Futurity.org » University of Arizona

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.

Violent weather on Neptune, Uranus doesn’t run deep

Daniel Stolte-Arizona — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:38:59 +0000

U. ARIZONA (US) — The atmosphere on the planets Uranus and Neptune goes from screaming winds of infernal violence to dead-quiet at a much shallower depth than previously thought.

Similar to the giant gas planets Jupiter and Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, have long been known to harbor swirling clouds and violent winds churning up their atmospheres. Massive bands of jet streams encircling the entire planet have been observed in both cases.

But given that Uranus’ atmosphere is believed to be thick enough to swallow the entire Earth, it was previously unknown just how far the violent weather reached into the planet’s interior.

Now a team of planetary scientists with the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, including William Hubbard and Adam Showman, has published the results of new analyses that put an upper limit to the weather zone on Uranus and Neptune.

Early bilinguals pick up two ‘sound systems’

Alexis Blue-U. Arizona — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:48:26 +0000

U. ARIZONA (US) — People who learn two languages early in life can switch back and forth between separate sound codes for each language.

The finding addresses enduring questions about how bilingual speakers hear and process sound in two different languages.

“A lot of research has shown that bilinguals are pretty good at accommodating speech variation across languages, but there’s been a debate as to how,” says Kalim Gonzales, University of Arizona psychology doctoral student and lead author on the study.

Do other animals get a runner’s high?

Jennifer Fitzenberger-Arizona — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:21:45 +0000

U. ARIZONA (US) — Intense aerobic exercise sends more blood to the brain, giving humans a “runner’s high,” but do dogs and other animals experience one, too?

Exercise helps the body produce drugs known as endocannabinoids—the same chemicals found in marijuana.

High blood sugar may raise Alzheimer’s risk

Alexis Blue-U. Arizona — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:33:49 +0000

U. ARIZONA (US) — Elevated blood sugar levels may be associated with a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, even in people without diabetes.

About 5 percent of men and women, ages 65 to 74, have Alzheimer’s disease, and it is estimated that nearly half of those age 85 and older may have the disease, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Why being nice can backfire on a bad day

Alexis Blue-U. Arizona — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:10:11 +0000

U. ARIZONA (US) — Making sacrifices for your partner after a stressful day may not be beneficial to either of you, a new study suggests.

A pile of dirty dishes looms in the kitchen. It’s your spouse’s night to wash, but you know he or she has had a long day so you grab a sponge and get started. It’s just one of the minor daily sacrifices you make in the name of love. But what if you had a long, stressful day, too?

A new study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships suggests that while making sacrifices in a romantic relationship is generally a positive thing, doing so on days when you are feeling especially stressed may not be a good idea. The study is also featured in the journal’s podcast series.

Maya marked start of ‘new form of society’

Alexis Blue-U. Arizona — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:23:27 +0000

U. ARIZONA (US) — Scientists have uncovered evidence at a site in Guatemala that suggests the origins of the Maya civilization are more complex than previously thought.

Known for its elaborate temples, sophisticated writing system, and mathematical and astronomical developments, how the civilization got its start has remained something of a mystery.

Why are insect and human brains so similar?

Daniel Stolte-Arizona — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:22:30 +0000

U. ARIZONA (US) / KING’S COLLEGE LONDON (UK) — Decision-making centers in the brains of insects and mammals share too many similarities to have evolved independently, a new study suggests.

Published in Science, the findings point to deep similarities in how the brain regulates behavior in arthropods (such as flies and crabs) and vertebrates (such as fish, mice, and humans).

Pests could chomp past double toxin

Daniel Stolte-Arizona — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:40:37 +0000

U. ARIZONA (US) —Crops genetically engineered to produce multiple toxins might not kill pests for long, warn researchers.

Corn and cotton have been genetically modified to produce pest-killing proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt for short.

Pottery shards show ancient social networks

Alexis Blue-U. Arizona — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:21:28 +0000

U. ARIZONA (US) — Thousands of ceramic and obsidian artifacts from A.D. 1200-1450 show the growth and collapse of long-distant relationships in the US Southwest.

An article published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences sheds light on the transformation of social networks in the late pre-Hispanic American Southwest and shows that people of that period were able to maintain surprisingly long-distance relationships with nothing more than their feet to connect them.

Led by University of Arizona anthropologist Barbara Mills, the study is based on analysis of more than 800,000 painted ceramic and more than 4,800 obsidian artifacts dating from A.D. 1200-1450, uncovered from more than 700 sites in the Southwest, in what is now Arizona and western New Mexico.