2017 — Researchers have tested the capacity of different computational approaches to detect cognates with striking success rates: The best-performing method could detect word relationships with an accuracy level of nearly 90 percent. This result confirms ... read more

more top physical/tech stories

Environment News

February 16, 2017

Archaeologists Find 12th Dead Sea Scrolls Cave

'The Blob' of Abnormal Conditions Boosted Ozone

Canadian Glaciers: Big Contributor to Sea Change

Great Apes, Humans: Flat-Footed Fighters

Feb. 8, 2017 — Archaeologists have found a cave that previously contained Dead Sea scrolls, which were looted in the middle of the 20th Century. Scholars suggest the cave should be numbered as Cave 12, along with ... read more

Feb. 15, 2017 — Ozone levels in June 2015 were significantly higher than normal over a large swath of the Western US. Analysis ties this air quality pattern to the abnormal conditions in the northeast Pacific Ocean, ... read more

Feb. 15, 2017 — Ice loss from Canada's Arctic glaciers has transformed them into a major contributor to sea level change, new research has found. From 2005 to 2015, surface melt off ice caps and glaciers of the ... read more

Feb. 15, 2017 — Walking on our heels, a feature that separates great apes, including humans, from other primates, confers advantages in fighting, according to a new ... read more

Latest Environment Headlines

updated 6:03pm EST

Whales Use Nested Russian-Doll Structure to Protect Nerve Tissue During Lunge Dives

Feb. 16, 2017 — Fin whales use two neatly packed levels of nested folds to protect the nerves along the floor of their mouth during lunge feeding, according to ... read more

Prebiotic Evolution: Hairpins Help Each Other out

Feb. 16, 2017 — The evolution of cells and organisms is thought to have been preceded by a phase in which informational molecules like DNA could be replicated selectively. New work shows that hairpin structures make particularly effective DNA ... read more

Ebolaviruses Need Very Few Mutations to Cause Disease in New Host Species

Feb. 15, 2017 — Ebola is one of the world's most virulent diseases, though rodent species such as guinea pigs, rats and mice are not normally susceptible to it. However, through repeated infection of a host animal, Ebola virus strains can be generated that replicate and cause disease within new host ... read more

Deep Reefs Unlikely to Save Shallow Coral Reefs

Feb. 15, 2017 — Often highlighted as important ecological refuges, deep sections of coral reefs (30-60 m depth) can offer protection from the full force of climate change-related impacts, such as intensifying storms and warm-water bleaching. However new research questions their role in acting as a source of new corals for damaged shallow ... read more

Laissez-Faire Is Not Good Enough for Reforestation

Feb. 15, 2017 — If degraded and logged areas of tropical forests are left to nature, the populations of certain endangered tree species are not able to recover. This applies in particular to trees with large fruit where the seeds are distributed by birds, as scientists have shown in a rainforest ... read more

How an Ice Age Paradox Could Inform Sea Level Rise Predictions

Feb. 15, 2017 — New research findings explain an Ice Age paradox and add to the mounting evidence that climate change could bring higher seas than most models ... read more

Alien Species on the Rise Worldwide

Feb. 15, 2017 — Although it was known that the number of alien species increased during the last decades, it remained unclear whether or not the accumulation of alien species has already reached a point of slow-down. A new study on the topic has an answer now: for all groups of organisms on all continents, the ... read more

Global Ocean De-Oxygenation Quantified

Feb. 15, 2017 — The ongoing global change causes rising ocean temperatures and changes the ocean circulation. Therefore less oxygen is dissolved in surface waters and less oxygen is transported into the deep sea. This reduction of oceanic oxygen supply has major consequences for the organisms in the ocean. Scientists have now published the most comprehensive analysis on oxygen loss in the world's oceans and ... read more

3-D Reconstruction of Skull Suggests a Small Crocodile Is a New Species

Feb. 15, 2017 — A small crocodyliform dinosaur may be a ... read more

Temple Culture in Ptolemaic Egypt Alive and Kicking

Feb. 14, 2017 — Egyptian temple culture was thought to be declining in the Ptolemaic era, after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. Nothing could be further from the truth, says Egyptologist Carina van den Hoven. Temple culture was very much alive and ... read more

Fossil Discovery Rewrites Understanding of Reproductive Evolution

Feb. 14, 2017 — A remarkable 250-million-year-old 'terrible-headed lizard' fossil found in China shows an embryo inside the mother -- clear evidence for live birth. The fossil unexpectedly provided the first evidence for live birth in an animal group previously thought to exclusively ... read more

Kiss of Death: Mammals Were the First Animals to Produce Venom

Feb. 13, 2017 — The fossil of the Euchambersia therapsid (a pre-mammalian reptile), that lived in South Africa about 260 million years ago, is the first evidence of the oldest mammal to produce venom. CT scans of fossils of the pre-mammalian reptile shows anatomical features, designed for ... read more

Human Genome Editing: Guidelines?

