ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

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• 'Like a giant elevator to the stratosphere:' Newly discovered atmospheric layer may impact Earth's climate
• Watching for a black hole to gobble up a gas cloud: Gas cloud's fate illuminates growth of supermassive black holes
• New U.S. time standard: Atomic clock will neither gain nor lose one second in about 300 million years
• Tiny power generator runs on spit
• Why Arctic ice is disappearing more rapidly than expected: River ice reveals new twist on Arctic melt
• Call for circumcision gets a boost from experts

'Like a giant elevator to the stratosphere:' Newly discovered atmospheric layer may impact Earth's climate Posted: 04 Apr 2014 06:29 AM PDT An international team of researchers has discovered a previously unknown atmospheric phenomenon over the tropical West Pacific. Like in a giant elevator to the stratosphere, many chemical compounds emitted at the ground pass unfiltered through the so-called 'detergent layer' of the atmosphere, known as the 'OH shield.' The newly discovered phenomenon over the South Seas boosts ozone depletion in the polar regions and could have a significant influence on the future climate of the Earth.

Watching for a black hole to gobble up a gas cloud: Gas cloud's fate illuminates growth of supermassive black holes Posted: 04 Apr 2014 05:58 AM PDT G2, a doomed gas cloud, is edging closer to Sgr A*, the hungry supermassive black hole at the Milky Way's center. The closest approach between the two is predicted to occur any day now. Astrophysicists have been watching closely, and the data do not show enhanced emission in the X-rays.

New U.S. time standard: Atomic clock will neither gain nor lose one second in about 300 million years Posted: 03 Apr 2014 06:26 PM PDT National Institute of Standards and Technology has officially launched a new atomic clock, called NIST-F2, to serve as a new US civilian time and frequency standard, along with the current NIST-F1 standard. NIST-F2 would neither gain nor lose one second in about 300 million years, making it about three times as accurate as NIST-F1, which has served as the standard since 1999. Both clocks use a 'fountain' of cesium atoms to determine the exact length of a second.

Tiny power generator runs on spit Posted: 03 Apr 2014 07:58 AM PDT Saliva-powered micro-sized microbial fuel cells can produce minute amounts of energy sufficient to run on-chip applications, according to engineers. Biomedical devices using micro-sized microbial fuel cells would be portable and have their energy source available anywhere.

Why Arctic ice is disappearing more rapidly than expected: River ice reveals new twist on Arctic melt Posted: 02 Apr 2014 06:26 PM PDT A new study has discovered unexpected climate-driven changes in the mighty Mackenzie River's ice breakup. This discovery may help resolve the complex puzzle underlying why Arctic ice is disappearing more rapidly than expected.

Call for circumcision gets a boost from experts Posted: 02 Apr 2014 10:38 AM PDT In the United States the rate of circumcision in men has increased to 81% over the past decade. In an important new study, authors have shown that the benefits of infant male circumcision to health exceed the risks by over 100 to 1. Over their lifetime half of uncircumcised males will contract an adverse medical condition caused by their foreskin, the researchers suggest.

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