ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Moon and asteroids share history, NASA scientists find
• Artifacts shed light on social networks of the past
• Scientists confirm first two-headed bull shark
• New study analyzes the risk to endangered whales from ships in southern California
• Clean electricity from bacteria? Researchers make breakthrough in race to create 'bio-batteries'
• Decoding the genetic history of the Texas longhorn
• Aye-ayes: Endangered lemurs' complete genomes are sequenced and analyzed for conservation efforts
• Arguments in the home linked with babies' brain functioning
• Violins can mimic the human voice
• Super batteries? Hybrid ribbons a gift for powerful batteries
• T-cell therapy eradicates an aggressive leukemia in two children
• Genomes of peregrine and saker falcons throw lights on evolution of a predatory lifestyle
• Speed of light may not be fixed, scientists suggest; Ephemeral vacuum particles induce speed-of-light fluctuations
• Measuring the magnetism of antimatter: Antiprotons measured more accurately than ever before
• Old mice, young blood: Rejuvenating blood of mice by reprogramming stem cells that produce blood
• Laser empties atoms from the inside out

Moon and asteroids share history, NASA scientists find Posted: 25 Mar 2013 03:52 PM PDT NASA and international researchers have discovered that Earth's moon has more in common than previously thought with large asteroids roaming our solar system.

Artifacts shed light on social networks of the past Posted: 25 Mar 2013 03:40 PM PDT The advent of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have made us all more connected, but long-distance social networks existed long before the Internet. A new study led by an anthropologist provides new information on social networks in the pre-Hispanic Southwest in A.D. 1200-1450. Among the findings are that people were able to maintain surprisingly long distance relationships in a time when the only mode of transportation was walking.

Scientists confirm first two-headed bull shark Posted: 25 Mar 2013 03:40 PM PDT Scientists have confirmed the discovery of the first-ever, two-headed bull shark.

New study analyzes the risk to endangered whales from ships in southern California Posted: 25 Mar 2013 03:39 PM PDT Researchers have identified areas off southern California with high numbers of whales and assessed their risk from potentially deadly collisions with commercial ship traffic.

Clean electricity from bacteria? Researchers make breakthrough in race to create 'bio-batteries' Posted: 25 Mar 2013 03:39 PM PDT Scientists have made an important breakthrough in the quest to generate clean electricity from bacteria. New findings show that proteins on the surface of bacteria can produce an electric current by simply touching a mineral surface. The research shows that it is possible for bacteria to lie directly on the surface of a metal or mineral and transfer electrical charge through their cell membranes. This means that it is possible to 'tether' bacteria directly to electrodes – bringing scientists a step closer to creating efficient microbial fuel cells or 'bio-batteries.'

Decoding the genetic history of the Texas longhorn Posted: 25 Mar 2013 01:05 PM PDT Researchers analyzed almost 50,000 genetic markers from 58 cattle breeds. They found that the Longhorn genome traces back through Christopher Columbus' second voyage to the New World, the Moorish invasion of Spain and the ancient domestication of the aurochs in the Middle East and India.

Aye-ayes: Endangered lemurs' complete genomes are sequenced and analyzed for conservation efforts Posted: 25 Mar 2013 01:05 PM PDT For the first time, the complete genomes of three separate populations of aye-ayes -- a type of lemur -- have been sequenced and analyzed in an effort to characterize patterns of genetic diversity and help guide conservation efforts for the species. The aye-aye species is found only on the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean and recently was re-classified as "endangered" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Arguments in the home linked with babies' brain functioning Posted: 25 Mar 2013 10:53 AM PDT Being exposed to arguments between parents is associated with the way babies' brains process emotional tone of voice, according to a new study. Infants were found to respond to an angry tone of voice, even when they're asleep.

Violins can mimic the human voice Posted: 25 Mar 2013 10:53 AM PDT For many years, some musical experts have wondered if the sound of the Stradivari and Guarneri violins might incorporate such elements of speech as vowels and consonants. A Texas A&M University researcher has now provided the first evidence that the Italian violin masters tried to impart specific vowel sounds to their violins.

Super batteries? Hybrid ribbons a gift for powerful batteries Posted: 25 Mar 2013 09:56 AM PDT Ribbons of vanadium oxide and graphene become ultrafast charging and discharging electrodes for lithium-ion batteries in new research. The ribbons are thousands of times thinner than a sheet of paper, yet have potential that far outweighs current materials for their ability to charge and discharge very quickly.

T-cell therapy eradicates an aggressive leukemia in two children Posted: 25 Mar 2013 09:43 AM PDT Two children with an aggressive form of childhood leukemia had a complete remission of their disease -- showing no evidence of cancer cells in their bodies -- after treatment with a novel cell therapy that reprogrammed their immune cells to rapidly multiply and destroy leukemia cells.

Genomes of peregrine and saker falcons throw lights on evolution of a predatory lifestyle Posted: 25 Mar 2013 08:12 AM PDT Researchers have completed the genome sequencing and analysis of two iconic falcons, the peregrine and saker falcons. The work provides an invaluable resource for the deep understanding of the adaptive evolution in raptors and the genetic basis of their wide distribution.

Speed of light may not be fixed, scientists suggest; Ephemeral vacuum particles induce speed-of-light fluctuations Posted: 25 Mar 2013 08:11 AM PDT Two new articles challenge established wisdom about the nature of vacuum. In one article scientists have identified a quantum level mechanism for interpreting vacuum as being filled with pairs of virtual particles with fluctuating energy values. As a result, the inherent characteristics of vacuum, like the speed of light, may not be a constant after all, but fluctuate.

Measuring the magnetism of antimatter: Antiprotons measured more accurately than ever before Posted: 25 Mar 2013 06:40 AM PDT In a breakthrough that could one day yield important clues about the nature of matter itself, scientists have succeeded in measuring the magnetic charge of single particles of matter and antimatter more accurately than ever before.

Old mice, young blood: Rejuvenating blood of mice by reprogramming stem cells that produce blood Posted: 25 Mar 2013 06:36 AM PDT The blood of young and old people differs. Scientists have now rejuvenated the blood of mice by reversing, or reprogramming, the stem cells that produce blood.

Laser empties atoms from the inside out Posted: 25 Mar 2013 06:35 AM PDT Plasma physicists have used one of the world's most powerful lasers to create highly unusual plasma composed of hollow atoms. The experimental work demonstrated that it is possible to remove the two most deeply bound electrons from atoms, emptying the inner most quantum shell and leading to a distinctive plasma state.

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