Science News
clock | January 20, 2009There are 15 new articles in PLoS ONE today. As always, you should rate the articles, post notes and comments and send trackbacks when you blog about the papers. You can now also easily place articles on various social services (CiteULike, Connotea, Stumbleupon, Facebook and Digg) with just one click. Here are my own picks for the week - you go and look for your own favourites:
Preparing the Perfect Cuttlefish Meal: Complex Prey Handling by Dolphins:
Dolphins are well known for their complex social and foraging behaviours. Direct underwater observations of wild dolphin feeding behaviour…
clock | January 19, 2009Just because I was busy with the conference does not meen that PLoS stopped the virtual presses to accommodate me! Of course, there are a bunch of cool new papers in PLoS Genetics, PLoS Computational Biology, PLoS Pathogens and PLoS ONE that have been published last week. As always, you should rate the articles, post notes and comments and send trackbacks when you blog about the papers. Here are my own picks for the week - you go and look for your own favourites:
Action Potential Initiation in the Hodgkin-Huxley Model:
In 1952, Hodgkin and Huxley described the underlying mechanism for the…
clock | January 19, 2009Humans Are Reason For Why Domestic Animals Have Such Strange And Varied Coat Colors:
You notice it in your everyday life, the bewildering diversity in coat colour among our pigs, dogs and other domestic animals. This stark contrasts with the uniformity of colour within wild animals. A new study on pigs reveals that the prime explanation for this phenomenon is that humans have actively changed the coat colour of domestic animals by cherry-picking and actively selecting for rare mutations and that this process that has been going on for thousands of years.
Game Theory Explains Why You Can't…
clock | January 16, 2009
Primate Culture Is Just A Stone's Throw Away From Human Evolution, Study Finds:
For 30 years, scientists have been studying stone-handling behavior in several troops of Japanese macaques to catch a unique glimpse of primate culture. By watching these monkeys acquire and maintain behavioral traditions from generation to generation, the scientists have gained insight into the cultural evolution of humans.
New Evidence That Humans Make Aspirin's Active Principle -- Salicylic Acid:
Scientists in the United Kingdom are reporting new evidence that humans can make their own salicylic acid (SA) --…
clock | January 15, 2009
High-tech Imaging Of Inner Ear Sheds Light On Hearing, Behavior Of Oldest Fossil Bird:
The earliest known bird, the magpie-sized Archaeopteryx, had a similar hearing range to the modern emu, which suggests that the 145 million-year-old creature -- despite its reptilian teeth and long tail -- was more birdlike than reptilian, according to new research.
High Caffeine Intake Linked To Hallucination Proneness:
High caffeine consumption could be linked to a greater tendency to hallucinate, a new research study suggests. People with a higher caffeine intake, from sources such as coffee, tea and…
clock | January 14, 2009Voracious Sponges In Underwater Caves Save Reefs:
Tropical oceans are known as the deserts of the sea. And yet this unlikely environment is the very place where the rich and fertile coral reef grows. Dutch researcher Jasper de Goeij investigated how caves in the coral reef ensure the reef's continued existence. Although sponges in these coral caves take up a lot of dissolved organic material, they scarcely grow. However, they do discard a lot of cells that in turn provide food for the organisms on the reef.
Tiny Insect Develops Long-term Memory:
If a specific butterfly anti-sex scent is…
clock | January 13, 2009There are 17 new articles in PLoS ONE today. As always, you should rate the articles, post notes and comments and send trackbacks when you blog about the papers. You can now also easily place articles on various social services (CiteULike, Connotea, Stumbleupon, Facebook and Digg) with just one click. Here are my own picks for the week - you go and look for your own favourites:
Mitochondrial Phylogeography Illuminates the Origin of the Extinct Caspian Tiger and Its Relationship to the Amur Tiger:
The Caspian tiger (Panthera tigris virgata) flourished in Central Asian riverine forest systems…
clock | January 13, 2009Computer Game 'Tetris' May Help Reduce Flashbacks To Traumatic Events:
Playing 'Tetris' after traumatic events could reduce the flashbacks experienced in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), preliminary research by Oxford University psychologists suggests.
New Computer Program Enables Powerful Data Analysis On Small Computers:
A powerful yet compact algorithm has been developed that can be used on laptop computers to extract features and patterns from huge and complex data sets.
Digital Communication Technology Helps Clear Path To Personalized Therapies:
Researchers at the Burnham Institute…
clock | January 12, 2009Mosquitoes Create Harmonic Love Song Before Mating, Study Finds:
That pesky buzz of a nearby mosquito is the sound of love, scientists have known for some time. But a new Cornell study reports that males and females flap their wings and change their tune to create a harmonic duet just before mating.
How Did Life Begin? RNA That Replicates Itself Indefinitely Developed For First Time:
One of the most enduring questions is how life could have begun on Earth. Molecules that can make copies of themselves are thought to be crucial to understanding this process as they provide the basis for…
clock | January 9, 2009Ancient Odor-detecting Mechanism In Insects Discovered:
In work to be published in the January 9 issue of Cell, the team reports the discovery of a new family of receptors in the fly nose, a finding that not only fills in a missing piece in the organizational logic of the insect olfactory system but also unearths one of the most ancient mechanisms that organisms have evolved to smell.
