Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for March 9, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Meteorites reveal another way to make life's components- New type of extra-chromosomal DNA discovered
- Physicist suggests Einstein could have beaten Bohr in famous thought experiment
- New design for a metamaterial could be far more efficient at capturing sunlight than existing solar cells
- Toshiba announces new printer that uses erasable toner
- Image or mirror image? Chiral recognition by femtosecond laser
- In recognizing faces, the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts
- New 'pendulum' for the ytterbium clock
- Google, Motorola ordered to share Android details with Apple
- Study of infants challenges developmental sequence of human language learning
- Research explores common visual error of 'boundary extension'
- Scientists save energy by lubricating wood
- Hubble views grand star-forming region
- Stars with dusty disks should harbor Earth-like worlds
- Nanotube technology leading to fast, lower-cost medical diagnostics
Space & Earth news
Pacific nation may buy Fiji land as climate refuge
(AP) -- Fearing that climate change could wipe out their entire Pacific archipelago, the leaders of Kiribati are considering an unusual backup plan: moving the populace to Fiji.
Researcher's new conservation tool: a wooden post
The latest tool for protecting one of Victoria’s most important wetlands is a simple wooden post.
Invading trees?
Rumours of trees ‘invading’ the Arctic as a by-product of climate change have been ‘greatly exaggerated’ according to a polar scientist due to lecture on the subject at Cambridge University’s annual Science Festival.
TacSat-4 enables polar region SatCom experiment
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter HEALY (WAGB 20) successfully experimented with NRL's TacSat-4 communications satellite, Jan. 24, by communicating from the Bering Sea off the western coast of Alaska to Coast Guard Island, Alameda, Calif.
Sustainability threatened by rising demand for livestock products
Global demand for meat, milk and eggs has tripled in the past four decades and is expected to double by 2050. Increased global livestock production has great impacts on the environment and increases global warming. A major new European research project at the University of Copenhagen aims to identify and develop innovative solutions and technologies to handle and utilise the huge quantities of animal waste from livestock production. In Denmark, 34 million tons of animal manure are produced annually.
Chikyu to set sail for IODP expedition: Japan trench fast drilling project
The Deep-Sea Scientific Drilling Vessel Chikyu, operated by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), will embark on Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 343 Japan Trench Fast Drilling Project (JFAST), from 1 April to 24 May 2012.
EU to keep carbon tax on airlines
The European Union will maintain its carbon tax imposed on airlines operating in its airspace, the Danish climate minister said, despite retaliatory trade measures by China.
Solar storm shakes Earth magnetic field
(AP) -- A solar storm shook the Earth's magnetic field early Friday, but scientists said they had no reports of any problems with electrical systems.
Radar prototype begins tracking down space junk
Several times a year, the International Space Station needs to perform Debris Avoidance Maneuvers to dodge the ever-growing amount of space junk hurtling around in Earth orbit. Additionally, our increased dependence on satellites for communications and navigation is threatened by the risk of potential collisions with space debris. The existing system for finding and tracking objects, the Air Force Space Surveillance System, or VHF Fence, has been in service since the early 1960s, and is sorely out of date. But a prototype system called Space Fence has now been tested in a series of demonstrations, and successfully tracked more and smaller pieces of debris than the current system.
Climate risks of bioenergy underestimated
Energy from biomass presents underappreciated risks, new research published in Nature Climate Change shows.
Effects of flooding on Cairo, Ill.
When faced with a choice between a deluge or a controlled deluge in May 2011 that would protect the city of Cairo, Illinois, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers chose the latter by ordering an intentional breach of the Mississippi River levee at Bird's Point, but was it the right decision?
Large solar flares generate geomagnetic storm
A pair of unusually large solar flares early yesterday generated a Coronal Mass Ejection that will reach Earth around mid-day today. It will likely cause at least a strong geomagnetic storm that could affect satellites in space and trigger auroral displays.
Apollo 16: What young really means on the moon
(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the main goals of the Apollo 16 mission was to explore and sample a young bright-rayed crater aptly named North Ray crater (890 m diameter). Its high reflectivity is due to its young age.
