ScienceDaily: Top Science News

---

• Scientists reverse Alzheimer's-like memory loss in animal models by blocking EGFR signaling
• Eye proteins have germ-killing power, could lead to new antimicrobial drugs, study finds
• A clock that will last forever: Proposal to build first space-time crystal
• Slow-moving rocks better odds that life crashed to Earth from space
• Scientists shed light on riddle of sun's explosive events
• Human brains outpace chimp brains in womb
• NASA's Chandra shows Milky Way is surrounded by halo of hot gas
• In birds' development, researchers find diversity by the peck
• Scientists predict major shifts in Pacific ecosystems by 2100
• Using precisely-targeted lasers, researchers manipulate neurons in worms' brains and take control of their behavior
• Climate is changing the Great Barrier Reef
• Large bacterial population colonized land 2.75 billion years ago
• Using artificial intelligence to chart the universe

Scientists reverse Alzheimer's-like memory loss in animal models by blocking EGFR signaling Posted: 24 Sep 2012 12:25 PM PDT Neuroscientists have published new research suggesting that EGFR inhibitors, a class of currently used anti-cancer drugs, as well as several previously untested synthetic compounds, show effectiveness in reversing memory loss in two animal models of Alzheimer's disease.

Eye proteins have germ-killing power, could lead to new antimicrobial drugs, study finds Posted: 24 Sep 2012 11:51 AM PDT When it comes to germ-busting power, the eyes have it, according to a new discovery that could lead to new, inexpensive antimicrobial drugs. Researchers found that small fragments of keratin protein in the eye play a key role in warding off pathogens.

A clock that will last forever: Proposal to build first space-time crystal Posted: 24 Sep 2012 11:47 AM PDT Imagine a clock that will keep perfect time forever or a device that opens new dimensions into the study of quantum phenomena such as emergence and entanglement. Researchers have proposed a space-time crystal based on an electric-field ion trap and the Coulomb repulsion of particles that carry the same electrical charge.

Slow-moving rocks better odds that life crashed to Earth from space Posted: 24 Sep 2012 11:47 AM PDT Microorganisms that crashed to Earth embedded in the fragments of distant planets might have been the sprouts of life on this one, according to new research. The researchers provide the strongest support yet for "lithopanspermia," the idea that life came to Earth -- or spread from Earth to other planets -- via meteorite-like planetary fragments cast forth by disruptions such as volcanic eruptions and collisions with other matter.

Scientists shed light on riddle of sun's explosive events Posted: 24 Sep 2012 11:40 AM PDT Four decades of active research and debate by the solar physics community have failed to bring consensus on what drives the sun's powerful coronal mass ejections that can have profound "space weather" effects on Earth-based power grids and satellites in near-Earth geospace.

Human brains outpace chimp brains in womb Posted: 24 Sep 2012 11:29 AM PDT Humans' superior brain size in comparison to their chimpanzee cousins traces all the way back to the womb. That's according to a study that is the first to track and compare brain growth in chimpanzee and human fetuses.

NASA's Chandra shows Milky Way is surrounded by halo of hot gas Posted: 24 Sep 2012 09:30 AM PDT Astronomers have used NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to find evidence our Milky Way Galaxy is embedded in an enormous halo of hot gas that extends for hundreds of thousands of light years. The estimated mass of the halo is comparable to the mass of all the stars in the galaxy.

In birds' development, researchers find diversity by the peck Posted: 24 Sep 2012 08:16 AM PDT It has long been known that diversity of form and function in birds' specialized beaks is abundant. Charles Darwin famously studied the finches on the Galapagos Islands, tying the morphology (shape) of various species' beaks to the types of seeds they ate. In 2010, biologists and applied mathematicians showed that Darwin's finches all actually shared the same developmental pathways, using the same gene products, controlling just size and curvature, to create 14 very different beaks.

Scientists predict major shifts in Pacific ecosystems by 2100 Posted: 24 Sep 2012 07:27 AM PDT Scientific models suggest that major Pacific ecosystems will move hundreds of miles by 2100 as a result of climate change. The results of this research could help officials manage the potentially significant impacts -- on sea creatures and humans -- of marine habitat shifts.

Using precisely-targeted lasers, researchers manipulate neurons in worms' brains and take control of their behavior Posted: 24 Sep 2012 07:26 AM PDT In the quest to understand how the brain turns sensory input into behavior, Harvard scientists have crossed a major threshold. Using precisely-targeted lasers, researchers have been able to take over an animal's brain, instruct it to turn in any direction they choose, and even to implant false sensory information, fooling the animal into thinking food was nearby.

Climate is changing the Great Barrier Reef Posted: 24 Sep 2012 07:25 AM PDT Satellite measurement of sea surface temperatures has yielded clear evidence of major changes taking place in the waters of Australia's Great Barrier Reef over the past 25 years, marine scientists have found.

Large bacterial population colonized land 2.75 billion years ago Posted: 24 Sep 2012 07:17 AM PDT New University of Washington research suggests that early microbes might have been widespread on land, producing oxygen and weathering pyrite, an iron sulfide mineral, which released sulfur and molybdenum into the oceans.

Using artificial intelligence to chart the universe Posted: 24 Sep 2012 05:03 AM PDT Astronomers have developed an artificial intelligence algorithm to help them chart and explain the structure and dynamics of the universe around us with unprecedented accuracy. Scientists routinely use large telescopes to scan the sky, mapping the coordinates and estimating the distances of hundreds of thousands of galaxies and so enabling them to create a map of the large-scale structure of the Universe.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Top Science News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610