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35 articles from ScienceDaily
Unearthing the mystery of the meaning of Easter Island's Moai
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 20:33
Based on a 5-year excavation of two Moai found within the Easter Island quarry called Rano Raraku, the Easter Island Statue Project released the first definitive study to reveal the quarry as a complex landscape and link soil fertility, agriculture, quarrying and the sacred nature of the Moai. Chemistry testing suggests the soil in the quarry itself was made more fertile by the act of quarrying,...
Why are giant pandas born so tiny?
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 20:24
Born pink, blind, and helpless, giant pandas typically weigh about 100 grams at birth -- the equivalent of a stick of butter. Their mothers are 900 times more massive than that. That raises a question that has vexed biologists: why the disparity? No one knows the answer, but by comparing bone growth across newborn bears, dogs and other animals, scientists find that one idea doesn't hold up.
Growing carbon nanotubes with the right twist
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 20:24
Researchers synthetize nanotubes with a specific structure expanding previous theories on carbon nanotube growth.
Paving the way to healing complex trauma
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 20:24
A major study has identified key themes that will be used to inform strategies to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents in the first years of their children's lives.
Nanoscience breakthrough: Probing particles smaller than a billionth of a meter
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 20:24
Scientists developed a new methodology that allows researchers to assess the chemical composition and structure of metallic particles with a diameter of only 0.5 to 2 nm. This breakthrough in analytical techniques will enable the development and application of minuscule materials in the fields of electronics, biomedicine, chemistry, and more.
Leaving home is beneficial for male squirrels but not for females, study shows
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 18:49
In the world of squirrels, moving away from your home turf has better outcomes for males than for females, according to a new study.
How a protein in your brain could protect against Alzheimer's disease
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 18:49
Research shows that white blood cells in the human brain are regulated by a protein called CD33--a finding with important implications in the fight against Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study.
Taking shape: Scientists propose new structure for shell of HIV-1 virus
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 18:49
The matrix shell of the HIV-1 virus may have a different shape than previously thought, and a newly proposed model has significant implications for understanding how the virus functions.
New measures to treat mental illness and opioid use
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 18:49
Opioid use among psychiatric hospital patients needs to be addressed through an integrated approach to managing mental illness, pain and substance use, a new study has found.
Colliding molecules and antiparticles
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 18:35
A new theoretical study of the interaction between positrons and simple tetrahedral and octahedral molecules agrees with experimental work and could have useful implications for PET scanning techniques.
Waiting area entertainment and co-opetition between brick-and-mortar stores boosts profit
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 18:35
With the popularity of online shopping, it's no secret brick-and-mortar stores are fighting to stay relevant. Waiting area entertainment is one way they are standing out, because no one likes to wait. New research says funding entertainment is no easy task, but one way to offset the price and increase customer experience and revenue is to work with, not against competitors.
New photonics breakthrough
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 18:35
A new approach to trapping light in artificial photonic materials could lead to a tremendous boost in the transfer speed of data online.
Nurses sleep less before a scheduled shift, hindering patient care and safety
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 17:54
Nurses sleep nearly an hour and a half less before work days compared to days off, which hurts patient care and safety, finds a new study.
Saliva test shows promise for earlier and easier detection of mouth and throat cancer
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 17:54
Unfortunately, cancers that occur in the back of the mouth and upper throat are often not diagnosed until they become advanced. A new report describes the use of acoustofluidics, a new non-invasive method that analyzes saliva for the presence of human papilloma virus (HPV)-16, the pathogenic strain associated with oropharyngeal cancers (OPCs). This novel technique detected OPC in whole saliva in...
People willing to risk near-certain death for an HIV cure
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 17:54
People willing to risk near-certain death for an HIV cure; protecting individuals and families in genetic and psychiatric research, considerations for including pregnant women in research.
Breakthrough in Zika virus vaccine
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 17:54
Researchers have made significant advances in developing a novel vaccine against Zika virus, which could potentially lead to global elimination of the disease.
Perinatal exposure to flame retardant alters epigenome, predisposing metabolic disease
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 17:54
A new study showed that environmentally relevant exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE), a brominated flame retardant, through the umbilical cord and breast milk permanently changed liver metabolism in rats.
New study enhances knowledge about widespread diseases
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 17:54
When proteins in the brain form deposits consisting of insoluble aggregates, diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's can occur. Now a research team has come a step closer to understanding this process.
Synthetic nanopores made from DNA
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 17:54
A scientific collaboration has resulted in the construction of a synthetic DNA nanopore capable of selectively translocating protein-size macromolecules across lipid bilayers.
Moongoose females compete over reproduction
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 17:54
A new study on wild banded mongooses reveals that females may use spontaneous abortion to cope with reproductive competition, and to save their energy for future breeding attempts in better conditions.
Study probing visual memory, amblyopia unveils many-layered mystery
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 17:54
Scientists pinpionted the role of a receptor in the plasticity underlying the degradation of vision in the common childhood condition amblyopia, but expected that receptor would play a bigger role in layer 4 of the visual cortex.
Bone bandage soaks up pro-healing biochemical to accelerate repair
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 17:54
Researchers have engineered a patch or bandage that captures a pro-healing molecule called adenosine that briefly surges at the site of a bone break or fracture to accelerate and improve the natural healing process. In a proof-of-principle study with mice, the bandage helped to accelerate callus formation and vascularization to achieve better bone repair by three weeks.
Researchers reconstruct spoken words as processed in nonhuman primate brains
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 17:54
Using a brain-computer interface, a team of researchers has reconstructed English words from the brain activity of rhesus macaques that listened as the words were spoken.
Finding a killer electron hot spot in Earth's Van Allen radiation belts
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 17:54
JAXA and NASA satellite observations show where killer electrons are generated in the Van Allen radiation belts surrounding Earth.
Human teeth used as jewellery in Turkey 8,500 years ago
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/13 17:54
At a prehistoric archaeological site in Turkey, researchers have discovered two 8,500-year-old human teeth, which had been used as pendants in a necklace or bracelet. Researchers have never documented this practice before in the prehistoric Near East, and the rarity of the find suggests that the human teeth were imbued with profound symbolic meaning for the people who wore them.