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

Scientists achieve major genetics breakthrough
University of Adelaide geneticist Dr. Jozef Gecz and a team of Belgium and UK scientists have achieved a major breakthrough in discovering the causes of intellectual disability.

Gene discovery made easier with powerful new networking technique
The identification of disease-causing genes will be much easier and faster using a powerful new gene-networking model developed by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin.

Scientists discover new species of giant elephant-shrew
Although there is unquestionably much left to be discovered about life on Earth, charismatic animals like mammals are usually well documented, and it is rare to find a new species today -- especially from a group as intriguing as the elephant-shrews, monogamous mammals found only in Africa with a colorful history of misunderstood ancestry.

UW paper in Science shows how some solids mimic liquids on nanoscale
A University of Waterloo physics and astronomy research team, in a paper to be published Feb. 1 in Science, shows how some solids behave like liquids on the nanoscale. The UW researchers, professor James Forrest and then-graduate student Zahra Fakhraai, take a major step forward in discovering how to measure polymer substances using nanoscale technology. They explore the properties of the large class of natural and synthetic materials on the nanoscale.

Targeting gut bugs could revolutionize future drugs, say researcher
Revolutionary new ways to tackle certain diseases could be provided by creating drugs which change the bugs in people's guts, according to a new article. Trillions of bugs known as gut microbes live symbiotically in the human gut. They play a key role in many of the processes that take place inside the body. Different people have different types of gut microbes living inside them and abnormalities in some types have recently been linked to diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

It's all about geometry: Protein contact surfaces hold key to cures
Your mother always told you to do your geometry homework, and for scientists seeking new treatments for diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, this advice turns out to be right on the mark.

Using flower power to fight foot woes
A common flower that helps wipe out garden insects has also shown promise in eradicating stubborn warts, according to preliminary research presented by podiatrist Tracey Vlahovic at the American Academy of Dermatology's Annual Meeting on Feb. 1. Vlahovic is assistant professor at Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine.

The end to a mystery?
Astronomers at the University of St Andrews believe they can "simplify the dark side of the universe" by shedding new light on two of its mysterious constituents.

Crossing the species line
A recent article published in Developmental and Comparative Immunology draws attention to the fact that the plant immune system is not restricted to a fixed set of broad spectrum responses.

Research suggests why scratching is so relieving
In the first study to use imaging technology to see what goes on in the brain when we scratch, researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have uncovered new clues about why scratching may be so relieving -- and why it can be hard to stop. The work is reported online in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, and will appear in a future print issue.

ASU professor helps solve mystery of glassy water
Water has some amazing properties. A less commonly known distinction of water, but one of great interest to physical chemists, is its odd behavior at its transition to the glassy phase. Arizona State University Regents Professor C. Austen Angell has found a vital clue that helps explain water's bizarre behavior at the glass transition and, along the way, gained important insights into phases of liquid water as well.

Particle accelerator may reveal shape of alternate dimensions
When the world's most powerful particle accelerator starts up later this year, exotic new particles may offer a glimpse of the existence and shapes of extra dimensions.

Researchers create gold aluminum, black platinum, blue silver
Using a tabletop laser, a University of Rochester optical scientist has turned pure aluminum, gold.And blue. And gray. And many other colors. And it works for every metal tested, including platinum, titanium, tungsten, silver, and gold.

Deep brain stimulation may improve memory
A new study found that hypothalamic DBS performed in the treatment of a patient with morbid obesity unexpectedly evoked detailed autobiographical memories.

Hot liquids release potentially harmful chemicals in polycarbonate plastic bottles
When it comes to Bisphenol A exposure from polycarbonate plastic bottles, it's not whether the container is new or old but the liquid's temperature that has the most impact on how much BPA is released, according to University of Cincinnati scientists.

New process makes nanofibers in complex shapes and unlimited lengths
The continuous fabrication of complex, 3-D nanoscale structures and the ability to grow individual nanowires of unlimited length are now possible with a process developed by researchers at the University of Illinois.

Finding the door to a parallel universe
If there were a wormhole linking us to a parallel universe, how would we spot it? One suggestion is that it will give itself away by the curious way it bends light. This idea assumes the existence of so called "phantom matter" which has been proposed to explain how a wormhole might stay open. The phantom matter would cause light from another universe, passing through the wormhole, to diverge and emerge as a bright ring.

Squeezed crystals deliver more volts per jolt
A discovery by scientists at the Carnegie Institution has opened the door to a new generation of piezoelectric materials that can convert mechanical strain into electricity and vice versa, potentially cutting costs and boosting performance in myriad applications ranging from medical diagnostics to green energy technologies.

Blue-eyed humans have a single, common ancestor
New research shows that people with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor. A team at the University of Copenhagen have tracked down a genetic mutation which took place 6,000-10,000 years ago and is the cause of the eye color of all blue-eyed humans alive on the planet today.

New kind of transistor radios shows capability of nanotube technology
Carbon nanotubes have a sound future in the electronics industry, say researchers who built the world's first all-nanotube transistor radios to prove it.