Storms from the sun
(PhysOrg.com) -- Space weather starts at the sun. It begins with an eruption such as a huge burst of light and radiation called a solar flare or a gigantic cloud of solar material called a coronal mass ejection (CME). But the effects of those eruptions happen at Earth, or at least near-Earth space. Scientists monitor several kinds of space "weather" events -- geomagnetic storms, solar radiation storms, and radio blackouts – all caused by these immense explosions on the sun.
Mid-Atlantic suburbs can expect an early spring thanks to the heat of the big city
If you've been thinking our world is more green than frozen these days, you're right. A recent study has found that spring is indeed arriving earlier – and autumn later – in the suburbs of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The reason? The urban landscape traps heat in the summer and holds it throughout the winter, triggering leaves to turn green earlier in the spring and to stay green later into autumn. The result is a new, extended growing season.
Mapping the Moho with GOCE
The first global high-resolution map of the boundary between Earth's crust and mantle – the Moho – has been produced based on data from ESA's GOCE gravity satellite. Understanding the Moho will offer new clues into the dynamics of Earth's interior.
A strong backhand slap from end of solar storm (Update)
The solar storm that seemed to be more fizzle than fury got much stronger early Friday before fading again.
One year after the Japan tsunami, USC engineers help California's ports prepare
On the one-year anniversary of the devastating Japanese tsunami, engineers from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering Tsunami Research Center are working with the State of California to better understand the damaging currents caused by tsunamis.
Stars with dusty disks should harbor Earth-like worlds
Stars with disks of debris around them might be good targets to search for Earth-like planets, researchers say.
Hubble views grand star-forming region
(PhysOrg.com) -- This massive, young stellar grouping, called R136, is only a few million years old and resides in the 30 Doradus Nebula, a turbulent star-birth region in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. There is no known star-forming region in the Milky Way Galaxy as large or as prolific as 30 Doradus.
Technology news
UK police quiz man over abortion website attack
(AP) -- Police have arrested a man suspected of hacking into the website of a major British abortion provider, vandalizing it and stealing sensitive data, officials said Friday.
Fujitsu develops innovative anti-distortion technology to cut energy use by two-thirds
Fujitsu today announced the development of a digital signal processing algorithm to compensate for waveform distortion in long-haul transmission systems of over several hundreds of kilometers. This, in turn, enables a roughly twenty-fold improvement in the compensation ability per circuit size compared to typical existing technology, representing a considerable improvement of approximately three times compared to circuits previously developed by Fujitsu. As a result, the new technology has succeeded in extending the long-haul operating range of optical signals. By reducing the energy consumption of compensation circuits by two-thirds, the new technology also helps cut energy consumption throughout an entire network.
GoalRef goal-line technology advances to final
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) announced on Saturday, March 3, 2012, that it had shortlisted two goal-line technologies and approved them for a final round of testing. One of the remaining candidates is the GoalRef system developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, which is based in Erlangen, Germany. Fraunhofer IIS scientists are fielding a radio-based solution that tells the referee immediately whether or not a goal should be awarded.
A cheap and fully optical solution for ultra-fast internet
Blisteringly fast Internet speeds, more robust connections and a big increase in network capacity at little extra cost, even in rural areas? It's the sort of fantasy that keeps telecommunication company executives and bandwidth-hungry Internet users awake at night... until now. Groundbreaking fibre-optic technology recently developed with EU-fundingis promising all those things and more.
VEVO launches redesign with Facebook in mind
With TV screens and social networking in mind, the music video site VEVO has launched a significant redesign.
Investors to get Google records on online drug ads
(AP) -- A Delaware judge has given Google Inc. until April 9 to give a pension fund investors company documents involving what authorities said was the illegal online marketing of prescription drugs to U.S. consumers by Canadian pharmacies.
Health monitoring? There's an app for that
Researchers in New Zealand have developed a prototype Bluetooth-enabled medical monitoring device that can be connected wirelessly to your smart phone and keep track of various physiological parameters, such as body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and movements. The prototype could be extended to include sensors for other factors such as blood glucose as well as markers for specific diseases. The connectivity would allow patients to send data directly to their healthcare provider and receive timely advice and medication suggestions.
Survey ranks Google highly despite privacy fears
(AP) -- Google is almost everyone's favorite search engine, despite misgivings about data-collection and advertising practices that are widely seen as intrusive.
