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Female Mice Do Not Avoid Mating With Unhealthy Males

Female Mice Do Not Avoid Mating With Unhealthy Males

Mar 19 2015 | comment(s)

Female mice are attracted more strongly to the odour of healthy males than unhealthy males. This had already been shown in an earlier study by researchers from the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology at the Vetmeduni Vienna. Now the team of behavioural scientists went one step further - and tested a common assumption that more attractive males have better mating success than other males.

Females also mate with unhealthy males

Sarah Zala and Dustin Penn investigated whether females would also choose to mate with healthy over infected male if given a choice. In the laboratory and in large enclosures, the females were allowed to freely choose between two males, one healthy and another challenged with a mild infection, which they previously found to alter male odour.

How Millennials Get News

How Millennials Get News

Mar 19 2015 | comment(s)

Millennials are anything but "newsless," passive, or uninterested in civic issues, according to a new comprehensive study of the information habits of people age 18-34. The research looks closely at how members of the Millennial generation learn about the world on different devices and platforms.

The study finds that Millennials consume news and information in strikingly different ways than did previous generations. Contrary to popular perception, they keep up with news that is commonly referred to as "traditional" or "hard," as well as stories that connect them to hobbies, culture, jobs, and entertainment. This study was conducted jointly by the American Press Institute and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Tracking Marine Plankton Provides New Information To Reconstruct Past Climate

Tracking Marine Plankton Provides New Information To Reconstruct Past Climate

Mar 19 2015 | comment(s)

A new study from an international team of scientists uncovered new information about the tiny, globetrotting organisms commonly used to reconstruct past climate conditions. The findings can aid in improving our understanding of past global climate conditions.

Using a state-of-the-art biophysical computer model developed by University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science scientist Claire Paris, called the Connectivity Modeling System, the researchers showed that some of the tiny ocean organisms, known as foraminifera, drifted significantly before falling to the seafloor and being fossilized. While others, may not have drifted much at all according to the currents in the region where they were found and the lifespan of the species.

Mechanism Linking Inhaled Diesel Pollution And Respiratory Distress Discovered

Mechanism Linking Inhaled Diesel Pollution And Respiratory Distress Discovered

Mar 19 2015 | comment(s)

Researchers in the UK have, for the first time, shown how exhaust pollution from diesel engines is able to affect nerves within the lung. Air pollution is a significant threat to health, they say, and identifying potential mechanisms linking exposure to diesel exhaust and the exacerbation of respiratory diseases may lead to treatments for those affected.

Do High-dose Zinc Acetate Lozenges Shorten Symptoms Of The Common Cold?

Do High-dose Zinc Acetate Lozenges Shorten Symptoms Of The Common Cold?

Mar 19 2015 | comment(s)

According to a meta-analysis published in BMC Family Practice, high dose zinc acetate lozenges may help shorten diverse symptoms associated with the common cold. The common cold is an infection caused by over a hundred viruses, and it is a major cause of days off school or work and visits to a doctor.

A previous meta-analysis of three randomized trials found that high dose zinc acetate lozenges shorten the duration of colds by 42%. Since all of the three studies reported the duration of diverse respiratory symptoms and of systemic symptoms such as muscle ache and headache, Harri Hemilä from Helsinki, Finland and Elizabeth Chalker from Sydney, Australia decided to investigate whether there are differences in the effect of zinc lozenges on different common-cold symptoms.

Rare, Threatened Coral Species Bred And Raised In The Lab

Rare, Threatened Coral Species Bred And Raised In The Lab

Mar 19 2015 | comment(s)

A rare and threatened Caribbean coral species has for the first time been successfully bred and raised in the lab, the study provides the first photos and documentation of juveniles of this species, and could provide information to help bolster local coral reef conservation. The team also plans to 'out-plant' these lab-grown juveniles in the wild which could help populations become more resilient to climate change.

