ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• NASA's Spitzer observes gas emission from Comet ISON
• Valley networks suggest ancient snowfall on Mars
• Purple bacteria on Earth could survive alien light
• Harvesting electricity from the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide
• Oldest European fort in the inland U.S. discovered in Appalachians
• No link between prenatal mercury exposure and autism-like behaviors found
• Controlling genes with light: New technique can rapidly turn genes on and off, helping scientists better understand their function
• Brain picks out salient sounds from background noise by tracking frequency and time, study finds
• Secrets of mussels' clinginess revealed
• New record for cosmic X-ray sightings: Exploring extreme universe with rich new resource
• Environmental toxins enter the brain tissue of polar bears
• Major cities often safest places in the U.S.
• Devastating long-distance impact of earthquakes

NASA's Spitzer observes gas emission from Comet ISON Posted: 23 Jul 2013 12:57 PM PDT Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have observed what most likely are strong carbon dioxide emissions from Comet ISON ahead of its anticipated pass through the inner solar system later this year.

Valley networks suggest ancient snowfall on Mars Posted: 23 Jul 2013 12:50 PM PDT Researchers have shown that some Martian valleys appear to have been caused by runoff from orographic precipitation -- moisture carried part of the way up a mountain and deposited on the slopes. The findings help to answer the question of whether water flowing on ancient Mars bubbled up from the ground or fell down from the atmosphere.

Purple bacteria on Earth could survive alien light Posted: 23 Jul 2013 10:45 AM PDT Purple bacteria contain pigments that allow them to use sunlight as their source of energy, hence their color. Physicists recently found that these organisms can also survive in the presence of extreme alien light. The findings show that the way in which light is received by the bacteria can dictate the difference between life and death.

Harvesting electricity from the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide Posted: 23 Jul 2013 10:44 AM PDT A new method for producing electricity from carbon dioxide could be the start of a classic trash-to-treasure story for the troublesome greenhouse gas, scientists are reporting. The method uses CO2 from electric power plant and other smokestacks as the raw material for making electricity.

Oldest European fort in the inland U.S. discovered in Appalachians Posted: 23 Jul 2013 08:37 AM PDT The remains of the earliest European fort in the interior of what is now the United States have been discovered by a team of archaeologists, providing new insight into the start of the U.S. colonial era and the all-too-human reasons spoiling Spanish dreams of gold and glory.

No link between prenatal mercury exposure and autism-like behaviors found Posted: 23 Jul 2013 08:37 AM PDT The potential impact of exposure to low levels of mercury on the developing brain -- specifically by women consuming fish during pregnancy -- has long been the source of concern and some have argued that the chemical may be responsible for behavioral disorders such as autism. However, a new study that draws upon more than 30 years of research in the Republic of Seychelles reports that there is no association between pre-natal mercury exposure and autism-like behaviors.

Controlling genes with light: New technique can rapidly turn genes on and off, helping scientists better understand their function Posted: 23 Jul 2013 08:37 AM PDT New technology can rapidly start or halt the expression of any gene of interest simply by shining light on the cells.

Brain picks out salient sounds from background noise by tracking frequency and time, study finds Posted: 23 Jul 2013 08:37 AM PDT New research reveals how our brains are able to pick out important sounds from the noisy world around us. The study could lead to new diagnostic tests for hearing disorders.

Secrets of mussels' clinginess revealed Posted: 23 Jul 2013 08:36 AM PDT Understanding the strength of the shellfish's underwater attachments could enable better glues and biomedical interfaces.

New record for cosmic X-ray sightings: Exploring extreme universe with rich new resource Posted: 23 Jul 2013 06:54 AM PDT Scientists have set a new record for cosmic X-ray sources ever sighted -- creating an unprecedented cosmic X-ray catalog that will provide a valuable resource allowing astronomers to explore the extreme Universe.

Environmental toxins enter the brain tissue of polar bears Posted: 23 Jul 2013 05:13 AM PDT Scientists from Denmark and Canada are worried by their new findings showing that several bioaccumulative perfluoroalkyl substancesare crossing the blood brain barrier of polar bears from Scoresby Sound, East Greenland. Meanwhile, the same group of scientists is beginning to see a decrease in concentrations of this group of contaminants in polar bears from the same region.

Major cities often safest places in the U.S. Posted: 23 Jul 2013 05:13 AM PDT Overturning a commonly-held belief that cities are inherently more dangerous than suburban and rural communities, researchers have found that risk of death from injuries is lowest on average in urban counties compared to suburban and rural counties across the US.

Devastating long-distance impact of earthquakes Posted: 23 Jul 2013 04:39 AM PDT In 2006 the island of Java, Indonesia was struck by a devastating earthquake followed by the onset of a mud eruption to the east, flooding villages over several square kilometers and that continues to erupt today. Until now, researchers believed the earthquake was too far from the mud volcano to trigger the eruption. Geophysicists have now use computer-based simulations to show that such triggering is possible over long distances.

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