Science News
clock | January 2, 2009Longstanding Theory Of Origin Of Species In Oceans Challenged:
New evidence uncovered by oceanographers challenges one of the most long-standing theories about how species evolve in the oceans. Most scientists believe that allopatric speciation, where different species arise from an ancestral species only after breeding populations have become physically isolated from each other, is the dominant mode of speciation both on land and in the sea. The key to this theory is the existence of some kind of physical barrier that operates to restrict interbreeding (gene flow) between populations so that…
clock | January 1, 2009Another Reason To Avoid High-fat Diet: It Can Disrupt Our Biological Clock, Say Researchers
Indulgence in a high-fat diet can not only lead to overweight because of excessive calorie intake, but also can affect the balance of circadian rhythms - everyone's 24-hour biological clock, Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers have shown.
Songs From The Sea: Deciphering Dolphin Language With Picture Words:
In an important breakthrough in deciphering dolphin language, researchers in Great Britain and the United States have imaged the first high definition imprints that dolphin sounds make in…
clock | December 31, 2008There are 12 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:
Temporal and Individual Variation in Offspring Provisioning by Tree Swallows: A New Method of Automated Nest Attendance Monitoring:
Studies of the ecology and evolution of avian nesting behavior have been limited by…
clock | December 31, 2008Competition, Not Climate Change, Led To Neanderthal Extinction, Study Shows:
In a recently conducted study, a multidisciplinary French-American research team with expertise in archaeology, past climates, and ecology reported that Neanderthal extinction was principally a result of competition with Cro-Magnon populations, rather than the consequences of climate change.
Facial Expressions Of Emotion Are Innate, Not Learned:
Facial expressions of emotion are hardwired into our genes, according to a new study. The research suggests that facial expressions of emotion are innate rather than a…
clock | December 30, 2008There are 24 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:
Evolutionary Patterns and Selective Pressures of Odorant/Pheromone Receptor Gene Families in Teleost Fishes:
Teleost fishes do not have a vomeronasal organ (VNO), and their vomeronasal receptors (V1Rs, V2Rs) are…
clock | December 30, 2008
Humans, Oceans Shaped North American Climate Over Past 50 Years, NOAA Report Says:
Greenhouse gases play an important role in North American climate, but differences in regional ocean temperatures may hold a key to predicting future U.S. regional climate changes, according to a new NOAA-led scientific assessment. The assessment is one in a series of synthesis and assessment reports coordinated by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program.
Our Unconscious Brain Makes The Best Decisions Possible:
Researchers at the University of Rochester have shown that the human brain--once thought to be a…
clock | December 29, 2008There are 21 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:
Rapid Acoustic Survey for Biodiversity Appraisal:
Biodiversity assessment remains one of the most difficult challenges encountered by ecologists and conservation biologists. This task is becoming even more urgent…
clock | December 29, 2008College Students Find Comfort In Their Pets During Hard Times:
A new study suggests that college students may handle stressful situations better if they have a pet. Research has already shown that pets can improve the quality of life for people who are aging or those who are chronically ill. But researchers at Ohio State University recently found that many college students may also benefit from owning a cat or a dog.
We Are Better Able To Detect Racial Tension In Members Of Our Racial Group:
In March of 2008, in a speech addressing contemporary racial tensions in America, then-Senator…
clock | December 28, 2008New 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) -- the material formed when aspirin breaks down in the body. SA, which is responsible for aspirin's renowned effects in relieving pain and inflammation, may be the first in a new class of bioregulators, according to a new study.
Warmer Temperatures Could Lead To A Boom In Corn Pests:
Climate change could provide the warmer weather pests prefer, leading to an increase in populations that feed on corn and other…
clock | December 27, 2008There are 20 new articles in PLoS ONE last night. 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:
The Effects of Aging on Researchers' Publication and Citation Patterns:
The average age at which U.S. researchers receive their first grant from NIH has increased from 34.3 in 1970, to 41.7 in 2004. These data…
clock | December 27, 2008Visual Areas Of Brain Respond More To Valuable Objects, Brain-imaging Shows:
Dollar signs for eyes - cartoonists have been drawing them for years, and the artists, while whimsical, may have been onto something. According to new research from UC San Diego, areas of the brain responsible for vision respond more strongly to objects of value.
