ScienceDaily: Top Science News

---

• Spider venom reveals new secret: Once injected into a bite wound, venom of brown recluse spider causes unexpected reaction
• Terror bird's beak was worse than its bite: 'Terror bird' was probably a herbivore
• Bacteria supplemented their diet to clean up after Deep Water Horizon oil
• Hydrogen fuel from sunlight
• From cancer treatment to ion thruster: The newest little idea for nanosat micro rockets
• 'Trojan' asteroids in far reaches of solar system more common than previously thought
• Poor concentration: Poverty reduces brainpower needed for navigating other areas of life
• Learning how to migrate: Young whoopers stay the course when they follow a wise old bird
• Transparent artificial muscle plays music to prove a point
• NASA's Chandra Observatory catches giant black hole rejecting material
• NASA data reveals mega-canyon under Greenland ice sheet
• Now hear this: Scientists discover compound to prevent noise-related hearing loss
• Learning a new language alters brain development
• Single gene change increases mouse lifespan by 20 percent
• 'Safe' levels of environmental pollution may have long-term health consequences
• 'Mini human brains' created: Scientists grow human brain tissue in 3-D culture system
• Why electrons pass through very tiny wires less smoothly than expected: Light shed on 20-year-old mystery
• Why smokers gain weight when they quit smoking: Changes in intestinal flora

Spider venom reveals new secret: Once injected into a bite wound, venom of brown recluse spider causes unexpected reaction Posted: 29 Aug 2013 06:47 PM PDT Venom of spiders of the genus Loxosceles, which includes the brown recluse, produces a different chemical product than scientists have long believed. The discovery could lead to better understanding of how these spider bites can cause necrotic lesions or systemic reactions in humans and to new treatments for spider bites.

Terror bird's beak was worse than its bite: 'Terror bird' was probably a herbivore Posted: 29 Aug 2013 06:45 PM PDT Analysis of fossilized remains of the two meter tall terror bird (Gastornis) indicate that was unlikely to have been a carnivore.

Bacteria supplemented their diet to clean up after Deep Water Horizon oil Posted: 29 Aug 2013 06:43 PM PDT Bacteria living in the Gulf of Mexico beaches were able to 'eat up' the contamination from the Deep Water Horizon oil spill by supplementing their diet with nitrogen.

Hydrogen fuel from sunlight Posted: 29 Aug 2013 12:58 PM PDT Researchers have developed a way to interface a molecular hydrogen-producing catalyst with a visible light absorbing semiconductor. With this approach, hydrogen fuel can be produced off a photocathode using sunlight.

From cancer treatment to ion thruster: The newest little idea for nanosat micro rockets Posted: 29 Aug 2013 12:56 PM PDT The next generation of micro rockets could be built around a magnetic fluid that appears to defy gravity.

'Trojan' asteroids in far reaches of solar system more common than previously thought Posted: 29 Aug 2013 11:52 AM PDT Astronomers have discovered the first Trojan asteroid sharing the orbit of Uranus, and believe 2011 QF99 is part of a larger-than-expected population of transient objects temporarily trapped by the gravitational pull of the solar system's giant planets.

Poor concentration: Poverty reduces brainpower needed for navigating other areas of life Posted: 29 Aug 2013 11:51 AM PDT Poverty and all its related concerns require so much mental energy that the poor have less remaining brainpower to devote to other areas of life.

Learning how to migrate: Young whoopers stay the course when they follow a wise old bird Posted: 29 Aug 2013 11:51 AM PDT How do birds find their way on migration? Is their route encoded in their genes, or learned? Working with records from a long-term effort to reintroduce critically endangered whooping cranes in the Eastern US, researchers found these long-lived birds learn the route from older cranes, and get better at it with age.

Transparent artificial muscle plays music to prove a point Posted: 29 Aug 2013 11:50 AM PDT In a materials science laboratory, a transparent disk connected to a laptop fills the room with music —- it's the "Morning" prelude from Peer Gynt, played on an ionic speaker. No ordinary speaker, it consists of a thin sheet of rubber sandwiched between two layers of a saltwater gel, and it's as clear as a window.

NASA's Chandra Observatory catches giant black hole rejecting material Posted: 29 Aug 2013 11:23 AM PDT Astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have taken a major step in explaining why material around the giant black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy is extraordinarily faint in X-rays. This discovery holds important implications for understanding black holes.

NASA data reveals mega-canyon under Greenland ice sheet Posted: 29 Aug 2013 11:16 AM PDT Data from a NASA airborne science mission reveals evidence of a large and previously unknown canyon hidden under a mile of Greenland ice. The canyon has the characteristics of a winding river channel and is at least 460 miles (750 kilometers) long, making it longer than the Grand Canyon. In some places, it is as deep as 2,600 feet (800 meters), on scale with segments of the Grand Canyon. This immense feature is thought to predate the ice sheet that has covered Greenland for the last few million years.

Now hear this: Scientists discover compound to prevent noise-related hearing loss Posted: 29 Aug 2013 09:43 AM PDT Your mother was right when she warned you that loud music could damage your hearing, but now scientists have discovered exactly what gets damaged and how. Scientists now describe exactly what type of damage noise does to the inner ear, and provide insights into a compound that may prevent noise-related damage.

Learning a new language alters brain development Posted: 29 Aug 2013 09:43 AM PDT The age at which children learn a second language can have a significant bearing on the structure of their adult brain, according to a new study.

Single gene change increases mouse lifespan by 20 percent Posted: 29 Aug 2013 09:40 AM PDT By lowering the expression of a single gene, researchers have extended the average lifespan of a group of mice by about 20 percent -- the equivalent of raising the average human lifespan by 16 years, from 79 to 95. The research team targeted a gene called mTOR, which is involved in metabolism and energy balance, and may be connected with the increased lifespan associated with caloric restriction.

'Safe' levels of environmental pollution may have long-term health consequences Posted: 29 Aug 2013 08:28 AM PDT If you're eating better and exercising regularly, but still aren't seeing improvements in your health, there might be a reason: Pollution. According to a new research report what you are eating and doing may not be the problem, but what's in what you are eating could be the culprit.

'Mini human brains' created: Scientists grow human brain tissue in 3-D culture system Posted: 29 Aug 2013 06:35 AM PDT Complex human brain tissue has been successfully developed in a three-dimensional culture system. The method allows pluripotent stem cells to develop into cerebral organoids -- or "mini brains" -- that consist of several discrete brain regions.

Why electrons pass through very tiny wires less smoothly than expected: Light shed on 20-year-old mystery Posted: 29 Aug 2013 06:31 AM PDT Scientists have found an explanation for a mystery that has been puzzling the physics community since 1995. They explain why electrons pass through very tiny wires (known as quantum point contacts) less smoothly than expected. The observations will affect electronics on a nanoscale: 'Our thinking about this has been too naïve so far.'

Why smokers gain weight when they quit smoking: Changes in intestinal flora Posted: 29 Aug 2013 06:30 AM PDT Most smokers put on a couple of kilos when they quit smoking. This is not due to an increased calorie intake, but to a change in the composition of the intestinal flora after quitting smoking, as a study suggests.

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