| Omega-3 lowers childhood aggression in short term Posted: 13 May 2016 06:53 PM PDT Consuming omega-3 initially improves a child's aggressive behavior, according to researchers but the effects eventually vanish. |
| When selling good karma goes bad Posted: 13 May 2016 06:53 PM PDT A new study has examined how consumers' beliefs about karma influence their responses to charitable appeals in advertising. The findings show that people who believe in karma, despite seeing the positive benefits of doing good deeds, do not always respond favorably. |
| Carbon capture is substantial in secondary tropical forests Posted: 13 May 2016 06:53 PM PDT One of the most effective methods for capturing carbon from the atmosphere in the tropics of Latin America -- allowing secondary forests to regenerate on their own -- is overlooked by global climate change policies. Scientists explain how these forests quickly become substantial, important players in the fight to slow climate change. |
| Coral stress test found in the genes Posted: 13 May 2016 06:50 PM PDT Unique sections of coral DNA can indicate a higher tolerance to environmental stress, researchers have revealed for the first time. |
| Researchers unleash graphene 'tiger' for more efficient optoelectronics Posted: 13 May 2016 06:50 PM PDT In traditional light-harvesting methods, energy from one photon only excites one electron or none depending on the absorber's energy gap. The remaining energy is lost as heat. But a new article describe one promising approach to coax photons into stimulating multiple electrons. Their method exploits some surprising quantum-level interactions to give one photon multiple potential electron partners. |
| Proton-conducting material found in electrosensory organs of sharks Posted: 13 May 2016 06:50 PM PDT Sharks, skates, and rays can detect very weak electric fields produced by prey and other animals using an array of unusual organs known as the ampullae of Lorenzini. Exactly how these electrosensory organs work has remained a mystery, but a new study has revealed an important clue that may have implications for other fields of research. |
| Pre-Clovis civilization in Florida; settlement 1,500 years earlier than previously believed Posted: 13 May 2016 12:12 PM PDT The discovery of stone tools alongside mastodon bones in a Florida river shows that humans settled the southeastern United States as much as 1,500 years earlier than scientists previously believed, according to a new research. This site on the Aucilla River -- about 45 minutes from Tallahassee -- is now the oldest known site of human life in the southeastern United States. It dates back 14,550 years. |
| A better hologram for fraud protection and wearable optics Posted: 13 May 2016 12:05 PM PDT Holograms are a ubiquitous part of our lives. They are in our wallets -- protecting credit cards, cash and driver's licenses from fraud -- in grocery store scanners and biomedical devices. |
| Another reason for wine lovers to toast resveratrol Posted: 13 May 2016 12:03 PM PDT Red wine lovers have a new reason to celebrate. Researchers have found a new health benefit of resveratrol, which occurs naturally in blueberries, raspberries, mulberries, grape skins and consequently in red wine. |
| Genetic biomarker may predict nerve pain side effects associated with prostate cancer treatment Posted: 13 May 2016 12:03 PM PDT Taxanes are a group of drugs commonly used to treat cancers of the breast, lung, ovary, or prostate, but its use can be limited by significant side effects. Researchers report prostate cancer patients who have a variation in the VAC14 gene are more susceptible to a side effect called peripheral neuropathy when treated with the taxane docetaxel. |
| Scientists use advanced astronomical software to date 2,500 year-old lyric poem Posted: 13 May 2016 12:03 PM PDT Physicists and astronomers have used advanced astronomical software to accurately date lyric poet Sappho's 'Midnight Poem,' which describes the night sky over Greece more than 2,500 years ago. |
| 'Nanocavity' may improve ultrathin solar panels, video cameras and more Posted: 13 May 2016 12:03 PM PDT Recently, engineers placed a single layer of MoS2 molecules on top of a photonic structure called an optical nanocavity made of aluminum oxide and aluminum. The results are promising. The MoS2 nanocavity can increase the amount of light that ultrathin semiconducting materials absorb. In turn, this could help industry to continue manufacturing more powerful, efficient and flexible electronic devices. |
