In a new research collaboration between the University of Witwatersrand and the University of Adelaide, previously held views on the evolutionary development of the human brain are being challenged. The findings of their studies, published today in
the Royal Society Open Science*, unseats previous theories that
the progression of human intelligence is simply related to the increase in size of the brain.

The regulation and function of sleep is one of the biggest black boxes of today's brain science. A new paper published online on August 2 in the journal Brain Structure & Function finds that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is suppressed by adenosine acting on a specific subtype of adenosine receptors, the A2A receptors, in the olfactory bulb. The study was conducted by researchers at Fudan University's School of Basic Medical Sciences in the Department of Pharmacology and the University of Tsukuba's International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS). The research team used pharmacological and genetic methods to show that blocking A2A receptors or neurons that contain the A2A receptors in the olfactory bulb increases REM sleep in rodents.

We see all of the rosy claims coming from the Federal government about unemployment rates yet around us we see no one can buy a home, young people have resigned themselves to living with their parents, and the deficit this year has climbed at a rate that is unprecedented.

It's because government unemployment statistics only tally people who get unemployment, and unemployment checks expire. It does not count people who have given up or who are chronically unemployed but that shows we have been in a period of stagnation for almost 10 years. 

Labor Day is about to arrive but since 2009 it has become less meaningful than ever. U.S. labor force participation at 62 percent and declining, which means it could soon be below 50 percent.

A popular belief that there is a higher number of births around the full moon has been shown to be true for dairy cows by a group of University of Tokyo researchers.

Previous studies have found conflicting evidence on the moon cycle affecting the timing of human births and many researchers remain unconvinced that the moon influences human births.

Associate Professor Tomohiro Yonezawa of the Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences explains that the results may have varied because "multiple factors, such as the mothers' nutrition, social environment, and genetic background could disguise the moon's influence. However, cows may provide a good model for teasing apart the lunar effect from other factors that also influence birth."

Women who have high alcohol intake, 14 or more servings of alcohol a week are slightly more likely to have reduced fertility, suggests a study published in The BMJ today.

In developed countries, up to 24% of couples experience infertility, defined as time to pregnancy of 12 months or more. Official guidelines in countries like the USA, UK and Denmark recommend that women trying to become pregnant should abstain from alcohol consumption. But the extent to which alcohol intake affects female fertility is unclear. So a group of Danish researchers carried out a large prospective cohort study to examine the association between pre-conception alcohol consumption and time to pregnancy.

In comics, Clark Kent looks a lot like Superman, so similar every child has to wonder why no one puts it together. A pair of glasses on Kent, and a small lock of hair on Superman's forehead, are the only differences.

Yet that's probably enough, according to a new paper. Small alterations to
a person's appearance, such as wearing glasses, can significantly hinder positive facial identification.

A new study from the Northern Medical Program at the University of Northern British Columbia has shown that minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) legislation in Canada can have a major effect on crimes committed by young adults. Young people just older than the legal age had significant increases in commission of all crimes, including violent crimes and nuisance crimes, compared to those immediately under the restriction.

Greater understanding of the importance of environmental enrichment in enhancing an animal's physical and social environment is bringing benefits for pet cats - particularly those that are kept solely indoors.

Your choice of smartphone provides valuable information about you, according to a new social psychology paper. That's right, not only is your choice of smart phone indicative of your personality.