Medical Myths For The Holiday Season: True, False Or Unproven?:
In a study published in the Christmas 2008 issue of the British Medical Journal, Aaron Carroll, M.D., M.S., and Rachel Vreeman, M.D., M.S., of the Indiana University School of Medicine, explore…
clock | December 26, 2008So, let's see what's new in PLoS Genetics, PLoS Computational Biology and PLoS Pathogens 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:
I Am Not a Scientist, I Am a Number:
Imagine a time when you and your complete scholarly output--papers, grant applications, blog posts, etc.--could be identified online and in perpetuity and returned in a variety of easy-to-digest ways. While ego comes into it as a driver to make this happen,…
clock | December 26, 2008Premature Babies Have Altered Sensory Responses In Later Life:
Premature infants who need intensive care or surgery are less sensitive to thermal (hot and cold) sensations later in life, according to research conducted at UCL (University College London). The study, published in the journal Pain, suggests that pain and injury related to major medical interventions in early development may alter how children respond to painful stimuli much later in life.
Blind Man Walking: With No Visual Awareness, Man Navigates Obstacle Course Flawlessly:
Researchers have demonstrated for the first time that…
clock | December 25, 2008
Why Do We Believe in Santa?:
Having kids believe there's a jolly man in a red suit who visits on Christmas Eve isn't detrimental, although some parents can feel they're outright lying to their children, according to a new analysis by Serge Larivee. "When they learn the truth, children accept the rules of the game and even go along with their parents in having younger children believe in Santa," says Larivee, a psycho-education professor at the Université de Montréal. "It becomes a rite of passage in that they know they are no longer babies."
Chocolate, Wine And Tea Improve Brain…
clock | December 24, 2008Dark Chocolate Is More Filling Than Milk Chocolate And Lessens Cravings:
New research at the Faculty of Life Sciences (LIFE) at the University of Copenhagen - shows that dark chocolate is far more filling than milk chocolate, lessening our craving for sweet, salty and fatty foods. In other words, eating dark chocolate may be an efficient way to keep your weight down over the holidays.
A Walk In The Park A Day Keeps Mental Fatigue Away:
If you spend the majority of your time among stores, restaurants and skyscrapers, it may be time to trade in your stilettos for some hiking boots. A new study…
clock | December 23, 2008A well-written press release on a very well done and exciting study:
Honey bees on cocaine dance more, changing ideas about the insect brain:
In a study published in 2007, Robinson and his colleagues reported that treatment with octopamine caused foraging honey bees to dance more often. This indicated that octopamine played a role in honey bee dance behavior. It also suggested a framework for understanding the evolution of altruistic behavior, Robinson said.
"The idea behind that study was that maybe this mechanism that structures selfish behavior - eating - was co-opted during social…
clock | December 23, 2008What a Christmas present - there are 32 new articles in PLoS ONE today and they are amazing! 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:
Norepinephrine Controls Both Torpor Initiation and Emergence via Distinct Mechanisms in the Mouse:
Some mammals, including laboratory mice, enter torpor in response to…
clock | December 23, 2008Mechanism That Triggers Differentiation Of Embryo Cells Discovered:
The mechanism whereby embryonic cells stop being flexible and turn into more mature cells that can develop into specific tissues has been discovered by scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The discovery has significant consequences towards furthering research that will eventually make possible medical cell replacement therapy based on the use of embryonic cells.
Genes May Influence Popularity, Study Of College Students Finds:
A groundbreaking study of popularity by a Michigan State University scientist has found…
clock | December 22, 2008Lots of cool new papers in PLoS Biology, PLoS Medicine and PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases today. My picks are under the fold, but you look around and see what you are interested in:
Historical and Philosophical Perspectives on Contemporary Biology by Evelyn Fox Keller:
The work of historians and philosophers of science has long benefited from conversations with practicing scientists, but to many scientific researchers--perhaps especially to those engaged in laboratory work--the value that such dialogue might have for their own endeavor is not nearly so obvious. There are of course…
clock | December 22, 2008There are 12 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:
A Meta-Analysis of Local Adaptation in Plants:
Local adaptation is of fundamental importance in evolutionary, population, conservation, and global-change biology. The generality of local adaptation in plants and…