ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Evolutionary history of what mammals eat: Some groups of mammals have changed their feeding strategies over time
• Greenland may be slip-sliding away due to surface lake melting
• Graphene-based electronics: Entirely new carbon-based material synthesized from graphene
• Sponging up oil spills: Nanosponges soak up oil again and again
• Low quality genes may cause mutational meltdown: Deficiencies compound over time
• Baboons display 'reading' skills, study suggests; Monkeys identify specific combinations of letters in words
• Chimpanzee ground nests offer new insight into our ancestors' descent from the trees
• One of earliest farming sites in Europe discovered
• How plants grow to escape shade: Findings could lead to high-yield crops
• Why plants grow towards the light

Evolutionary history of what mammals eat: Some groups of mammals have changed their feeding strategies over time Posted: 16 Apr 2012 12:44 PM PDT The feeding habits of mammals haven't always been what they are today, particularly for omnivores, finds a new study. Some groups of mammals almost exclusively eat meat -- take lions and tigers and other big cats. Other mammals such as deer, cows and antelope are predominantly plant-eaters, living on a diet of leaves, shoots and bark. But particularly for omnivores, the situation wasn't always that way, finds a new study.

Greenland may be slip-sliding away due to surface lake melting Posted: 16 Apr 2012 10:50 AM PDT Like snow sliding off a roof on a sunny day, the Greenland Ice Sheet may be sliding faster into the ocean due to massive releases of meltwater from surface lakes, according to a new study by the University of Colorado Boulder-based Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences.

Graphene-based electronics: Entirely new carbon-based material synthesized from graphene Posted: 16 Apr 2012 10:04 AM PDT Scientists have discovered an entirely new carbon-based material that is synthesized from the "wonder kid" of the carbon family, graphene. The discovery, which the researchers are calling "graphene monoxide (GMO)," pushes carbon materials closer to ushering in next-generation electronics.

Sponging up oil spills: Nanosponges soak up oil again and again Posted: 16 Apr 2012 10:04 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that adding a dash of boron to carbon while creating nanotubes turns them into solid, spongy, reusable blocks that have an astounding ability to absorb oil spilled in water.

Low quality genes may cause mutational meltdown: Deficiencies compound over time Posted: 16 Apr 2012 10:03 AM PDT Evolutionary biologists have found that individuals with low-quality genes may produce offspring with even more inferior chromosomes, possibly leading to the extinction of certain species over generations. A study predicts that organisms with such genetic deficiencies could experience an increased number of mutations in their DNA, relative to individuals with high-quality genes.

Baboons display 'reading' skills, study suggests; Monkeys identify specific combinations of letters in words Posted: 16 Apr 2012 09:52 AM PDT Learning to read is not just to do with speech, but also with the ability to recognize and memorize regular patterns among the letters that make up words, according to a new study on baboons. New results show that monkeys identify specific combinations of letters in words and detect anomalies -- a capacity that certainly existed before speech.

Chimpanzee ground nests offer new insight into our ancestors' descent from the trees Posted: 16 Apr 2012 08:30 AM PDT The first study into rarely documented ground-nest building by wild chimpanzees offers new clues about the ancient transition of early hominins from sleeping in trees to sleeping on the ground. While most apes build nests in trees, this study focused on a group of wild West African chimpanzees that often shows ground-nesting behavior.

One of earliest farming sites in Europe discovered Posted: 16 Apr 2012 08:30 AM PDT New findings show that Vashtëmi, located in southeastern Albania, was occupied around 6,500 cal BC, making it one of the earliest farming sites in Europe. The location of early sites such as Vashtëmi near wetland edges suggests that the earliest farmers in Europe preferentially selected such resource-rich settings to establish pioneer farming villages.

How plants grow to escape shade: Findings could lead to high-yield crops Posted: 16 Apr 2012 07:10 AM PDT Mild mannered though they seem, plants are extremely competitive, especially when it comes to getting their fair share of sunlight. Whether a forest or a farm, where plants grow a battle wages for the sun's rays.

Why plants grow towards the light Posted: 16 Apr 2012 07:10 AM PDT Have you ever wondered why stems grow upwards and roots downwards? Why plants always seem to turn towards the light and climbing plants run up the trellis rather than down?

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