ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Sunday, July 31, 2011 ~ Technology

Minggu, 31 Juli 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Sunday, July 31, 2011

02.24 technofi No comments

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Sunday, July 31, 2011

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How bats stay on target despite the clutter (July 30, 2011) -- Neuroscientists have learned how bats can remain on target despite obstacles. The key lies in bats' neural response to echoes from their sonar pulses: Differences in delay as short as 3 microseconds between parts of an echo is enough to tell the bat the object may not be its target. The research could lead to more precise targeting by sonar-led vehicles. ... > full story

Mouse with 'off switch' in key brain cell population developed; Research may increase understanding of SIDS, depressive disorders (July 30, 2011) -- Scientists have developed a strain of mice with a built-in off switch that can selectively shut down the animals' serotonin-producing cells, which make up a brain network controlling breathing, temperature regulation and mood. The switch controls only the serotonin-producing cells, and does not affect any other cells in the animal's brains or bodies. ... > full story

Warming climate could give exotic grasses edge over natives (July 30, 2011) -- With rising temperatures and decreasing rainfall, California's native grasses will likely suffer at the hands of exotic invasive grasses, which are more equipped to deal with warmer weather. That is the conclusion of researchers who analyzed all exotic and native grasses in the state and predicted their likely range changes with changing climate. ... > full story

Fast ripples confirmed to be valuable biomarker of area responsible for seizure activity in children (July 30, 2011) -- New research focusing on high-frequency oscillations, termed ripples and fast ripples, recorded by intracranial electroencephalography, may provide an important marker for the localization of the brain region responsible for seizure activity. According to the study the resection of brain regions containing fast ripples, along with the visually-identified seizure-onset zone, may achieve a good seizure outcome in pediatric epilepsy. ... > full story

Warmed-up organic memory transistor has larger memory capacity (July 30, 2011) -- Scientists show that non-volatile memory made from a sandwich of silver nanoparticle-laced plastic retains its on/off state over a wider voltage range when operating at toasty temperatures. ... > full story

Dissecting dyslexia: Linking reading to voice recognition (July 30, 2011) -- When people recognize voices, part of what helps make voice recognition accurate is noticing how people pronounce words differently. But individuals with dyslexia don't experience this familiar language advantage, say researchers. ... > full story

Largest-ever map of plant protein interactions (July 30, 2011) -- Researchers have mapped and analyzed thousands of protein-to-protein interactions within the cells of Arabidopsis thaliana -- a variety of mustard plant that is to plant biology what the lab mouse is to human biology. The research promises to enable biologists to make agricultural plants more nutritious and more resistant to drought and diseases. ... > full story

Motorcycle helmets hard on hearing (July 30, 2011) -- Motorcycle helmets, while protecting bikers' brains, may also be contributing to hearing loss. Scientists mapped the airflow and noise patterns to find out why. ... > full story

Averting bridge disasters: New technology could save hundreds of lives (July 30, 2011) -- Millions of US drivers cross faulty or obsolete bridges every day, highway statistics show, but it's too costly to fix these spans or adequately monitor their safety, says a researcher who's developed a new, affordable early warning system. This wireless technology could avert the kind of fatal disaster along Minneapolis' I-35W on Aug. 1, 2007, he says -- and do so at one-one-hundredth the cost of current wired systems. ... > full story

Breast screening has had little to do with falling breast cancer deaths, European study finds (July 30, 2011) -- Breast cancer screening has not played a direct part in the reductions of breast cancer mortality in recent years, according to a new European study. ... > full story

Powerful fluorescence tool lights the way to new insights into RNA of living cells (July 30, 2011) -- The ability to tag proteins with a green fluorescent light to watch how they behave inside cells so revolutionized the understanding of protein biology that it earned the scientific teams who developed the technique Nobel Prizes in 2008. Now, researchers have developed a similar fluorescent tool that can track the mysterious workings of the various forms of cellular RNA. ... > full story

Study of golf swings pinpoints biomechanical differences between pros and amateurs (July 30, 2011) -- When it comes to hitting a golf ball hard, researchers have identified several biomechanical factors that appear to separate the duffers from the pros. ... > full story