ScienceDaily: Top Science News

Mars exploration: NASA's MAVEN spacecraft completes first deep dip campaign Posted: 19 Feb 2015 06:19 PM PST NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution has completed the first of five deep-dip maneuvers designed to gather measurements closer to the lower end of the Martian upper atmosphere.

Giving shape to black holes' intense winds Posted: 19 Feb 2015 06:19 PM PST By looking at the speed of ambient gas spewing out from a well-known quasar, astronomers are gaining insight into how black holes and their host galaxies might have evolved at the same time.

Scientists identify mineral that destroys organic compounds, with implications for Mars Curiosity Mission Posted: 19 Feb 2015 06:17 PM PST Scientists have discovered that the mineral jarosite breaks down organic compounds when it is flash-heated, with implications for Mars research. Jarosite is an iron sulphate and it is one of several minerals that NASA’s Curiosity Mission is searching for, as its presence could indicate ancient habitable environments, which may have once hosted life on the red planet.

Perfect colors, captured with one ultra-thin lens Posted: 19 Feb 2015 11:46 AM PST A completely flat, ultrathin lens can focus different wavelengths of light at the same point, achieving instant color correction in one extremely thin, miniaturized device.

Sunlight continues to damage skin in the dark Posted: 19 Feb 2015 11:46 AM PST Much of the damage that ultraviolet radiation does to skin occurs hours after sun exposure, a team of researchers has concluded. While noting that news of the carcinogenic effect of melanin is disconcerting, the researchers also pointed to a ray of hope: The slowness of chemiexcitation may allow time for new preventive tools, such as an "evening-after" sunscreen designed to block the energy transfer.

Animals tend to evolve toward larger size over time Posted: 19 Feb 2015 11:46 AM PST In one of the most comprehensive studies of body size evolution ever conducted, scientists have found fresh support for Cope's rule, a theory in biology that states that animal lineages tend to evolve toward larger sizes over time.

Hubble gets best view of a circumstellar debris disk distorted by a planet Posted: 19 Feb 2015 11:22 AM PST Astronomers have used the Hubble Space Telescope to take the most detailed picture to date of a large, edge-on, gas-and-dust disk encircling the 20-million-year-old star Beta Pictoris. The new image traces the disk in closer to the star to within about 650 million miles of the star.

New nanogel for drug delivery Posted: 19 Feb 2015 11:13 AM PST Chemical engineers have designed a new type of self-healing hydrogel that could be injected through a syringe. Scientists are interested in using gels to deliver drugs because they can be molded into specific shapes and designed to release their payload over a specified time period.

New brain mapping reveals unknown cell types Posted: 19 Feb 2015 11:13 AM PST Using a process known as single cell sequencing, scientists have produced a detailed map of cortical cell types and the genes active within them. The study marks the first time this method of analysis has been used on such a large scale on such complex tissue. The team studied over three thousand cells, one at a time, and even managed to identify a number of hitherto unknown types.

Mouse embryo with really big brain: Evolving a bigger brain with human DNA Posted: 19 Feb 2015 10:31 AM PST The human brain expanded dramatically in size during evolution, imparting us with unique capabilities. Scientists have now shown that it's possible to pick out key changes in the genetic code between chimpanzees and humans and visualize their respective contributions to early brain development in mouse embryos. The findings may lend insight what makes the human brain special and why people get some neurological disorders, such as autism and Alzheimer's disease, whereas chimpanzees don't.

Proteins pull together as cells divide Posted: 19 Feb 2015 10:30 AM PST Like a surgeon separating conjoined twins, cells have to be careful to get everything just right when they divide in two. Otherwise, the resulting daughter cells could be hobbled, particularly if they end up with too many or two few chromosomes. Successful cell division hangs on the formation of a dip called a cleavage furrow, a process that has remained mysterious. Now, researchers have found that no single molecular architect directs the cleavage furrow’s formation; rather, it is a robust structure made of a suite of team players.