No Link Between Immigration, Increased Crime

Wearing Police Uniform Changes Brain Processing

Key Friendships Vital for Human Social Networks

Feb. 14, 2017 — Clinical trials for genome editing of the human germline -- adding, removing, or replacing DNA base pairs in gametes or early embryos -- could be permitted in the future, but only for serious ... read more

Feb. 10, 2017 — Political discussions about immigrants often include the claim that there is a relationship between immigration patterns and increased crime. ... read more

Feb. 10, 2017 — Simply putting on a uniform, similar to one the police might wear, automatically affects how we perceive others, creating a bias towards those ... read more

Feb. 8, 2017 — Close friendships facilitate the exchange of information and culture, making social networks more effective for cultural transmission, according to new research that used wireless tracking technology ... read more

Latest Society/Education Headlines

updated 6:03pm EST

New Reliable Technique to Track Web Users Across Browsers

Feb. 13, 2017 — A team of researchers has developed a new cross-browser fingerprinting technique to use machine-level features to ... read more

Communicating Health Risks in a Post-Truth World

Feb. 14, 2017 — Public officials faced with the tough task of communicating risk on contentious issues like vaccination or fluoridation -- where the actual risk is low but public concern remains high -- need to show that they care, demonstrate that they are taking action and strategically engage with the ... read more

How Behavioral Science Can Help Tackle Problem of Idling Engines

Feb. 10, 2017 — New research suggests that insights from behavioral science can help inform the design of road signs to bring about changes in ... read more

Falsifying Galileo Satellite Signals Will Become More Difficult

Feb. 10, 2017 — The European Union activated its Galileo satellite navigation system in December 2016. The EU is dedicated to setting this system apart from other navigation systems such as GPS -- the US counterpart of Galileo. Researchers in Belgium have now risen to this challenge as well: they designed ... read more

Brain Study: Motor Cortex Contributes to Word Comprehension

Feb. 15, 2017 — Researchers have experimentally confirmed the hypothesis, whereby comprehension of a word's meaning involves not only the 'classic' language brain centers but also the cortical regions responsible for the control of body muscles, such as hand movements. The resulting brain representations are, therefore, distributed across a network of locations involving both areas specialized for language ... read more

Now You Can 'Build Your Own' Bio-Bot

Feb. 13, 2017 — For the past several years, researchers have been developing a class of walking 'bio-bots' powered by muscle cells and controlled with electrical and optical pulses. Now, a research group is sharing the recipe for the current generation ... read more

Women in Academic Cardiology Are Significantly Less Likely to Be Full Professors

Feb. 13, 2017 — The first study to evaluate sex differences in academic ranking among academic cardiologists has found that women were significantly less likely than men to be full professors, even when adjusting for factors such as age, years of experience and research productivity that are traditionally associated with academic ... read more

Dramatic Turn-Around in Cognitive Abilities of Children Born to Older Mothers

Feb. 13, 2017 — In contrast to 40 years ago, children born to older mothers today are more likely to perform better in cognitive ability tests than those born to younger mothers, reveals new ... read more

Exercise, Sleep Are Key to Keeping Employees from Bringing Home Work Frustrations, Study Shows

Feb. 7, 2017 — A brisk walk or a long swim may be the key to preventing a bad day at the office from spilling over into the home. A study tracked participants' sleep patterns and daytime physical movements found employees who recorded more than 10,900 steps each day were less likely to perpetuate abuse at ... read more

The Attraction Effect: How Our Brains Can Be Influenced

Jan. 30, 2017 — The decisions we make are influenced by other possibilities that we did not choose. At the same time, the options we missed out on determine our satisfaction with the outcomes of situations we were unable to control. Psychologists conducted two experiments: first, they studied the decision-making ... read more

Interactive 'Nutrition Label' for Financial Products Helps Investors Make Better Choices

Jan. 17, 2017 — The first online, interactive 'nutrition label' for financial products has been developed. Like the ubiquitous information nutrition panels on food and packaged goods, it is simple, easy to read and uncluttered. What's more, the financial label is interactive, allowing people to easily get a sense of the long-term implications of choices they make ... read more

Researchers Concerned About Young People's Responsibility for Their Work Ability

Jan. 10, 2017 — Young people in working life see themselves as solo players responsible for maintaining their own work ability. They regard themselves as holding the ball when the job requires new knowledge and motivation, according to ... read more

more top society/education stories