national academy of sciences
Researchers discover new shapes of microcompartments
In nature and engineering, microcompartments — molecular shells made of proteins that can encapsulate cellular components — provide a tiny home for important reactions. In bacterial organelles, for example, microcompartments known as carboxyso…
Words help people form mathematical concepts
Language may play an important role in learning the meanings of numbers, scholars at the University of Chicago report.
A study based on research on deaf people in Nicaragua who never learned formal sign language showed that people who communicate …
Female fish — and humans? — lose interest when their male loses a slugfest
You may think of your love for your mate as the noble emotion of a pure heart, but some primitive parts of your brain are taking a decidedly more pragmatic approach to the subject, according to Stanford biologists.
In experiments with African ci…
Multiple fathers prevalent in Amazonian cultures
COLUMBIA, Mo. — In modern culture, it is not considered socially acceptable for married people to have extramarital sexual partners. However, in some Amazonian cultures, extramarital sexual affairs were common, and people believed that when a woma…
Lactate in the brain reveals aging process
Researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have shown that they may be able to monitor the aging process in the brain, by using MRI technique to measure the brain lactic acid levels. Their findings suggest that the lactate l…
Feasts at a funeral
Whether the occasion is a wedding reception or another milestone in life, the feast is a time-honored ritual in which a large meal marks a significant occasion. We know that the Romans, Greeks and Vikings did it, and today it’s still an active…