ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Mysterious hot spots observed in cool red supergiant
• Museum find proves exotic ‘big cat’ prowled British countryside a century ago
• Scientists detect 'dark lightning' energy burst linked to visible lightning
• Rethinking early atmospheric oxygen: Possibility of more dynamic biological oxygen cycle on early Earth than previously supposed
• Nasal lining used to breach blood/brain barrier
• Clenching right fist may give better grip on memory
• Mammal and bug food co-op in the High Arctic
• Psychopaths are not neurally equipped to have concern for others
• New battery design could help solar and wind power the grid
• Ancient Earth crust stored in deep mantle
• Humans passing drug resistance to wildlife in protected areas in Africa
• What planets are made of: Findings establish counterintuitive potential planet-forming materials
• Looking for life by the light of dying stars
• Ice tubes in polar seas -- 'brinicles' or 'sea stalactites' -- provide clues to origin of life
• Fighting bacteria with new genre of antibodies
• First vaccine to help control some autism symptoms
• Supertough, strong nanofibers developed
• Sunlit snow triggers atmospheric cleaning, ozone depletion in the Arctic
• Recipe for low-cost, biomass-derived catalyst for hydrogen production
• New matter-antimatter difference observed in LHCb experiment at CERN

Mysterious hot spots observed in cool red supergiant Posted: 24 Apr 2013 07:24 PM PDT Astronomers have released a new image of the outer atmosphere of Betelgeuse – one of the nearest red supergiants to Earth – revealing the detailed structure of the matter being thrown off the star.

Museum find proves exotic ‘big cat’ prowled British countryside a century ago Posted: 24 Apr 2013 07:24 PM PDT The rediscovery of a mystery animal in a museum's underground storeroom proves that a non-native 'big cat' prowled the British countryside at the turn of the last century. The animal's skeleton and mounted skin was analyzed and Aberystwyth universities and found to be a Canadian lynx – a carnivorous predator more than twice the size of a domestic cat.

Scientists detect 'dark lightning' energy burst linked to visible lightning Posted: 24 Apr 2013 06:03 PM PDT Researchers have identified a burst of high-energy radiation known as 'dark lightning" immediately preceding a flash of ordinary lightning. The new finding provides observational evidence that the two phenomena are connected, although the exact nature of the relationship between ordinary bright lightning and the dark variety is still unclear, the scientists said.

Rethinking early atmospheric oxygen: Possibility of more dynamic biological oxygen cycle on early Earth than previously supposed Posted: 24 Apr 2013 03:52 PM PDT Using a quantitative model, a research team of biogeochemists has provided a new view on the relationship between the earliest accumulation of oxygen in the atmosphere, arguably the most important biological event in Earth's history, and its relationship to the sulfur cycle. Their model, the researchers argue, is one step toward a more integrated view of how Earth's crust, mantle and atmosphere interact in the global sulfur cycle.

Nasal lining used to breach blood/brain barrier Posted: 24 Apr 2013 03:52 PM PDT Using mucosa, or the lining of the nose, researchers have demonstrated what may be the first known method to permanently bypass the blood-brain barrier, thus opening the door to new treatment options for those with neurodegenerative and CNS disease.

Clenching right fist may give better grip on memory Posted: 24 Apr 2013 03:51 PM PDT Clenching your right hand may help form a stronger memory of an event or action, and clenching your left may help you recollect the memory later, according to new research.

Mammal and bug food co-op in the High Arctic Posted: 24 Apr 2013 01:11 PM PDT Who would have thought that two very different species, a small insect and a furry alpine mammal, would develop a shared food arrangement in the far North?

Psychopaths are not neurally equipped to have concern for others Posted: 24 Apr 2013 01:11 PM PDT Prisoners who are psychopaths lack the basic neurophysiological "hardwiring" that enables them to care for others, according to a new study.

New battery design could help solar and wind power the grid Posted: 24 Apr 2013 11:06 AM PDT Researchers have designed a low-cost, long-life battery that could enable solar and wind energy to become major suppliers to the electrical grid.

Ancient Earth crust stored in deep mantle Posted: 24 Apr 2013 10:27 AM PDT Scientists have long believed that lava erupted from certain oceanic volcanoes contains materials from the early Earth's crust. But decisive evidence for this phenomenon has proven elusive. New research now demonstrates that oceanic volcanic rocks contain samples of recycled crust dating back to the Archean era 2.5 billion years ago.

Humans passing drug resistance to wildlife in protected areas in Africa Posted: 24 Apr 2013 09:55 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that humans are passing antibiotic resistance to wildlife, especially in protected areas where numbers of humans are limited. In the case of banded mongoose in a Botswana study, multidrug resistance among study social groups, or troops, was higher in the protected area than in troops living in village areas. The study also reveals that humans and mongoose appear to be readily exchanging fecal microorganisms, increasing the potential for disease transmission.

What planets are made of: Findings establish counterintuitive potential planet-forming materials Posted: 24 Apr 2013 09:54 AM PDT Scientists have made a startling prediction that challenges existing chemical models and current understanding of planetary interiors -- magnesium oxide, a major material in the formation of planets, can exist in several different compositions.

Looking for life by the light of dying stars Posted: 24 Apr 2013 08:23 AM PDT Astronomers have now demonstrated that with the advanced technology available in the next decade we should be able to detect biomarkers like oxygen and methane in the planets that orbit dead stars called "white dwarfs" -- and to find new forms of life on those planets.

Ice tubes in polar seas -- 'brinicles' or 'sea stalactites' -- provide clues to origin of life Posted: 24 Apr 2013 08:23 AM PDT Life on Earth may have originated not in warm tropical seas, but with weird tubes of ice -- sometimes called "sea stalactites" -- that grow downward into cold seawater near the Earth's poles, scientists are reporting.

Fighting bacteria with new genre of antibodies Posted: 24 Apr 2013 08:23 AM PDT In an advance toward coping with bacteria that shrug off existing antibiotics and sterilization methods, scientists are reporting development of a new family of selective antimicrobial agents that do not rely on traditional antibiotics. They report on these synthetic colloid particles, which can be custom-designed to recognize the shape of specific kinds of bacteria and inactivate them.

First vaccine to help control some autism symptoms Posted: 24 Apr 2013 08:23 AM PDT A first-ever vaccine for gut bacteria common in autistic children may also help control some autism symptoms.

Supertough, strong nanofibers developed Posted: 24 Apr 2013 08:23 AM PDT Materials engineers have developed a structural nanofiber that is both strong and tough, a discovery that could transform everything from airplanes and bridges to body armor and bicycles.

Sunlit snow triggers atmospheric cleaning, ozone depletion in the Arctic Posted: 24 Apr 2013 08:23 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that sunlit snow is the major source of atmospheric bromine in the Arctic, the key to unique chemical reactions that purge pollutants and destroy ozone.

Recipe for low-cost, biomass-derived catalyst for hydrogen production Posted: 24 Apr 2013 07:31 AM PDT Researchers have described details of a low-cost, stable, effective catalyst that could replace costly platinum in the production of hydrogen. The catalyst, made from renewable soybeans and abundant molybdenum metal, produces hydrogen in an environmentally friendly, cost-effective manner, potentially increasing the use of this clean energy source.

New matter-antimatter difference observed in LHCb experiment at CERN Posted: 24 Apr 2013 06:45 AM PDT Researchers at CERN are reporting the first observation of matter-antimatter asymmetry in the decays of the particle known as the B0s. It is only the fourth subatomic particle known to exhibit such behavior.

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