New online energy harvesting data repository launched
Energy data from sources such as human motion, wind speeds and light irradiance that could be used to power wireless electronic devices is being made available to the world's scientific community, thanks to a new resource being launched this month.
Air Force space drone's secret mission hits one-year milestone
One year after the Air Force blasted it into orbit, an experimental robotic space drone continues to circle the Earth.
Hacking suspect a 'genius,' but often in trouble
At the time of his latest arrest, Jeremy Hammond was living on Chicago's South Side, about three dozen miles and an entire political spectrum away from the conservative Illinois community in which he grew up.
Cellphone jamming raises transit users' ire
Silencing the loudmouth cellphone user across the aisle is surely a common fantasy among transit riders. But how often do they fulfill their wish and become peace-and-quiet vigilantes - despite decades-old laws against blocking radio transmissions?
February video game retail sales drop 20 percent
(AP) -- U.S. retail sales of video games tumbled 20 percent in February as people cut spending on video games and systems in a month without big new game launches.
Tracking pedestrians indoors using their smart phones
The next generation of smart phone could combine the data from its gyroscopes with a built-in compass to allow you to track your movements when indoors even without GPS. Such a system could be useful for shopping mall managers, factory bosses for worker safety and security and office workers hoping to manage the flow of people through buildings. It could also be used to enable location based services and to help users navigate to specific meeting points or shops.
Americans not fans of online targeted ads: survey
Most Americans are satisfied with their Internet search engines but they are not fans of targeted advertising, seeing it as an invasion of privacy, according to a survey published on Friday.
Apple to add 3,600 jobs at new $304M Texas campus
(AP) -- Apple Inc. is investing $304 million in a new campus and more than doubling its workforce in the Texas capital, boosted by a $21 million incentive from a state fund designed to attract high-tech companies, Gov. Rick Perry said Friday.
Obama names new chief technology officer
US President Barack Obama named a new chief technology officer on Friday to lead efforts to inject innovation into government.
Social network Path runs with Nike
Intimate social network Path has kept its stride after a privacy stumble and on Friday began running with Nike.
New software-simulation system promises much more accurate evaluation of multicore-chip designs
For the last decade or so, computer chip manufacturers have been increasing the speed of their chips by giving them extra processing units, or “cores.” Most major manufacturers now offer chips with eight, 10 or even 12 cores.
Virdia gets $100 million to start cellulose ethanol plant
(PhysOrg.com) -- Despite calls for finding alternatives to using corn to make biofuel, the United States currently has no such commercial biomass-to-sugar processing plants able to do so. That may soon change as Virdia has announced that it has received $100 million in public and private financing to build a plant in Mississippi that will convert wood chips into cellulosic sugar which it will sell to companies that make biofuels and other chemical products.
Google, Motorola ordered to share Android details with Apple
Google Inc. and Motorola Mobility have been ordered to disclose details on the development of the Android operating system to arguably their biggest rival - Apple Inc.
Medicine & Health news
Developing effective stem cell therapies for heart disease will hinge on collaboration between multiple specialties
Opportunities for multidisciplinary collaboration have never been more important if the development of effective regenerative therapies for heart disease is to be realised, according to the first paper in this week's Lancet Series on stem cells. The breaking down of traditional barriers between individual areas of specialisation, from cardiovascular medicine to device technology, and the creation of interdisciplinary teams from both academia and the private sector will be key.
UK health reforms will be the end of free care for all, warn experts
Entitlement to free health services will be curtailed by the Health and Social Care Bill currently before parliament, warn experts today.
Poland pulls food suspected of having road salt
(AP) -- Polish health authorities have ordered the withdrawal from the market of more than 230,000 kilograms (500,000 pounds) of pickles, bread and other food suspected of containing industrial salt, the latest development in a scandal raising fears about food safety.
HIV rates for black women in parts of the US much higher than previously estimated
Study results released today indicate that the HIV incidence rate for US women living in areas hardest hit by the epidemic is much higher than the overall estimated incidence rate in the US for black adolescent and adult women.
Osteoarthritis Summit delineates shortcomings of research and path forward
A recent summit that brought together international multidisciplinary experts has provided a foundation for addressing what is the leading cause of disability in the United States: osteoarthritis.