Uranium And The Natural Nuclear Reactor

Uranium And The Natural Nuclear Reactor

Mar 18 2015 | comment(s)

Uranium is the element having 92 protons in its nucleus with typically 146 neutrons.  It is the largest naturally occurring element.  Like naturally occurring Thorium, uranium is radioactive and eventually decays into radium and radon which are likewise radioactive.  Both  uranium and thorium decay through many series of radioactive elements until they eventually become lead.

Artificial Light At Night May Be Making Us Sick

Artificial Light At Night May Be Making Us Sick

Mar 18 2015 | comment(s)

Modern life and inadequate exposure to natural light during the day combined with overexposure to artificial light at night is believed by some to be harmful to the body's natural sleep/wake cycle.

One of those who contends so is University of Connecticut cancer epidemiologist Richard Stevens. "It's become clear that typical lighting is affecting our physiology. But lighting can be improved. We're learning that better lighting can reduce these physiological effects. By that we mean dimmer and longer wavelengths in the evening, and avoiding the bright blue of e-readers, tablets and smart phones."
Sorry U.K. Celts, You're Probably Not

Sorry U.K. Celts, You're Probably Not

Mar 18 2015 | comment(s)

Whither The Celts?

In the 1980s there was a terrific British documentary called simply "The Celts", made because of ongoing fascination by entitled western elites with indigenous people and perhaps the lingering hope/fear that maybe they were somehow better than the winners.

The Celts were a blanket name for a lot of people who were just The Other to Romans, any number of tribes that the Romans ascribed names to based on region.  They were basically a kind of "dark matter" for ancient authors, who didn't know what they were or how to figure them out, but knew they have to have existed because Caesar fought someone in France and Germany and he took really good notes.
Buckybombs - Buckminsterfullerene To Detonate Cancer Cells

Buckybombs - Buckminsterfullerene To Detonate Cancer Cells

Mar 18 2015 | comment(s)

In 1996, the Nobel Prize for Chemistry went to the discoverers of Buckminsterfullerene; soccer-ball-shaped spheres of 60 joined carbon atoms that exhibit special physical properties colloquially called Buckyballs.

It was only a time before someone found a way to weaponize those, but in this case for the public good: Buckybombs. But these nanoscale explosives will target and eliminate cancer at the cellular level, triggering tiny explosions that kill cancer cells without affecting surrounding tissue.
Over 40? A Healthy Diet Will Reduce Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease By One Third

Over 40? A Healthy Diet Will Reduce Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease By One Third

Mar 18 2015 | comment(s)

Men and women who change their diet to meet current dietary guidelines could reduce their risk of a heart attack or a stroke by up to a third, according to a new study.

Scholars at King's College London recruited healthy middle-aged and older men and women to compare the effects on risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) of following a diet based on UK health guidelines compared with a traditional British diet. The predicted risk of CVD over the next 10 years for the participants was estimated to be about 8% in the men and 4% in the women.
EPA Study Finds That Neonics Not Causing Colony Collapse Disorder In Bees

EPA Study Finds That Neonics Not Causing Colony Collapse Disorder In Bees

Mar 18 2015 | comment(s)

A few years ago, bees suddenly had a sharp decline in numbers. This "Colony Collapse Disorder" as it is called, is a disorder in the sense that it is a recurring phenomenon, detailed for the last 1,000 years even when record-keeping just consisted of sporadic anecdotes. It was noted more frequently as record-keeping became more thorough. so it appeared far more often by the 1800s. By the 1900s, record-keeping had improved enough that there were seven recorded instances of this CCD phenomenon just in the United States.
Compensation: Why Some Male Cichlids Build Sand Castles To Attract Females And Others Don't

Compensation: Why Some Male Cichlids Build Sand Castles To Attract Females And Others Don't

Mar 18 2015 | comment(s)

Cichlid fish in Lake Malawi know how to court and their courtship evolves - fast. 

In the shallows where the light is good, males build sand castles to attract females, while deep-dwelling species dig less elaborate pits and compensate with longer swimming displays, according to a new study. 
The Moon's Strangest Giant Volcanic Eruption Detailed

The Moon's Strangest Giant Volcanic Eruption Detailed

Mar 18 2015 | comment(s)

A new map of the Moon's strangest volcano show that its explosive eruption spread debris over an area in the Compton-Belkovich Volcanic Complex much greater than previously thought.

