Futurity.org » Futurity-Jenny Leonard

4-D coming to a universe near you?

First sex boosts guys’ body image

Future of hard drives: uranium?

Paralyzed man’s mind moves prosthetic arm

Sex appeal: Women kiss science goodbye

How much fish oil is too much?

Alaskan dig turns up ancient ‘buckle’

Why we quit when others succeed

Aging musicians have sharp brains

Wanted: Gender-free job ads

Seizure drug treats pre-Alzheimer’s

Futurity-Jenny Leonard — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:18:11 +0000

JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — An existing anti-seizure drug improves memory and brain function in adults with a form of cognitive impairment that often leads to full-blown Alzheimer’s disease.

The findings raise the possibility that doctors will someday be able to use the drug, levetiracetam, already approved for use in epilepsy patients, to slow the abnormal loss of brain function in some aging patients before their condition becomes Alzheimer’s. A Johns Hopkins University research team emphasizes, however, that more studies are necessary before any such recommendation can be made to doctors and patients.

Researchers recover rare 25-foot squid

Futurity-Jenny Leonard — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:19:05 +0000

U. FLORIDA (US) — A deep-water squid found floating off the Florida coast is giving scientists a rare chance to learn more about these mysterious creatures.

“This specimen provides an excellent opportunity to learn things about these creatures we couldn’t find out any other way,” says John Slapcinsky, malacology collection manager at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

In 20s, hypertension risk for low earners

Futurity-Jenny Leonard — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 20:53:46 +0000

DUKE (US) — Young adults with lower income and less education face the greatest risk of having high blood pressure, new data shows.

Researchers examined data from more than 14,000 men and women between 24 and 32 years old, exploring why nearly one in five has high blood pressure. The results were published in the July issue of the journal Hypertension.

Cellular breakup caught on video

Futurity-Jenny Leonard — Mon, 02 May 2011 21:59:56 +0000

YALE (US) — Scientists have succeeded in creating a movie showing the breakup of actin filaments, the muscular workhorses of our cells.

These thread-like structures inside cells are crucial to their movement, maintenance, and division. Actin filaments push on membranes to move cells to the proper location within tissues and apply pressure within the interior to keep all working parts of the cell where they need to be.

Robotic fish maneuvers with ribbon fin

Futurity-Jenny Leonard — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:15:07 +0000

NORTHWESTERN (US) — Inspired by the Amazon’s knifefish, engineers have designed a robotic fish that can move from swimming forward and backward to swimming vertically almost instantaneously.

The key design element is a sophisticated, ribbon-like fin. The robot—called GhostBot—could pave the way for nimble robots that could perform underwater recovery operations or long-term monitoring of coral reefs.

Metallic glass that’s strong and tough

Futurity-Jenny Leonard — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 18:13:18 +0000

CALTECH (US) — Tests show a new alloy material to be what most materials are not: shatter resistant and super strong.

“Strength and toughness are actually very different, almost mutually exclusive,” says Marios Demetriou, a senior research fellow at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). “Generally, materials that are tough are also weak; those that are strong, are brittle.”

Survey: Tell us what you think!

Futurity-Jenny Leonard — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:51:06 +0000

This week we’re conducting a quick survey of Futurity readers.

Since our launch more than a year ago, Futurity’s readership has continued to grow. Now we’d like to find out more about our readers and how we can serve them better.

Mayan treasures discovered in king’s tomb

Futurity-Jenny Leonard — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:45:19 +0000

BROWN (US)—A well-preserved tomb of an ancient Mayan king has been discovered in Guatemala. The tomb is packed with carvings, ceramics, textiles, and the bones of six children, who may have been sacrificed at the time of the king’s death.

In May a team of archeologists uncovered the tomb, which dates from about 350 to 400 A.D., beneath the El Diablo pyramid in the city of El Zotz. The news was made public July 15 during a press conference in Guatemala City, hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, which authorized the work.