ScienceDaily: Top Science News

---

• 'Designer sperm' inserts custom genes into offspring
• Secrets to 'extreme adaptation' found in Burmese python genome
• Single spray of oxytocin improves brain function in children with autism, study suggests
• Functional importance of dinosaur beaks illuminated
• Brain connectivity study reveals striking differences between men and women
• Microplastic transfers chemicals, impacting health: Plastic ingestion delivers pollutants and additives into animal tissue
• Kids whose bond with mother was disrupted early in life show changes in brain
• Mice can inherit learned sensitivity to a smell
• Koalas' low-pitched voice explained by unique organ
• New algorithm finds you, even in untagged photos
• Evolution, Civil War history entwine in plant fossil with a tragic past
• Air pollution, genetics combine to increase risk for autism
• Messy children make better learners: Toddlers learn words for nonsolids better when getting messy in a highchair
• Detailed image shows how genomes are copied
• Human stem cells converted to functional lung cells
• 'Nanosponge vaccine' fights MRSA toxins

'Designer sperm' inserts custom genes into offspring Posted: 02 Dec 2013 02:19 PM PST The "new genetics" promises to change faulty genes of future generations by introducing new, functioning genes using "designer sperm." Research shows that introducing genetic material via a viral vector into mouse sperm leads to the presence and activity of the genetic material in the embryos. These genes are inherited and functioning through three generations of the mice tested, and the discovery could break new ground in genetic medicine.

Secrets to 'extreme adaptation' found in Burmese python genome Posted: 02 Dec 2013 01:21 PM PST The Burmese python's ability to ramp up its metabolism and enlarge its organs to swallow and digest prey whole can be traced to unusually rapid evolution and specialized adaptations of its genes and the way they work, an international team of biologists says.

Single spray of oxytocin improves brain function in children with autism, study suggests Posted: 02 Dec 2013 01:21 PM PST A single dose of the hormone oxytocin, delivered via nasal spray, may improve the core social deficits in children with autism by making social interactions with other people more rewarding and more efficiently processed, researchers report.

Functional importance of dinosaur beaks illuminated Posted: 02 Dec 2013 01:21 PM PST Why beaks evolved in some theropod dinosaurs and what their function might have been is the subject of new research by an international team of palaeontologists.

Brain connectivity study reveals striking differences between men and women Posted: 02 Dec 2013 01:19 PM PST A new brain connectivity study has found striking differences in the neural wiring of men and women that's lending credence to some commonly-held beliefs about their behavior.

Microplastic transfers chemicals, impacting health: Plastic ingestion delivers pollutants and additives into animal tissue Posted: 02 Dec 2013 11:27 AM PST With global production of plastic exceeding 280 metric tons every year, a fair amount of it makes its way to the natural environment. However, until now researchers haven't known whether ingested plastic transfers chemical additives or pollutants to wildlife. A new study shows toxic concentrations of pollutants and additives enter the tissue of animals that have eaten microplastic.

Kids whose bond with mother was disrupted early in life show changes in brain Posted: 02 Dec 2013 10:48 AM PST Children who experience profound neglect have been found to be more prone to a behavior known as "indiscriminate friendliness," characterized by an inappropriate willingness to approach adults, including strangers. Now researchers are reporting some of the first evidence from human studies suggesting that this behavior is rooted in brain adaptations associated with early life experiences.

Mice can inherit learned sensitivity to a smell Posted: 02 Dec 2013 09:15 AM PST A surprising example of apparent inheritance of an experience: Researchers found that when a mouse is trained to become afraid of a certain odor, his or her pups will be more sensitive to that odor, even though the pups have never encountered it.

Koalas' low-pitched voice explained by unique organ Posted: 02 Dec 2013 09:14 AM PST The pitch of male koalas' mating calls is about 20 times lower than it should be, given the Australian marsupial's relatively small size. Now, researchers have discovered their secret: koalas have a specialized sound-producing organ that has never before been seen in any other land-dwelling mammal. The key feature of this newly described organ is its location outside the voice box, what scientists call the larynx.

New algorithm finds you, even in untagged photos Posted: 02 Dec 2013 09:12 AM PST A new algorithm has the power to profoundly change the way we find photos among the billions on social media sites such as Facebook and Flickr. The search tool uses tag locations to quantify relationships between individuals, even those not tagged in any given photo.

Evolution, Civil War history entwine in plant fossil with a tragic past Posted: 02 Dec 2013 08:21 AM PST A fossil leaf collected on a Virginia canal bank is one of North America's oldest flowering plants, a 120-million-year-old species new to science. The find raises questions about whether pollen evolved along with flowering plants or came later. It also unearths a forgotten Civil War episode reminiscent of "Twelve Years a Slave": Union troops forced a group of freedmen to dig the canal that exposed the fossil.

Air pollution, genetics combine to increase risk for autism Posted: 02 Dec 2013 05:26 AM PST Exposure to air pollution appears to increase the risk for autism among people who carry a genetic disposition for the neurodevelopmental disorder, according to newly published research.

Messy children make better learners: Toddlers learn words for nonsolids better when getting messy in a highchair Posted: 02 Dec 2013 05:23 AM PST Parents, let your children get messy in the high chair: They learn better that way. That's according to a new study which concludes that a 16-month-old's setting and degree of interaction enhances his or her ability to identify nonsolid objects and name them.

Detailed image shows how genomes are copied Posted: 01 Dec 2013 02:43 PM PST For the first time, researchers have succeeded in showing how the DNA polymerase epsilon enzyme builds new genomes. The detailed image produced by these researchers shows how mutations that can contribute to the development of colorectal cancer and cervical cancer lead to changes in the structure of the protein.

Human stem cells converted to functional lung cells Posted: 01 Dec 2013 11:02 AM PST For the first time, scientists have succeeded in transforming human stem cells into functional lung and airway cells. The advance has significant potential for modeling lung disease, screening drugs, studying human lung development, and, ultimately, generating lung tissue for transplantation.

'Nanosponge vaccine' fights MRSA toxins Posted: 01 Dec 2013 11:02 AM PST Nanosponges that soak up a dangerous pore-forming toxin produced by MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) could serve as a safe and effective vaccine against this toxin. This "nanosponge vaccine" enabled the immune systems of mice to block the adverse effects of the alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA -- both within the bloodstream and on the skin.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Top Science News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610