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168,097 articles from ScienceDaily
Inspiring invention in primary school
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/27 15:03
Inspiring primary school age children to think of themselves as inventors and to devise novel solutions to the problems around them was the aim of an educational experiment. In their experiment they provided teachers and pupils with the technology -- voice recorders and video equipment -- with which to record their everyday environment and to help them home in on the various problems they face in...
In mapping feat, scientists pinpoint neurons where select memories grow
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/27 15:01
Memories are difficult to produce, often fragile, and dependent on any number of factors -- including changes to various types of nerves. In the common fruit fly -- a scientific doppelganger used to study human memory formation—these changes take place in multiple parts of the insect brain. Scientists have now been able to pinpoint a handful of neurons where certain types of memory formation...
Gen X obesity a major problem for healthcare, workforce
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/27 14:59
If current trends continue, Australia's Generation X will overtake Baby Boomers for poor health, including rates of obesity and diabetes, which could have huge implications for healthcare and the workforce. Researchers compared the health status of Baby Boomers (born from 1946-1965) and Generation X (1966-1980) at the same age range of 25-44 years and found that Generation X had significantly...
Mass participation experiment reveals how to create the perfect dream
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/27 02:27
Psychologists have announced the results of a two-year study into dream control. The experiment shows that it is now possible for people to create their perfect dream, and so wake up feeling especially happy and refreshed. Researchers also discovered that people's dreams were especially bizarre around the time of a full...
WEDNESDAY 26. MARCH 2014
Targeting enforcement where needed most in Africa's heart of biodiversity
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 23:22
Scientists seeking a more efficient way of protecting the heart of Africa's wildlife -- the Greater Virunga Landscape -- have developed a method to make the most of limited enforcement resources, according to a new study.
Function of cancer-causing gene explored by researchers
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 23:22
Developmental biologists are discovering new roles for a specific gene known as Max's Giant Associated protein, or MGA. A little studied protein, MGA appears to control a number of developmental processes, and also may be connected to cancer development.
Canal between ears helps alligators pinpoint sound
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 23:22
Alligators can accurately pinpoint the source of sounds. But it wasn't clear exactly how they did it because they lack external auditory structures. A new study shows that the alligator's ear is strongly directional because of large, air-filled channels connecting the two middle ears. This configuration is similar in birds, which have an interaural canal that increases...
Core skin bacterial community in humpback whales
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 23:22
Bacteria are invisible to the naked eye, but they reside on nearly every surface humans encounter -- including the skin. Uncovering the role these microorganisms play in human health is a major focus of research in skin microbiology, but little is known about the identity or function of skin bacteria in other mammals. Researchers have now identified a core skin bacterial community that humpback...
No correlation between medical marijuana legalization, crime increase: Legalization may reduce homicide, assault rates
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 23:20
A professor of criminology found that legalization of medical marijuana is not an indicator of increased crime. It actually may be related to reductions in certain types of violent crime. The study tracked crime rates across all 50 states between 1990 and 2006, when 11 states legalized marijuana for medical use: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island,...
Crows understand water displacement at the level of a small child: Show causal understanding of a 5- to 7-year-old child
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 23:20
New Caledonian crows may understand how to displace water to receive a reward, with the causal understanding level of a 5- to 7-year-old child. Understanding causal relationships between actions is a key feature of human cognition. However, the extent to which non-human animals are capable of understanding causal relationships is not well understood. Scientists used the Aesop's fable riddle -- in...
Cuvier's beaked whales set new breath-hold diving records: Whales dive to nearly two miles depth, for over two hours
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 23:20
Scientists monitored Cuvier's beaked whales' record-breaking dives to depths of nearly two miles below the ocean surface and some dives lasted for over two hours.
Indian rhinoceroses: Reproductive tract tumors reduce female fertility in early stages
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 23:19
Reproduction of the Indian rhinoceros faces greater difficulties than was previously recognized. Researchers discovered that benign vaginal and cervical tumors cause infertility even in young females. This substantially affects breeding success in zoological gardens.
