Science News
clock | August 25, 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:
Individual Differences in the Amount and Timing of Salivary Melatonin Secretion:
The aim of this study was to examine individual differences in a large sample of complete melatonin profiles not suppressed by light and search for possible associations between the amount and timing of melatonin secretion and a multitude of lifestyle variables. The melatonin…
clock | August 25, 2008How 'Secondary' Sex Characters Can Drive The Origin Of Species:
The ostentatious, sometimes bizarre qualities that improve a creature's chances of finding a mate may also drive the reproductive separation of populations and the evolution of new species, say two Indiana University Bloomington biologists.
Elephant Legs Are Much Bendier Than Shakespeare Thought:
Throughout history, elephants have been thought of as 'different'. Shakespeare, and even Aristotle, described them as walking on inflexible column-like legs. And this myth persists even today. Which made John Hutchinson from The Royal…
clock | August 25, 2008Tiny Cellular Antennae Trigger Neural Stem Cells:
Yale University scientists today reported evidence suggesting that the tiny cilia found on brain cells of mammals, thought to be vestiges of a primeval past, actually play a critical role in relaying molecular signals that spur creation of neurons in an area of the brain involved in mood, learning and memory.
Picking Out Specific Sounds In A Complex Scene: Researchers Study 'Cocktail Party Effect', Measure Auditory Dynamics Of Selective Attention:
Call it the cocktail party effect: how an individual can participate in a one-on-one conversation…
clock | August 24, 2008Foul Owls Use Feces To Show They Are In Fine Feather:
Some years ago, within the Department of Conservation Biology of the Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientÃficas; Seville, Spain), a recently established group (colloquially named the Night Ecology Group) started to explore the possibility of visual communication in crepuscular and nocturnal birds.
Exploding Chromosomes Fuel Research About Evolution Of Genetic Storage:
Human cells somehow squeeze two meters of double-stranded DNA into the space of a typical chromosome, a package 10,000 times smaller…
clock | August 23, 2008With Skate Eyes, Scientists Peer Into Human Disease:
Paradoxically, the photoreceptor cells in our retinas release more of their neurotransmitter, glutamate, in the dark, when there is nothing to see, than they do in the light. This is doubly surprising since although glutamate is a major signaling molecule in the retina and throughout the central nervous system, it is also a potent cytotoxin that, in large doses, can kill nearby cells.
New Algorithm Significantly Boosts Routing Efficiency Of Networks:
A time-and-money-saving question shared by commuters in their cars and networks sharing…
clock | August 22, 2008There are 7 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:
Bioactive Endophytes Warrant Intensified Exploration and Conservation:
A key argument in favor of conserving biodiversity is that as yet undiscovered biodiversity will yield products of great use to humans. However, the link between undiscovered biodiversity and useful products is largely conjectural. Here we provide direct evidence from bioassays of…
clock | August 22, 2008Face Recognition: Nurture Not Nature:
Researchers have discovered that our society can influence the way we recognise other people's faces. Because face recognition is effortlessly achieved by people from all different cultures it was considered to be a basic mechanism universal among humans. However, by using analyses inspired by novel brain imaging technology, researchers at the University of Glasgow have discovered that cultural differences cause us to look at faces differently.
Manes, Trains And Antlers Explained: How Showy Male Traits Evolved:
For Charles Darwin, the problem of the…
clock | August 22, 2008Friendly blogger Pamela Roland, the author of Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food which I am reading right now (and which was recently reviewed in PLoS Biology), has just had a paper published in PLoS Genetics:
Identification and Functional Analysis of Light-Responsive Unique Genes and Gene Family Members in Rice
Rice, a model monocot, is the first crop plant to have its entire genome sequenced. Although genome-wide transcriptome analysis tools and genome-wide, gene-indexed mutant collections have been generated for rice, the functions of only a handful of rice…
clock | August 21, 2008There 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. Here are my own picks for the week - you go and look for your own favourites:
A Dominant X-Linked QTL Regulating Pubertal Timing in Mice Found by Whole Genome Scanning and Modified Interval-Specific Congenic Strain Analysis:
Pubertal timing in mammals is triggered by reactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and modulated by both genetic and environmental factors. Strain-dependent differences in vaginal opening…
clock | August 21, 2008Tailor-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…
clock | August 20, 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:
Seeing without Seeing? Degraded Conscious Vision in a Blindsight Patient:
Blindsight patients, whose primary visual cortex is lesioned, exhibit preserved ability to discriminate visual stimuli presented in their "blind" field, yet report no visual awareness hereof. Blindsight is generally studied in experimental investigations of single patients, as very…
clock | August 19, 2008There are 45 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, including the first one which tests one of Darwin's own hypotheses:
Resource Competition Triggers the Co-Evolution of Long Tongues and Deep Corolla Tubes:
It is normally thought that deep corolla tubes evolve when a plant's successful reproduction is contingent on having a corolla tube longer than the tongue of the flower's pollinators, and that…
clock | August 19, 2008Sweets Make Young Horses Harder To Train, Study Finds:
Young horses may be easier to train if they temporarily lay off the sweets, says a Montana State University study where two-year-olds wore pedometers, wrist watches and Ace bandages. A commercial mixture of corn, oats, barley and molasses -- sometimes called "sweet grain" or "sweet feed" -- gives horses the glossy coat and lively spirit that makes them attractive to prospective buyers, said Jan Bowman, an animal nutritionist at MSU.
