ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Saturday, May 14, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Saturday, May 14, 2011

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Artificial grammar reveals inborn language sense, study shows (May 13, 2011) -- How human children acquire language remains largely a mystery. A groundbreaking study by cognitive scientists confirms that human beings are born with knowledge of certain syntactical rules that make learning human languages easier. ... > full story

Disruption of nerve cell supply chain may contribute to Parkinson's (May 13, 2011) -- New data offer hints to why Parkinson's disease so selectively harms brain cells that produce the chemical dopamine, say researchers. ... > full story

How do honeybees control their flight speed to avoid obstacles? (May 13, 2011) -- Unlike humans bees have a dorsal visual field that enables them to avoid obstacles above their heads. Until now, it was not known whether this helped them to control their flight speed. Recent research confirms that it does. ... > full story

Stem cells from bone marrow may help treat acute lung injury (May 13, 2011) -- New research investigates the therapeutic use of human stem cells from bone marrow against acute lung injury and identifies TNF-alpha-induced protein 6 as a major molecular component of stem cell action. ... > full story

Discovery of DNA silencing mechanism reveals how plants protect their genome (May 13, 2011) -- Researchers in Japan have clarified a key epigenetic mechanism by which an enzyme in the model plant Arabidopsis protects cells from harmful DNA elements. The finding contributes to advancing our understanding of a broad range of biological processes in both plants and animals, opening the door to applications in cancer therapy and agriculture. ... > full story

Do you fear ... now that Friday the 13th is here? (May 13, 2011) -- If you are one of those who carries around a rabbit's foot and strokes it all day long for good luck or makes a wish after blowing away a fallen eyelash -- then you are probably in the midst of bolting your doors, turning on all the lights and hiding under the comforting warmth of your comforter. Today just so happens to be Friday the 13th and if you have friggatriskaidekaphobia -- it's simply not a day to be trifled with. ... > full story

On prehistoric supercontinent of Pangaea, latitude and rain dictated where species lived (May 13, 2011) -- More than 200 million years ago, mammals and reptiles lived in their own separate worlds on the supercontinent Pangaea, despite little geographical incentive to do so. Mammals lived in areas of twice-yearly seasonal rainfall; reptiles stayed in areas where rains came just once a year. Mammals lose more water when they excrete, and thus need water-rich environments to survive. ... > full story

Vulnerability to nicotine addiction appears to have a genetic basis, study suggests (May 13, 2011) -- A person's vulnerability to nicotine addiction appears to have a genetic basis, at least in part. A region in the midbrain called the habenula (from Latin: small reins) plays a key role in this process. Researchers have also shed light on the mechanism that underlies addiction to nicotine. ... > full story

Assessing the risks of wireless and mobile phone radiation more accurately (May 13, 2011) -- Electromagnetic fields and radiation produced by radio antennae or mobile phones can influence biological processes -- for instance, electrical brain activity during sleep, as researchers in Switzerland have shown. However, they have not been able to establish any links between everyday exposure to radiation and health problems. ... > full story

Nuclear desalination: Fresh water from waste heat of power plants (May 13, 2011) -- Nuclear desalination uses the excess heat from a nuclear power plant to evaporate sea water and to condense the pure water. A research team from India and Italy argues that despite public concerns, the low energy costs and convenience of this latter process make it the preferred option. ... > full story

Risking one's neck for better grog: Mutinies reveal tipping points for collective unrest (May 13, 2011) -- Films depicting the 1787 mutiny aboard the HMS Bounty show sailors living cheek by jowl, being forced to dance, enduring storm-ridden Cape of Good Hope crossings to satisfy the ship captain's ego and being flogged for trivial reasons. We may not think that these harsh conditions have much relevance today. But sociologists are studying naval records of mutinies as a way to see how modern-day ill-treatment toward subordinates can lead to violence. ... > full story

Last Neanderthals near the Arctic Circle? (May 13, 2011) -- Remains found near the Arctic Circle characteristic of Mousterian culture have recently been dated at over 28,500 years old, which is more than 8,000 years after Neanderthals are thought to have disappeared. This unexpected discovery challenges previous theories. ... > full story