ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• NASA's SDO mission untangles motion inside the sun
• Wake up and smell the reef: Fish larvae sniff their way back home
• Hidden shell middens reveal ancient human presence in Bolivian Amazon
• Milky Way gas cloud causes multiple images of distant quasar
• Wildfires projected to worsen with climate change
• School-age drinking increases breast cancer risk​​​​​​
• Migraine may permanently change brain structure
• Blocking molecular pathway reverses pulmonary hypertension in rats
• A major cause of age-related memory loss identified: Potentially reversible
• Model of 'near-optimal' genetic code developed
• New Cassini data from Saturn's largest moon Titan indicate a rigid, weathered ice shell
• East Antarctic Ice Sheet could be more vulnerable to climate change than previously thought
• Intestinal flora determines health of obese people
• A potential cause of autism? Key enzymes are found to have a 'profound effect' across dozens of genes linked to autism
• Scientists uncover how superbug fights off antibiotic
• Butterfly wings + carbon nanotubes = new 'nanobiocomposite' material
• Modified law of gravity predicts dwarf galaxy feature prior to observations
• Using a form of 'ice that burns' to make potable water from oil and gas production
• Oldest solar twin identified: New clues to help solve lithium mystery
• Spread of farming and origin of lactase persistence in Neolithic Age
• Not the end of the world: Why Earth's greatest mass extinction was the making of modern mammals
• Tornadoes tend toward higher elevations and cause greater damage moving uphill

NASA's SDO mission untangles motion inside the sun Posted: 28 Aug 2013 06:11 PM PDT Using an instrument on NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, called the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, or HMI, scientists have overturned previous notions of how the sun's writhing insides move from equator to pole and back again, a key part of understanding how the dynamo works. Modeling this system also lies at the heart of improving predictions of the intensity of the next solar cycle.

Wake up and smell the reef: Fish larvae sniff their way back home Posted: 28 Aug 2013 06:11 PM PDT A new study conducted at One Tree Island in the Great Barrier Reef has established that reef fish larvae can smell the presence of coral reefs from as far as several kilometers offshore, and use this odor to find home.

Hidden shell middens reveal ancient human presence in Bolivian Amazon Posted: 28 Aug 2013 06:11 PM PDT Previously unknown archeological sites in forest islands reveal human presence in the western Amazon as early as 10,000 years ago, according to new research.

Milky Way gas cloud causes multiple images of distant quasar Posted: 28 Aug 2013 02:31 PM PDT For the first time, astronomers have seen the image of a distant quasar split into multiple images by the effects of a cloud of ionized gas in our own Milky Way Galaxy. Such events were predicted as early as 1970, but the first evidence for one now has come from the National Science Foundation's Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) radio telescope system.

Wildfires projected to worsen with climate change Posted: 28 Aug 2013 02:29 PM PDT Environmental scientists brings bad news to the western United States, where firefighters are currently battling dozens of fires in at least 11 states.

School-age drinking increases breast cancer risk​​​​​​ Posted: 28 Aug 2013 02:26 PM PDT Here's a sobering fact for millions of young women heading back to school: The more alcohol they drink before motherhood, the greater their risk of future breast cancer.

Migraine may permanently change brain structure Posted: 28 Aug 2013 02:26 PM PDT Migraine may have long-lasting effects on the brain's structure, according to a new study.

Blocking molecular pathway reverses pulmonary hypertension in rats Posted: 28 Aug 2013 11:48 AM PDT Pulmonary hypertension, a deadly form of high blood pressure that develops in the lungs, may be caused by an inflammation-producing molecular pathway that damages the inner lining of blood vessels, according to a new study.

A major cause of age-related memory loss identified: Potentially reversible Posted: 28 Aug 2013 11:48 AM PDT Scientists have found that the deficiency of a protein called RbAp48 in the hippocampus is a significant contributor to age-related memory loss and that this form of memory loss is reversible. The study, conducted in postmortem human brain cells and in mice, also offers the strongest causal evidence that age-related memory loss and Alzheimer's disease are distinct conditions.

Model of 'near-optimal' genetic code developed Posted: 28 Aug 2013 11:48 AM PDT Researchers have created a model that may explain the complexities of the origins of life. Their work offers new insights into how RNA signaling likely developed into the modern "genetic code."

New Cassini data from Saturn's largest moon Titan indicate a rigid, weathered ice shell Posted: 28 Aug 2013 10:19 AM PDT An analysis of gravity and topography data from Saturn's largest moon, Titan, has revealed unexpected features of the moon's outer ice shell. The best explanation for the findings, the authors said, is that Titan's ice shell is rigid and that relatively small topographic features on the surface are associated with large roots extending into the underlying ocean.