The Medical Minute: Working with your health care team
Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 4-10) is an annual National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) led education and awareness campaign for health care safety. Penn State Hershey Medical Center participation focuses around raising awareness of patient safety activities and creating awareness among providers, patients and members of the community.
Health and happiness: Measuring wellbeing in Huntington's disease
(Medical Xpress) -- Scientists at the University of Reading have designed a new tool which could significantly aid research and management of an incurable brain disease affecting thousands of people.
Happiness: it's not in the jeans
(Medical Xpress) -- You may throw on an outfit without much thought in the morning, but your choice is strongly affected by your mood. And the item of casual wear in almost everyone’s wardrobe – denim jeans – is what most people wear when depressed, new research from psychologists at the University of Hertfordshire reveals.
Making exercise fun and cool for at-risk teens
Motivating teens to exercise is often a tough sell, but a new study in the American Journal of Health Promotion finds that introducing culturally tailored activities, those that young people find fun and popular, can encourage some of the most at-risk teens to get active.
7-country study examining the causes of childhood pneumonia outlined
The scientific journal Clinical Infectious Diseases has released its March Special Supplement focusing entirely on the research design of and pilot data from the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) Project, which seeks to identify the causes of pneumonia among the world's most vulnerable populations. PERCH, led by the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in collaboration with 7 research centers worldwide, is the largest and most comprehensive study of the etiology of childhood pneumonia conducted in more than 20 years. Pneumonia is the leading cause of death among children under age five, but while the disease is easy to recognize, the causes of pneumonia, which claims the lives of approximately 1.6 million children each year, are not.
How open source could help malaria treatment
In open source drug discovery all data and ideas are freely and immediately shared, and anyone may participate at any level.
Bleary America needs some shut-eye
Stop yawning, America, and get some sleep. It’s more important than you think.
Cultural differences may impact neurologic and psychiatric rehabilitation of Spanish speakers
The number of people with neurological and psychiatric disorders in Spanish-speaking countries has increased over the past two decades. The February issue of NeuroRehabilitation assesses important factors that should be considered in rehabilitating Spanish-speaking individuals suffering from these disorders.
Out of bed! Hospitals aim to keep elderly strong
(AP) -- Bob Landorf walked miles during his hospital stay, dragging his IV pole along, too, on a mission to upend disturbing statistics for patients his age.
Menopausal symptoms negatively affect work ability
(HealthDay) -- Menopausal symptoms negatively affect work ability, according to research published in the March issue of Menopause.
Coming soon: At-home sperm test for couples trying to conceive
(HealthDay) -- Women who are trying to conceive often use at-home products such as ovulation predictors and pregnancy tests, but the newest do-it-yourself test to help couples have a baby is for their male partners: A 10-minute test that can determine if a man's sperm count is normal or not.
Von Willebrand factor linked to bleeding complications
(HealthDay) -- Oral anticoagulation (OAC)-treated patients with high levels of von Willebrand factor (VWF) have elevated risks of bleeding complications and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, according to a study published in the March issue of the Journal of Internal Medicine.
FDA clears 3rd silicone-gel breast implant for US
(AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new silicone-gel breast implant from Sientra, making it the third company to market the controversial products in the U.S.
Engineering whole organs: Closing in on a potential solution to the organ donor shortage?
A new technique involving the use of an artificial scaffold into which a patient's own stem cells are inserted, turning it into a fully functional organ, could offer a potential solution to the donor shortage crisis, according to the second paper in this week's Lancet Series on stem cells. This pioneering approach to regenerating and transplanting organs requires no human donors, has no problems with rejection, and has no need for immunosuppressive drugs.
Rheumatoid arthritis linked to irregular heart rhythm
People with rheumatoid arthritis are at a greater risk of irregular heart rhythm (known as atrial fibrillation) and stroke compared with the general population, finds a study published in the British Medical Journal today.
$100 or $1,000? Wide price range for birth control
(AP) -- What does birth control really cost anyway?
