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Bubbles In Ice Could Be A Future Medium For Secret Codes

Scholars have developed a method to encode binary and Morse code messages in ice. A 'message in...

Nearly Complete Harbin Skull From 146,000 Years Ago Belongs To The Denisovan Lineage

The discovery of the Denisovans 15 years ago set off a chain of evolutionary research into how...

Humans Have Always Adapted To Changing Climates - It's Why We Conquered The World

In the Cradles of Civilization, there are entire cities covered in sand that were once thriving...

Social Media Addiction Behavior, Not Time, Is A Harbinger Of Young Mental Health

Screen time is a concern for parents and mental health advocates but looking at screen time may...

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Dog's 'Guilty Look' Is All In Your Head

Dog's 'Guilty Look' Is All In Your Head

Jun 11 2009 | comment(s)

Can you tell when your dog has done something wrong by his appearance?   Not really, says Alexandra Horowitz, Assistant Professor from Barnard College in New York, in Behavioural Processes.   It's mostly what you want to see.

Horowitz was able to show that the human tendency to attribute a "guilty look" to a dog was not due to whether the dog was indeed guilty. Instead, people see 'guilt' in a dog's body language when they believe the dog has done something it shouldn't have – even if the dog is in fact completely innocent of any offense.
How Well Do You Know Anatomy?

How Well Do You Know Anatomy?

Jun 11 2009 | comment(s)

A study of patients and members of the public has shown that most lack even basic knowledge of human anatomy. The research, featured in the journal BMC Family Practice, found that people were generally incapable of identifying the location of major organs, even if they were currently receiving relevant treatment.
Extrasolar Planet Habitable Zones Around Distant Suns Get Some New Limitations

Extrasolar Planet Habitable Zones Around Distant Suns Get Some New Limitations

Jun 10 2009 | comment(s)

The search for planets capable of sustainable life (as we know it) is on, but with an infinite number of planets astronomers are focusing their attention on each system's 'habitable zone', where heat radiated from the star is just right to keep a planet's water in liquid form. They have found planets orbiting red dwarf stars because those make up about three-quarters of the stars close to our solar system. Potentially habitable planets must orbit closer to those stars, perhaps one-fiftieth the distance of Earth to the sun, since they are smaller and generate less heat than our sun.
The Future Of Science Communication - To Frame Or Not To Frame?

The Future Of Science Communication - To Frame Or Not To Frame?

Jun 10 2009 | comment(s)

Matthew C. Nisbet, assistant professor in the School of Communication writing in Nature Biotechnology, says there are changes that must be made to ensure quality science communication in the future. Some of his recommendations, based on the results of a science communication workshop in Washington, D.C., are: 1. Scientists should pursue a trust- and dialogue-based relationship with the public. The goal is not to 'sell the public' but to democratize public input about scientific issues so that members of the public can meaningfully participate in science-related decision making, which is not framing, but then ...
Retinoic Acid Embryology Study Clarifies Effects On Limb Formation

Retinoic Acid Embryology Study Clarifies Effects On Limb Formation

Jun 10 2009 | comment(s)

A group of researchers say they have clarified the role that retinoic acid plays in limb development. Their study in Current Biology says that retinoic acid controls the development (or budding) of forelimbs, but not hindlimbs, and that retinoic acid is not responsible for patterning (or differentiation of the parts) of limbs. This research corrects longstanding misconceptions about limb development and provides new insights into congenital limb defects.
Theropod Dinosaurs Evolved Into Birds? Not Likely, Says Study

Theropod Dinosaurs Evolved Into Birds? Not Likely, Says Study

Jun 09 2009 | comment(s)

Paleontologists and some in biology have long believed that modern birds are the direct descendants of ancient, meat-eating dinosaurs.

Researchers at Oregon State University contend they have made a fundamental new discovery about how birds breathe and have a lung capacity that allows for flight – and the finding means it's unlikely that birds descended from any known theropod dinosaurs.

It's been known for decades that the femur, or thigh bone in birds is largely fixed and makes birds into "knee runners," unlike virtually all other land animals, the OSU experts say. What was just discovered, however, is that it's this fixed position of bird bones and musculature that keeps their air-sac lung from collapsing when the bird inhales.