ScienceDaily: Top Science News

Venus, if you will, as seen in radar with the Green Bank Telescope Posted: 09 Mar 2015 02:48 PM PDT Recently, by combining the highly sensitive receiving capabilities of the National Science Foundation's Green Bank Telescope and the powerful radar transmitter at the NSF's Arecibo Observatory, astronomers were able to make remarkably detailed images of the surface of Venus without ever leaving Earth.

How rivers creep, flow to shape landscapes over time Posted: 09 Mar 2015 02:48 PM PDT Most models predict that rivers only transport sediment during conditions of high flow and, moreover, that only particles on the surface of the river bed move due to the force of the flowing water above. But using a custom laboratory apparatus, a new study shows that, even when a river is calm, sediment on and beneath the river bed slowly creeps forward.

One step closer to artificial photosynthesis and 'solar fuels' Posted: 09 Mar 2015 12:55 PM PDT A new thin-film coating solves a major problem in the development of artificial photosynthetic systems that can replicate the natural process of photosynthesis to harness sunlight to generate fuels.

Centuries-old DNA helps identify origins of slave skeletons found in Caribbean Posted: 09 Mar 2015 12:55 PM PDT Researchers have extracted and sequenced tiny bits of DNA remaining in the teeth of 300-year-old skeletons in the Caribbean. From this data, they were able to determine where in Africa the individuals likely lived before they were captured and enslaved.

New class of drugs dramatically increases healthy lifespan, mouse study suggests Posted: 09 Mar 2015 11:48 AM PDT Scientists have identified a new class of drugs that in animal models dramatically slows the aging process -- alleviating symptoms of frailty, improving cardiac function and extending a healthy lifespan.

Earth's climate is starting to change faster, new research shows Posted: 09 Mar 2015 10:46 AM PDT Earth is now entering a period of changing climate that will likely be faster than what's occurred naturally over the last thousand years, according to a new article, committing people to live through and adapt to a warming world.

Ancient fossils reveal diversity in the body structure of human ancestors Posted: 09 Mar 2015 09:42 AM PDT Recently released research on human evolution has revealed that species of early human ancestors had significant differences in facial features. Now, scientists have found that these early human species also differed throughout other parts of their skeletons and had distinct body forms. The research team found 1.9 million-year-old pelvis and femur fossils of an early human ancestor in Kenya, revealing greater diversity in the human family tree than scientists previously thought.

Carina Nebula survey reveals details of star formation Posted: 09 Mar 2015 09:41 AM PDT A new survey of one of the most active, star-forming regions in the galactic neighborhood is helping astronomers better understand the processes that may have contributed to the formation of the sun 4.5 billion years ago.

Saving Chilean mummies from climate change Posted: 09 Mar 2015 06:32 AM PDT At least two thousand years before the ancient Egyptians began mummifying their pharaohs, a hunter-gatherer people called the Chinchorro living along the coast of modern-day Chile and Peru developed elaborate methods to mummify not just elites but all types of community members--men, women, children, and even unborn fetuses. Radiocarbon dating as far back as 5050 BC makes them the world's oldest human-made mummies.

Are you a descendant of Genghis Khan? Millions of modern men descendants of 11 Asian dynastic leaders Posted: 09 Mar 2015 05:29 AM PDT Millions of modern Asian men are descended from 11 powerful dynastic leaders who lived up to 4,000 years ago -- including Mongolian warlord Genghis Khan, according to a new study. Researchers examined the male-specific Y chromosome, which is passed from father to son, in more than 5,000 Asian men belonging to 127 populations.

New paint makes tough self-cleaning surfaces Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:21 PM PST A new paint that makes robust self-cleaning surfaces has been developed. The coating can be applied to clothes, paper, glass and steel and when combined with adhesives, maintains its self-cleaning properties after being wiped, scratched with a knife and scuffed with sandpaper.