Evidence-based systems needed to reduce unnecessary imaging tests
Imaging has been identified as one of the key drivers of increased healthcare costs. A new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School has found significant variation in the use of head computed tomography (CT), even within a single emergency department. Strategies to reduce such variation in head CT use may reduce cost and improve quality of care. The study appears online in advance of publication in the April issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
Tibial trabecular bone texture predicts osteoarthritis progression
(HealthDay) -- Changes in medial and lateral trabecular bone texture can predict joint space narrowing (JSN) and progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA), according to research published in the March issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
Activities, smoking affect lymph node involvement in melanoma
(HealthDay) -- Several factors, including sporting activity, physical workload, and smoking habits, affect the sonomorphologic characteristics of peripheral lymph nodes (LNs) in patients with a history of invasive cutaneous melanoma, according to research published online Feb. 29 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Maternal glycemic status linked to epigenetic changes
(HealthDay) -- Maternal glycemic status and adiponectin levels are linked to epigenetic changes in the adiponectin gene (ADIPOQ), according to a study published online March 6 in Diabetes.
Gene-based test identifies poor-prognosis colon cancers
(HealthDay) -- A sensitive and specific gene-based classifier can be used to identify BRAF mutant colon cancer tumors and a subpopulation of BRAF wild-type tumors with poor prognosis, according to a study published March 5 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Brain cancer blood vessels not substantially tumor-derived
(Medical Xpress) -- Johns Hopkins scientists have published laboratory data refuting studies that suggest blood vessels that form within brain cancers are largely made up of cancer cells. The theory of cancer-based blood vessels calls into question the use and value of anticancer drugs that target these blood vessels, including bevacizumab (Avastin).
Asian origins of Machado-Joseph disease revealed
(Medical Xpress) -- Knowledge of a disease prevalent among Northern Territory Indigenous communities has been overhauled thanks to research contributed by the University of Sydney's Garth Nicholson.
Research aims at better diagnosis of language issues
(Medical Xpress) -- Recent studies by a UT Dallas researcher aim at finding better ways to diagnose young children with language impairments.
Preventive treatment of pregnant women at high postpartum psychosis risk
(Medical Xpress) -- Twenty-nine pregnant women with a history of psychotic symptoms after previous deliveries, but not at other times, all remained stable without medication throughout their current pregnancies. Those who then began taking lithium or an antipsychotic within hours after delivery remained free of relapse after childbirth.
Infant eye movement and cognition
Interactions between infants and their environment are limited because of the infants' poor motor abilities. So investigating infant cognition is no easy task. Which sensory event is the result of the infant's own motor action and which one is not? Researchers from the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies and from Goethe-Universitat Frankfurt am Main in Germany may have found the answer.
Women on antidepressants less likely to breastfeed
(Medical Xpress) -- Researchers at the California Teratogen Information Service (CTIS) Pregnancy Health Information Line, a statewide non-profit organization based at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, have found women exposed to certain antidepressants during pregnancy were significantly less likely to breastfeed their babies compared to unexposed women. The results of the study were recently published online in the Journal of Human Lactation.
Losing the weight but not the stigma
(Medical Xpress) -- Obese people who lose weight will encounter far less social stigma and may even be seen as fitter than if they had been lean all along, but they may still face prejudice relating to how they lost weight, a new study suggests.
Drug 'reduces implicit racial bias,' study suggests
(Medical Xpress) -- Taking a heart disease medication can affect a person's subconscious attitudes towards race, a team of ethicists, psychiatrists and psychologists at Oxford University has found.
Study shows roles of beta cells and the immune system in Type 1 diabetes
A new JDRF-funded study shows that many of the genes known to play a role in type 1 diabetes (T1D) are expressed in pancreatic beta cells, suggesting that the cell responsible for producing insulin may be playing a part in its own destruction to lead to T1D. Published in the March issue of PLoS Genetics, researchers in Belgium suggest this interpretation after producing an extensive catalogue of more than 15,000 genes expressed in human islets, forming the most extensive characterization of human islets reported to date.
Lack of sleep? Young drivers care less
(Medical Xpress) -- Young male drivers are ignoring the dangers of driving while tired, according to a new research study.
Keeping young athletes safe from sexual abuse
(HealthDay) -- Parents who want to protect their kids from sexual abuse need to reassess the notion of "stranger danger" -- the belief that children should be on guard around strangers because they're most likely to be molested by someone unknown to them, experts say.
