Finding has implications for treatment of wide range of diseases.

Johns Hopkins scientists investigating chemical modifications across the genomes of adult mice have discovered that DNA modifications in non-dividing brain cells, thought to be inherently stable, instead underwent large-scale dynamic changes as a result of stimulated brain activity. Their report, in the October issue of Nature Neuroscience, has major implications for treating psychiatric diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and for better understanding learning, memory and mood regulation.

Specifically, the researchers, who include a husband-and-wife team, found evidence of an epigenetic change called demethylation - the loss of a methyl group from specific locations - in the non-dividing brain cells' DNA, challenging the scientific dogma that even if the DNA in non-dividing adult neurons changes on occasion from methylated to demethylated state, it does so very infrequently.

A team led by astronomers at Chalmers and Onsala Space Observatory has detected seven previously unknown supernovae in a galaxy 250 million light years away. Never before have so many supernovae been discovered at the same time in the same galaxy. The results are accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal.

The discovery proves what astronomers have long believed: that the galaxies which are the universe's most efficient star-factories are also supernova factories.

The astronomers used a worldwide network of radio telescopes in five countries, including Sweden, to be able to create extremely sharp images of the galaxy Arp 220. The scientists observed around 40 radio sources in the center of the galaxy Arp 220. These radio sources are hidden behind thick layers of dust and gas and invisible in ordinary telescopes. To discover the nature of these radio sources, they made measurements at different radio wavelengths and watched how they changed over several years.

"With all the data in place, we can now be certain that all seven of these sources are supernovae: stars that exploded in the last 60 years," says Fabien Batejat, main author of the article about the discovery.

Back in November of 2010, there was much fear over the possibility that genetically modified salmon would be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Food & Water Watch, a consumer advocacy group, received internal documents and emails from the U.S. Department of Interior's Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) which exposed shocking concerns with AquaBounty's genetically modified salmon - the first genetically modified food animal which could be approved for human consumption.

Some of the information within the documents revealed that the FDA did not consult with both FWS and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to determine whether or not the genetically modified fish would impact wild, endangered Atlantic salmon. By not consulting with these groups, the FDA dodged requirements under the Endangered Species Act which was signed into law in the '70s in order to protect animal species from extinction.

"Nice work Greg," Denise Hawkins, PhD, FWS Regional Geneticist wrote to a coworker in September. "Especially pointing out that there is no data to support the claims of low survival in the event of escape, which I agree with you all is a big concern. I also agree...that using triploid fish [which AquaBounty claim have undergone a sterilization process] is not foolproof. Maybe they [the FDA] should watch Jurassic Park."

What if our existence is a holographic projection of another, flat version of you living on a two-dimensional "surface" at the edge of this universe? In other words, are we real, or are we quantum interactions on the edges of the universe - and is that just as real anyway?

Whether we actually live in a hologram is being hotly debated, but it is now becoming clear that looking at phenomena through a holographic lens could be key to solving some of the most perplexing problems in physics, including the physics that reigned before the big bang,what gives particles mass, a theory of quantum gravity.

In 1982 a litttle known but epic event occured at the University of Paris, where a research team led by physicist Alain Aspect performed what may turn out to be one of the most important experiments of the 20th century. You did not hear about it on the Daily Show. In fact, unless you are a physicist you probably have never even heard Aspect's name, though increasing numbers of experts believe his discovery may change the face of science.

Aspect and his team discovered that under certain circumstances subatomic particles such as electrons are able to instantaneously communicate with each other regardless of the distance separating them. It doesn't matter whether they are 10 feet or 10 billion miles apart.

Somehow each particle always seems to know what the other is doing. The problem with this feat is that it violates Einstein's long-held tenet that no communication can travel faster than the speed of light. Since traveling faster than the speed of light is tantamount to breaking the time barrier, this daunting prospect has caused some physicists to try to come up with increasingly elaborate ways to explain away Aspect's findings.

A new project is underway at the European physics lab CERN to produce antimatter versions of protons and trap them for study.

Antimatter is the spooky cousin of normal matter. For every regular subatomic particle, there is thought to be a corresponding antiparticle with equal mass and opposite charge. When a particle and its antimatter partner meet, they annihilate each other to become pure energy.