Mirror Self-recognition In Magpie Birds:
Self-recognition, it has been argued, is a hallmark of advanced…
clock | August 18, 2008Light Receptors In Eye Play Key Role In Setting Biological Clock, Study Shows:
Biologists at the University of Virginia have discovered a switching mechanism in the eye that plays a key role in regulating the sleep/wake cycles in mammals.
A Therapy For Baby Boomers To Sleep On: New Drug For Insomniacs Over 55:
If you're over 55 and have spent more than a few sleepless nights, you're not alone -- insomnia affects about half of all people over 55 -- but you may also be at increased risk for physical and mental ailments.
Why An Exciting Book Is Just As Thrilling As A Hair-raising Movie:
Watching…
clock | August 18, 2008Some really cool stuff just got published a few minutes ago in PLoS Biology:
A cool paper: Mirror-Induced Behavior in the Magpie (Pica pica): Evidence of Self-Recognition:
A crucial step in the emergence of self-recognition is the understanding that one's own mirror reflection does not represent another individual but oneself. In nonhuman species and in children, the "mark test" has been used as an indicator of self-recognition. In these experiments, subjects are placed in front of a mirror and provided with a mark that cannot be seen directly but is visible in the mirror. Mirror self-…
clock | August 15, 2008Snooze Button For Body's Circadian Clock:
We may use the snooze button to fine-tune our sleep cycles, but our cells have a far more meticulous and refined system. Humans, and most other organisms, have 24-hour rhythms that are regulated by a precise molecular clock that ticks inside every cell. After decades of study, researchers are still identifying all the gears involved in running this "circadian" clock and are working to put each of the molecular cogs in its place. A new study by Rockefeller University scientists now shows how two of the key molecules interact to regulate the clock's…
j7uy5 | August 15, 2008This seems very odd. The Internet -- including web sites and
email -- has been found to have a very serious security flaw.
Civilized places such as Sweden and Puerto Rico are already
fixing the problem. There are plans to improve security for
US .gov and .mil sites (government and military , respectively).
Yet, the most important fix for the rest of us, which is
under the control of the US government, is being delayed.
Given that the Russian military attack on Georgia was
href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0813/p01s05-usmi.html">preceded
by an Internet attack, it would seem pretty…
clock | August 14, 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:
Mutant Screen Distinguishes between Residues Necessary for Light-Signal Perception and Signal Transfer by Phytochrome B:
Adapting to the light environment, plants have evolved several photoreceptors, of which the phytochromes are specialized in perceiving the red and…
clock | August 14, 2008Sleep Selectively Preserves Emotional Memories:
As poets, songwriters and authors have described, our memories range from misty water-colored recollections to vividly detailed images of the times of our lives. Now, a study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Boston College offers new insights into the specific components of emotional memories, suggesting that sleep plays a key role in determining what we remember - and what we forget.
Hard Day's Night? Enhancing The Work-life Balance Of Shift Workers:
Introducing a Compressed Working Week may enhance the…
clock | August 13, 2008Birds Move Farther North; Climate Change Link Considered:
A study by researchers at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) has documented, for the first time in the northeastern United States, that a variety of bird species are extending their breeding ranges to the north, a pattern that adds to concerns about climate change. Focusing on 83 species of birds that have traditionally bred in New York state, the researchers compared data collected in the early 1980s with information gathered between 2000 and 2005. They discovered that many species had extended their range…