Futurity.org

This quick visual test predicts IQ

Susan Hagen-Rochester — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:51:56 +0000

U. ROCHESTER (US) — A brief test of a person’s ability to filter out visual movement—in this case, black and white bars moving across a screen—can predict IQ.

The test is the first purely sensory assessment to be strongly correlated with IQ and may provide a non-verbal and culturally unbiased tool for scientists seeking to understand neural processes associated with general intelligence.

Citizen scientists tag bug collections online

Sarah Yang-Berkeley — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:15:25 +0000

UC BERKELEY (US) — The public can help scientists by deciphering and recording the hand-written field notes that accompany a million insect specimens, many dating back more than 100 years.

Along the way, participants in the project, called Calbug, are getting a peek into history and the treasures held in museum collections. Among the many scientifically valuable objects in University of California, Berkeley’s Essig Museum collection is at least one—a ground beetle from Tierra del Fuego, Chile—that was collected in 1833 by none other than Charles Darwin.

Lower obesity rates for kids in traditional families

Amy Hodges-Rice — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:47:29 +0000

RICE (US) — Children living in households where the parents are married are less likely to be obese, according to new research.

“Childhood obesity is a significant public health issue in our country, with nearly one-third of all US children ages 2-17 overweight or obese,” says Rachel Kimbro, study co-author, associate professor of sociology at Rice University and director of the Kinder Institute Urban Health Program. “Despite this, very little research has been conducted to explore the impact of family structure on this epidemic.”

‘Dynamo’ accounts for Sun’s weather cycle

Richard Mellor-Leeds — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:17:03 +0000

U. LEEDS (UK) / U. CHICAGO (US) — Researchers have discovered what drives the generation of astrophysical magnetic fields like the Sun’s.

Scientists have known since the 18th century that the Sun regularly oscillates between periods of high and low solar activity in an 11-year cycle, but have been unable to fully explain how this cycle is generated.

Survey: Mixed feelings in Florida over immigration

Mickie Anderson-Florida — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:13:26 +0000

U. FLORIDA (US) — While residents in Florida have negative feelings about undocumented immigrants, an overwhelming majority also favor a policy that would allow them a path to US citizenship, a new survey suggests.

The survey of 507 Floridians shows that although many see undocumented immigrants as threats to their economic well-being and personal safety, they still have “pockets” of sympathetic views toward those trying to establish themselves as US residents.

Road trip maps greenhouse gas across US

George Foulsham-UC Santa Barbara — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:38:56 +0000

UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — Methane emissions across large parts of the US are higher than scientists had estimated, according to new research from a cross-continent drive in a rented camper.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, stronger than carbon dioxide on a 20-year timescale, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, though on a century timescale, carbon dioxide is far stronger.

Mars bashed by (only) 200 asteroids a year

Daniel Stolte-Arizona — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:31:41 +0000

U. ARIZONA (US) — Mars is pummeled by space rocks less frequently than previously thought, experts report.

Using images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, scientists have estimated that the planet is bombarded by more than 200 small asteroids or bits of comets per year forming craters at least 12.8 feet (3.9 meters) across.

Daily calcium linked to longer life in women

Cynthia Lee-McGill — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:56:09 +0000

MCGILL (CAN) — Women who consume 1,000 mg of calcium a day—regardless if consumed in food or supplements—may live longer, new research suggests.

Calcium, an essential nutrient for bone health, is commonly found in dairy products as well as vitamins. Despite calcium’s health benefits, past studies have linked calcium supplements to heart disease risk.

Drug blunts cocaine addiction in mice

Shawna Williams-Johns Hopkins — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:01:11 +0000

JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — Neuroscientists trying to explain cocaine’s effects on the brain have stumbled onto a chemical compound that blocks cravings for the drug in addicted mice.

The compound is already known to be safe for people to take, though it was ineffective as a medicine years ago in tests against Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Where visual search happens in the brain

Sonia Fernandez-UCSB — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:57:37 +0000

UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — When we look for something, we rely on environmental cues and scene context. New research shows where in the brain this process occurs.

Our brains developed this pattern of search over the millennia of human evolution, It’s an ability that has not only helped us find food and avoid danger in humankind’s earliest days, but also continues to aid us today, in tasks like driving to work, going shopping, and reading X-rays.