ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Saturday, December 3, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Saturday, December 3, 2011

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Astronomers find 18 new planets: Discovery is the largest collection of confirmed planets around stars more massive than the sun (December 2, 2011) -- Discoveries of new planets just keep coming and coming. A team of astronomers has found 18 Jupiter-like planets in orbit around massive stars. The discoveries further constrain theories of planet formation. ... > full story

Vegetables, fruits, grains reduce stroke risk in women (December 2, 2011) -- Swedish women who ate an antioxidant-rich diet had fewer strokes especially if they had no history of cardiovascular disease, according to a new study. The findings persisted even after statistics were adjusted for other risk factors such as smoking and physical activity. Women with the highest level of antioxidants in their diet consumed about half their antioxidants from fruits and vegetables. ... > full story

Sharp decline in pollution from U.S. coal power plants, NASA satellite confirms (December 2, 2011) -- A team of scientists have used the Ozone Monitoring Instrument on NASA's Aura satellite to confirm major reductions in the levels of a key air pollutant generated by coal power plants in the eastern United States. The pollutant, sulfur dioxide, contributes to the formation of acid rain and can cause serious health problems. ... > full story

Research improves diagnosis and potential treatment of neuromyelitis optica (December 2, 2011) -- Researchers have identified critical steps leading to myelin destruction in neuromyelitis optica (NMO), a debilitating neurological disease that is commonly misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis. The findings could lead to better care for the thousands of patients around the world with NMO. ... > full story

Swiss scientist prove durability of quantum network (December 2, 2011) -- Scientists and engineers have proven the worth of quantum cryptography in telecommunication networks by demonstrating its long-term effectiveness in a real-time network. Their international network, created in collaboration with ID Quantique and installed in the Geneva metropolitan area and crossing over to the site of CERN in France, ran for more than one-and-a-half years from the end of March 2009 to the beginning of January 2011. ... > full story

Impatient people have lower credit scores, study finds (December 2, 2011) -- Is there a psychological reason why people default on their mortgages? A new study finds that people with bad credit scores are more impatient -- more likely to choose immediate rewards rather than wait for a larger reward later. ... > full story

They call it 'guppy love': Biologists solve an evolution mystery (December 2, 2011) -- Guppies in the wild have evolved over at least half-a-million years -- long enough for the males' coloration to change dramatically. Yet an orange patch on the male has remained remarkably stable. Why has it remained the same hue of orange over such a long period of time? Because that is the color female guppies prefer. ... > full story

Cell molecule identified as central player in the formation of new blood vessels (December 2, 2011) -- Scientists have identified a cellular protein that plays a central role in the formation of new blood vessels. The molecule is the protein Shc, and new blood vessel formation, or angiogenesis, is seriously impaired without it. ... > full story

Course excellent, adjustment postponed: Mars Science Laboratory mission status report (December 2, 2011) -- Excellent launch precision for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission has forestalled the need for an early trajectory correction maneuver, now not required for a month or more. ... > full story

Fecal microbiota transplants effective treatment for C. difficile, inflammatory bowel disease, research finds (December 2, 2011) -- Growing evidence for the effectiveness of fecal microbiota transplants as a treatment for patients with recurrent bouts of Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea is presented in three studies -- including a long-term follow-up of colonoscopic fecal microbiota transplant for recurrent C. difficile Infection that included 77 patients from five different states. ... > full story

More promising natural gas storage? (December 2, 2011) -- A research team has developed a computational method that can save scientists and engineers valuable time in the discovery process. The new algorithm automatically generates and tests hypothetical metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), zeroing in on the most promising structures. These MOFs then can be synthesized and tested in the lab. The researchers quickly identified more than 300 different MOFs that are predicted to be better than any known material for methane storage. ... > full story

Moral dilemma: Would you kill one person to save five? (December 2, 2011) -- Nine out of 10 people would kill one person to save five others, according to a provocative new morality study. ... > full story