Evolution In Action: Our Antibodies Take 'Evolutionary Leaps' To Fight Microbes:
With cold and flu season in full swing, the fact that viruses and bacteria rapidly evolve is apparent with every sneeze, sniffle,…
clock | January 8, 2009Let's see what's new in PLoS Genetics, PLoS Computational Biology, PLoS Pathogens and PLoS ONE this week. As always, you should rate the articles, post notes and comments and send trackbacks when you blog about the papers. Here are my own picks for the week - you go and look for your own favourites:
Predicting the Herd Immunity Threshold during an Outbreak: A Recursive Approach:
The objective was to develop a novel algorithm that can predict, based on field survey data, the minimum vaccination coverage required to reduce the mean number of infections per infectious individual to less than…
clock | January 8, 2009Polarized Light Leads Animals Astray: 'Ecological Traps' Cause Animal Behaviors That Can Lead To Death:
Human-made light sources can alter natural light cycles, causing animals that rely on light cues to make mistakes when moving through their environment. In the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, a collaboration of ecologists, biologists and biophysicists has now shown that in addition to direct light, cues from polarized light can trigger animal behaviors leading to injury and often death.
Male Crickets With Bigger Heads Are Better Fighters, Study Reveals, Echoing Ancient…
clock | January 7, 2009There are 10 new articles in PLoS ONE today. As always, you should rate the articles, post notes and comments and send trackbacks when you blog about the papers. You can now also easily place articles on various social services (CiteULike, Connotea, Stumbleupon, Facebook and Digg) with just one click. Here are my own picks for the week - you go and look for your own favourites:
Resurrection of a Bull by Cloning from Organs Frozen without Cryoprotectant in a â80°C Freezer for a Decade:
Frozen animal tissues without cryoprotectant have been thought to be inappropriate for use as a nuclear…
clock | January 7, 2009Wonderful Cheese Is All In The Culture:
An international research team led by Newcastle University has identified a new line of bacteria they believe add flavour to some of the world's most exclusive cheeses.
Big, Old Mice Spread Deadly Hantavirus:
University of Utah researchers dusted wild deer mice with fluorescent pink, blue, green, yellow and orange talcum powders to show which rodents most often fought or mated with others and thus were most likely to spread deadly hantavirus. The study identified bigger, older mice as the culprits.
Gene Expression And Splicing Vary Widely From One…
clock | January 6, 2009There are 18 new articles in PLoS ONE today. As always, you should rate the articles, post notes and comments and send trackbacks when you blog about the papers. You can now also easily place articles on various social services (CiteULike, Connotea, Stumbleupon, Facebook and Digg) with just one click. Here are my own picks for the day - so many today! - but you go and look for your own favourites:
Can Playing the Computer Game "Tetris" Reduce the Build-Up of Flashbacks for Trauma? A Proposal from Cognitive Science:
Flashbacks are the hallmark symptom of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD…
clock | January 6, 2009
Power Of Wilderness Experiences As A Catalyst For Change In Young Offenders:
Researchers in the University of Essex's Centre for Environment and Society have been working with young offenders from Essex to help them turn their lives around. Professor Jules Pretty, Jo Barton and Rachel Hine were involved in 'The TurnAround 2007 Project', initiated by the Wilderness Foundation UK to help seven vulnerable young people in Chelmsford and mid-Essex. This nine-month project used the power of nature and wilderness experiences a catalyst for change, enabling the young people to re-evaluate their…
clock | January 5, 2009Journey Of A Green Turtle From Indonesia Into Australian Opens Mystery Of 'oceanic Superhighway':
The remarkable journey of a green turtle from Indonesia into Australian waters is helping conservationists to track the migratory route of this species to the Kimberley-Pilbara coast - one of the few relatively pristine coastal areas left on Earth.
Microbes In The Intestine: Friend Or Foe?:
Micro-organisms in the intestine live in symbiosis with humans but can cause illness or even death. Together with an international team, Nicola Harris of ETH Zurich researched the factors that make a person…
clock | January 4, 2009In Many Fungi, Reproductive Spores Are Remarkably Aerodynamic:
The reproductive spores of many species of fungi have evolved remarkably drag-minimizing shapes, according to new research by mycologists and applied mathematicians at Harvard University.
Physical Disability Brings Marital Happiness:
A new study finds that the onset of physical disability boosts marital happiness more often than not. Brigham Young University professor Jeremy Yorgason's findings - reported in the academic journal Research on Aging - show what happens with couples when one of them loses the ability to perform…
clock | January 3, 2009
New Breeding Ground For Endangered Whales? High Numbers Of Right Whales Seen In Gulf Of Maine:
A large number of North Atlantic right whales have been seen in the Gulf of Maine in recent days, leading right whale researchers at NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center to believe they have identified a wintering ground and potentially a breeding ground for this endangered species.
Aquaculture's Growth Seen As Continuing:
Aquaculture production of seafood will probably remain the most rapidly increasing food production system worldwide through 2025, according to an assessment published in the…
clock | January 2, 2009There are 9 new articles in PLoS ONE today. As always, you should rate the articles, post notes and comments and send trackbacks when you blog about the papers. You can now also easily place articles on various social services (CiteULike, Connotea, Stumbleupon, Facebook and Digg) with just one click. Here are my own picks for the week - you go and look for your own favourites:
Population Dynamics Constrain the Cooperative Evolution of Cross-Feeding:
Cross-feeding is the exchange of nutrients among species of microbes. It has two potential evolutionary origins, one as an exchange of…