Sport fields: Catalysts for physical activity in the neighborhood?
If you're a woman, older adult, or have higher levels of education, you're less likely to be sufficiently physically active. Those are some of the findings of a new University of Alberta study examining people's actual and perceived access to sport fields as catalysts for physical activity.
Infection control certification associated with lower MRSA infection rates
Hospitals whose infection prevention and control programs are led by a director who is board certified in infection prevention and control have significantly lower rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections (BSI) than those that are not led by a certified professional, according to a new study published in the March issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of APIC - the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
Genetic marker for painful food allergy points to improved diagnosis, treatment
Researchers have identified a genetic signature for a severe, often painful food allergy – eosinophilic esophagitis – that could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment for children unable to eat a wide variety of foods.
Study links childhood cancer to developmental delays in milestones
Infants and toddlers who have been treated for cancer tend to reach certain developmental milestones later than do their healthy peers, say researchers at the National Institutes of Health and in Italy.
Coke, Pepsi to drop level of 'cancer' chemical
Coca-Cola and Pepsi said Friday they have lowered levels of a chemical in caramel coloring to comply with a California law, but insisted the drinks pose no health risks and recipes will not change.
One in four tuberculosis cases due to recent transmission
(HealthDay) -- About one in four cases of tuberculosis in the United States can be attributed to recent transmission, with groups such as men and persons born in the United States at higher risk, according to a study published in the March issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Coronary artery spasms rare during dobutamine stress echo
(HealthDay) -- The occurrence of coronary artery spasm (CAS) during dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) is rare, with a prevalence of 0.4 percent, according to a study published in the March 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
Vitamin D analogs modulate immunity in psoriasis
(HealthDay) -- Vitamin D3 analogs modulate immunity in human psoriasis, inducing thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and cathelicidin, according to a study published online March 2 in the British Journal of Dermatology.
Can lifestyle changes prevent Alzheimer's disease?
Bronwen Zilmer has three generations of Alzheimer's disease in her family. She hopes not to be the fourth.
EKG testing may spot fatal heart conditions in children
(HealthDay) -- Each year, between one and six of every 100,000 U.S. children are a victim of sudden cardiac death. In many of these cases, underlying, undiagnosed heart trouble is responsible, and a new study suggests that routine mass electrocardiogram (EKG) screening could help identify these problems earlier, and potentially save children's lives.
Researchers reveal ways to make personalized cancer therapies more cost effective
As scientists continue making breakthroughs in personalized cancer treatment, delivering those therapies in the most cost effective manner has become increasingly important. Now researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have identified new ways of doing just that, allowing more patients to benefit from this revolution in cancer care.
In recognizing faces, the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts
(Medical Xpress) -- How do we recognize a face? To date, most research has answered “holistically”: We look at all the features—eyes, nose, mouth—simultaneously and, perceiving the relationships among them, gain an advantage over taking in each feature individually. Now a new study overturns this theory. The researchers—Jason M. Gold and Patrick J. Mundy of the Indiana University and Bosco S. Tjan of the University of California Los Angeles—found that people’s performance in recognizing a whole face is no better than their performance with each individual feature shown alone. “Surprisingly, the whole was not greater than the sum of its parts,” says Gold. The findings appear in the journal Psychological Science, which is published by the Association for Psychological Science.
Memories of good, bad deeds can alter perception of brightness
(Medical Xpress) -- From sacred religious texts to books to movies, light and darkness have always symbolized good and evil.
Research explores common visual error of 'boundary extension'
(Medical Xpress) -- Helene Intraub, professor of psychology at the University of Delaware, and then-undergraduate researcher Mike Richardson first published their paper on the phenomenon of "boundary extension" in 1989, describing a phenomenon that surprised many observers.
Study of infants challenges developmental sequence of human language learning
(Medical Xpress) -- Suppose a baby's first word is "mommy" or "daddy"--words an infant usually says around his or her first birthday. Of course, the little cherub puts a gleam in her parents' eyes; she's finally talking and is well on her way to becoming the next big opera star or a world famous author.
Cracking brain memory code
(Medical Xpress) -- Despite a century of research, memory encoding in the brain has remained mysterious. Neuronal synaptic connection strengths are involved, but synaptic components are short-lived while memories last lifetimes. This suggests synaptic information is encoded and hard-wired at a deeper, finer-grained molecular scale.
