My picks from ScienceDaily

Tailor-made Functional Garments For Olympic Horses:

When the horses and competitors go through their paces at the Summer Olympics in Hong Kong in 2008, it will be very hot and very humid - just as it is every summer there. Three special blankets will offer the Swiss teams' tournament horses some respite from the elements.

Tracing Origins Of Critical Step In Animal Evolution -- The Development Of Nerves:

University of Queensland researchers have traced the origins of one of the most important steps in animal evolution - the development of nerves.

Future Impact Of Global Warming Is Worse When Grazing Animals Are Considered, Scientists Suggest:

The impact of global warming in the Arctic may differ from the predictions of computer models of the region, according to a pair of Penn State biologists. The team -- which includes Eric Post, a Penn State associate professor of biology, and Christian Pederson, a Penn State graduate student -- has shown that grazing animals will play a key role in reducing the anticipated expansion of shrub growth in the region, thus limiting their predicted and beneficial carbon-absorbing effect.

One Sleepless Night Increases Dopamine In The Human Brain:

ust one night without sleep can increase the amount of the chemical dopamine in the human brain, according to new imaging research in the August 20 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. Because drugs that increase dopamine, like amphetamines, promote wakefulness, the findings offer a potential mechanism explaining how the brain helps people stay awake despite the urge to sleep.

More like this

From November 01, 2005, a review of a review... Here is a nice article in Washington Post - Ecological Niche May Dictate Sleep Habits - about the adaptive function of sleep. It addresses some of the themes I am interested in. First, the unfortunate fact is that sleep was initially defined by…
From November 01, 2005, a review of a review... Here is a nice article in Washington Post - Ecological Niche May Dictate Sleep Habits - about the adaptive function of sleep. It addresses some of the themes I am interested in. First, the unfortunate fact is that sleep was initially defined by…
Remember a few years ago, when there were all these books that tried to explain the history of everything in terms of some seemingly minor subject, like "Cod" or "Salt"? I think it's time to apply this publishing trope to neuroscience: we need a book on dopamine. That damn neurotransmitter is…
A cornucopia of interesting science today. As always, check if the press release matches the actual paper... Adaptation To Global Climate Change Is An Essential Response To A Warming Planet: Temperatures are rising on Earth, which is heating up the debate over global warming and the future of our…