Science Sunday: Wrap-up of recent advancements in science from EurekAlert!

Higher efficiency organic solar cell created by UCSB Nobel Laureate and research team:
Using plastics to harvest the energy of the sun just got a significant boost in efficiency thanks to a discovery made at UC Santa Barbara. Nobel laureate and Alan Heeger, professor at UC Santa Barbara, worked with Kwanghee Lee of Korea and a team of scientists to create a new "tandem" organic solar cell with increased efficiency. The discovery, explained in the July 13 Science, marks a step forward in materials science.

Researchers witness natural selection at work in dramatic comeback of male butterflies:
When an invasive bacteria ravaged the male embryos of the Blue Moon butterfly, it left populations that were nearly entirely female. But the males made an extraordinary comeback, going from 1 percent to 39 percent of the population in less than a year. Researchers at UC Berkeley and elsewhere witnessed this resurgence, and credited it to the rise of a suppressor gene that stopped the male-killing bacteria in its tracks.

Unraveling the physics of DNA's double helix:
Researchers at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering have uncovered a missing link in scientists' understanding of the physical forces that give DNA its famous double helix shape.

'Shoulda, woulda, coulda...':
If you're like most people, you've probably experienced a shoulda-woulda-coulda moment. New research published in the June issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, shows that our counterfactual thinking may be markedly different when we are actually experiencing failure rather than reading about someone else's.

Semiconductor membrane mimics biological behavior of ion channels:
A semiconductor membrane designed by researchers at the University of Illinois could offer more flexibility and better electrical performance than biological membranes. Built from thin silicon layers doped with different impurities, the solid-state membrane also could be used in applications such as single-molecule detection, protein filtering and DNA sequencing.

How plants learned to respond to changing environments:
A team of John Innes Center scientists lead by Professor Nick Harberd have discovered how plants evolved the ability to adapt to changes in climate and environment. Plants adapt their growth, including key steps in their life cycle such as germination and flowering, to take advantage of environmental conditions. They can also repress growth when their environment is not favorable. This involves many complex signalling pathways which are integrated by the plant growth hormone gibberellin.

Higher efficiency organic solar cell created by UCSB Nobel Laureate and research team"
Using plastics to harvest the energy of the sun just got a significant boost in efficiency thanks to a discovery made at UC Santa Barbara. Nobel laureate and Alan Heeger, professor at UC Santa Barbara, worked with Kwanghee Lee of Korea and a team of scientists to create a new "tandem" organic solar cell with increased efficiency. The discovery, explained in the July 13 Science, marks a step forward in materials science.

New lens device will shrink huge light waves to pinpoints:
Manipulating light waves, or electromagnetic radiation, has led to many technologies, from cameras to lasers to medical imaging machines that can see inside the human body.

Small molecules may explain psoriasis:
A research team at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet has shown for the time that microRNA, small RNA molecules, may play an important role in the development of inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis and atopic eczema. The research team is led by Professor Mona Ståhle, one of Sweden's most prominent scientists in the field.

New phenomenon in physics discovered on illumination of metal surfaces:
Scientific research at the Center of the Physics of Materials, a mixed venture of the Higher Council for Scientific Research and the University of the Basque Country in Donostia-San Sebastian, has enabled the discovery of a new physical phenomenon that affects the surfaces of illuminated metals. The conclusions of the research have been published in the journal Nature.

Nanoparticles that cancer cells can't resist:
A technique that turns cancer cells into miniature magnets could make biopsies more efficient. Researchers in Alburquerque have come up with the idea of using magnetic nanoparticles. The particles are encased in a biocompatible material and then coated with antibodies that bind to chemicals found only in cancer cells. When injected into the body, the particles stick to cancer cells, turning them into miniature magnets. These cells can then be drawn towards magnets encased in the end of a biopsy needle.

Has science unearthed the Holy Grail of pain relief?:
Scientists studying one of nature's simplest organisms have helped to unravel the structure of a key molecule that controls pain in humans.

Carnegie Mellon researchers use Web images to add realism to edited photos:
Computer graphics researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed systems for editing or altering photographs using segments of the millions of images available on the Web.

A spoonful of sugar helps your waistline go down:
A new study challenges conventional thinking that a high carbohydrate, low fat slimming plan should contain little or no added sugar. A team of scientists at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh has found that a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet -- containing sucrose -- combined with physical activity achieved the greatest health benefits in overweight subjects.