Science & Technology - Dec 16, 2009 4:47 - 0 Comments
Sea cow fossil hints to Madagascar’s past
MCGILL (CANADA)—An ancient little sea cow now has a name. This primitive “dugong” is among the world’s first fully aquatic sea cows, having evolved from terrestrial herbivores that began exploiting coastal waters. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Nov 12, 2009 19:07 - 2 Comments
Clearing away insomnia’s mental fog
U. PENN (US)—Deficits caused by sleep deprivation, including an inability to focus, learn, or memorize, may be reversible by reducing a specific enzyme that builds up in the brain’s hippocampus. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Oct 23, 2009 16:57 - 2 Comments
High lead levels linked to lower test scores
DUKE (US)—Exposure to lead in early childhood significantly contributes to lower performances on end-of-grade (EOG) reading tests among minority and low-income children. (more…)
Society & Culture - Oct 21, 2009 13:01 - 3 Comments
Immersive exhibit redefines bird’s-eye view
TEXAS A&M (US)—A new virtual environment that allows humans to see and hear some of the extreme ranges of vision and hearing that animals have could help reinvent the way museums teach about the natural world. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Oct 19, 2009 14:57 - 1 Comment
House calls dial back blood pressure
DUKE (US)—Combining home-based blood pressure monitoring and telephone counseling significantly improves a person’s blood pressure control at a minimal cost. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 14, 2009 12:58 - 0 Comments
Blending in can be brutal—for wasps
U. MICHIGAN (US)—Standing out in a crowd is better than blending in, at least if you’re a paper wasp in a colony where fights between nest-mates determine social status. (more…)
Society & Culture - Oct 5, 2009 16:52 - 0 Comments
College voters unfazed by absentee ballots
NORTHWESTERN (US)—College students make strategic choices about where to vote, most prefer absentee ballots, and are especially likely to vote absentee if their homes are in swing states, according to a new study. (more…)
Science & Technology - Oct 5, 2009 12:01 - 0 Comments
Model suggests it’s raining rocks on exoplanet
WASHINGTON-ST. LOUIS (US)—An exoplanet discovered last February by the COROT space telescope is close enough to its star that its “day-face” is hot enough to melt rock. Theoretical models suggest the planet has a gaseous-rock atmosphere and boiling oceans on its surface. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 5, 2009 11:30 - 0 Comments
Bioengineer a better hydrocarbon?
IOWA STATE (US)—Researchers are looking to plants and algae as a source of green, renewable hydrocarbons—and second-generation biofuels. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Oct 2, 2009 18:10 - 0 Comments
Color plays musical chairs in the brain
U. CHICAGO (US)—What happens in the brain when a color loses the object to which it is linked—for instance, a pink flamingo or blue lake? For the first time, researchers have shown that instead of disappearing along with the lost object, the color latches onto a region of some other object in view, a finding that reveals a new basic property of sight. (more…)
Science & Technology - Oct 2, 2009 16:11 - 0 Comments
Bitemark evidence less reliable than DNA
U. BUFFALO (US)—A new study challenges the commonly held belief that every bitemark can be perpetrator identified, and concludes that bitemarks should be very carefully evaluated in criminal investigations where perpetrator identity is the focus of a case. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Oct 2, 2009 13:18 - 1 Comment
Olive oil compound may fight Alzheimer’s
NORTHWESTERN (US)—A new study has found that oleocanthal, a naturally occurring compound found in extra-virgin olive oil, beneficially alters the structure of neurotoxic proteins believed to contribute to the debilitating effects of Alzheimer’s disease. (more…)
Science & Technology - Oct 2, 2009 12:55 - 0 Comments
Map helps quantum dots go ‘designer’
U. MICHIGAN (US)—The creation of the first atomic-scale maps of quantum dots may speed progress toward the goal of producing “designer dots” that can be tailored for specific applications. (more…)
Society & Culture - Oct 2, 2009 12:34 - 0 Comments
Survey: U.S. leadership less cynical today
RICE (US)—Contemporary leaders are less trusting, but also less cynical, than those in top positions nearly four decades ago, according to a new comprehensive survey of White House Fellows—a group that includes more than 600 prominent leaders in nearly every sector of American society. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Oct 2, 2009 12:12 - 0 Comments
Enzyme offers target for curing tuberculosis
IOWA STATE (US)—Researchers have identified an enzyme that helps make tuberculosis resistant to a human’s natural defense system. Neutralizing that enzyme may someday lead to a cure for tuberculosis, a contagious disease that’s on the rise. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Oct 2, 2009 10:23 - 0 Comments
HIV keeps morphing to escape immune system
EMORY (US)—HIV’s ability to mutate in response to immune system pressure means the virus can take several escape routes from antibodies, eventually exhausting the immune system, new research shows. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 1, 2009 11:44 - 1 Comment
Electric fish come equipped with dimmer
TEXAS-AUSTIN (US)—Electric fish communicate by quickly plugging special channels into their cells to generate electrical impulses, according to new research. And, like all good consumers, they conserve energy by turning their electrical signals up and down. (more…)
Science & Technology - Oct 1, 2009 11:16 - 0 Comments
Brain implants coated with nanotubes
U. MICHIGAN (US)—Newly developed brain implants that can more clearly record signals from surrounding neurons in rats may lead to more effective treatment of disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and paralysis. (more…)
