ScienceDaily: Top Science News

'Live fast, die young' galaxies lose the gas that keeps them alive Posted: 01 Feb 2015 05:32 PM PST Galaxies can die early because the gas they need to make new stars is suddenly ejected, new research suggests. Most galaxies age slowly as they run out of raw materials needed for growth over billions of years. But a pilot study looking at galaxies that die young has found some might shoot out this gas early on, causing them to redden and kick the bucket prematurely.

DNA clock helps to get measure of people's lifespans Posted: 30 Jan 2015 06:29 AM PST A biological clock that provides vital clues about how long a person is likely to live has been discovered by researchers. Researchers studied chemical changes to DNA that take place over a lifetime, and can help them predict an individual's age. By comparing individuals' actual ages with their predicted biological clock age, scientists saw a pattern emerging.

Repeated head blows linked to smaller brain volume, slower processing speeds Posted: 29 Jan 2015 03:51 PM PST The Impact of repeated head blows is evident at relatively young age, researchers report, and is linked to a heightened risk of cognitive impairment. Researchers warn that there do seem to be important indicators of brain damage linked to repeated blows to the head, which could be used to inform future regulations.

Our seas are in trouble: Extinction risk for 20-25% of well-known marine species Posted: 29 Jan 2015 09:55 AM PST Overfishing, pollution, climate change and destruction of habitats like coral reefs are all putting our seas in trouble but academics fear the risk is not being taken as seriously as concerns for the loss of animals and plants which live on land, experts say. Using the most comprehensive conservation data available for both marine and non-marine organisms, new research has shown that 20 to 25 per cent of the well-known species living in our seas are now threatened with extinction -- the same figure as land living plants and animals.

Why is a dolphin not a cat? Repurposing non-coding elements in genome gave rise to great 'mammalian radiation' Posted: 29 Jan 2015 09:55 AM PST A study of gene regulation in 20 mammals provides new insights into how species diverged millions of years ago. The findings demonstrate how methods and tools for genetic analysis of humans and mice can be adapted to study non-model species, such as whales and Tasmanian devils.

Brain circuit that controls compulsive overeating and sugar addiction discovered Posted: 29 Jan 2015 09:54 AM PST Compulsive overeating and sugar addiction are major threats to human health, but potential treatments face the risk of impairing normal feeding behaviors that are crucial for survival. A new study reveals a reward-related neural circuit that specifically controls compulsive sugar consumption in mice without preventing feeding necessary for survival, providing a novel target for the safe and effective treatment of compulsive overeating in humans.