ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Evidence of life on Mars could come from Martian moon Phobos
• First-ever changes in an exoplanet atmosphere detected
• Has the speediest pulsar been found?
• Improving efficiencies in fuel, chemical and pharmaceutical industries
• Programmable DNA scissors found for bacterial immune system
• Cassini finds likely subsurface ocean on Saturn's moon Titan
• Maya archaeologists unearth new 2012 monument with 'end date' of Dec. 21, 2012
• Discovery may lead to new tomato varieties with vintage flavor and quality
• Date of earliest animal life reset by 30 million years
• Study on fungi helps explain coal formation and may advance future biofuels production
• Milky Way struck 100 million years ago, still rings like a bell
• Native species fight back: First evidence of coevolution between invasive, native species
• Earth's oldest known impact crater found in Greenland
• Part of the genome of two hunter-gatherers from 7,000 years ago
• With mind-reading speller, free-for-all conversations that are silent and still
• Photosynthesis re-wired: Chemists use nanowires to power photosynthesis-like process
• Paint-on lithium battery can be applied to virtually any surface
• Acoustic tweezers capture and manipulate tiny creatures with ultrasound
• New approach to reverse multiple sclerosis in mice models
• Space tornadoes power the atmosphere of the Sun
• How sticky toepads evolved in geckos and what that means for adhesive technologies
• Dramatic change spotted on a faraway planet
• Dinosaurs were warm-blooded reptiles: Mammal bone study sheds light on dinosaur physiology
• Africa's savannas may become forests by 2100, study suggests

Evidence of life on Mars could come from Martian moon Phobos Posted: 28 Jun 2012 10:54 PM PDT A mission to a Martian moon could return with alien life, according to experts, but don't expect the invasion scenario presented by summer blockbusters like "Men in Black 3" or "Prometheus." A sample from the moon Phobos, scientists believe, would almost surely contain Martian material blasted off from large asteroid impacts. If life on Mars exists or existed within the last 10 million years, a mission to Phobos could yield our first evidence of life beyond Earth.

First-ever changes in an exoplanet atmosphere detected Posted: 28 Jun 2012 09:55 PM PDT Astronomers have using data made an unparalleled observation, detecting significant changes in the atmosphere of a planet located beyond our solar system.

Has the speediest pulsar been found? Posted: 28 Jun 2012 09:54 PM PDT The fastest moving pulsar may have been found about 30,000 light years from Earth. This object is known as IGR J1104-6103 and may be racing away from a supernova remnant at about 6 million miles per hour. If confirmed, this would challenge theorists to create models that explain such super speeds out of supernova explosions.

Improving efficiencies in fuel, chemical and pharmaceutical industries Posted: 28 Jun 2012 04:30 PM PDT Engineering researchers have made a major breakthrough in developing a catalyst used during chemical reactions in the production of gasoline, plastics, biofuels, pharmaceuticals, and other chemicals. The discovery could lead to major efficiencies and cost-savings in these multibillion-dollar industries.

Programmable DNA scissors found for bacterial immune system Posted: 28 Jun 2012 04:30 PM PDT Scientists have discovered a programmable RNA complex in the bacterial immune system that guides the cleaving of DNA at targeted sites. This discovery opens a new door to genome editing with implications for the green chemistry microbial-based production of advanced biofuels, therapeutic drugs and other valuable chemical products.

Cassini finds likely subsurface ocean on Saturn's moon Titan Posted: 28 Jun 2012 04:00 PM PDT Data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have revealed Saturn's moon Titan likely harbors a layer of liquid water under its ice shell. Researchers saw a large amount of squeezing and stretching as the moon orbited Saturn. They deduced that if Titan were composed entirely of stiff rock, the gravitational attraction of Saturn would cause bulges, or solid "tides," on the moon only 3 feet (1 meter) in height. Spacecraft data show Saturn creates solid tides approximately 30 feet (10 meters) in height, which suggests Titan is not made entirely of solid rocky material.

Maya archaeologists unearth new 2012 monument with 'end date' of Dec. 21, 2012 Posted: 28 Jun 2012 03:17 PM PDT Archaeologists working at the site of La Corona in Guatemala have discovered a 1,300-year-old-year Maya text that provides only the second known reference to the so-called "end date" of the Maya calendar, Dec. 21, 2012. The discovery is one of the most significant hieroglyphic finds in decades.

Discovery may lead to new tomato varieties with vintage flavor and quality Posted: 28 Jun 2012 03:17 PM PDT A new genetic discovery may help plant breeders recapture heirloom flavor, processing quality and a health-promoting compound in modern tomato varieties.

Date of earliest animal life reset by 30 million years Posted: 28 Jun 2012 03:17 PM PDT Researchers have uncovered physical proof that animals existed 585 million years ago, 30 million years earlier than all previous established records show. The discovery was made U of A geologists Ernesto Pecoits and Natalie Aubet in Uruguay. They found fossilized tracks of a centimeter long, slug-like animal left behind 585 million years ago in a silty sediment.

