ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

New substance overcomes treatment-restistance in leukemia

Posted: 28 Nov 2014 08:13 AM PST

Haematologists have developed a new active substance that effectively combats the most aggressive forms of Philadelphia chromosome-positive leukemia.

Emergence of modern sea ice in Arctic Ocean, 2.6 million years ago

Posted: 28 Nov 2014 05:06 AM PST

The extent of sea ice cover in Arctic was much less than it is today between four and five million years ago. The maximum winter extent did not reaching its current location until around 2.6 million years ago. "We have not seen an ice free period in the Arctic Ocean for 2,6 million years. However, we may see it in our lifetime." says a marine geologist.

New material makes water and oil roll off

Posted: 28 Nov 2014 05:06 AM PST

Car finish, to which no dirt particles adhere, house fronts, from which graffiti paints roll off, and shoes that remain clean on muddy paths – the material "fluoropore" might make all this possible. Both water and oil droplets roll off this new class of highly fluorinated super-repellent polymers.

Love at first smell: Can birds choose mates by their odors?

Posted: 28 Nov 2014 05:06 AM PST

Mate choice is often the most important decision in the lives of humans and animals. Scientists have found the first evidence that birds may choose their mate through odor. The researchers compared the preen gland chemicals of black-legged kittiwakes with genes that play a role in immunity. Kittiwakes that smell similarly to each other also have similar genes for immunity. Since the birds prefer to mate with unrelated mates, the scientists have now found the likely mechanism by which they recognize relatedness.

Single-atom gold catalysts may offer path to low-cost production of fuel and chemicals

Posted: 27 Nov 2014 06:23 PM PST

New catalysts designed and investigated by engineering researchers have potential to greatly reduce processing costs in future fuels like hydrogen. The catalysts are composed of a unique structure of single gold atoms bound by oxygen to sodium or potassium atoms, supported on non-reactive silica materials. They demonstrate comparable activity and stability with catalysts comprising precious metal nanoparticles on rare earth and other reducible oxide supports when used in producing highly purified hydrogen.

Another human footprint in the ocean: Rising anthropogenic nitrate levels in North Pacific Ocean

Posted: 27 Nov 2014 06:23 PM PST

Human-induced changes to Earth's carbon cycle -- for example, rising atmospheric carbon dioxide and ocean acidification -- have been observed for decades. However, a new study has shown that human activities, in particular industrial and agricultural processes, have also had significant impacts on the upper ocean nitrogen cycle.

Most American presidents destined to fade from nation's memory, study suggests

Posted: 27 Nov 2014 06:23 PM PST

American presidents spend their time in office trying to carve out a prominent place in the nation's collective memory, but most are destined to be forgotten within 50-to-100 years of their serving as president, suggests a study on presidential name recall.

Education is key to climate adaptation

Posted: 27 Nov 2014 06:23 PM PST

According to new research, education makes people less vulnerable to natural disasters such as floods, landslides, and storms that are expected to intensify with climate change.

Social media data contain pitfalls for understanding human behavior

Posted: 27 Nov 2014 06:22 PM PST

A growing number of academic researchers are mining social media data to learn about both online and offline human behavior. In recent years, studies have claimed the ability to predict everything from summer blockbusters to fluctuations in the stock market. But mounting evidence of flaws in many of these studies points to a need for researchers to be wary of serious pitfalls that arise when working with huge social media data sets, according to computer scientists.

Brain inspired data engineering

Posted: 27 Nov 2014 08:27 AM PST

What if next-generation ICT systems could be based on the brain's structure and its cognitive and adaptive processes? A groundbreaking paradigm of brain-inspired intelligent ICT architectures is being born.

Scope of research on quantum computing narrowed: Characteristics of a universal simulator

Posted: 27 Nov 2014 05:23 AM PST

According to many scientists, quantum computers will have great importance in the future but, despite all efforts, research in this field is still in its infancy. One of the difficulties is understanding what criteria a quantum system should meet to be able to solve problems that are impossible for conventional computers.

New electrolyte for construction of magnesium-sulfur batteries

Posted: 27 Nov 2014 05:21 AM PST

Scientists have now developed an electrolyte that may be used for the construction of magnesium-sulfur battery cells. With magnesium, higher storage densities could be achieved than with lithium. Moreover, magnesium is abundant in nature, it is non-toxic, and does not degrade in air.