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Scientists Discover Fossil of Giant Ancient Sea Predator

By Guest PostMay 27, 2011Scienceancient sea creatures, anomalocaridid creature, anomalocaridids, biodiversification, cambrian animals, cambrian explosion, cambrian period, complex ecosystems, deep-water, derek briggs, fossils, marine animals, marine fauna, marine predators, morocco, ordovician period, paleontologists, peter van roy, sea floor, sediment clouds

Paleontologists have discovered that a group of remarkable ancient sea creatures existed for much longer and grew to much larger sizes than previously thought, thanks to extraordinarily well-preserved fossils discovered in Morocco.

The creatures, known as anomalocaridids, were already thought to be the largest animals of the Cambrian period, known for the “Cambrian Explosion” that saw the sudden appearance of all the major animal groups and the establishment of complex ecosystems about 540 to 500 million years ago. Fossils from this period suggested these marine predators grew to be about two feet long. Until now, scientists also thought these strange invertebrates-which had long spiny head limbs presumably used to snag worms and other prey, and a circlet of plates around the mouth-died out at the end of the Cambrian. (more…)

Mars: Red Planet’s Rapid Formation Explains Its Small Size Relative to Earth

By Guest PostMay 27, 2011Scienceali pourmand, atmosphere, chemical behavior, chondrites, composition of chondrites, computer simulation, dauphas and pourmand, earth, embryos, enriqueta barrera, fine scale chronology, geophysicist, hafnium, lithophile elements, mantle of mars, mars, martian meteorites, national science foundation, nicolas dauphas, non volatile elements, nsf, radioactive decay, red planet, refractory, solar system, tungsten in meteorites, tungsten isotopic composition, university of chicago, xenon content

*Mars developed far more quickly than our blue planet*

Mars developed in as little as two to four million years after the birth of the solar system, far more quickly than Earth, according to results of a new study published in this week’s issue of the journal Nature.

The red planet’s rapid formation helps explain why it is so small, say the study’s co-authors, Nicolas Dauphas at the University of Chicago and Ali Pourmand at the University of Miami. (more…)

Just Four Percent of Galaxies Have Neighbors Like the Milky Way

By Guest PostMay 26, 2011Scienceanalyses of data, big bang, cdm, cold dark matter theory, computer model, formation of our galaxy, Galaxy, luminosity, magellanic clouds, Milky Way, nigel sharp, optical sky, risa wechsler, sdss, stanford university, universe

*Our home galaxy belongs to a rare subset among the billions that populate the cosmos*

How unique is the Milky Way?

To find out, a group of researchers led by Stanford University astrophysicist Risa Wechsler compared the Milky Way to similar galaxies and found that just four percent are like the galaxy Earth calls home. (more…)

Ants Give New Evidence for Interaction Networks

By Guest PostMay 25, 2011Culture, Scienceanna dornhaus, ant species, antennae, ants antennate, benjamin blonder, daniel wolf, dornhaus and blonder, evolutionary argument, Facebook, han jing, information, interaction networks, internet, kayla lauger, local grapevine, milan curry, paradigm, self directed networks, southern arizona, temnothorax rugatulus, trophallaxis, tuan cao, unique color code, university of arizona

*UA researchers have uncovered evidence in ant colonies suggesting that social networks may function differently than previously assumed.*

Be it through the Internet, Facebook, the local grapevine or the spread of disease, interaction networks influence nearly every part of our lives.

Scientists previously assumed that interaction networks without central control, known as self-directed networks, have universal properties that make them efficient at spreading information. Just think of the local grapevine: Let something slip, and it seems like no time at all before nearly everyone knows. (more…)

Replacing the Blue Bloods

By Guest PostMay 24, 2011Sciencebacterial endotoxin, bacterial infections, biological nature, endotoxin, endotoxin contamination, horseshoe crabs, lal, limulus amoebocyte lysate, liquid crystals, mary galvin, national science foundation, nick abbott, non lethal method, ordering, poisons, university of wisconsin

*Liquid crystal droplets could replace horseshoe crab blood in common endotoxin test*

The Food and Drug Administration requires every drug they certify to be tested for certain poisons that damage patient health. The current gold standard for this is the limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) assay that involves using the blood of horseshoe crabs, which strangely enough is blue, to test for endotoxin, a substance commonly associated with many symptoms caused by bacterial infections.

But researchers at the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found what may be a more effective way to test for endotoxin that involves liquid crystals, the same material used to make some flat screen computer monitors and televisions. (more…)

Sharpening The Nanofocus: Berkeley Lab Researchers Use Nanoantenna to Enhance Plasmonic Sensing

By Guest PostMay 23, 2011Scienceantenna enhanced gas sensing, berkeley lab, biochemical agents, biosensing, catalytic processes, chemical or biological events, confinement of electromagnetic waves, double electron beam lithography, german ministry of research, Germany, gold nanoantenna, harald giessen, laura na liu, localized surface plasmon resonance, lspr, mario hentschel, metallic nanostructures, ming tang, nanocatalysts, nanofocus, nanoreactors, optical detection, palladium nanoparticle, particle level, paul alivisatos, plasmonics, plasmons, university of california, university of stuttgart, wavelength

Such highly coveted technical capabilities as the observation of single catalytic processes in nanoreactors, or the optical detection of low concentrations of biochemical agents and gases are an important step closer to fruition. Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), in collaboration with researchers at the University of Stuttgart in Germany, report the first experimental demonstration of antenna-enhanced gas sensing at the single particle level. By placing a palladium nanoparticle on the focusing tip of a gold nanoantenna, they were able to clearly detect changes in the palladium’s optical properties upon exposure to hydrogen. (more…)

Virtual Workout Partners Spur Better Results

By Guest PostMay 23, 2011Science, Technologyabdominal muscles, deborah feltz, department of kinesiology, eye toy camera, health games research, health video games, kohler effect, lack of motivation, michigan state university, motivation, playstation 2, robert wood johnson foundation, same sex virtual partner, virtual partner

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Can’t find anyone to exercise with? Don’t despair: New research from Michigan State University reveals working out with a virtual partner improves motivation during exercise.

The study led by Deborah Feltz, chairperson of MSU’s Department of Kinesiology, is the first to investigate the Kohler effect on motivation in health video games; that phenomenon explains why inferior team members perform better in a group than they would by themselves. (more…)

MU Archeologist Finds Oldest 3-D Statue In Western Hemisphere

By Guest PostMay 21, 2011Culture, Scienceandean people, myth of fox, myths, rising sun, statue, statue in peru, temple in peru

Statue at temple in Peru helps us understand ancient culture, myths

COLUMBIA, Mo. – A University of Missouri archeologist has found a 4,000-year-old statue in Peru that gives new insight into an ancient agricultural society. (more…)

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