| Turtles immune to old age? Maybe not Posted: 13 May 2016 10:05 AM PDT Nearly 30 years of data collected on painted turtles in the Mississippi River near Clinton, Iowa, show that females suffer a steep dip in fertility before the end of their lives, a finding that flies in the face of what scientists have believed about turtles and aging. |
| Rapid eye movement sleep: Keystone of memory formation Posted: 13 May 2016 10:02 AM PDT For decades, scientists have fiercely debated whether rapid eye movement sleep -- the phase where dreams appear -- is directly involved in memory formation. Now, a study provides evidence that REM sleep does, indeed, play this role -- at least in mice. |
| Beware of microbial traffic jams Posted: 13 May 2016 10:02 AM PDT Grains of sand in an hourglass or candy in a gumball machine often jam up, and physicists have studied this granular flow for decades.Biophysicists have now found that multiplying yeast cells can jam up too, and be described by some of the same physical and mathematical principles. The jammed yeast can actually exert strong pressure that microbes may use to alter their environment. |
| Confirmation that the Ebola virus persists in the semen of survivors of the epidemic Posted: 13 May 2016 08:28 AM PDT An international study confirms that Ebola virus persists in the semen of survivors of the epidemic in Guinea, for up to 9 months after their recovery. These results recall the importance of monitoring survivors in order to prevent the risks of new epidemic outbreaks. |
| New Ice Age knowledge Posted: 13 May 2016 08:21 AM PDT An international team of researchers has gained new insights into the carbon dioxide exchange between ocean and atmosphere, thus making a significant contribution to solving one of the great scientific mysteries of the ice ages. |
| Noninvasive monitor assesses patients' response to painful stimulation during surgery Posted: 13 May 2016 08:21 AM PDT A novel measure for assessing the body's response to surgery may allow for better anesthesia management in the O.R., less pain when regaining consciousness from anesthesia and better postoperative outcomes. |
| American Cancer Society report assesses progress against goals set for nation Posted: 13 May 2016 08:21 AM PDT A new report assesses how the nation fared against the ambitious challenge goal set by the American Cancer Society to reduce the cancer death rates by 50 percent over 25 years ending in 2015. |
| Nationality is not a good indicator of work-related cultural values Posted: 13 May 2016 08:21 AM PDT Researchers and businesses have often operated under the idea that work-related cultural values are defined by country -- just think of stereotypes about countries that are known to have hard workers or are team-oriented. A new study finds that nationality is actually a bad proxy for work-related cultural values, and points to other groupings -- such as occupation -- as more reliable indicators. |
| Bioengineered blood vessel is safe for dialysis patients, study finds Posted: 13 May 2016 08:21 AM PDT Scientists have created bioengineered blood vessels for kidney-disease patients on dialysis. The human-made vessels appeared to be both safe and more durable than commonly used synthetic versions, said the investigators. |
| Evaluating animal threats and human intentions uses common brain network Posted: 13 May 2016 08:21 AM PDT Assessing whether a fluffy bunny or a giant spider poses a threat to our safety happens automatically. New research suggests the same brain areas may be involved in both detecting threats posed by animals and evaluating other humans' intentions. |
| Hubble spies a spiral snowflake Posted: 13 May 2016 08:21 AM PDT Together with irregular galaxies, spiral galaxies make up approximately 60 percent of the galaxies in the local universe. However, despite their prevalence, each spiral galaxy is unique -- like snowflakes, no two are alike. This is demonstrated by the striking face-on spiral galaxy NGC 6814, whose luminous nucleus and spectacular sweeping arms, rippled with an intricate pattern of dark dust. |
| Neuroscientists discover new learning rule for pattern completion Posted: 13 May 2016 08:18 AM PDT "Fire together, wire together" is the famous abridged version of the Hebbian rule. It states that neurons in the brain adapt during the learning process, a mechanism which is called neuronal plasticity. Hebb's theory dates back to the 1940s and subsequent research in neuroscience has further corroborated it. Today, we also know that different factors play a critical role, such as timing of firing, order of activity, and functional connectivity, as cutting-edge technologies allow examining subcellular processes with extraordinary precision. |
