Researchers have given rats the ability to “touch” infrared light, normally invisible to them, by fitting them with an infrared detector wired to microscopic electrodes implanted in the part of the mammalian brain that processes [...]
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Dogs spot the dog
Dogs pick out faces of other dogs, irrespective of breeds, among human and other domestic and wild animal faces and can group them into a category of their own. They do that using visual cues [...]
Love of harmony is not nature but nurture
Our love of music and appreciation of musical harmony is learnt and not based on natural ability – a new study by University of Melbourne researchers has found. Associate Professor Neil McLachlan from the Melbourne [...]
Explosive breakthrough in molecular recognition
Ever wonder how sometimes people still get through security with explosives on their person? Research done in the University of Alberta’s Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering has revealed a new way to better detect [...]
Doubt cast on value of vegetable fats for heart health
A new analysis of data missing from a study that ended more than 40 years ago casts doubt on current dietary advice about vegetable fats and heart health. The clinical trial published in the British [...]
Lovers’ hearts beat in sync, UC Davis study says
When modern-day crooner Trey Songz sings, “Cause girl, my heart beats for you,” in his romantic ballad, “Flatline,” his lyrics could be telling a tale that’s as much physiological as it is emotional, according to [...]
Wide Field Imager snaps cosmic gecko
This part of the constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer) is one of the richest star fields in the whole sky — the Large Sagittarius Star Cloud. The huge number of stars that light up this [...]
Unconscious processing improves decision-making
When faced with a difficult decision, it is often suggested to “sleep on it” or take a break from thinking about the decision in order to gain clarity. But new brain imaging research from Carnegie [...]
Study in mice yields Angelman advance
In a new study in mice, a scientific collaboration centered at Brown University lays out in unprecedented detail a neurological signaling breakdown in Angelman syndrome, a disorder that affects thousands of children each year, characterized [...]
Computerized ‘Rosetta Stone’ reconstructs ancient languages
University of British Columbia and Berkeley researchers have used a sophisticated new computer system to quickly reconstruct protolanguages – the rudimentary ancient tongues from which modern languages evolved. The results, which are 85 per cent [...]
Few pregnant women treated for sexually transmitted infections
Many pregnant women with sexually transmitted infections aren’t getting the treatment they need when they visit emergency rooms, according to a new Michigan State University study that highlights a wholly preventable risk to unborn children [...]
Christianity sways meat eating habits of indigenous people
Religious missionaries have been transforming the belief systems of indigenous peoples deep within the Amazon since the 1700s, but the outsiders might be influencing more than just prayer. Research by Stanford biologists suggests that the introduction of Western religions is altering the biodiversity in [...]
‘Virtual Moderator’ helps reach consensus in troubled negotiations
A group of researchers have designed a new fuzzy ontology-based system to help people in disagreement reach consensus. This system, which acts as a virtual moderator, is a step forward in the field on Artificial [...]
Sign of empathy: Young bonobos comfort friends in distress
Comforting a friend or relative in distress may be a more hard-wired behavior than previously thought, according to a new study of bonobos, which are great apes known for their empathy and close relation to [...]
Scientists advance magic with ‘cups and balls’ study
Cognitive brain researchers have studied a magic trick filmed in magician duo Penn & Teller’s theater in Las Vegas, to illuminate the neuroscience of illusion. Their results advance our understanding of how observers can be [...]
Alcohol abusers’ depression often related to drinking
For problem drinkers, bouts of depressive symptoms are often the direct result of their heavy alcohol intake, according to a study in the March issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Experts [...]
Underage youth drinking concentrated among small number of brands
A relatively small number of alcohol brands dominate underage youth alcohol consumption, according to a new report from researchers at the Boston University School of Public Health and the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth [...]
Canker sore drug points way to new treatments for diabetes, obesity
Researchers at the University of Michigan’s Life Sciences Institute have found that amlexanox, an off-patent drug currently prescribed for the treatment of asthma and other uses, also reverses obesity, diabetes and fatty liver in mice. [...]
New genes for short-sightedness identified
An international team of scientists led by King’s College London has discovered 24 new genes that cause refractive errors and myopia (short-sightedness). Myopia is a major cause of blindness and visual impairment worldwide, and currently [...]
Molecular ‘calcium sponge’ to tackle heart failure
Researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology and the Lillehei Heart Institute have utilized molecular genetic engineering to optimize heart performance in models of diastolic heart failure by creating an [...]
Sun burp aimed at Earth
On Feb. 9, 2013 at 2:30 a.m. EST, the sun erupted with an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection or CME, associated with a long duration C2.4-class flare. Experimental NASA research models, based on observations from the [...]
Interacting with avatars may reduce depressive symptoms in young adults
Young adults, in a period of transition, are often reluctant to seek treatment for mental health problems because of the stigma, inadequate insurance coverage and difficulty finding a mental health care provider. But a new [...]
Having a Tony Stark at the office is fine as long as you hire a Pepper Potts
Not every company has an Iron Man, but many have a Tony Stark – a highly powerful, intensely-focused individual who often ignores risk in order to achieve his or her goals. That’s usually a good [...]
Cupid’s arrow: Notre Dame Research illuminates laws of attraction
We’ve heard the clichés: “It was love at first sight,” “It’s inner beauty that truly matters,” and “Opposites attract.” But what’s really at work in selecting a romantic or sexual partner? University of Notre Dame Sociologist [...]
Common Rat-Size Ancestor Links All the Fuzzy Creatures
An international team of researchers has reconstructed the common ancestor of placental mammals—an extremely diverse group including animals ranging from rodents to whales to humans—using the world’s largest dataset of both genetic and physical traits. [...]
Scientists find key to growth of ‘bad’ bacteria in inflamed gut
Scientists have long puzzled over why “bad” bacteria such as E. coli can thrive in the guts of those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), causing serious diarrhea. Now UC Davis researchers have discovered the answer—one that may be [...]
Dickkopf makes fountain of youth in the brain run dry
Cognitive decline in old age is linked to decreasing production of new neurons. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center have discovered in mice that significantly more neurons are generated in the brains of older [...]
Experimental gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Jacob Rutt is a bright 11-year-old who likes to draw detailed maps in his spare time. But the budding geographer has a hard time with physical skills most children take for granted ― running and [...]
‘Junk’ compound protects heart during and after attack
Using two different compounds they developed, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have been able to show in animal models that inhibiting a specific enzyme protects heart cells and surrounding [...]
Sensing the Light, But Not to See
Among the animals that are appealing “cover models” for scientific journals, lancelets don’t spring readily to mind. Slender, limbless, primitive blobs that look pretty much the same end to end, lancelets “are extremely boring. I [...]