The Geneva, Switzerland-based CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) is home to other famous physics experiments, notably the world's largest particle accelerator - the Large Hadron Collider, or LHC - and the OPERA experiment that recently announced the detection of particles that appear to be traveling faster than light. [Top 10 Implications of Faster-Than-Light Neutrinos]

The new project, called the Extra Low Energy Antiproton Ring (ELENA), held its kickoff meeting at CERN Wednesday (Sept. 28). The endeavor includes scientists from Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Remember the Mommy Tummy, Kanagawa University's terrifically odd jacket that allows a fellow to become a human seahorse? Its creators have been taking the device on the road, showcasing its ability to simulate the development of a full-term baby in two minutes. My favorite part of all this is the unusually dire sign insisting that it is a "Serious Game."

NASA will hold a press conference today (Sept. 29) to unveil the latest discoveries on Mercury by a spacecraft orbiting the small rocky planet.
The NASA teleconference is set for 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT) and will reveal new details about Mercury observed by the space agency's Messenger spacecraft. The unmanned probe arrived at Mercury on March 17 and is the first spacecraft ever to orbit the innermost planet of the solar system. [Messenger's latest photos of Mercury]

Several Messenger mission scientists will give presentations during today's teleconference, NASA officials said in a statement. They include:

• Ed Graykzeck, Messenger program manager, NASA Headquarters, Washington
• James Head, III, professor of geological sciences, Brown University
• David Blewett, Messenger participating scientist and staff scientist, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), Laurel, Md.
• Patrick Peplowski, staff scientist, APL
• Thomas Zurbuchen, professor of space science and aerospace engineering, University of Michigan

NASA's $446 million Messenger mission to Mercury launched in 2004 on a 6 1/2-year journey to innermost planet. The spacecraft's name is short for the bulky moniker MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging.

Just one strong dose of hallucinogenic mushrooms can alter a person's personality for more than a year and perhaps permanently, a new study finds.

People given psilocybin, the compound in "magic mushrooms" that causes hallucinations and feelings of transcendence, demonstrated a more "open" personality after their experience, an effect that persisted for at least 14 months. Openness is a psychological term referring to an appreciation for new experiences. People who are more open tend to have broad imaginations and value emotion, art and curiosity.

This personality warp is unusual, said study researcher Katherine MacLean, because personality rarely changes much after the age of 25 or 30. (In fact, one recent study found that by first grade our personalities are set pretty much for life.)

"This is one of the first studies to show that you actually can change adult personality," said MacLean, a postdoctoral researcher at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University have given a rat an artificial brain part -- the cerebellum -- to restore lost functions and thereby ushering in the era of true brain-to-computer communication for humans.

Matti Mintz, professor of psychobiology, and his colleagues, built a computerized cerebellum and linked it to an anaesthetized rat whose own cerebellum was disabled. The cerebellum is the round, cue ball-sized structure at the back of a the brain that controls how messages get from the brain to the body and back again. Critically, it controls the timing of movement, which is why injuries to the cerebellum cause people to lose their balance or suffer motor control disorders, rather than paralysis.

Attaching the synthetic cerebellum to the rat, the scientists tried to condition it to blink at the sound of a tone. To get the rat to blink they first fired a puff of air at the rat when the tone sounded and then just sounded the tone. The experiment worked: the rat blinked when it heard the sound. When the synthetic cerebellum was disconnected, the rat could not learn the response.

In 2009, Japanese scientists journeyed to Antarctica to recover evidence of alterations to Earth's atmosphere caused in medieval times by supernovae recorded by scholars - including obscure Irish monasteries where monks later interpreted them signs of the Antichrist . No, this isn't the plot of the next Dan Brown novel (or a Dan Brow fanfiction written by an X-Files addict): this is real science.

Supernovae release terrific amounts of energy, as in "If one happened too close the planet would be sterilized" truly terror-inducing terrific. Some of this energy is fired off as gamma rays, which can travel thousands of light-years and still pack enough of a punch after to alter the atmosphere - which is exactly what happened in 1006 and again in 1054, when gamma rays blasted the upper atmosphere and created spikes in NO3 levels. There was also quite a lot of visible light, creating a star visible even during the day which was noted by various Chinese, Egyptian and even monastic records.

To access past records of the atmosphere, a team of Japanese scientists carefully extracted 122 meters of ice core from Antarctica. Even better, to locate events on such a stretch of frozen time you use known volcanic atmosphere-altering events as reference points - in other words, these guys use exploding mountains as a ruler.