| Retreat of the ice followed by millennia of methane release Posted: 13 May 2016 08:18 AM PDT Methane was seeping from the seafloor for thousands of years following the retreat of the Barents Sea ice sheet, shows a groundbreaking new study. |
| Using precision-genetics in pigs to beat cancer Posted: 13 May 2016 08:18 AM PDT Because of their similarities to people, using new technology in pigs turn up as a valuable alternative to rodent models of cancer. |
| Psychology: The power of expectations on experience of pain Posted: 13 May 2016 08:18 AM PDT Expectations have a lot of power over people as is evidenced by the placebo effect: Patients get pills that have no active ingredient. But the patients are not aware of that. Firmly believing that they are taking an effective drug, they actually get better afterwards. Only their expectations were at play here. |
| Conservation laws need reshaping to protect sea turtles Posted: 13 May 2016 08:17 AM PDT An illegal trade in marine turtles is continuing despite legislation and conservation awareness campaigns, a pioneering study has shown. |
| Laser pulses: Conductors for protons Posted: 13 May 2016 07:10 AM PDT Scientists have managed to manipulate the positions of atoms in hydrocarbon molecules using ultrashort laser pulses. |
| Obesity on the rise in Indonesia Posted: 13 May 2016 07:10 AM PDT Obesity is on the rise in Indonesia, one of the largest studies of the double burden of malnutrition in children has revealed. |
| Size of brain region is associated with response to PTSD treatment Posted: 13 May 2016 07:08 AM PDT A study has found that PTSD patients with a larger hippocampus -- a region of the brain key to distinguishing between safety and threat -- are more likely to respond to exposure-based therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder. |
| Girls from progressive societies do better at math, study finds Posted: 13 May 2016 05:45 AM PDT New research shows that the performance gap between girls and boys is far less pronounced in societies that hold progressive and egalitarian views about the role of women. |
| Prenatal stress could enhance protective mechanisms of babies Posted: 13 May 2016 05:45 AM PDT Maternal stress and depression during pregnancy may activate certain protective mechanisms in babies. Psychologists report that certain epigenetic adaptations in newborns suggest this conclusion. |
| Uncovering the secrets of Arctic seabird colonies Posted: 13 May 2016 05:31 AM PDT Seabirds nest by the hundreds of thousands in colonies along the Norwegian coast. By combining an ocean current model with fish larvae transport modeling and bird population numbers, researchers have uncovered the factors that help determine the location of seabird nesting colonies. |
| Blood marker determines who will respond to colorectal cancer drug Posted: 13 May 2016 05:31 AM PDT Cancer researchers have identified a marker that shows up in a blood test that determines which patients with colorectal cancer that has spread would benefit from receiving the drug cetuximab. |
| Eyewitnesses' memories darken skin color Posted: 12 May 2016 06:24 PM PDT Eyewitnesses remember the faces of black suspects less accurately in drive-by shootings than they do in serial killings. Their memories are further skewed when the victims are women or white males, psychology researchers have found. |
| Hubble catches views of a jet rotating with Comet 252P/LINEAR Posted: 12 May 2016 06:24 PM PDT A sequence of images shows Comet 252P/LINEAR as it passed by Earth. The visit was one of the closest encounters between a comet and our planet. |
| New gene for familial high cholesterol Posted: 12 May 2016 06:24 PM PDT The gene that explains one quarter of all familial hypercholesterolemia with very high blood cholesterol, has been revealed by new research. Familial hypercholesterolemia is the most common genetic disorder leading to premature death, found in 1 in 200 people. |
| Surprising new properties in a 2-D semiconductor Posted: 12 May 2016 11:33 AM PDT Researchers found how substantial linear defects in a new semiconductor create entirely new properties. Some of these properties indicate the defects might even mediate superconducting states. |
| Brain images reveal first physical evidence that AA prayers reduce cravings Posted: 12 May 2016 11:29 AM PDT Members Alcoholics Anonymous who recited AA prayers after viewing drinking-related images reported less craving for alcohol after praying, according to a new study. |
| Dual screen smartwatch unveiled Posted: 12 May 2016 11:29 AM PDT Researchers have unveiled a prototype of a smartwatch with dual touchscreens called Doppio. |
