ScienceBlog.com

Shahn Majid looks at dark energy. Will it herald a revolution in our understanding of fundamental physics?

Scientists have found that cortisol levels are lower in boys with either early onset or teenage behavioral problems, suggesting that there may be a universal, inherent, biological cause to all forms of conduct disorder.

New research published suggests that pregnant women should think twice about high-fat foods.

A new study by researchers at the Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center has found that children as young as four can develop full-blown obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and often exhibit many of the same OCD characteristics typically seen in older kids.

In a two-year multicenter study led by University of Utah doctors, the dietary supplements glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate performed no better than placebo in slowing the rate of cartilage loss in the knees of osteoarthritis patients.

If you’ve balanced a laptop computer on your lap lately, you probably noticed a burning sensation. That’s because ever-increasing processing speeds are creating more and more heat, which has to go somewhere — in this case, into your lap.

The remains of a 30-foot-long predatory dinosaur discovered along the banks of Argentina’s Rio Colorado is helping to unravel how birds evolved their unusual breathing system.

Rugby players may get more than just the ball out of a scrum – herpes virus can cause a skin disease called “scrumpox” and it spreads through physical contact. Researchers have studied the spread of the disease among sumo wrestlers in Japan and have discovered that a new strain of the virus could be even more pathogenic, according to an article published in the October issue of the Journal of General Virology.

A protein required for the earliest steps in embryonic development also plays a key role in solidifying fear memories in the brains of adult animals, scientists have revealed. An apparent “hub” for changes in the connections between brain cells, beta-catenin could be a potential target for drugs to enhance or interfere with memory formation.

University of Calgary climate change scientist David Keith and his team are working to efficiently capture the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide directly from the air, using near-commercial technology.

Metaphors present a problem for anybody trying to explain language, or anybody trying to teach a computer to understand language. New neurological evidence helps explain one component of this complex human ability.

Throughout history, primitive civilizations have made use of caves for shelter, burial tombs, or as religious sites. Since artifacts placed in caves are protected from the harsh climate and scavenging animals, this means caves are an archaeological treasure for knowledge about these people. Read Full Story

Our perceived opinions of this country are usually skewed due to the continuous allegations of the press and what we, as outsiders see when we come in contact with their culture. The treasures of this country that were lost are meant to be of historical significance, not of hate. Enjoy the artifacts, for they share a piece of international history. Read Full Story

a large land roaming lizard. hmm…

Scientists from Russian region of Kamchatka suggested a new approach to long-range prediction of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Since Kamchatka is one of the regions, where most intensive earthquakes on our planet take place quite often, we should listen to them.

Scientists at Yale School of Medicine have found that two-year-olds with autism looked significantly more at the mouths of others, and less at their eyes, than typically developing toddlers. This abnormality predicts the level of disability, according to study results published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Following a record-breaking season of arctic sea ice decline in 2007, NASA scientists have kept a close watch on the 2008 melt season. Although the melt season did not break the record for ice loss, NASA data are showing that for a four-week period in August 2008, sea ice melted faster during that period than ever before.

PETA inspires headlines yet again, asking Ben & Jerry’s to replace the cow’s milk in their ice cream with human breast milk.

Rooting out Wi-Fi “dead zones” in large wireless networks that cover whole neighborhoods or cities is an expensive proposition. Pre-deployment testing is so costly that most WiFi providers simply build their networks first and fill in the gaps later. But even that isn’t easy, due to the paucity of inexpensive techniques for mapping out precisely which areas lack coverage.

Cities are being unfairly blamed for most of humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions and this threatens efforts to tackle climate change, warns a study in the October 2008 issue of the journal Environment and Urbanization.