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Eww! Touch doubles effectiveness of spider phobia therapy

Just in time for Halloween, a new study of the use of virtual reality to treat spider phobia indicates that touching the fuzzy creepy-crawlers can make the therapy twice as effective. Researchers at the University of Washington’s Human Interface Technology (HIT) Lab measured aversion and anxiety responses of students, some of whom had a clinical phobia of spiders, before and after undergoing VR therapy. During the therapy, some of the subjects touched a realistic model of a large spider while grasping a virtual one. Those participants were able to come twice as close to a real spider after completing three therapy sessions, and reported a greater decrease in anxiety during treatment, than those who underwent VR therapy alone.

Simple system yields custom-designed proteins

A Princeton professor of chemistry, has invented a technique for making protein molecules from scratch, a long-sought advance that will allow scientists to design the most basic building blocks of all living things with a variety of shapes and compositions far greater than those available in nature. The technique, which was developed over the last 10 years and validated in experiments to be published in November, could prove useful in a wide range of fields. Custom-designed proteins, for example, could become a source of new drugs or could form the basis of new materials that mimic the strength and resilience of natural substances.

Specialized brain helped ancient reptiles fly and hunt

Pterosaurs, which emerged as the first flying vertebrates during the age of dinosaurs, could grow as large as an airplane but soared through the skies with ease. New research suggests that a specialized brain and inner ear structure helped these ancient reptiles to fly and target their prey, a finding that could give scientists insight into the evolution of the brain and visual system. Compared to modern reptiles such as alligators and lizards, pterosaurs — commonly known as pterodactyls — had a complicated neural system that allowed them to make deft use of massive wings and adapt to an airborne lifestyle.

Polar bears’ habitat threatened by thinning of Arctic sea ice

The main natural habitat of the polar bear is under increasing threat as a consequence of the dramatic thinning of the Arctic sea ice. The link between the thinning of the ice and rising temperatures has been discovered by scientists at UCL and the Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, whose findings are due to be published in the 30th October edition of Nature.

‘Reset Switch’ for Brain Cells Discovered

Neurobiologists have discovered how neurons in the brain “reset” when they are overly active. This molecular reset switch works to increase or decrease the sensitivity of brain cells to stimulation by their neighbors. Such “homeostatic plasticity” is critical for the brain to adapt to changes in the environment — either to avoid having its neurons swamped by increased activity of a neural pathway, or rendered too insensitive to detect triggering impulses from other neurons when neural activity is low. This plasticity is distinct from the more rapid changes in neural circuits laid down early during the formation of memories, said the scientists.

40% of women with breast implants want them out

Up to 40 percent of women with breast implants want them out, according to a new study conducted by the British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health. The reason most commonly cited: Health complications. Said the lead researcher: “This wasn’t a study to lead us to say that because women got breast implants, they got sick, or they had problems. But, there is obviously something going on that is affecting their health, or women whose health does not support having a breast implant are still being given them.”

Premature babies benefit from breast milk

Premature infants fed breast milk made developmental gains equal to or greater than those fed formula specially designed for low-birth-weight infants, an international study finds. “Definitely, appropriately fortified breast milk is the feeding of choice for these premature, low-birth-weight babies,” says U of T nutritional sciences professor Deborah O’Connor, lead author of a study by Canadian, U.S., U.K. and Chilean researchers in the October Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition.

Enormous X-ray solar flare headed for Earth

The third most powerful solar X-ray flare on record, a remarkable X17.2 category explosion, erupted from sunspot 10486 on Tuesday, 28 October 2003. This is the second largest X-ray flare ever seen by the ESA/NASA SOHO spacecraft, after the major X20 solar flare of April 2001. Regular observations of X-ray flares began in the 1970s. This explosion hurled a ‘coronal mass ejection’ (CME) almost directly toward Earth, which could trigger bright aurorae when the material reaches us in about a day.

U.S. presidents succeed more than they fail: Believe it, or not!

Some pundits have discussed recently whether President Bush’s Iraq and economic policies have been failures ? and whether they might signal an overall failure of the Bush presidency. But not long ago many of these same pundits were praising Bush for his determined leadership. And if recent presidential history is any indication, it may be too soon to assess what Bush has accomplished, said John Kessel, a professor of political science at Ohio State University. Kessel recently discussed how Bush’s policies are being assessed in light of a study he did that examined presidential successes and failures of nine recent presidents ? Eisenhower through Clinton. In that study, Kessel found that successful policies dominated failed policies by a ratio of three to two.