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How Well Do Adopted Children Really Adjust To A New Language?

How Well Do Adopted Children Really Adjust To A New Language?

Dec 26 2008 | comment(s)

Adoption is a great change in the life of a child and the changes are even greater when a new language is included.

According to figures from the adoption associations, around 18 000 children from 30 countries have come to Norway through adoption. Research and experience show that the children do very well and that the children adapt quickly and many overtake other children of the same age in motor function at record speed; but up to a third of the children adopted from abroad are having problems with language proficiency. This has largely gone undetected in kindergartens and schools, says Associate Professor Åse Kari Wagner at the Reading Research Center at the University of Stavanger in Norway. 
Prince of Orange Studies Climate Change

Prince of Orange Studies Climate Change

Dec 26 2008 | comment(s)

Tangerine skies.. Tangerine blossoms, so I thought while wearing my tangerine trench coat in the Netherlands. I had no idea how much the Dutch would be attracted to me ... for my coat. I learned soon that they favor 'that color' because of the Orange Family. My face lit up with "but you don't even have orange groves here."


 


The Prince of Orange, Prins van Oranje in Dutch, is scheduled to become the king of Holland on 30 April 2009. He is supposed to be an expert in Climate Change. His biography brings up Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand's interest in international water management issues. That is perhaps a comfort to royalists everywhere but just a Prince Scientist to others.


 

Dreaming Of A Green Christmas

Dreaming Of A Green Christmas

Dec 25 2008 | comment(s)

This Christmas 112,500 tons of recyclable rubbish will be thrown away, according to new research, by the new think credit card from the Co-operative Bank. This is equivalent to 14,940 red Routemaster buses, 93,360 Minis OR 406 Airbus A380's.

Cardboard, plastic packaging, polystyrene and paper add up to an average of 4.6 kilograms being dumped in the bin per household.

An Astronomer's Explanation For The Star Of Bethlehem

An Astronomer's Explanation For The Star Of Bethlehem

Dec 25 2008 | comment(s)

According to the Bible, when Jesus was born three Magi saw a star in the East that 'signaled the birth of a new king'. But just what was it, from an astronomical point of view, that the Magi could actually have seen?

Fred Grosse, a professor of physics and astronomy at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa., says there are several popular theories that may answer this question.

“Astronomical objects or events which would be of interest to serious stargazers of the time include comets and meteors, nova or supernova, and auroras,” Grosse says. But the favorite candidate hypothesis for the star of Bethlehem, he explains, is a planetary conjunction.

Non-Flying Reindeer Deserve A Science Article Too

Non-Flying Reindeer Deserve A Science Article Too

Dec 25 2008 | comment(s)

One night each year, tiny magic reindeer pull Santa and his toy-filled sleigh around the world. Their names are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and maybe Rudolph (or Robbie, if you're under the age of 30 - editors), and flying reinder are an impressive feat, especially on a site with some very cranky physicists who take that sort of thing literally.

But what about the non-magical reindeer that don't fly, don't have cool names and who spend each day moving throughout the Alaskan and Canadian tundra hanging out with caribou rather than elves? Don't they deserve some attention too?

On a science site they sure do.

A Festive White Knuckle Ride For Alcoholics At Christmas

A Festive White Knuckle Ride For Alcoholics At Christmas

Dec 25 2008 | comment(s)

It is not only joy and goodwill that epitomize Christmas and the New Year. It is also stress, unrealistic expectations, letdowns, tension and, not least, drinking and partying.

This can be one of the worst times of the year for someone with alcohol issues: office parties, family parties, neighbours' parties; it goes on and on. Then comes January and the New Year, with bleak days and broken promises. For some the merriment of Christmas and the New Year masks a much deeper problem: a dependency on alcohol that can easily be passed-off as over-indulgence.

The Priory Hospital receive 20%* more enquiries to their addictions unit in January than many other times of the year.

Survive Christmas At The In-Laws

Survive Christmas At The In-Laws

Dec 25 2008 | comment(s)

Arrive at your In-Law's unprepared at Christmas and you may find yourself sitting in someone else's living room, unable to get to the remote control, and nothing but "The Wizard of Oz" on the TV.  Not that that could be bad (the movie), we're just saying.

