Πέμπτη 21 Φεβρουαρίου 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Science News

ScienceDaily: Top Science News


Mosquitoes exposed to DEET once are less repelled by it a few hours later

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 03:49 PM PST

Mosquitoes are able to ignore the smell of the insect repellent DEET within a few hours of being exposed to it, according to new research.

Using 3-D printing and injectable molds, bioengineered ears look and act like the real thing

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 03:47 PM PST

Bioengineers and physicians have created an artificial ear -- using 3-D printing and injectable molds -- that looks and acts like a natural ear, giving new hope to thousands of children born with a congenital deformity called microtia. Scientists have described how 3-D printing and injectable gels made of living cells can fashion ears that are practically identical to a human ear. Over a three-month period, these flexible ears grew cartilage to replace the collagen that was used to mold them.

Simple view of gravity does not fully explain the distribution of stars in crowded clusters

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 01:36 PM PST

Gravity remains the dominant force on large astronomical scales, but when it comes to stars in young star clusters the dynamics in these crowded environments cannot be simply explained by the pull of gravity.

Bullied children can suffer lasting psychological harm as adults

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 01:36 PM PST

Bullied children grow into adults who are at increased risk of developing anxiety disorders, depression and suicidal thoughts, according to a new study.

New injectable hydrogel encourages regeneration and improves functionality after a heart attack

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 12:37 PM PST

Bioengineers have demonstrated in a study in pigs that a new injectable hydrogel can repair damage from heart attacks, help the heart grow new tissue and blood vessels, and get the heart moving closer to how a healthy heart should.

Sunlight yields more efficient carbon dioxide to methanol model

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 12:37 PM PST

In a method that is more efficient and inexpensive than current models, researchers are using carbon dioxide, copper oxide nanowires and simulated sunlight to create methanol.

NASA's Kepler mission discovers tiny planet system: Smallest planet yet found around a star similar to our sun

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 10:35 AM PST

NASA's Kepler mission scientists have discovered a new planetary system that is home to the smallest planet yet found around a star similar to our sun. The planets are located in a system called Kepler-37, about 210 light-years from Earth in the constellation Lyra. The smallest planet, Kepler-37b, is slightly larger than our moon, measuring about one-third the size of Earth. It is smaller than Mercury, which made its detection a challenge.

Secrets of human speech uncovered

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 10:17 AM PST

Scientists have uncovered the neurological basis of speech motor control, the complex coordinated activity of tiny brain regions that controls our lips, jaw, tongue and larynx as we speak.

Searching for the solar system's chemical recipe

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 09:34 AM PST

The ratio of isotopes in elements like oxygen, sulfur, and nitrogen were once thought to be much the same everywhere, determined only by their different masses. Then isotope ratios in meteorites, interplanetary dust and gas, and the sun itself were found to differ from those on Earth. Planetary researchers are now studying these "mass-independent" effects and their origins in the chemical processes of the early solar system.

Molecules assemble in water, hint at origins of life

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 09:33 AM PST

Researchers are exploring an alternate theory for the origin of RNA: they think the RNA bases may have evolved from a pair of molecules distinct from the bases we have today. This theory looks increasingly attractive, as researchers were able to achieve efficient, highly ordered self-assembly in water with small molecules that are similar to the bases of RNA.

Cure for common hangover? 'Pill' mimics action of human liver in fighting alcohol intoxication

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 08:43 AM PST

In a discovery that could promise a quick fix to the common hangover, a team of engineers has identified a method for speeding up the body's reaction to the consumption of alcohol.

New imaging device is flexible, flat, and transparent

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 08:39 AM PST

Digital cameras, medical scanners, and other imaging technologies have advanced considerably during the past decade. Continuing this pace of innovation, an Austrian research team has developed an entirely new way of capturing images based on a flat, flexible, transparent, and potentially disposable polymer sheet.

New technique scales up production of graphene micro-supercapacitors

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 07:07 AM PST

While the demand for ever-smaller electronic devices has spurred the miniaturization of a variety of technologies, one area has lagged behind in this downsizing revolution: energy-storage units, such as batteries and capacitors. Engineers have now developed a groundbreaking technique that uses a DVD burner to fabricate micro-scale graphene-based supercapacitors. These micro-supercapacitors can be easily manufactured and integrated into small devices such as next-generation pacemakers.

New therapeutics could accelerate wound healing

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 07:07 AM PST

Chemistry and biochemistry professors report a discovery to exploit our body's ability to heal itself, that could lead to new bio-mimicking therapeutics to treat skin wounds.

Sun's next-door twin: Cool layer in the atmosphere of Alpha Centauri A

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 06:24 AM PST

The European Space Agency's Herschel space observatory has detected a cool layer in the atmosphere of Alpha Centauri A, the first time this has been seen in a star beyond our own Sun. The finding is not only important for understanding the Sun's activity, but could also help in the quest to discover proto-planetary systems around other stars.

Where does our head come from? Brainless sea anemone sheds new light on the evolutionary origin of the head

Posted: 20 Feb 2013 05:44 AM PST

A research group has shed new light on the evolutionary origin of the head. Scientists show that in a simple, brainless sea anemone, the same genes that control head development in higher animals regulate the development of the front end of the swimming larvae.

Biological marker of dyslexia discovered: Ability to consistently encode sound undergirds the reading process

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 02:21 PM PST

Researchers believe they have discovered a biological marker of dyslexia, a disorder affecting up to one out of 10 children that makes learning to read difficult. The researchers found a systematic relationship between reading ability and the consistency with which the brain encodes sounds. The good news: Response consistency can be improved with auditory training.

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