Study on fungi helps explain coal formation and may advance future biofuels production Posted: 28 Jun 2012 03:17 PM PDT The evolution of white rot fungi might have helped bring an end to the geologic period characterized by the formation of large coal deposits, and may help lay the groundwork for the future production of biofuels.

Milky Way struck 100 million years ago, still rings like a bell Posted: 28 Jun 2012 02:45 PM PDT Astronomers have discovered evidence that our Milky Way had an encounter with a small galaxy or massive dark matter structure perhaps as recently as 100 million years ago, and as a result of that encounter it is still ringing like a bell.

Native species fight back: First evidence of coevolution between invasive, native species Posted: 28 Jun 2012 02:45 PM PDT Invasive species such as kudzu, privet and garlic mustard can devastate ecosystems, and, until now, scientists had little reason to believe that native plants could mount a successful defense. A new study shows that some native clearweed plants have evolved resistance to invasive garlic mustard plants -- and that the invasive plants appear to be waging a counterattack.

Earth's oldest known impact crater found in Greenland Posted: 28 Jun 2012 01:46 PM PDT Scientists in working in Western Greenland have found evidence of an asteroid or comet impact early in the Earth's history. At three billion years old, the crater is a billion years older than the previously oldest known crater.

Part of the genome of two hunter-gatherers from 7,000 years ago Posted: 28 Jun 2012 01:44 PM PDT A team of scientists has recovered part of the genome of two individuals who were alive in the Mesolithic Period, 7,000 years ago. The remains were found at La Braña-Arintero site, located at Valdelugueros (León), Spain. The study results indicate that current Iberian populations do not come from these recently discovered humans.

With mind-reading speller, free-for-all conversations that are silent and still Posted: 28 Jun 2012 01:44 PM PDT Researchers have come up with a device that may enable people who are completely unable to speak or move at all to nevertheless manage unscripted back-and-forth conversation. The key to such silent and still communication is the first real-time, brain-scanning speller.

Photosynthesis re-wired: Chemists use nanowires to power photosynthesis-like process Posted: 28 Jun 2012 11:57 AM PDT Chemists have developed a process that closely resembles photosynthesis and proved capable of synthesizing compounds found in the pain-killers ibuprofen and naproxen.

Paint-on lithium battery can be applied to virtually any surface Posted: 28 Jun 2012 11:56 AM PDT Researchers have developed a paint-on lithium-ion battery that can be applied to virtually any surface. The materials were airbrushed onto ceramic bathroom tiles, flexible polymers, glass, stainless steel and even a mug to see how well they would bond with each substrate.

Acoustic tweezers capture and manipulate tiny creatures with ultrasound Posted: 28 Jun 2012 11:55 AM PDT Bioengineers and biochemists are using a miniaturized ultrasound device to capture and manipulate biological materials, such as the tiny roundworm, C. elegans.

New approach to reverse multiple sclerosis in mice models Posted: 28 Jun 2012 10:14 AM PDT Researchers have successfully used smaller, folded DNA molecules to stimulate regeneration and repair of nerve coatings in mice that mimic multiple sclerosis.

Space tornadoes power the atmosphere of the Sun Posted: 28 Jun 2012 10:14 AM PDT Mathematicians have discovered tornadoes in space which could hold the key to power the atmosphere of the Sun to millions of kelvin.

How sticky toepads evolved in geckos and what that means for adhesive technologies Posted: 28 Jun 2012 10:10 AM PDT Geckos are known for sticky toes that allow them to climb up walls and even hang upside down on ceilings. A new study shows that geckos have gained and lost these unique adhesive structures multiple times over the course of their long evolutionary history in response to habitat changes.

Dramatic change spotted on a faraway planet Posted: 28 Jun 2012 10:09 AM PDT Astronomers have seen dramatic changes in the upper atmosphere of a faraway planet. Just after a violent flare on its parent star bathed it in intense X-ray radiation, the planet's atmosphere gave off a powerful burst of evaporation. The observations give a tantalizing glimpse of the changing climates and weather on planets outside our Solar System.

Dinosaurs were warm-blooded reptiles: Mammal bone study sheds light on dinosaur physiology Posted: 28 Jun 2012 10:06 AM PDT A study with extant mammals refutes the hypothesis on which the assumption that dinosaurs were ectotherms was based. The study analyzing the lines of arrested growth (LAG) in the bones of around a hundred ruminants, representative of the specific and ecological diversity of that group of mammals. The results show that the presence of these lines is not an indicator of an ectothermic physiology (does not generate internal heat), as had previously been thought, since all warm-blooded mammals have them. The study therefore dismantles the key argument of the hypothesis that dinosaurs could have been cold-blooded reptiles.

Africa's savannas may become forests by 2100, study suggests Posted: 28 Jun 2012 10:06 AM PDT Large parts of Africa's savannas may well be forests by 2100. The study suggests that fertilization by atmospheric carbon dioxide is forcing increases in tree cover throughout Africa. A switch from savanna to forest occurs once a critical threshold of carbon dioxide concentration is exceeded, yet each site has its own critical threshold. The implication is that each savanna will switch at different points in time, thereby reducing the risk that a synchronous shock to the earth system will emanate from savannas.

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