ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

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• Breakthrough in light sources for new quantum technology
• Flapping baby birds give clues to origin of flight
• How the zebrafish gets its stripes: Uncovering how beautiful color patterns can develop in animals
• Up to 3,000 times the bacterial growth on hollow-head toothbrushes
• Stone-tipped spears lethal, may indicate early cognitive and social skills
• Early growth of giant galaxy, just 3 billion years after the Big Bang, revealed
• What lit up the universe?
• What can 14th century Venice teach us about Ebola, other emerging threats?

Breakthrough in light sources for new quantum technology Posted: 29 Aug 2014 05:42 AM PDT One of the most promising technologies for future quantum circuits are photonic circuits, i.e. circuits based on light (photons) instead of electrons (electronic circuits). First, it is necessary to create a stream of single photons and control their direction. Researchers have now succeeded in creating a steady stream of photons emitted one at a time and in a particular direction.

Flapping baby birds give clues to origin of flight Posted: 28 Aug 2014 02:00 PM PDT The origin of flight is a contentious issue: some argue that tree-climbing dinosaurs learned to fly in order to avoid hard falls. Others favor the story that theropod dinosaurs ran along the ground and pumped their forelimbs to gain lift, eventually talking off. New evidence showing the early development of aerial righting in birds favors the tree-dweller hypothesis.

How the zebrafish gets its stripes: Uncovering how beautiful color patterns can develop in animals Posted: 28 Aug 2014 11:27 AM PDT The zebrafish, a small fresh water fish, owes its name to a striking pattern of blue stripes alternating with golden stripes. Three major pigment cell types, black cells, reflective silvery cells, and yellow cells emerge during growth in the skin of the tiny juvenile fish and arrange as a multi-layered mosaic to compose the characteristic color pattern. While it was known that all three cell types have to interact to form proper stripes, the embryonic origin of the pigment cells that develop the stripes of the adult fish has remained a mystery up to now. Scientists have now discovered how these cells arise and behave to form the 'zebra' pattern.

Up to 3,000 times the bacterial growth on hollow-head toothbrushes Posted: 28 Aug 2014 08:52 AM PDT Solid-head power toothbrushes retain less bacteria compared to hollow-head toothbrushes, according to new research.

Stone-tipped spears lethal, may indicate early cognitive and social skills Posted: 27 Aug 2014 11:16 AM PDT Attaching a stone tip on to a wooden spear shaft was a significant innovation for early modern humans living around 500,000 years ago. However, it was also a costly behavior in terms of time and effort to collect, prepare and assemble the spear. Researchers conducted controlled experiments to learn if there was a 'wounding' advantage between using a wooden spear or a stone-tipped spear.

Early growth of giant galaxy, just 3 billion years after the Big Bang, revealed Posted: 27 Aug 2014 10:15 AM PDT The birth of massive galaxies, according to galaxy formation theories, begins with the buildup of a dense, compact core that is ablaze with the glow of millions of newly formed stars. Evidence of this early construction phase, however, has eluded astronomers — until now. Astronomers identified a dense galactic core, dubbed "Sparky," using a combination of data from several space telescopes. Hubble photographed the emerging galaxy as it looked 11 billion years ago, just 3 billion years after the birth of our universe in the big bang.

What lit up the universe? Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:21 AM PDT New research shows we will soon uncover the origin of the ultraviolet light that bathes the cosmos, helping scientists understand how galaxies were built. The study by cosmologists shows how forthcoming astronomical surveys will reveal what lit up the cosmos.

What can 14th century Venice teach us about Ebola, other emerging threats? Posted: 26 Aug 2014 12:28 PM PDT The way in which the Italian city of Venice dealt with the outbreak of the plague in the 14th century holds lessons on how to even mitigate the consequences of today's emerging threats, like climate change, terrorism, and highly infectious or drug-resistant diseases, says one researcher.

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