Σάββατο 8 Μαρτίου 2014

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News


Icy wreckage discovered in nearby planetary system

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 11:25 AM PST

Astronomers have discovered the splattered remains of comets colliding together around a nearby star. The researchers believe they are witnessing the total destruction of one of these icy bodies once every five minutes.

Are you smarter than a 5-year-old? Preschoolers can do algebra

Posted: 06 Mar 2014 10:00 AM PST

Millions of high school and college algebra students are united in a shared agony over solving for x and y, and for those to whom the answers don't come easily, it gets worse: Most preschoolers and kindergarteners can do some algebra before even entering a math class. A new study finds that most preschoolers and kindergarteners, or children between 4 and 6, can do basic algebra naturally.

New dinosaur found in Portugal, largest terrestrial predator from Europe

Posted: 05 Mar 2014 04:14 PM PST

A new dinosaur species found in Portugal may be the largest land predator discovered in Europe, as well as one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs from the Jurassic. T. gurneyi had blade-shaped teeth up to 10 cm long, which indicates it may have been at the top of the food chain in the Iberian Peninsula roughly 150 million years ago. The scientists estimate that the dinosaur could reach 10 meters long and weigh around 4 to 5 tons.

A small step toward discovering habitable Earths

Posted: 05 Mar 2014 01:08 PM PST

For the first time, astronomers have used the same imaging technology found in a digital camera to take a picture of a planet far from our solar system with an Earth-based telescope. The accomplishment is a small step toward the technology astronomers will need in order to characterize planets suitable for harboring life.

First step towards 'programmable materials': Sheet metal that never rattles

Posted: 05 Mar 2014 10:24 AM PST

Researchers have succeeded in producing a prototype of a vibration-damping material that could change the world of mechanics forever. The material of the future is not only able to damp vibrations completely. It can also specifically conduct certain frequencies further.

Mother's diet linked to premature birth: fruits, vegetables linked to reduced risk of preterm delivery

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 06:01 PM PST

Pregnant women who eat a 'prudent' diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and who drink water have a significantly reduced risk of preterm delivery, suggests a study. A "traditional" dietary pattern of boiled potatoes, fish and cooked vegetables was also linked to a significantly lower risk. Although these findings cannot establish causality, they support dietary advice to pregnant women to eat a balanced diet including vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and fish and to drink water.

'Dimer molecules' aid study of exoplanet pressure, hunt for life

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 12:45 PM PST

Astronomers have developed a new method of gauging the atmospheric pressure of exoplanets, or worlds beyond the solar system, by looking for a certain type of molecule. And if there is life out in space, scientists may one day use this same technique to detect its biosignature -- the telltale chemical signs of its presence -- in the atmosphere of an alien world.

Motion-sensing cells in eye let brain 'know' about directional changes

Posted: 04 Mar 2014 10:00 AM PST

How do we "know" from the movements of speeding car in our field of view if it's coming straight toward us or more likely to move to the right or left? In a detailed study of the neurons linking the eyes and brains of mice, biologists discovered that the ability of our brains and those of other mammals to figure out and process in our brains directional movements is a result of the activation in the cortex of signals that originate from the direction-sensing cells in the retina of our eyes.

Novel blood screen reveals the risk of dying among healthy people

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 04:32 PM PST

A new screening technology reveals a signature of mortality in blood samples. Researchers have identified four biomarkers that help to identify people at high risk of dying from any disease within the next five years. Blood samples from over 17,000 generally healthy people were screened for more than a hundred different biomolecules. The health status of these study volunteers was followed for several years. The researchers looked for measures in the blood that could reflect who had died within the following 5 years after the blood sample was taken.

The musical brain: Novel study of jazz players shows common brain circuitry processes both music, language

Posted: 19 Feb 2014 02:31 PM PST

The brains of jazz musicians engrossed in spontaneous, improvisational musical conversation showed robust activation of brain areas traditionally associated with spoken language and syntax, which are used to interpret the structure of phrases and sentences. But this musical conversation shut down brain areas linked to semantics -- those that process the meaning of spoken language, according to results of a novel study.

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