ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• Melting Arctic sea ice could increase summer rainfall in northwest Europe suggests new study
• Toxic ocean conditions during major extinction 93.9 million years ago quantified: Doesn't take much sulfide to impact ocean life
• Common bias known as 'endowment effect' not present in hunter-gatherer societies
• Mercury: Enduring contaminant legacy of the California Gold Rush transported by floods
• Snakes on the brain: Are primates hard-wired to recognize snakes?
• Super-thin membranes clear the way for chip-sized pumps
• Nurturing may protect kids from brain changes linked to poverty
• Eliminating unexplained traffic jams: New algorithm to alleviate traffic flow instabilities
• Carbon worlds may be waterless, NASA study finds
• Climate change has silver lining for grizzy bears
• New imaging research shows increased iron in the brain in early stages of MS
• Tell-tale toes point to oldest-known fossil bird tracks from Australia
• Study with totally blind people shows how light helps activate the brain

Melting Arctic sea ice could increase summer rainfall in northwest Europe suggests new study Posted: 28 Oct 2013 05:54 PM PDT A new study offers an explanation for the extraordinary run of wet summers experienced by Britain and northwest Europe between 2007 and 2012. The study found that loss of Arctic sea ice shifts the jet stream further south than normal resulting in increased rain during the summer in northwest Europe.

Toxic ocean conditions during major extinction 93.9 million years ago quantified: Doesn't take much sulfide to impact ocean life Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:30 PM PDT Biogeochemists report that oxygen-free and hydrogen sulfide-rich waters extended across roughly five percent of the ocean 93.9 million years ago -- far more than the modern ocean's 0.1 percent but much less than previous estimates for this event. Across this event, a major biological extinction in the marine realm took place. The new work shows that only portions of the ocean need to contain sulfide to greatly impact biota.

Common bias known as 'endowment effect' not present in hunter-gatherer societies Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:30 PM PDT Psychology and behavioral economics have experimentally identified a laundry list of common biases that cause people to act against their own apparent interests. One of these biases -- the mere fact of possessing something raises its value to its owner -- is known as the "endowment effect." A new interdisciplinary study has delved into whether this bias is truly universal, and whether it might have been present in humanity's evolutionary past.

Mercury: Enduring contaminant legacy of the California Gold Rush transported by floods Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:30 PM PDT An unintended legacy of California's gold rush, which began in 1848, endures today in the form of mercury-laden sediment. New research shows that sediment-absorbed mercury is being transported by major floods from the Sierra Nevada mountains to Central Valley lowlands.

Snakes on the brain: Are primates hard-wired to recognize snakes? Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:29 PM PDT Was the evolution of high-quality vision in our ancestors driven by the threat of snakes? New work supports this theory. In a new paper, researchers show that there are specific nerve cells in the brains of rhesus macaque monkeys that respond to images of snakes.

Super-thin membranes clear the way for chip-sized pumps Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:29 PM PDT A super-thin silicon membrane could now make it possible to drastically shrink the power source of lab-on-a-chip devices, paving the way for diagnostic devices the size of a credit card.

Nurturing may protect kids from brain changes linked to poverty Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:20 PM PDT Researchers have identified changes in the brains of children growing up in poverty. Those changes can lead to lifelong problems like depression, learning difficulties and limitations in the ability to cope with stress. But the study showed that the extent of those changes was influenced strongly by whether parents were attentive and nurturing.

Eliminating unexplained traffic jams: New algorithm to alleviate traffic flow instabilities Posted: 28 Oct 2013 11:15 AM PDT If integrated into adaptive cruise-control systems, a new algorithm could mitigate the type of freeway backup that seems to occur for no reason.

Carbon worlds may be waterless, NASA study finds Posted: 28 Oct 2013 11:15 AM PDT Planets rich in carbon, including so-called diamond planets, may lack oceans, according to NASA-funded theoretical research.

Climate change has silver lining for grizzy bears Posted: 28 Oct 2013 10:50 AM PDT Global warming and forest disturbances may have a silver lining for threatened species of grizzly bears in Alberta, Canada.

New imaging research shows increased iron in the brain in early stages of MS Posted: 28 Oct 2013 08:48 AM PDT While it's been known for over a century that iron deposits in the brain play a role in the pathology of Multiple Sclerosis, imaging research now helps to answer the question of whether these accumulations are a cause or consequence of the disease. Iron deposits in deep gray matter suggest that the accumulation occurs very early in the disease course.

Tell-tale toes point to oldest-known fossil bird tracks from Australia Posted: 28 Oct 2013 06:08 AM PDT Two fossilized footprints found at Dinosaur Cove in Victoria, Australia, were likely made by birds during the Early Cretaceous, making them the oldest known bird tracks in Australia. These tracks are evidence that we had sizeable, flying birds living alongside other kinds of dinosaurs on these polar, river floodplains, about 105 million years ago.

Study with totally blind people shows how light helps activate the brain Posted: 28 Oct 2013 06:04 AM PDT Light enhances brain activity during a cognitive task even in some people who are totally blind, according to a new study. The findings contribute to scientists' understanding of everyone's brains, as they also revealed how quickly light impacts on cognition. "We were stunned to discover  that the brain still respond significantly to light in these rare three completely blind patients  despite having absolutely no conscious vision at all," said one of the authors

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