By mapping the radioactive element thorium which spewed out during the eruption, they discovered that, with the help of the Moon's low gravity, debris from the unnamed volcano was able to cover an area the size of Scotland, or around 70,000 km2. The eruption, which happened 3.5 billion years ago, threw rock five times further than the pyroclastic flow of molten rock and hot gases that buried the Roman city of Pompeii, the researchers added.
How OxyContin Was Allowed to Kill so Many

How OxyContin Was Allowed to Kill so Many

Mar 18 2015 | comment(s)

In The Week, reprinted from Pacific Standard, Mike Mariani outlines how OxyContin, which was allegedly known to be addictive by its manufacturers, was pawned off on the public as a safe and effective, and decidedly non-addictive, painkiller. Now, the State of Kentucky has brought civil action against Purdue Pharmaceuticals and while increasing use of OxyContin may be a thing of the past, America’s addiction to opioids is not.

Cannibalism Caused By Parasites

Cannibalism Caused By Parasites

Mar 18 2015 | comment(s)

A tiny parasite named Pleistophora mulleri not only significantly increases cannibalism among the indigenous shrimp Gammarus duebeni celticus but made infected shrimp more voracious, taking much less time to consume their victims. 

Cannibalism is fairly common in nature but the belief was always that it is practical - meat is meat. Consumption of juveniles by adults is a normal feature of the shrimp's feeding patterns, but this is the first paper to show parasites cause it and even alter the feeding patterns -  shrimp infected with the parasite ate twice as much of their own kind as uninfected animals. They attacked juvenile shrimp more often and consumed them more quickly than did uninfected shrimp.
Galactic Archaeologists Find New Milky Way Companions Hiding In Plain Sight

Galactic Archaeologists Find New Milky Way Companions Hiding In Plain Sight

Mar 18 2015 | comment(s)

When we think of cosmology, we often imagine the largest telescopes peering into the deepest space, collecting the feeble light from exploding stars or the first galaxies.

But for some cosmologists – like the Galactic Archaeologists – the focus is the local universe, asking if we can learn about the evolution of our own Milky Way from what we see around us.

No Money, No Process: Mars One Is Duping Supporters, Says Candidate

No Money, No Process: Mars One Is Duping Supporters, Says Candidate

Mar 18 2015 | comment(s)

Space is exciting so it is easy to get sucked into bold claims. 

A few years ago one of our writers had the idea to launch Bloggy into space. He was going to do all the work and just needed the money to pay the company, Interorbital, a very reasonable-sounding amount, so it was on.

My only real question was, "The knock on these guys is that they keep cashing checks but they never actually launch anything. What makes you think they will this time?"


Bloggy in spaaaaace.
Watch The Solar Eclipse On Friday!

Watch The Solar Eclipse On Friday!

Mar 18 2015 | comment(s)

In the morning of March 20th Europeans will be treated with the amazing show of a total solar eclipse. The path of totality is unfortunately confined to the northern Atlantic ocean, and will miss Iceland and England, passing only over the Faroer islands - no wonder there's no hotel room available there since last September! Curiously, the totality will end on the north pole, which on March 20th has the sun exactly at the horizon. Hence the conditions for a great shot like the one below are perfect - I only hope somebody will be at the north pole with a camera...

(Image credit: Fred Bruenjes; apod.nasa.gov)

Titius-Bode Law: Planets In The Habitable Zone Around Most Stars

Titius-Bode Law: Planets In The Habitable Zone Around Most Stars

Mar 18 2015 | comment(s)

Astronomers have discovered thousands of exoplanets in our Milky Way galaxy using the Kepler satellite and many of them have multiple planets orbiting the host star.

By analyzing these planetary systems, researchers from the Australian National University and the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen have calculated the probability for the number of stars in the Milky Way that might have planets in the habitable zone.

The calculations show that billions of the stars in the Milky Way will have one to three planets in the habitable zone, where there is the potential for liquid water and where life could exist. The results are published in the scientific journal, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.