A good majority of us end up away from home for at least one night staying with relatives. Like anything in life, Christmas is what you make it. So when packing your overnight bag for the festive season make sure you take enough entertainment of your own.

Here are our top survival tips to make it through Christmas:
1. Pack a book. Michael Parkinson's autobiography at 412 pages should take a couple of days even for the most prolific reader.

Sensible Christmas Snacking

Sensible Christmas Snacking

Dec 25 2008 | comment(s)

We all know how hard it is to avoid tasty treats such as chocolate and crisps but it is even more challenging over the festive season.

According to the British Heart Foundation, the average person will consume around 7000 calories on Christmas Day alone; the recommended daily intake for a woman is 2000 calories and 2500 for men.

Snacking is one of the biggest causes of overeating but there are ways in which we can combat this over Christmas and beyond. A recent hypothesis by Dr. James Painter of East Illinois University recommends adopting 'The Pistachio Principle'.

Dr Painter states that: "For example, people will eat larger portions when served food on a bigger plate, and will consume more alcohol when drinking from a wider glass.

You're a mean one, Mr. El Naschie

You're a mean one, Mr. El Naschie

Dec 25 2008 | comment(s)

"You really are a vacuum fluctuation / You're as cuddly as a fractal, you're as fuzzy as multi-instanton knots, Mr. El Naschie."

Perhaps those would really be the words had Dr. Seuss known about M.S. El Nashchie. A Christmas Eve shout-out to Slashdot (news for nerds) for this story. Nothing like a good mathematical publishing scandal to get you in that warm fuzzy Christmas spirit.
Galileo revisited - from heretic to hero

Galileo revisited - from heretic to hero

Dec 25 2008 | comment(s)

The Vatican is recasting the most famous victim of its Inquisition as a man of faith, just in time for the 400th anniversary of Galileo's telescope and the U.N.-designated International Year of Astronomy next year, according to the AP story.

And people say the Roman Catholic Church is adverse to change. It just needs 400 years to think about it first.
Pope Benedict XVI paid tribute to the Italian astronomer and physicist Sunday, saying he and other scientists had helped the faithful better understand and "contemplate with gratitude the Lord's works."
UFO Religion Forced To Cancel Mega-Orgy - And Other Christmas Stories

UFO Religion Forced To Cancel Mega-Orgy - And Other Christmas Stories

Dec 25 2008 | comment(s)

What happened to tolerance and diversity?  

The Raelian movement, a UFO religion who believe we were  created by aliens, were going to promote world peace by having tons and tons of sex but they had to cancel it due to pressure.  I mean literally tons of sex; they said they had 250 participants.   And the people who show up for orgies like that are not exactly going to be supermodels, if you know what I mean.  So, if you were planning on attending International Orgasm Day in Tel Aviv this year, you need to make other plans.

FDA Approves Ferring Pharmaceuticals' Degarelix (Generic Name) For Treatment Of Advanced Prostate Cancer

FDA Approves Ferring Pharmaceuticals' Degarelix (Generic Name) For Treatment Of Advanced Prostate Cancer

Dec 25 2008 | comment(s)

PARSIPPANY, New Jersey, December 24 /PRNewswire/ --

- New Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) Receptor Antagonist Demonstrates Rapid, Long-term Suppression of Testosterone - a hormone that stimulates prostate cancer growth.

NHE-1/Bcl-xL Signalling Pathway And Therapy-Resistant Cancers

NHE-1/Bcl-xL Signalling Pathway And Therapy-Resistant Cancers

Dec 24 2008 | comment(s)

Scientists at The Babraham Institute have begun to unpick the complex mechanisms underpinning the development of drug resistant cancers. They have identified a novel target that may help to combat the growing problem of therapy resistant cancers and pave the way for innovative therapeutic approaches. 

Their discovery, reported in the latest edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, centres on the significance of DNA damage for both normal cells and cancer cells. It reveals that a biochemical signalling pathway, that normally ensures damaged cells are diverted towards cellular suicide, is blocked in certain cancers, rendering them resistant to certain types of treatment. 
Rick Warren vs. Obama's 'New Respect for Science'

Rick Warren vs. Obama's 'New Respect for Science'

Dec 24 2008 | comment(s)

A "new respect for science" in the Obama administration?

