ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

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• Infant solar system shows signs of windy weather
• Firelight talk of the Kalahari Bushmen: Did tales told over fires aid our social and cultural evolution?
• Mown grass smell sends SOS for help in resisting insect attacks
• Don’t drink the (warm) water, study says
• Dry roasting could help trigger peanut allergy
• Smallest possible diamonds form ultra-thin nanothreads
• Directed evolution: Bioengineered decoy protein may stop cancer from spreading
• Immune system of newborn babies stronger than previously thought
• On/off switch for aging cells discovered by scientists
• Climate change: Dwindling wind may tip predator-prey balance
• Mysterious volcanic eruption of 1808 described
• Kids eat better if their parents went to college
• Fighting parents hurt children's ability to recognize and regulate emotions
• Nemo can travel great distances to connect populations: Baby clownfish travel hundreds of kilometers across open ocean
• SSRI use during pregnancy linked to autism and developmental delays in boys

Infant solar system shows signs of windy weather Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:29 PM PDT Astronomers have observed what may be the first-ever signs of windy weather around a T Tauri star, an infant analog of our own Sun. This may help explain why some T Tauri stars have disks that glow weirdly in infrared light while others shine in a more expected fashion.

Firelight talk of the Kalahari Bushmen: Did tales told over fires aid our social and cultural evolution? Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:28 PM PDT A study of Africa's Kalahari Bushmen suggests that stories told over firelight helped human culture and thought evolve by reinforcing social traditions, promoting harmony and equality, and sparking the imagination to envision a broad sense of community, both with distant people and the spirit world.

Mown grass smell sends SOS for help in resisting insect attacks Posted: 22 Sep 2014 11:58 AM PDT The smell of cut grass in recent years has been identified as the plant's way of signalling distress, but new research says the aroma also summons beneficial insects to the rescue. Such findings may help plant breeders know how to develop new varieties that are more resistant to insects and drought.

Don’t drink the (warm) water, study says Posted: 22 Sep 2014 08:01 AM PDT There's an old saying: "Don't drink the water." But a scientist warns Americans not to drink water from plastic bottles if it's been sitting in a warm environment for a long time. A research team examined 16 bottled water brands at 158 degrees for four weeks. The study found that as bottles warmed over the four-week period, antimony and BPA levels increased.

Dry roasting could help trigger peanut allergy Posted: 21 Sep 2014 07:36 PM PDT Dry roasted peanuts are more likely to trigger an allergy to peanuts than raw peanuts, suggests a study involving mice. The researchers say that specific chemical changes caused by the high temperatures of the dry roasting process are recognized by the body's immune system, 'priming' the body to set off an allergic immune response the next time it sees any peanuts.

Smallest possible diamonds form ultra-thin nanothreads Posted: 21 Sep 2014 11:51 AM PDT For the first time, scientists have discovered how to produce ultra-thin 'diamond nanothreads' that promise extraordinary properties, including strength and stiffness greater than that of today's strongest nanotubes and polymers. The threads have a structure that has never been seen before.

Directed evolution: Bioengineered decoy protein may stop cancer from spreading Posted: 21 Sep 2014 11:51 AM PDT A decoy protein has been designed by researcher to interrupt the signaling pathway that triggers the breakaway of cancerous cells; in other words the signal that initiates metastasis. Preliminary tests showed this strategy effective in mice models; infusion with this decoy protein greatly reduced metastasis in mice with aggressive breast and ovarian cancers when compared to a control group. Years of tests lie ahead, but it's a promising start for an alternative to chemotherapy.

Immune system of newborn babies stronger than previously thought Posted: 21 Sep 2014 11:51 AM PDT Contrary to what was previously thought, newborn immune T cells may have the ability to trigger an inflammatory response to bacteria, according to a new study. Although their immune system works very differently to that of adults, babies may still be able to mount a strong immune defense, finds the study.

On/off switch for aging cells discovered by scientists Posted: 20 Sep 2014 04:34 AM PDT An on-and-off "switch" has been discovered in cells that may hold the key to healthy aging. This switch points to a way to encourage healthy cells to keep dividing and generating, for example, new lung or liver tissue, even in old age. In our bodies, newly divided cells constantly. However, most human cells cannot divide indefinitely -– with each division, a cellular timekeeper at the ends of chromosomes shortens. When this timekeeper becomes too short, cells can no longer divide, causing organs and tissues to degenerate, as often happens in old age. But there is a way around this countdown, researchers have found.

Climate change: Dwindling wind may tip predator-prey balance Posted: 19 Sep 2014 11:28 AM PDT Rising temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns may get the lion's share of our climate change attention, but predators may want to give some thought to wind, according to a zoologist's study, which is among the first to demonstrate the way "global stilling" may alter predator-prey relationships.

Mysterious volcanic eruption of 1808 described Posted: 18 Sep 2014 08:12 AM PDT New light has been shed on one of the biggest volcanic eruptions in the last 500 years -- the so-called 'Unknown eruption' -- thanks to an unusual collaboration between a historian and a team of earth scientists.

Kids eat better if their parents went to college Posted: 18 Sep 2014 07:16 AM PDT Children of college-educated parents eat more vegetables and drink less sugar, according to a new study. But it's still not enough, the study goes on to say, as all kids are falling short when it comes to eating healthier at school. The research suggests a parent's educational attainment, an indicator of socioeconomic status, may inform a child's diet.

Fighting parents hurt children's ability to recognize and regulate emotions Posted: 17 Sep 2014 12:19 PM PDT Exposure to verbal and physical aggression between parents may hurt a child's ability to identify and control emotions, according to a longitudinal study. Exposure to conflict and violence in the home can shape children's neurobiological, cognitive, and behavioral responses.

Nemo can travel great distances to connect populations: Baby clownfish travel hundreds of kilometers across open ocean Posted: 17 Sep 2014 11:14 AM PDT Clownfish spend their entire lives nestling in the protective tentacles of host anemones, but new research shows that as babies they sometimes travel hundreds of kilometres across the open ocean. Although the process of long-distance dispersal by reef fish has been predicted, this is the first time that the high level exchange of offspring between distant populations has been observed.

SSRI use during pregnancy linked to autism and developmental delays in boys Posted: 15 Apr 2014 12:37 PM PDT In a study of nearly 1,000 mother-child pairs, researchers found that prenatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a frequently prescribed treatment for depression, anxiety and other disorders, was associated with autism spectrum disorder and developmental delays in boys.

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