ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Earliest known iron artifacts come from outer space
• LSD and other psychedelics not linked with mental health problems
• Americans diagnosed with Lyme disease: Number may be 10 times more than reported
• A home for the microbiome: Biologists identify how beneficial bacteria reside and thrive in gastrointestinal tract
• Newly discovered ocean plume could be major source of iron
• Archaeologists find massive fortifications from the Iron Age in present-day Israel
• Molten magma can survive in upper crust for hundreds of millennia
• Computer can read letters directly from the brain
• Global sea level rise dampened by Australia floods
• Waking up to a new year: Exoplanet orbits its star in 8.5 hours
• Tiny fish make 'eyes' at their killer
• Potential disruption of endocrine system: Flame retardants can mimic estrogens, 3-D images show
• Far from being harmless, the effects of bullying last long into adulthood
• Future flood losses in major coastal cities: Costly projections
• Altruism or manipulated helping? Altruism may have origins in manipulation
• Handaxe design reveals distinct Neanderthal cultures

Earliest known iron artifacts come from outer space Posted: 19 Aug 2013 05:24 PM PDT Researchers have shown that ancient Egyptian iron beads held at the UCL Petrie Museum were hammered from pieces of meteorites, rather than iron ore. The objects, which trace their origins to outer space, also predate the emergence of iron smelting by two millennia.

LSD and other psychedelics not linked with mental health problems Posted: 19 Aug 2013 03:53 PM PDT The use of LSD, magic mushrooms, or peyote does not increase a person's risk of developing mental health problems, according to an analysis of information from more than 130,000 randomly chosen people, including 22,000 people who had used psychedelics at least once. The researchers found no link between the use of psychedelic drugs and a range of mental health problems. Instead they found some significant associations between the use of psychedelic drugs and fewer mental health problems.

Americans diagnosed with Lyme disease: Number may be 10 times more than reported Posted: 19 Aug 2013 03:28 PM PDT Preliminary estimates released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the number of Americans diagnosed with Lyme disease each year is around 300,000. Lyme disease is the most commonly reported tick-borne illness in the United States. The new estimate suggests that the total number of people diagnosed with Lyme disease is roughly 10 times higher than the yearly reported number.

A home for the microbiome: Biologists identify how beneficial bacteria reside and thrive in gastrointestinal tract Posted: 19 Aug 2013 02:18 PM PDT The human body is full of tiny microorganisms -- hundreds to thousands of species of bacteria collectively called the microbiome, which are believed to contribute to a healthy existence. The gastrointestinal tract is home to the largest concentration and highest diversity of bacterial species. But how do these organisms persist and thrive in a system that is constantly in flux? Biologists believe they have found the answer.

Newly discovered ocean plume could be major source of iron Posted: 19 Aug 2013 02:18 PM PDT Scientists have discovered a vast plume of iron and other micronutrients more than 1,000 kilometers long billowing from hydrothermal vents in the South Atlantic Ocean. The finding calls past estimates of iron abundances into question, and may challenge researchers' assumptions about iron sources in the world's seas.

Archaeologists find massive fortifications from the Iron Age in present-day Israel Posted: 19 Aug 2013 02:16 PM PDT Archaeologists have discovered the remains of massive ancient fortifications built around an Iron Age Assyrian harbor in present-day Israel. The fortifications appear to protect an artificial harbor, a discovery of international significance, experts say.

Molten magma can survive in upper crust for hundreds of millennia Posted: 19 Aug 2013 01:26 PM PDT Reservoirs of silica-rich magma – the kind that causes the most explosive volcanic eruptions – can persist in Earth's upper crust for hundreds of thousands of years without triggering an eruption, according to new research.

Computer can read letters directly from the brain Posted: 19 Aug 2013 11:16 AM PDT By analysing MRI images of the brain with an elegant mathematical model, it is possible to reconstruct thoughts more accurately than ever before. In this way, researchers have succeeded in determining which letter a test subject was looking at.

Global sea level rise dampened by Australia floods Posted: 19 Aug 2013 11:16 AM PDT When enough raindrops fall over land instead of the ocean, they begin to add up. New research led by shows that three atmospheric patterns drove so much precipitation over Australia in 2010 and 2011 that the world's ocean levels dropped measurably.

Waking up to a new year: Exoplanet orbits its star in 8.5 hours Posted: 19 Aug 2013 09:19 AM PDT In the time it takes you to complete a single workday, or get a full night's sleep, a small fireball of a planet 700 light-years away has already completed an entire year. Researchers have discovered an Earth-sized exoplanet named Kepler 78b that whips around its host star in a mere 8.5 hours -- one of the shortest orbital periods ever detected.

Tiny fish make 'eyes' at their killer Posted: 19 Aug 2013 07:27 AM PDT Small prey fish can grow a bigger 'eye' on their rear fins as a way of distracting predators and dramatically boosting their chances of survival, new research has found. Researchers have made a world-first discovery that, when constantly threatened with being eaten, small damsel fish not only grow a larger false 'eye spot' near their tail -- but also reduce the size of their real eyes.

Potential disruption of endocrine system: Flame retardants can mimic estrogens, 3-D images show Posted: 19 Aug 2013 07:27 AM PDT By determining the three-dimensional structure of proteins at the atomic level, researchers have discovered how some commonly used flame retardants, called brominated flame retardants (BFRs), can mimic estrogen hormones and possibly disrupt the body's endocrine system. BFRs are chemicals added or applied to materials to slow or prevent the start or growth of fire.

Far from being harmless, the effects of bullying last long into adulthood Posted: 19 Aug 2013 07:27 AM PDT A new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, shows that serious illness, struggling to hold down a regular job, and poor social relationships are just some of the adverse outcomes in adulthood faced by those exposed to bullying in childhood.

Future flood losses in major coastal cities: Costly projections Posted: 19 Aug 2013 07:26 AM PDT Climate change combined with rapid population increases, economic growth and land subsidence could lead to a more than nine-fold increase in the global risk of floods in large port cities between now and 2050.

Altruism or manipulated helping? Altruism may have origins in manipulation Posted: 19 Aug 2013 06:02 AM PDT Manipulation is often thought of as morally repugnant, but it might be responsible for the evolutionary origins of some helpful or altruistic behavior, according to a new study.

Handaxe design reveals distinct Neanderthal cultures Posted: 19 Aug 2013 06:01 AM PDT Researchers have found that Neanderthals were more culturally complex than previously acknowledged. Two cultural traditions existed among Neanderthals living in what is now northern Europe between 115,000 to 35,000 years ago. Researchers examined the design of 1,300 stone tools originating from 80 Neanderthal sites in five European countries; France, Germany, Belgium, Britain and the Netherlands. They uncovered new evidence that two separate handaxe traditions or designs existed -- one in a region now spanning south-western France and Britain -- the other in Germany and further to the East.

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