ScienceDaily: Top Science News

Data-storage for eternity, stored in the form of DNA Posted: 12 Feb 2015 12:46 PM PST How can we preserve our knowledge today for the next millennia? Researchers have found a way to store information in the form of DNA, presumably preserving it for nearly an eternity.

Curious monkeys share our thirst for knowledge Posted: 12 Feb 2015 12:46 PM PST Monkeys are notoriously curious, and new research has quantified just how eager they are to gain new information, even if there are not immediate benefits. The findings offer insights into how a certain part of the brain shared by monkeys and humans plays a role in decision making, and perhaps even in some disorders and addictions in humans.

Warming pushes Western U.S. toward driest period in 1,000 years: Unprecedented risk of drought in 21st century Posted: 12 Feb 2015 12:45 PM PST During the second half of the 21st century, the US Southwest and Great Plains will face persistent drought worse than anything seen in times ancient or modern, with the drying conditions 'driven primarily' by human-induced global warming, a new study predicts.

Application of laser microprobe technology to Apollo samples refines lunar impact history Posted: 12 Feb 2015 12:45 PM PST Researchers have now refined the timeline of meteorite impacts on the moon through a pioneering application of laser microprobe technology to Apollo 17 samples.

Magnitude of plastic waste going into the ocean calculated: 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the oceans per year Posted: 12 Feb 2015 12:44 PM PST How much mismanaged plastic waste is making its way from land to ocean has been a decades-long guessing game. Now scientists have put a number on the global problem. Their study found between 4.8 and 12.7 million metric tons of plastic entered the ocean in 2010 from people living within 50 kilometers of the coastline.

First glimpse of a chemical bond being born Posted: 12 Feb 2015 11:14 AM PST Scientists have gotten the first glimpse of the transition state where two atoms begin to form a weak bond on the way to becoming a molecule. This fundamental advance, long thought impossible, will have a profound impact on the understanding of how chemical reactions take place and on efforts to design reactions that generate energy, create new products and fertilize crops more efficiently.

Earliest-known arboreal and subterranean ancestral mammals discovered Posted: 12 Feb 2015 11:14 AM PST The fossils of two interrelated ancestral mammals, newly discovered in China, suggest that the wide-ranging ecological diversity of modern mammals had a precedent more than 160 million years ago.

Observing stem cells maturing into blood cells in living mouse Posted: 12 Feb 2015 10:18 AM PST In the bone marrow, blood stem cells give rise to a large variety of mature blood cells via progenitor cells at various stages of maturation. Scientists have developed a way to equip mouse blood stem cells with a fluorescent marker that can be switched on from the outside. Using this tool, they were able to observe, for the first time, how stem cells mature into blood cells under normal conditions in a living organism.

Dogs know that smile on your face Posted: 12 Feb 2015 10:16 AM PST Dogs can tell the difference between happy and angry human faces, according to a new study. The discovery represents the first solid evidence that an animal other than humans can discriminate between emotional expressions in another species, the researchers say.

Make like a squid and transform: Squid can recode their genetic make-up on-the-fly to adjust to their surroundings, study finds Posted: 12 Feb 2015 08:43 AM PST A new study showcases the first example of an animal editing its own genetic makeup on-the-fly to modify most of its proteins, enabling adjustments to its immediate surroundings.

Astronomers discover rare planet: Kepler-432b is a dense, massive celestial body with extreme seasons Posted: 12 Feb 2015 08:42 AM PST Two research groups of astronomers have independently of each other discovered a rare planet. The celestial body, called Kepler-432b, is one of the most dense and massive planets known so far. The teams report that the planet has six times the mass of Jupiter, but about the same size. The shape and the size of its orbit are also unusual for a planet like Kepler-432b that is revolving around a giant star. In less than 200 million years, this "red giant" will most likely swallow up the planet.

Mismatched twin stars spotted in the delivery room Posted: 12 Feb 2015 07:28 AM PST The majority of stars in our galaxy come in pairs. In particular, the most massive stars usually have a companion. These fraternal twins tend to be somewhat equal partners when it comes to mass -- but not always. In a quest to find mismatched star pairs known as extreme mass-ratio binaries, astronomers have discovered a new class of binary stars.

Reality is distorted in brain's maps Posted: 12 Feb 2015 06:25 AM PST The brain's GPS would be worthless if it simply contained maps of our surroundings that were not aligned to the real world. But we now know how this is done.

Unexpected 'storm' at galaxy's core: Supermassive black hole blasting gas, transforming galaxy Posted: 11 Feb 2015 07:19 AM PST Astronomers found surprisingly energetic activity in what they otherwise considered a "boring" galaxy, and their discovery provides important insight on how supermassive black holes can have a catastrophic effect on the galaxies in which they reside.

Scientists take first X-ray portraits of living bacteria Posted: 11 Feb 2015 05:29 AM PST Researchers have captured the first X-ray portraits of living bacteria. This milestone is a first step toward possible X-ray explorations of the molecular machinery at work in viral infections, cell division, photosynthesis and other processes that are important to biology, human health and our environment.

Caution concerning the possible health benefits of alcohol: Beneficial only for women over 65? Posted: 10 Feb 2015 06:20 PM PST Any health benefits from alcohol may be limited to women aged 65 and over -- and even then may have been exaggerated by existing studies. High alcohol consumption has been associated with more than 200 acute and chronic conditions. Globally, more than three million deaths each year are attributed to alcohol.