Featured Articles

Amazon Frogs Hopped Down From The Mountains 10 Million Years Ago

Amazon Frogs Hopped Down From The Mountains 10 Million Years Ago

Mar 09 2009 | comment(s)

Colorful poison frogs in the Amazon owe their great diversity to ancestors that leapt into the region from the Andes Mountains several times during the last 10 million years, a new study from The University of Texas at Austin suggests.

This is the first study to show that the Andes have been a major source of diversity for the Amazon basin, one of the largest reservoirs of biological diversity on Earth. The finding runs counter to the idea that Amazonian diversity is the result of evolution only within the tropical forest itself. 

It has been assumed that much of the evolution of biodiversity in the Amazon basin occurred over the last one to two million years, a mere snapshot in time.
Families That Eat Together Develop Better Eating Habits In Kids

Families That Eat Together Develop Better Eating Habits In Kids

Mar 09 2009 | comment(s)

Good eating habits can result when families eat together, say researchers from the School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, who report on one of the first studies to examine the long-term benefits of regular family meals for diet quality during the transition from early to middle adolescence. In general, the study found adolescents who participated in regular family meals reported more healthful diets and meal patterns compared to adolescents without regular family meals.
Ecstasy May Help With Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Ecstasy May Help With Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Mar 09 2009 | comment(s)

Ecstasy may help suffers of post-traumatic stress learn to deal with their memories more effectively by encouraging a feeling of safety, says new research.

Studies have shown that a type of psychological treatment called exposure therapy – where the patient repeatedly recalls the traumatic experience or is repeatedly exposed to situations that are safe but still trigger their traumatic feelings – can be effective in relieving stress responses in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other anxious conditions. The therapy works by helping the patient to re-learn the appropriate response to the trigger situation, a process known as extinction learning.
The nature of belief systems

The nature of belief systems

Mar 08 2009 | comment(s)

This is a three part series that will explore the nature of belief systems, or worldviews and offer some perspectives on how they are formed and function.

Belief systems are fundamental to human existence and there are a few ideas worth exploring to see if anything can be determined about their origins. Without getting into brain physiology or psychology, there are a few conclusions we can draw from general observation.


UK Physicist Athene Donald Recognised As One Of The World's Top Five Female Scientists In 2009

UK Physicist Athene Donald Recognised As One Of The World's Top Five Female Scientists In 2009

Mar 08 2009 | comment(s)

LONDON, March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- In line with international Women's Day today Professor Athene Donald was awarded the 2009 L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women In Science Laureate for Europe at a prestigious event in Paris. Established in 1998, the For Women In Science Awards recognize five exceptional women scientists each year - one per continent. The awards act as a benchmark of international scientific excellence, and an invaluable source of motivation, support, and inspiration for women in the scientific field. The Laureates serve as role models for future generations, encouraging young women around the world to follow in their footsteps.

Eco-Burial: Not Just For Atheist Hippies Any More

Eco-Burial: Not Just For Atheist Hippies Any More

Mar 08 2009 | comment(s)

Natural burial is not just a 'green' option for eco-fixated non-religious people, according to researchers at the University of Sheffield.  They'll be holding an event called "Natural Burial: Do we need a Headstone?" to be held in Sheffield on March 14 as part of the Economic and Social Research Council's (ESRC) Festival of Social Science.
Red And White Wines Equal In Breast Cancer Risk (Beer Too)

Red And White Wines Equal In Breast Cancer Risk (Beer Too)

Mar 08 2009 | comment(s)

The largest study of its kind to evaluate the effect of red versus white wine on breast-cancer risk concludes that both are equal offenders when it comes to increasing breast-cancer risk. The results of the study were published in the March issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. 

