ScienceDaily: Top Science News

Scientists 'bend' elastic waves with new metamaterials that could have commercial applications Posted: 22 Jan 2015 02:00 PM PST Sound waves passing through the air, objects that break a body of water and cause ripples, or shockwaves from earthquakes all are considered 'elastic' waves. These waves travel at the surface or through a material without causing any permanent changes to the substance's makeup. Now, engineering researchers have developed a material that has the ability to control these waves, creating possible medical, military and commercial applications with the potential to greatly benefit society.

Treatment restores sociability in autism mouse model Posted: 22 Jan 2015 12:48 PM PST Researchers have treated mice that mimic human autism with a neuropeptide called oxytocin, and have found that it restores normal social behavior. In addition, the findings suggest that giving oxytocin as early as possible in the animal's life leads to more lasting effects in adults and adolescents.

Early human ancestors used their hands like modern humans Posted: 22 Jan 2015 11:54 AM PST New research suggests pre-Homo human ancestral species, such as Australopithecus africanus, used human-like hand postures much earlier than was previously thought. The distinctly human ability for forceful precision (e.g. when turning a key) and power "squeeze" gripping (e.g. when using a hammer) is linked to two key evolutionary transitions in hand use: a reduction in arboreal climbing and the manufacture and use of stone tools. However, it is unclear when these locomotory and manipulative transitions occurred.

New research re-creates planet formation, super-Earths and giant planets in the laboratory Posted: 22 Jan 2015 11:54 AM PST New laser-driven compression experiments reproduce the conditions deep inside exotic super-Earths and giant planet cores, and the conditions during the violent birth of Earth-like planets, documenting the material properties that determined planets' formation and evolution processes.

First major analysis of Human Protein Atlas is published Posted: 22 Jan 2015 11:54 AM PST The first major analysis based on the Human Protein Atlas has been published, including a detailed picture of the proteins that are linked to cancer, the number of proteins present in the bloodstream, and the targets for all approved drugs on the market.

Rosetta Comet 'pouring' more water into space Posted: 22 Jan 2015 11:30 AM PST There has been a significant increase in the amount of water "pouring" out of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the comet on which the Rosetta mission's Philae lander touched down in November 2014. The 2.5-mile-wide (4-kilometer) comet was releasing the earthly equivalent of 40 ounces (1.2 liters) of water into space every second at the end of August 2014.

Watching the birth of a comet magnetosphere Posted: 22 Jan 2015 11:18 AM PST Astronomers have shown what happens when a magnetosphere forms round a comet. The RPC-ICA instrument onboard the Rosetta spacecraft has been watching the early stages of how a magnetosphere forms around Comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko as it moves closer to the Sun along its orbit and begins to interact with the solar wind. As the comet gets warmer, volatile substances, mainly water, evaporate from the surface and form an atmosphere around the comet. The Sun's ultraviolet radiation and collisions with the solar wind ionizes some of the comet's atmosphere. The newly formed ions are affected by the solar wind electric and magnetic fields and can be accelerated to high speeds. When the comet gets close enough to the Sun, its atmosphere becomes so dense and ionized that it becomes electrically conductive. When this happens, the atmosphere starts to resist the solar wind and a comet's magnetosphere is born - a region surrounding the comet that is shielded from the solar wind.

Reducing Myc gene activity extends healthy lifespan in mice Posted: 22 Jan 2015 10:31 AM PST Mice with one rather than the normal two copies of the gene Myc (also found in humans) lived 15 percent longer and had considerably healthier lives than normal mice, according to a new Brown University-led study in Cell.

Black hole on a diet creates a 'changing look' quasar Posted: 22 Jan 2015 08:45 AM PST Astronomers have identified the first 'changing look' quasar, a gleaming object in deep space that appears to have its own dimmer switch. The discovery may offer a glimpse into the life story of the universe's great beacons.

Major breakthrough in reading ancient scrolls Posted: 22 Jan 2015 08:44 AM PST Revolutionary software is making a breakthrough in reading 2,000-year old Herculaneum scrolls, computer scientists report. After working for more than 10 years on unlocking an ancient piece of history, what lies inside damaged Herculaneum scrolls, one researcher will accomplish the next step in allowing the world to read the scrolls, which cannot be physically opened.

Is glass a true solid? New research suggests it is Posted: 22 Jan 2015 05:48 AM PST Does glass ever stop flowing? Researchers have combined computer simulation and information theory, originally invented for telephone communication and cryptography, to answer this puzzling question.

Doubt cast on global firestorm generated by dino-killing asteroid Posted: 22 Jan 2015 05:48 AM PST Pioneering new research has debunked the theory that the asteroid that is thought to have led to the extinction of dinosaurs also caused vast global firestorms that ravaged planet Earth. Scientists recreated the immense energy released from an extra-terrestrial collision with Earth that occurred around the time that dinosaurs became extinct. They found that the intense but short-lived heat near the impact site could not have ignited live plants, challenging the idea that the impact led to global firestorms.