Science News
clock | September 5, 2008Can anyone send me the actual paper that is described in the first press release on this list, please?
What Is A Gene? Media Define the Concept In Many Different Ways:
Even scientists define 'a gene' in different ways, so it comes as little surprise that the media also have various ways of framing the concept of a gene, according to a new study. The study, Frame that gene, is based on the analysis of 300 articles in British and Norwegian newspapers: The Guardian, The Sun and The Daily Mail from the UK; and Aftenposten, Dagbladet, and VG from Norway.
Mom's Mood, Baby's Sleep: What's The…
clock | September 4, 2008There are 10 new articles in 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:
Targeted Destruction of Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells with a Saporin Conjugate Alters the Effects of Light on Mouse Circadian Rhythms:
Non-image related responses to light, such as the synchronization of circadian rhythms to the day/night cycle, are mediated by classical rod/cone photoreceptors and by a small subset of retinal ganglion cells…
clock | September 4, 2008Cigarettes' Power May Not Be In Nicotine Itself, New Study Suggests:
There may be a very good reason why coffee and cigarettes often seem to go hand in hand. A Kansas State University psychology professor's research suggests that nicotine's power may be in how it enhances other experiences. For a smoker who enjoys drinking coffee, the nicotine may make a cup of joe even better.
Participating In Religion May Make Adolescents From Certain Races More Depressed:
One of the few studies to look at the effects of religious participation on the mental health of minorities suggests that for some of…
clock | September 3, 2008Oldest Gecko Fossil Ever Found, Entombed In Amber:
Scientists from Oregon State University and the Natural History Museum in London have announced the discovery of the oldest known fossil of a gecko, with body parts that are forever preserved in life-like form after 100 million years of being entombed in amber.
Black-footed Ferrets Sired By Dead Males Via Frozen Sperm:
Two black-footed ferrets at the Smithsonian's National Zoo have each given birth to a kit that was sired by males who died in 1999 and 2000. These endangered ferrets--part of a multi-institutional breeding and reintroduction…
clock | September 3, 2008There are 11 new articles in 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:
Flowering Time Diversification and Dispersal in Central Eurasian Wild Wheat Aegilops tauschii Coss.: Genealogical and Ecological Framework:
Timing of flowering is a reproductive trait that has significant impact on fitness in plants. In contrast to recent advances in understanding the molecular basis of floral transition, few empirical studies have…
clock | September 3, 2008Brain Imaging Links Chronic Insomnia To Reversible Cognitive Deficits Without Changes In Behavior:
A neuroimaging study has found that cognitive processes related to verbal fluency are compromised in people with insomnia despite the absence of a behavioral deficit. These specific brain function alterations can be reversed, however, through non-pharmacological treatment with sleep therapy.
Periodic Limb Movement During Sleep Is Less Common In African-Americans; Associated With Insomnia:
A new study objectively determined the prevalence of periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS) in a…
clock | September 2, 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. Here are my own picks for the week - you go and look for your own favourites:
Low Frequency Groans Indicate Larger and More Dominant Fallow Deer (Dama dama) Males:
Models of honest advertisement predict that sexually selected calls should signal male quality. In most vertebrates, high quality males have larger body sizes that determine higher social status and in turn higher reproductive success. Previous research has emphasised…
clock | September 1, 2008'Armored' Fish Study Helps Strengthen Darwin's Natural Selection Theory:
Shedding some genetically induced excess baggage may have helped a tiny fish thrive in freshwater and outsize its marine ancestors, according to a UBC study published today in Science Express. Measuring three to 10 centimetres long, stickleback fish originated in the ocean but began populating freshwater lakes and streams following the last ice age. Over the past 20,000 years - a relatively short time span in evolutionary terms - freshwater sticklebacks have lost their bony lateral plates, or "armour," in these new…
clock | August 31, 2008
More Genes Are Controlled By Biological Clocks Than Previously Thought:
The tick-tock of your biological clock may have just gotten a little louder. Researchers at the University of Georgia report that the number of genes under control of the biological clock in a much-studied model organism is dramatically higher than previously reported. The new study implies that the clock may be much more important in living things than suspected only a few years ago.
No More Big Stink: Scent Lures Mosquitoes, But Humans Can't Smell It:
Mosquito traps that reek like latrines may be no more. A University…
clock | August 29, 2008Unexpected Large Monkey Population Discovered In Cambodia: Tens Of Thousands Of Threatened Primates:
A Wildlife Conservation Society report reveals surprisingly large populations of two globally threatened primates in a protected area in Cambodia.