A new view of the solar system: Astrophysical jets driven by the sun Posted: 19 Feb 2015 08:56 AM PST New research suggests that the sun's magnetic field controls the large-scale shape of the heliosphere much more than expected. The new model shows that the magnetic field squeezes the solar wind along the sun's north-south axis, producing two jets. These jets are then dragged downstream by the flow of the interstellar medium -- the gases and dust that lie between star systems.

Scientists observe 'god particle' analogue in superconductors: 'Tabletop' technique Posted: 19 Feb 2015 07:17 AM PST The Nobel Prize-winning discovery of the Higgs boson -- the 'God particle' believed responsible for all the mass in the universe -- took place in 2012 at CERN's Large Hadron Collider. The first hint of Higgs was inspired by the study of superconductors -- a special class of metals that, when cooled to very low temperatures, allow electrons to move without resistance. Now, a research team has reported the first-ever observations of the Higgs mode in superconducting materials.

Global impact of debris on marine life studied Posted: 19 Feb 2015 07:16 AM PST Nearly 700 species of marine animal have been recorded as having encountered humanmade debris such as plastic and glass according to the most comprehensive impact study in more than a decade.

Cancer risk linked to DNA 'wormholes' Posted: 19 Feb 2015 06:03 AM PST Single-letter genetic variations within parts of the genome once dismissed as 'junk DNA' can increase cancer risk through wormhole-like effects on far-off genes, new research shows. Researchers found that DNA sequences within 'gene deserts' -- so called because they are completely devoid of genes -- can regulate gene activity elsewhere by forming DNA loops across relatively large distances.

Does dark matter cause mass extinctions and geologic upheavals? Posted: 19 Feb 2015 05:58 AM PST New research concludes that Earth's infrequent but predictable path around and through our Galaxy's disc may have a direct and significant effect on geological and biological phenomena occurring on Earth. Scientists conclude that movement through dark matter may perturb the orbits of comets and lead to additional heating in the Earth's core, both of which could be connected with mass extinction events.

New clues to causes of birth defects in children from older mothers Posted: 19 Feb 2015 05:49 AM PST A possible clue has been found to why older mothers face a higher risk for having babies born with conditions such as Down syndrome that are characterized by abnormal chromosome numbers.

New HPV vaccine offers greater protection against cervical cancer than current vaccine Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:18 PM PST Scientists have developed a new HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccine which protects against nine types of the virus -- seven of which cause most cases of cervical cancer. The new vaccine offers significantly greater protection than the current vaccine, which protects against only two cancer causing types of HPV.

Popular soda ingredient, caramel color, poses cancer risk to consumers Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:16 PM PST Public health researchers have analyzed soda consumption data in order to characterize people's exposure to a potentially carcinogenic byproduct of some types of caramel color. Caramel color is a common ingredient in colas and other dark soft drinks. The results show that between 44 and 58 percent of people over the age of six typically have at least one can of soda per day, possibly more, potentially exposing them to 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI), a possible human carcinogen formed during the manufacture of some kinds of caramel color.

Fearless birds and big city spiders: Is urbanization pushing earth's evolution to a tipping point? Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:15 PM PST That humans and our cities build affect the ecosystem and even drive some evolutionary change is already known. What's new is that these evolutionary changes are happening more quickly than previously thought, and have potential impacts on ecosystem function on a contemporary scale. Not in the distant future, that is -- but now.

For the first time, spacecraft catch solar shockwave in the act: 'Ultrarelativistic, killer electrons made in 60 seconds Posted: 18 Feb 2015 11:13 AM PST On Oct. 8, 2013, an explosion on the sun's surface sent a supersonic blast wave of solar wind out into space. This shockwave tore past Mercury and Venus, blitzing by the moon before streaming toward Earth. The shockwave struck a massive blow to the Earth's magnetic field, setting off a magnetized sound pulse around the planet.