Biology news
Australia probes claims turtles, dugongs butchered alive
Australia Friday vowed to investigate claims that turtles and the threatened dugong are being killed to feed an illegal meat trade after images of an animal being butchered alive sparked new concerns.
A test of the senses in the search for a shoal mate
Ever had to find your friend in a crowd? Imagine at a festival your mate saying: "I'll be wearing a yellow t-shirt by the hotdog stall behind the jazz stage." Using this information, you could walk around listening out for the romping double bass, and as you get closer and start to hear the trills of the trumpet, begin to sniff out the frying onions and sizzling sausages. Once you have located the hotdog stand, you only need to look for a bright yellow t-shirt and you will find your friend. Young coral reef fish use the same strategy, research from the Radboud University Nijmegen and the University of Bristol has found.
How species evolve: Epilogue to 'On the Origin of Species'?
(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the grand challenges in biology is to understand how species evolve. Today, more than 150 years after the publication of Darwin’s ‘On the Origin of Species’, we still do not truly understand the speciation process.
Parenting comes at a price for male fish
(PhysOrg.com) -- Being a great dad can mean starving to protect the kids, putting up with a jealous spouse – and often, dying young. At least, if you’re a cardinalfish.
Cell movement patterns
(PhysOrg.com) -- Whereas a cut knee often reduces children to tears, adults are more likely to be distressed by the fear of cancer. In both cases, that is wound healing and the growth and spread of tumours, a particular characteristic of the body’s cells plays a crucial role: their capacity to move in their tissue environment. Together with colleagues from Japan, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart and the University of Heidelberg have developed a very promising method for the study of cell movement. The new method enables the examination of the collective behavior of small groups of cells in an environment that imitates living tissue. Using this new method, the Stuttgart cooperative project was able to study the collective spreading behaviour of epithelial cells in the early stages of healing processes. The information gained from this study confirms the potential offered by the new method in generating new insights into cell migration, a process that has been under investigation for decades.
Shark fin soup to blame for blue shark decline
Scientists say the market for shark fin soup is the likeliest reason for the sharp drop in blue shark numbers over the last 30 years.
Gannet study reveals perils of high-speed diving
Gannets may be among the fastest and most agile seabird hunters around, but they risk dying of fatal neck and head injuries from accidental collisions in the water when diving for fish at breakneck speeds, a Massey biology researcher has found.
Plant enzymes reveal complex secrets
The enzymes needed for producing and chemically modifying functionally important plant molecules called anthocyanins have been identified by a research team led by Kazuki Saito of the RIKEN Plant Science Center, Yokohama.
Using satellite technology to evaluate the effects of ecotourism on tiger sharks
Ecotourism activities that use food to attract and concentrate wildlife for viewing have become a controversial topic in ecological studies. This debate is best exemplified by the shark dive tourism industry, a highly lucrative and booming global market. Use of chum or food to attract big sharks to areas where divers can view the dwindling populations of these animals has generated significant criticism because of the potential for ecological and behavioral impacts to the species. However, the debate has been largely rhetorical due to a lack of sufficient data to make any conclusions either way.
New type of extra-chromosomal DNA discovered
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of scientists from the University of Virginia and University of North Carolina in the US have discovered a previously unidentified type of small circular DNA molecule occurring outside the chromosomes in mouse and human cells. The circular DNA is 200-400 base pairs in length and consists of non-repeating sequences. The new type of extra-chromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) has been dubbed microDNA. Unlike other forms of eccDNA, in microDNA the sequences of base pairs are non-repetitive and are usually found associated with particular genes. This suggests they may be produced by micro-deletions of small sections of the chromosomal DNA.
Meteorites reveal another way to make life's components
(PhysOrg.com) -- Creating some of life's building blocks in space may be a bit like making a sandwich – you can make them cold or hot, according to new NASA research. This evidence that there is more than one way to make crucial components of life increases the likelihood that life emerged elsewhere in the Universe, according to the research team, and gives support to the theory that a "kit" of ready-made parts created in space and delivered to Earth by impacts from meteorites and comets assisted the origin of life.
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