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Most popular science news & articles of the past 30 days

OHSU research team successfully converts human skin cells into embryonic stem cells

Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) have successfully reprogrammed human skin cells to become embryonic stem cells capable of transforming into any other cell type in the body. It is believed...

Einstein's gravity theory passes toughest test yet

A strange stellar pair nearly 7,000 light-years from Earth has provided physicists with a unique cosmic laboratory for studying the nature of gravity. The extremely strong gravity of a massive...

Researchers reveal model of Sun's magnetic field

Researchers at the Universities of Leeds and Chicago have uncovered an important mechanism behind the generation of astrophysical magnetic fields such as that of the Sun.

No idle chatter: Study finds malaria parasites 'talk' to each other

Professor Alan Cowman (left) and Dr. Neta Regev-Rudzki from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, Australia, have made the surprise discovery that malaria parasites can 'talk' to each other. This social behavior ensures the parasite's survival and improves its chances of being transmitted to other humans.Melbourne scientists have made the surprise discovery that malaria parasites can 'talk' to each other -- a social behaviour to ensure the parasite's survival and improve its chances of being...

Ancient DNA reveals Europe's dynamic genetic history

Ancient DNA recovered from a series of skeletons in central Germany up to 7,500 years old has been used to reconstruct the first detailed genetic history of modern Europe.

Scientists discover oldest evidence of split between Old World monkeys and apes

Two fossil discoveries from the East African Rift reveal new information about the evolution of primates, according to a study published online in Nature this week led by Ohio University...

Carnivorous plant throws out 'junk' DNA

A scanning electron micrograph shows the bladder of <i>Utricularia gibba</i>, the humped bladderwort plant (color added). The plant is a voracious carnivore, with its tiny, 1-millimeter-long bladders leveraging vacuum pressure to suck in tiny prey at great speed. New research shows that the <i>U. gibba</i> genome contains almost no noncoding DNA, demonstrating that vast quantities of this so-called "junk DNA" may not be necessary for complex life.Genes make up about 2 percent of the human genome. The rest consists of a genetic material known as noncoding DNA, and scientists have spent years puzzling over why this...

Exotic atoms hold clues to unsolved physics puzzle at the dawn of the universe

An international team of physicists has found the first direct evidence of pear shaped nuclei in exotic atoms.

New method of finding planets scores its first discovery

"Einstein's planet," formally known as Kepler-76b, is a "hot Jupiter" that orbits its star every 1.5 days. Its diameter is about 25 percent larger than Jupiter and it weighs twice as much. This artist's conception shows Kepler-76b orbiting its host star, which has been tidally distorted into a slight football shape (exaggerated here for effect). The planet was detected using the BEER algorithm, which looked for brightness changes in the star as the planet orbits due to relativistic BEaming, Ellipsoidal variations, and Reflected light from the planet.Detecting alien worlds presents a significant challenge since they are small, faint, and close to their stars. The two most prolific techniques for finding exoplanets are radial velocity (looking for...

Rejuvenating hormone found to reverse symptoms of heart failure

Heart failure is one of the most debilitating conditions linked to old age, and there are no specific therapies for the most common form of this condition in the elderly....

The day NASA's Fermi dodged a 1.5-ton bullet

NASA scientists don't often learn that their spacecraft is at risk of crashing into another satellite. But when Julie McEnery, the project scientist for NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, checked...

Human-like opponents lead to more aggression in video game players, UConn study finds

Video games that pit players against human-looking characters may be more likely to provoke violent thoughts and words than games where monstrous creatures are the enemy, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Connecticut and Wake...

Researchers discover world's most extreme hearing animal

This is the greater wax moth.Researchers at the University of Strathclyde have discovered that the greater wax moth is capable of sensing sound frequencies of up to 300kHz – the highest recorded frequency sensitivity of...

Bug's eye inspires hemispherical digital camera

Inspired by the complex fly eye, an interdisciplinary team led by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern University has developed a hemispherical digital camera with nearly...

Billion-year-old water could hold clues to life on Earth and Mars

A UK-Canadian team of scientists has discovered ancient pockets of water, which have been isolated deep underground for billions of years and contain abundant chemicals known to support life.

George Washington University biologist discovers new dinosaur in China

This shows fossil remains found by a George Washington University biologist in northwestern China have been identified as a new species of small theropod, or meat-eating, dinosaur. The discovery was made by James Clark, Professor of Biology,at GW's Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Clark, along with his then doctoral student Jonah Choiniere and a team of international researchers, found the dinosaur specimen in a remote region of Xinjiang in China in 2006. In a research paper published in the <i>Journal of Systematic Palaeontology</i>, Drs. Clark and Choiniere explain recovering the skull, mandible and partial skeleton of the dinosaur. The new theropod was an estimated 1 meter or just over 3 feet long and probably weighed about 3 pounds.Fossil remains found by a George Washington University biologist in northwestern China have been identified as a new species of small theropod, or meat-eating, dinosaur.

Astronomers discover surprising clutch of hydrogen clouds lurking among our galactic neighbors

This combined graphic shows new, high-resolution GBT imaging (in box) of recently discovered hydrogen clouds between M31 (upper right) and M33 (bottom left).In a dark, starless patch of intergalactic space, astronomers have discovered a never-before-seen cluster of hydrogen clouds strewn between two nearby galaxies, Andromeda (M31) and Triangulum (M33). The researchers speculate...

Heady mathematics

Bubble baths and soapy dishwater, the refreshing head on a beer and the luscious froth on a cappuccino. All are foams, beautiful yet ephemeral as the bubbles pop one by...

Archeologists unearth new information on origins of Maya civilization

Excavations at Ceibal, an ancient Maya site in Guatemala, suggest that the origins of early Maya civilization are more complex than previously thought.The Maya civilization is well-known for its elaborate temples, sophisticated writing system, and mathematical and astronomical developments, yet the civilization's origins remain something of a mystery.

Binghamton researcher studies oldest fossil hominin ear bones ever recovered

A new study, led by a Binghamton University anthropologist and published this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could shed new light on the earliest existence...

Tinkerbella nana -- a new representative from the world of fairyflies

This image shows a female <i>Tinkerbella nana</i>. The Scale line = 100 &#956;m.Mymaridae, commonly known as fairyflies, are one of about 18 families of chalcid wasps. Fairyflies occur worldwide, except in Antarctica. They include the world's smallest known winged insect -- Kikiki...

Going green: Nation equipped to grow serious amounts of pond scum for fuel

A new analysis shows that the nation's land and water resources could likely support the growth of enough algae to produce up to 25 billion gallons of algae-based fuel a...

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