'Pristine' Amazonian Region Hosted Large, Urban Civilization:
They aren't the lost cities early explorers sought fruitlessly to discover. But ancient settlements in the Amazon, now almost entirely obscured by tropical forest, were once large and complex enough to be considered "urban" as the term is commonly applied to both medieval European and…
clock | August 29, 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. Here are my own picks for the week - you go and look for your own favourites:
Urochordate Histoincompatible Interactions Activate Vertebrate-Like Coagulation System Components:
The colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri expresses a unique allorecognition system. When two histoincompatible Botryllus colonies come into direct contact, they develop an inflammatory-like rejection response. A surprising high number of vertebrates'…
clock | August 29, 2008Eyes Evolved For 'X-Ray Vision': Forward-facing Eyes Allow Animals To 'See Through' Clutter In The World:
The advantage of using two eyes to see the world around us has long been associated solely with our capacity to see in 3-D. Now, a new study from a scientist at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has uncovered a truly eye-opening advantage to binocular vision: our ability to see through things.
Sticks And Stones: A New Study On Social And Physical Pain:
We all know the famous saying: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," but is this proverb actually true?…
clock | August 29, 2008So, let's see what's new in PLoS Genetics, PLoS Computational Biology, PLoS Pathogens and PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 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:
Strategies for Aspiring Biomedical Researchers in Resource-Limited Environments:
Countries struggling with global health challenges desperately need local biomedical researchers to find health care solutions to address the deadly diseases that affect their populations…
clock | August 28, 2008There are 11 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. Here are my own picks for the week - you go and look for your own favourites:
Systems Biology of the Clock in Neurospora crassa:
A model-driven discovery process, Computing Life, is used to identify an ensemble of genetic networks that describe the biological clock. A clock mechanism involving the genes white-collar-1 and white-collar-2 (wc-1 and wc-2) that encode a transcriptional activator (as well as a blue-light receptor) and…
clock | August 28, 2008Unusual Ultrasonic Vocalization Patterns In Mice May Be Useful For Modeling Autism:
Scientists have found novel patterns of ultrasonic vocalizations in a genetic mouse model of autism, adding a unique element to the available mouse behaviors that capture components of the human disease, and representing a new step towards identifying causes and better treatments.
New Concepts In Contraception:
Latest research into dual-purpose contraceptives and non-hormonal contraception will be presented August 27 at a major scientific conference in Melbourne.
Heart Attack Prevention: Potential New Use For…
clock | August 27, 2008There are 13 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. Here are my own picks for the week - you go and look for your own favourites:
Observing Virtual Arms that You Imagine Are Yours Increases the Galvanic Skin Response to an Unexpected Threat:
Multi-modal visuo-tactile stimulation of the type performed in the rubber hand illusion can induce the brain to temporarily incorporate external objects into the body image. In this study we show that audio-visual stimulation combined with…
clock | August 26, 2008Exploring The Function Of Sleep:
Is sleep essential? Ask that question to a sleep-deprived new parent or a student who has just pulled an "all-nighter," and the answer will be a grouchy, "Of course!" But to a sleep scientist, the question of what constitutes sleep is so complex that scientists are still trying to define the essential function of something we do every night. A study published this week in PLoS Biology by Chiara Cirelli and Giulio Tononi addresses this pressing question.
'Perfect Pitch' In Humans Far More Prevalent Than Expected:
Researchers at the University of Rochester's…
clock | August 26, 2008Small Scattered Fragments Do Not a Dwarf Make: Biological and Archaeological Data Indicate that Prehistoric Inhabitants of Palau Were Normal Sized:
Current archaeological evidence from Palau in western Micronesia indicates that the archipelago was settled around 3000-3300 BP by normal sized populations; contrary to recent claims, they did not succumb to insular dwarfism. Previous and ongoing archaeological research of both human burial and occupation sites throughout the Palauan archipelago during the last 50 years has produced a robust data set to test hypotheses regarding initial…
clock | August 26, 2008Cells In Eye Could Help Control Sleep:
A set of nerve cells in the eye control our levels of sleepiness according to the brightness of our surroundings, Oxford University researchers have discovered. The cells directly regulate the activity of sleep centres in the brain, providing a new target for the development of drugs to control sleep and alertness.
New Evidence Debunks 'Stupid' Neanderthal Myth:
Research by UK and American scientists has struck another blow to the theory that Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) became extinct because they were less intelligent than our ancestors (Homo…
clock | August 25, 2008Monday night - time to check out the new articles in PLoS Biology and PLoS Medicine:
Is Sleep Essential?:
Everybody knows that sleep is important, yet the function of sleep seems like the mythological phoenix: "Che vi sia ciascun lo dice, dove sia nessun lo sa" ("that there is one they all say, where it may be no one knows," Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo da Ponte [1790], Così fan tutte). But what if the search for an essential function of sleep is misguided? What if sleep is not required but rather a kind of extreme indolence that animals indulge in when they have no more pressing…