ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Sunday, November 6, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Sunday, November 6, 2011

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Hubble directly observes the disk around a black hole (November 5, 2011) -- Scientists have observed a quasar accretion disk -- a glowing disk of matter that is slowly being sucked into its galaxy's central black hole. Their study makes use of a novel technique that uses gravitational lensing to give an immense boost to the power of the telescope. The precision of the method has allowed astronomers to directly measure the disk's size and temperature across different parts of the disk. ... > full story

Why measles spreads so quickly (November 5, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered why measles, perhaps the most contagious viral disease in the world, spreads so quickly. ... > full story

When our neurons remain silent so that our performances may improve (November 5, 2011) -- Why do we "turn off" our neurons at times when we need them most? Scientists have just demonstrated that a network of specific neurons, referred to as "the default-mode network" works on a permanent basis even when we are doing nothing. ... > full story

Unraveling Batten disease (November 5, 2011) -- Scientists reveal the actions of a gene implicated in Batten disease, a rare, degenerative childhood disorder. ... > full story

NASA airborne mission maps remote, deteriorating glaciers (November 5, 2011) -- NASA's airborne expedition over Antarctica this October and November has measured the change in glaciers vital to sea level rise projections and mapped others rarely traversed by humans. ... > full story

Psychological traumas experienced over lifetime linked to adult irritable bowel syndrome (November 5, 2011) -- The psychological and emotional traumas experienced over a lifetime -- such as the death of a loved one, divorce, natural disaster, house fire or car accident, physical or mental abuse -- may contribute to adult irritable bowel syndrome, according to the results of a new study. ... > full story

City lights could reveal E.T. civilization (November 4, 2011) -- In the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, astronomers have hunted for radio signals and ultra-short laser pulses. Astronomers suggest a new technique for finding aliens: Look for their city lights. ... > full story

New ways to image and therapeutically target melanoma using nanomedicine? (November 4, 2011) -- Because the incidence of malignant melanoma is rising faster than any other cancer in the US, medical researchers are working overtime to develop new technologies to aid in both malignant melanoma diagnosis and therapy. A tool of great promise comes from the world of nanomedicine. ... > full story

Skin 'sees' UV light, starts producing pigment (November 4, 2011) -- Biologists report that melanocyte skin cells detect ultraviolet light using a photosensitive receptor previously thought to exist only in the eye. This eye-like ability of skin to sense light triggers the production of melanin within hours, more quickly than previously thought, in an apparent rush to protect against damage to DNA. ... > full story

Brain probe that softens after insertion causes less scarring (November 4, 2011) -- A hard probe inserted in the cerebral cortex of a rat model turns nearly as pliable as the surrounding gray matter in minutes, and induces less of the tough scarring that walls off hard probes that do not change, researchers have found. ... > full story

New International Space Station camera reveals the cosmic shore (November 4, 2011) -- Part of human fascination with space is the chance to look back at our own planet from afar. The unique vantage from the International Space Station affords a vista both breathtaking and scientifically illuminating. ... > full story

11/11/11: Maya scholar debunks doomsday myths (November 4, 2011) -- This fall, Hoopes and his students have watched two predicted cataclysmic dates -- Oct. 21 and 28 -- come and go with little fanfare. Oct. 21 was a date selected by California evangelist Harold Camping after his original May 21, 2011, prediction passed without calamity. Swedish pharmacologist, self-help advocate and self-taught Maya cosmologist Carl Johan Calleman was among those predicting that Oct. 28 would usher in a worldwide unified consciousness. ... > full story