East Antarctic Ice Sheet could be more vulnerable to climate change than previously thought Posted: 28 Aug 2013 10:19 AM PDT The world's largest ice sheet could be more vulnerable to the effects of climate change than previously thought, according to new research.

Intestinal flora determines health of obese people Posted: 28 Aug 2013 10:19 AM PDT Scientists have shown that there is a link between richness of bacterial species in the intestines and the susceptibility for medical complications related to obesity. The researchers demonstrated that people with fewer bacterial species in their intestines are more likely to develop complications, such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. A flora with decreased bacterial richness appears to function entirely differently to the healthy variety with greater diversity.

A potential cause of autism? Key enzymes are found to have a 'profound effect' across dozens of genes linked to autism Posted: 28 Aug 2013 10:18 AM PDT Problems with a key group of enzymes called topoisomerases can have profound effects on the genetic machinery behind brain development and potentially lead to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to new research. Scientists have described a finding that represents a significant advance in the hunt for environmental factors behind autism and lends new insights into the disorder's genetic causes.

Scientists uncover how superbug fights off antibiotic Posted: 28 Aug 2013 08:41 AM PDT Scientists working to stem the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria have taken a major step in their efforts to develop new treatments. In a new study, researchers report they have identified a novel mechanism that a particular superbug uses to fend off a key front-line antibiotic called daptomycin. The superbug often affects critically ill patients.

Butterfly wings + carbon nanotubes = new 'nanobiocomposite' material Posted: 28 Aug 2013 07:34 AM PDT Leveraging the amazing natural properties of the Morpho butterfly's wings, scientists have developed a nanobiocomposite material that shows promise for wearable electronic devices, highly sensitive light sensors and sustainable batteries.

Modified law of gravity predicts dwarf galaxy feature prior to observations Posted: 28 Aug 2013 07:34 AM PDT MOND, a modified law of gravity, correctly predicted in advance of observations the velocity dispersion -- the average speed of stars within a galaxy relative to each other -- in 10 dwarf satellite galaxies of the Milky Way's giant neighbor Andromeda. MOND also detected subtle differences in gravity fields that dark matter theory says should be uniform.

Using a form of 'ice that burns' to make potable water from oil and gas production Posted: 28 Aug 2013 07:34 AM PDT In the midst of an intensifying global water crisis, scientists are reporting development of a more economical way to use one form of the "ice that burns" to turn very salty wastewater from fracking and other oil and gas production methods into water for drinking and irrigation. The method removes more than 90 percent of the salt from the water.

Oldest solar twin identified: New clues to help solve lithium mystery Posted: 28 Aug 2013 07:33 AM PDT Astronomers have used ESO's Very Large Telescope to study the oldest solar twin known to date. Located 250 light-years away, the star HIP 102152 is more like the Sun than any other solar twin — except that it is nearly four billion years older. This older twin may be host to rocky planets and gives us an unprecedented chance to see how the Sun will look when it ages.

Spread of farming and origin of lactase persistence in Neolithic Age Posted: 28 Aug 2013 06:20 AM PDT Scientists have brought to light the spread of dairy farming in Europe and the development of milk tolerance in adult humans. It was after the transition from a hunter-gatherer society to that of a settled farming culture in the Neolithic period that dairy-related animal husbandry first evolved, and this practice spread from the Middle East to all of Europe. The processing of milk to make cheese and yogurt contributed significantly to the development of dairy farming, as this represented a way of reducing the lactose content of fresh milk to tolerable levels, making a valuable foodstuff available to the human population.

Not the end of the world: Why Earth's greatest mass extinction was the making of modern mammals Posted: 28 Aug 2013 06:20 AM PDT The ancient closest relatives of mammals – the cynodont therapsids - not only survived the greatest mass extinction of all time, 252 million years ago, but thrived in the aftermath, according to new research.

Tornadoes tend toward higher elevations and cause greater damage moving uphill Posted: 27 Aug 2013 08:19 AM PDT The first field investigations of the effect of terrain elevation changes on tornado path, vortex, strength and damage have yielded valuable information that could help prevent the loss of human life and damage to property in future tornadoes. Engineering researchers analyzed Google Earth images of the massive 2011 Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Joplin, Mo., tornadoes and found similarities between the two in behavior and interaction with the terrain. The findings likely apply to all tornadoes.

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