The researchers found that women who consumed 14 or more drinks per week, regardless of the type (wine, liquor or beer), faced a 24 percent increase in breast cancer compared with non-drinkers. 
Neural Stem Cells Replace Stroke-Damaged Tissue In Rats

Neural Stem Cells Replace Stroke-Damaged Tissue In Rats

Mar 08 2009 | comment(s)

Effective stem cell treatment for strokes has taken a significant step forward as scientists writing in Biomaterials reveal how they have replaced stroke-damaged brain tissue in rats using neural stem cells.

The work, carried out at the King's College London Institute of Psychiatry and University of Nottingham, shows that by inserting tiny scaffolding with stem cells attached, it is possible to fill a hole left by stroke damage with brand new brain tissue within 7 days.

Neural stem cells exist in the adult nervous system of all mammals, though they can also be derived from more primitive embryonic stem cells.

An Evolution Chain Reaction (In Action)

An Evolution Chain Reaction (In Action)

Mar 08 2009 | comment(s)

A team of researchers has reported the ongoing emergence of a new species of fruit fly and the sequential development of a new species of wasp.  Jeff Feder, a University of Notre Dame biologist, and his colleagues say the introduction of apples to America almost 400 years ago ultimately may have changed the behavior of a fruit fly, leading to its modification and the subsequent modification of a parasitic wasp that feeds on it.

The result is a chain reaction of biodiversity where the modification of one species triggers the sequential modification of a second, dependent species. The National Science Foundation supports the research.
Neural Circuitry Of First Impressions Identified

Neural Circuitry Of First Impressions Identified

Mar 08 2009 | comment(s)

Neuroscientists at New York University and Harvard University say they have identified the neural systems involved in forming first impressions of others. The findings may show how we encode social information and then evaluate it in making these initial judgments, according to the study in Nature Neuroscience. 

Making sense of others in a social interaction is not easy—each new person we meet may be a source of ambiguous and complex information. However, when encountering someone for the first time, we are often quick to judge whether we like that person or not. In fact, previous research has shown that people make relatively accurate and persistent evaluations based on rapid observations of even less than half a minute. 
Medulloblastoma - Gene Mutation For Most Common Childhood Brain Cancer Identified

Medulloblastoma - Gene Mutation For Most Common Childhood Brain Cancer Identified

Mar 08 2009 | comment(s)

Researchers say they have discovered eight similar genes that, when mutated, appear to be responsible for medulloblastoma – the most common of childhood brain cancers.

About 250 Canadian children are diagnosed with various types of brain cancer every year. About 70 per cent of these survive. Brain tumors are the leading cause of childhood cancer deaths. The most common childhood brain cancer is medulloblastoma – a tumour that occurs at the back of the brain in the cerebellum. It is primarily a disease of very young children and is particularly deadly among babies under 18 months of age. In Canada, about 40 children are diagnosed with medulloblastoma every year and half of these will survive. 
Time For Change - Sunshine And Exercise Part Of Holistic Treatment For Osteoporosis

Time For Change - Sunshine And Exercise Part Of Holistic Treatment For Osteoporosis

Mar 08 2009 | comment(s)

MUNICH, March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- For an expert opinion visit: http://62.193.238.61/blueprinttv/osteoporosis/IWDosteoporosis-expert-opi...

NetDragon Launches Open Beta Testing For Way Of The Five

NetDragon Launches Open Beta Testing For Way Of The Five

Mar 07 2009 | comment(s)

HONG KONG, March 7 /PRNewswire/ --

NetDragon Websoft Inc., a leading game developer and operator in the PRC (NetDragon, with its subsidiaries collectively known as the Group; stock code: 777), announced that the open beta testing for Way of the Five, a new cartoony turn-based online game, commenced on 7 March 2009.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090309/CNM002 )

Probability And Induction: The Very Foundations Of Science

Probability And Induction: The Very Foundations Of Science

Mar 07 2009 | comment(s)

I have been downloading a cartload of books on my new Kindle lately, since I really enjoy the idea of walking into the subway carrying a rather inconspicuous, very light, yet incredibly large library with me. One of these books is Samir Okasha’s Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction, which I’m reading because I intend to review and promote it.
Building Frankentissue With Inside-Out Cells

Building Frankentissue With Inside-Out Cells

Mar 07 2009 | comment(s)

 Cells keep up with the Joneses.  The peer pressure of signals from complementary cells tells a stem cell how and when to differentiate and grow. 

Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi and her team at Lawrence Berkeley laboratory are using molecular self-organization tendencies to give cells the orderly neighborhoods they desire.   However, this microscopic community has an unusual dress code-- the cells display DNA on the outside of their membranes, which allows them to keep each other in line.
Smoking Kills - Women Impacted Most

Smoking Kills - Women Impacted Most

Mar 07 2009 | comment(s)

No, that isn't a New York Times headline(1), Swedish researchers really do say their studies of twins have showed significant genetic differences between men and women who smoke and develop lung disease -  women are more susceptible to the consequences of smoking than men.

The team, led by Professor Magnus Svartengren from the Karolinska Institute, has been looking at the interaction of the environment with the genes of nearly 45,000 twins over 40 years old. They were interested in twins with chronic bronchitis or emphysema.
Great Pleasure News - You Should Trust Your Animal Instincts

Great Pleasure News - You Should Trust Your Animal Instincts

Mar 07 2009 | comment(s)

Pleasure and desire are essential to all human behavior, says Oxford University neuroscientist Morten Kringelbach , and he challenges us to trust our animal instincts in pursuit of those.

Pleasure and our sense of reward are produced by the interaction of many different brain regions, processed consciously or unconsciously.  In the day-to-day routine of life, we may feel we are continually fighting our desires for what we really want.   But doing so, he argues, is irrational and a huge waste of energy and resources, for it is pleasure and desire that underlie all our decisions and actions, and, therefore, our experiences.
Gosztonyia Antarctica - New Fish Discovered In The Bellingshausen Sea

Gosztonyia Antarctica - New Fish Discovered In The Bellingshausen Sea

Mar 07 2009 | comment(s)

A new species of Antarctic fish, Gosztonyia antarctica, has been discovered at a depth of 650 meters in the Bellingshausen Sea in the Antarctic Ocean, an area which had not been studied since 1904 and where the fauna is "completely" unknown. Jesús Matallanas, the Spanish researcher responsible for the find, collected four specimens of the new species during Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) campaigns in the southern hemisphere summers of 2003 and 2006.
Playmancer - Serious Games That Would Make William Gibson Proud

Playmancer - Serious Games That Would Make William Gibson Proud

Mar 07 2009 | comment(s)

Gamers caught an early glimpse of the future of serious games aimed at the health sector during the PlayMancer project’s demos at the latest Vienna Science Fair.   The European PlayMancer project is working hard to improve the technology for serious game engines and tools for 3-D networked gaming.

The platform is being tested and validated  physical rehabilitation and behavioral and addictive disorders with the inclusion of innovative multimodal I/O devices.

“We want to build actual games, serious games, around serious health-related problems like bulimia and chronic pain,” PlayMancer’s project manager Elias Kalapanidas tells ICT Results. “Using gaming in this way is really breaking new ground.”
Curcumin - Does This Indian 'Holy Powder' Ingredient Improve Cell Resistance To Infection?

Curcumin - Does This Indian 'Holy Powder' Ingredient Improve Cell Resistance To Infection?

Mar 07 2009 | comment(s)

Revered in India as "holy powder", the marigold-colored spice known as turmeric has been used for centuries to treat wounds, infections and other health problems. In recent years, research into the healing powers of turmeric's main ingredient, curcumin, has increased as scientists have examined claims of antioxidant, anti-cancer, antibiotic, antiviral and other properties, though little has been learned about exactly how curcumin works inside the body.

University of Michigan researchers led by Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy now say that curcumin acts as a disciplinarian, inserting itself into cell membranes and making them more orderly, a move that improves cells' resistance to infection and malignancy.