The dissonance is jarring:
Obama says:

I am confident that if we recommit ourselves to discovery, if we support science education to create the next generation of scientists and engineers right here in America; if we have the vision to believe and invest in things unseen, then we can lead the world into a new future of peace and prosperity.


And then he passes the megaphone to Rick Warren:
Firelogs Vs. Wood Fires - What's The Right Choice For A Cozy Winter Fire?

Firelogs Vs. Wood Fires - What's The Right Choice For A Cozy Winter Fire?

Dec 24 2008 | comment(s)

The winter chill is upon us, and holiday songs put us all in the mood to snuggle by a warm fire with our loved ones... but in this new "environmental age", what should we be using to fuel our roaring fires?  Tradition generates images in our minds of a large stone fireplace, ablaze with a fiery tower of wood - casting heat and light into the room where family and friends gather.  It's warm, it's natural, it traditional... why should we consider anything else?
President George Bush Gives A Presidential Award To Embryonic Stem Cell Researcher (You Read That Right)

President George Bush Gives A Presidential Award To Embryonic Stem Cell Researcher (You Read That Right)

Dec 24 2008 | comment(s)

George Bush, he of the horned skull and demonic scowl, mortal enemy of all science, with the funding increases during his tenure being just a clever headfake so he could ruin science for everyone under the age of 30, has done something no one (well, no one who thinks Republicans are all evil and hate science) thought he would do; he gave a Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering (PECASE) to Kevin Eggan, PhD, principal faculty member at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.
Auralization, Acoustics And The Quest For The Perfect Concert Hall

Auralization, Acoustics And The Quest For The Perfect Concert Hall

Dec 24 2008 | comment(s)

When many of us go to see a live performance of some kind, like a play or a concert, we are often mostly concerned with the quality of the performers. We've gone to hear the flowing sounds of the San Francisco Symphony or the clear voices of Broadway singers. But what many people overlook, and what may be the most expensive and time-consuming aspect of any musical or theater production, is the effect of room acoustics on the sound coming from the stage. Now, with the massive increases in computing power over the last decade or so, acousticians are able to predict far more accurately how a given space will respond to sound, paving the way to more optimized concert halls and theaters.

Christmas Eve 1858 - 'A Magnificent Ball Of Fire'

Christmas Eve 1858 - 'A Magnificent Ball Of Fire'

Dec 24 2008 | comment(s)

It was Christmas Eve, 1858 when “people who in the streets, on pathways and in the fields saw a magnificent ball of fire appear, which shone with a brilliant, blinding light and all the colors of the rainbow, obscured the light of the moon and descended majestically from the sky.”  

This was the description of the meteorite that fell that evening, from a report commissioned by Rafael Martínez Fortún, of the town of Molina de Segura in Murcia, whose farm was struck by what is still the largest meteorite recovered in Spain.  Since 1863, it has been exhibited in the National Museum of Natural Sciences.
How Our Brain Chooses The Right Words

How Our Brain Chooses The Right Words

Dec 24 2008 | comment(s)

New research by a Rice University psychologist clearly identifies the parts of the brain involved in the process of choosing appropriate words during speech.

When speaking, a person must select one word from a competing set of words. For example, if the speaker wants to mention a specific animal, he has to single out "dog" from "cat," "horse" and other possibilities. If he wants to describe someone's temperament, he has to choose whether "happy," "sad," "ecstatic" or some other adjective is more appropriate.

Tatiana Schnur, assistant professor of psychology at Rice, wanted to determine whether one particular part of the brain, the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG), is necessary for resolving the competition for choosing the correct word.
Researchers Derive Embryonic Stem Cells From Rats For First Time

Researchers Derive Embryonic Stem Cells From Rats For First Time

Dec 24 2008 | comment(s)

Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have, for the first time in history, derived authentic embryonic stem (ES) cells from rats. This breakthrough finding will enable scientists to create far more effective animal models for the study of a range of human diseases. 

The finding brings scientists much closer to creating "knockout" rats—animals that are genetically modified to lack one or more genes—for biomedical research. By observing what happens to animals when specific genes are removed, researchers can identify the function of the gene and whether it is linked to a specific disease.