ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Carbon capture and storage: An inside look at a metal-organic framework (MOF) in action
• Biodiversity higher in the tropics, but species more likely to arise at higher latitudes
• Investments in aging biology research will pay longevity dividend
• Political correctness could affect holiday weight gain
• Powerful tool for genetic engineering
• Pre-industrial rise in greenhouse gases had natural and anthropogenic causes
• Copper promises cheaper, sturdier fuel cells
• Sea level rise forecasts helped by insights into glacier melting
• Research funding has become prone to bubble formation
• Expert assessment: Sea-level rise could exceed one meter in this century
• Satellite trio to explore the Earth's magnetic field
• Decoding, oral comprehension, vocabulary: Three key literacy skills for primary schools in priority areas
• College students more likely to be lawbreakers if spanked as children
• Smaller islands host shorter food chains
• Archaeologists discover largest, oldest wine cellar in Near East: 3,700 year-old store room held 2,000 liters of strong, sweet wine
• Artificial skin created using stem cells from the umbilical cord
• Colossal new predatory dino terrorized early tyrannosaurs
• Intestinal bacteria influence food transit through the gut

Carbon capture and storage: An inside look at a metal-organic framework (MOF) in action Posted: 22 Nov 2013 10:24 AM PST A unique inside look at the electronic structure of a highly touted metal-organic framework (MOF) as it is adsorbing carbon dioxide gas should help in the design of new and improved MOFs for carbon capture and storage.

Biodiversity higher in the tropics, but species more likely to arise at higher latitudes Posted: 22 Nov 2013 10:24 AM PST A study of 2300 species of mammals and 6700 species of birds helps explain why there are more species in the tropics than at higher latitudes. Researchers found that while the tropics harbor more species, the number of subspecies increases in the harsher environments typical of higher latitudes. The results suggest that the latitudinal diversity gradient may be due higher species turnover -- speciation counterbalanced by extinction -- towards the poles than near the equator.

Investments in aging biology research will pay longevity dividend Posted: 22 Nov 2013 10:24 AM PST Finding a way to slow the biological processes of aging will do more to extend the period of healthy life in humans than attacking individual diseases alone, according to some of the nation's top gerontologists.

Political correctness could affect holiday weight gain Posted: 22 Nov 2013 08:58 AM PST As the festivities proceed, so do countless tips for keeping off extra weight this season. But, there is one factor most people likely won't consider -- political correctness. Research suggests you could be choosing unhealthy options to serve your guests because you don't want to offend someone else.

Powerful tool for genetic engineering Posted: 22 Nov 2013 08:27 AM PST Viruses cannot only cause illnesses in humans, they also infect bacteria. Those protect themselves with a kind of "immune system" which -- simply put -- consists of specific sequences in the genetic material of the bacteria and a suitable enzyme. Scientists have now shown that the dual-RNA guided enzyme Cas9 which is involved in the process has developed independently in various strains of bacteria.

Pre-industrial rise in greenhouse gases had natural and anthropogenic causes Posted: 22 Nov 2013 07:39 AM PST For years scientists have intensely argued over whether increases of potent methane gas concentrations in the atmosphere -- from about 5,000 years ago to the start of the industrial revolution -- were triggered by natural causes or human activities. A new study suggests the increase in methane likely was caused by both. A new study, published Friday in the journal Science, suggests the increase in methane likely was caused by both.

Copper promises cheaper, sturdier fuel cells Posted: 22 Nov 2013 07:39 AM PST Chemists are exploring the use of copper nanowires in fuel cells to convert solar energy into storable fuel. Copper nanowire catalysts cost less to produce than their indium tin oxide counterparts because they can be "printed" on pieces of glass or plastic in a liquid ink form, using a machine that functions much like a printing press. The nanowires can also be incorporated into transparent, flexible films.

Sea level rise forecasts helped by insights into glacier melting Posted: 22 Nov 2013 07:38 AM PST Predictions of sea level rise could become more accurate, thanks to new insight into how glacier movement is affected by melting ice in summer.

Research funding has become prone to bubble formation Posted: 22 Nov 2013 07:38 AM PST Fashions in research funding, reward structures in universities and streamlining of scientific agendas undermine traditional academic norms and may result in science bubbles. New research shows how the mechanisms that set off the financial crisis might be replicating in the field of science.

Expert assessment: Sea-level rise could exceed one meter in this century Posted: 22 Nov 2013 07:38 AM PST Sea-level rise in this century is likely to be 70-120 centimeters by 2100 if greenhouse-gas emissions are not mitigated, a broad assessment of the most active scientific publishers on that topic has revealed. The 90 experts participating in the survey anticipate a median sea-level rise of 200-300 centimeters by the year 2300 for a scenario with unmitigated emissions.

Satellite trio to explore the Earth's magnetic field Posted: 22 Nov 2013 07:37 AM PST In a dense fog, a Russian Rockot rocket on 22 November 2013 cleared the launchpad of the Baikonur Cosmodrome on schedule at 13:02:15 CET. In the tip of the rocket: three identical satellites to measure Earth's magnetic field. A good hour and a half later, at 14:37:48 CET, the report of success: all three satellites separated seamlessly from the carrier rocket and the ground stations Kiruna (Sweden) and Longyearbyen /Svalbard (Norway) were able to establish radio contact with them.

Decoding, oral comprehension, vocabulary: Three key literacy skills for primary schools in priority areas Posted: 22 Nov 2013 07:36 AM PST What types of skills do first-year primary school children in education priority areas need most to learn to read? To find out, scientists conducted a study of 394 children at the end of their first year of school. The results show that, of all the factors involved in their reading comprehension skills, three played a predominant role: decoding ability, oral comprehension and vocabulary.

College students more likely to be lawbreakers if spanked as children Posted: 22 Nov 2013 07:36 AM PST No matter where they live in the world, university students who were spanked as children are more likely to engage in criminal behavior, according to new research. Even young adults whose parents were generally loving and helpful as they were growing up showed higher rates of criminal behavior.

Smaller islands host shorter food chains Posted: 22 Nov 2013 05:45 AM PST That smaller islands will typically sustain fewer species than large ones is a widespread pattern in nature. Now a team of researchers shows that smaller area will mean not only fewer species, but also shorter food chains. This implies that plant and animal communities on small islands may work differently from those on large ones.

Archaeologists discover largest, oldest wine cellar in Near East: 3,700 year-old store room held 2,000 liters of strong, sweet wine Posted: 22 Nov 2013 05:45 AM PST Archaeologists have unearthed what may be the oldest -- and largest -- ancient wine cellar in the Near East, containing 40 jars, each of which would have held 50 liters of strong, sweet wine.

Artificial skin created using stem cells from the umbilical cord Posted: 22 Nov 2013 05:44 AM PST An important scientific breakthrough will aid the immediate use of artificially-grown skin for major burn patients, since the skin could be stored in tissue banks and made available when needed.

Colossal new predatory dino terrorized early tyrannosaurs Posted: 22 Nov 2013 05:42 AM PST A new species of carnivorous dinosaur – one of the three largest ever discovered in North America – lived alongside and competed with small-bodied tyrannosaurs 98 million years ago. Siats meekerorum, (pronounced see-atch) was the apex predator of its time.

Intestinal bacteria influence food transit through the gut Posted: 21 Nov 2013 06:13 AM PST Food transit through the small intestine affects the body's absorption of nutrients and, consequently, our health. The discovery that food transit time is regulated by a hormone indicates new ways to increase the intestinal absorption of nutrients, and thus potentially treat malnutrition.

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