Bamboo-loving giant pandas also have a sweet tooth
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 23:19
Despite the popular conception of giant pandas as continually chomping on bamboo, new research reveals that this highly endangered species also has a sweet tooth. Behavioral and molecular genetic studies demonstrate that the panda possesses functional sweet taste receptors and shows a strong preference for natural...
Autism begins in pregnancy, according to study: Cortical layers disrupted during brain development in autism
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 23:19
Researchers have published a study that gives clear and direct new evidence that autism begins during pregnancy. The researchers analyzed 25 genes in post-mortem brain tissue of children with and without autism. These included genes that serve as biomarkers for brain cell types in different layers of the cortex, genes implicated in autism and several control...
The search for seeds of black holes
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 22:03
How do you grow a supermassive black hole that is a million to a billion times the mass of our sun? Astronomers do not know the answer, but a new study using data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, has turned up what might be the cosmic seeds from which a black hole will sprout. The results are helping scientists piece together the evolution of supermassive black holes --...
Engineered bacteria produce biofuel alternative for high-energy rocket fuel
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 21:09
Researchers have engineered a bacterium to synthesize pinene, a hydrocarbon produced by trees that could potentially replace high-energy fuels, such as JP-10, in missiles and other aerospace applications. By inserting enzymes from trees into the bacterium scientists have boosted pinene production six-fold over earlier bioengineering...
Nitrogen source determined significant for inflorescence development in Phalaenopsis
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 21:09
Researchers investigated the accumulation and use of fertilizer nitrogen (N) during the vegetative and reproductive growth stages of Phalaenopsis related to inflorescence development. Experiments showed that inflorescence is a major nitrogen sink during the reproductive stage of Phalaenopsis. Fertilizer applied during the reproductive stage was found to be a significant N source for inflorescence...
Phloem production in Huanglongbing-affected citrus trees
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 20:37
Researchers monitored the progression of phloem production over time in field-grown HLB-affected citrus trees to determine how the trees are capable of sustaining new growth. Results showed that new phloem cells are produced during the periodic flushes of vegetative growth and their subsequent collapse and plugging over a six-month period. The weeks immediately before and after the spring and...
Major increase in West Antarctic glacial loss
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 20:37
Six massive glaciers in West Antarctica are moving faster than they did 40 years ago, causing more ice to discharge into the ocean and global sea level to rise, according to new research.
Solar system has a new most-distant member
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 20:37
The Solar System has a new most-distant member, bringing its outer frontier into focus. New work reports the discovery of a distant dwarf planet, called 2012 VP113, which was found beyond the known edge of the Solar System. This is likely one of thousands of distant objects that are thought to form the so-called inner Oort cloud. The work indicates the potential presence of an enormous planet, not...
Keeping secrets in a world of spies and mistrust
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 20:37
A new article reviews developments in quantum cryptography and describes how we can keep our secrets secret even when faced with the double challenge of mistrust and manipulation.
Some breast cancer tumors hijack patient epigenetic machinery to evade drug therapy
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 20:37
A breast cancer therapy that blocks estrogen synthesis to activate cancer-killing genes sometimes loses its effectiveness because the cancer takes over epigenetic mechanisms, including permanent DNA modifications in the patient's tumor, once again allowing tumor growth, according to an international team of...
Celebrities may be going bankrupt to avoid tax bills, warns British tax expert
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 20:36
An insolvency expert has warned that celebrities may increasingly be abusing the bankruptcy system in order to maximize their earnings and reduce the amount of tax they pay. A large number of famous faces had recently been declared bankrupt after being unable to pay what they...
Coal plant closure in China led to improvements in children's health
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 19:23
Decreased exposure to air pollution in utero is linked with improved childhood developmental and higher levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a key protein for brain development, according to a study of looking at the closure of coal-burning power plant in China.
Preoperative PET cuts unnecessary lung surgeries in half
- ScienceDaily
- 14/3/26 19:23
PET changed patient management in 50 percent of lung cancer cases, a comprehensive statistical analysis reveals. Few studies have been able to pin down exactly what impact preoperative PET has on clinical decision-making and resulting treatment. Preliminary review of the data from this long-term, observational study was inconclusive, but after a more thorough statistical analysis accounting for...