| With robots, humans face 'new society' Feb 22nd 2013, 13:30 Humanity came one step closer in January to being able to replicate itself, thanks to the EU's approval of funding for the Human Brain Project. Danica Kragic, a robotics researcher and computer science professor at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, says that while the prospect of living among humanoid robots calls to mind terrifying scenarios from science fiction, the reality of how humans cope with advances in robotics will be more complex, and subtle. |  | Children's preexisting symptoms influence their reactions to disaster coverage on TV Nov 5th 2012, 21:14 After a natural disaster occurs, we often find ourselves glued to the TV, seeking out details about the extent of the damage and efforts at recovery. While research has shown that exposure to this kind of coverage is associated with symptoms of traumatic stress in youths, new research suggests that the relationship isn't so simple: the amount of exposure to disaster coverage matters but children's preexisting symptoms also play an important role. | | PTSD linked to smaller brain area regulating fear response Nov 5th 2012, 21:13 Recent combat veterans who are diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder have significantly smaller volume in an area of the brain critical for regulating fear and anxiety responses, according to new research. | | Revolutionary type of gel discovered Nov 5th 2012, 21:12 Controlling and modifying at will the transparency, electrical properties, and stiffness of a gel are among the promises of new research by scientists in Switzerland. Their discovery marks an important step for materials used in healthcare, high-tech, and the cosmetics industry. | | Climate modeler identifies trigger for Earth's last big freeze Nov 5th 2012, 20:13 For more than 30 years, climate scientists have debated whether flood waters from melting of the enormous Laurentide Ice Sheet, which ushered in the last major cold episode on Earth about 12,900 years ago, flowed northwest into the Arctic first, or east via the Gulf of St. Lawrence, to weaken ocean thermohaline circulation and have a frigid effect on global climate. Now, using new, high-resolution global ocean circulation models, researchers report the first conclusive evidence that this flood must have flowed north into the Arctic first down the Mackenzie River valley. | | First gene therapy study in human salivary gland shows promise Nov 5th 2012, 20:13 This finding comes from the first-ever Phase I clinical study of gene therapy in a human salivary gland. Its results show that the transferred gene, Aquaporin-1, has great potential to help head and neck cancer survivors who battle with chronic dry mouth. Aquaporin-1 encodes a protein that naturally forms pore-like water channels in the membranes of cells to help move fluid, such as occurs when salivary gland cells secrete saliva into the mouth. | | Carbon buried in the soil rises again Nov 5th 2012, 20:13 A team of researchers estimated that roughly half of the carbon buried in soil by erosion will be re-released into the atmosphere within about 500 years, and possibly faster due to climate change. | | Superbug MRSA identified in US wastewater treatment plants Nov 5th 2012, 20:13 The "superbug" methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is prevalent at several U.S. wastewater treatment plants, according to new research. MRSA is well known for causing difficult-to-treat and potentially fatal bacterial infections in hospital patients, but is also increasingly infecting otherwise healthy people in community settings. This study is the first to document an environmental source of MRSA in the United States. | | Smell you later! Chemosignals communicate human emotions Nov 5th 2012, 19:04 Many animal species transmit information via chemical signals, but the extent to which these chemosignals play a role in human communication is unclear. Researchers have investigated whether we humans might actually be able to communicate our emotional states to each other through chemical signals. | | Common math standards supported with new study Nov 5th 2012, 19:04 A new study analyzing the previous math standards of each U.S. state provides strong support for adoption of common standards, which US students desperately need to keep pace with their counterparts around the globe, a scholar argues. | | Recreational cocaine use linked to conditions that cause heart attack Nov 5th 2012, 19:02 Recreational cocaine users may have higher blood pressure, stiffer arteries and thicker heart muscle walls than non-users -- all of which can cause a heart attack. The Australian study is the first to document some of these cardiovascular abnormalities in seemingly healthy cocaine users long after the immediate effects of cocaine have worn off. | | High-strength material advancements may lead to new, life-saving steel Nov 5th 2012, 19:02 Engineers have been working to create advanced materials with high-yield strength, fracture toughness and ductility. Their efforts have led to the development of a new material consisting of bainitic steels and austempered ductile iron that has all these characteristics, ultimately resisting fatigue that can cause fractures in materials often with catastrophic consequences. | | Cockatoo 'can make its own tools' Nov 5th 2012, 19:02 A cockatoo from a species not known to use tools in the wild has been observed spontaneously making and using tools for reaching food and other objects. | | Computers 'taught' to ID regulating gene sequences Nov 5th 2012, 19:01 Researchers have succeeded in teaching computers how to identify commonalities in DNA sequences known to regulate gene activity, and to then use those commonalities to predict other regulatory regions throughout the genome. The tool is expected to help scientists better understand disease risk and cell development. | | World's rarest whale seen for the first time Nov 5th 2012, 18:03 A whale that is almost unknown to science has been seen for the first time after two individuals -- a mother and her male calf -- were stranded and died on a New Zealand beach. A new report offers the first complete description of the spade-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon traversii), a species previously known only from a few bones. | | Daily doses of a new probiotic reduces 'bad' and total cholesterol Nov 5th 2012, 16:46 A new probiotic lowered LDL "bad" cholesterol and total cholesterol in patients with high cholesterol. The probiotic reduced molecules known as cholesterol ester saturated fatty acids, which have been tied to dangerous plaque buildup in the arteries. | | Genetically engineered tomatoes decrease plaque build-up in mice Nov 5th 2012, 16:46 For the first time, researchers have genetically engineered tomato plants to produce a peptide that mimics the actions of good cholesterol when eaten. Mice that ate the freeze-dried, ground tomatoes had less inflammation and reduced plaque build-up in their arteries. | | Hydro-fracking: Fact vs. fiction Nov 5th 2012, 15:09 In communities across the US, people are hearing more and more about a controversial oil and gas extraction technique called hydraulic fracturing – aka, hydro-fracking. Controversies pivot on some basic questions: Can hydro-fracking contaminate domestic wells? Does it cause earthquakes? How can we know? What can be done about these things if they are true? | | Vehicles, roadways 'talk' in efforts to improve traffic safety Nov 5th 2012, 14:26 One day, your auto and the roadway will be in constant communication and able to suggest route changes to avoid accidents, construction, and congestion; coordinate your vehicle with signal lights, other vehicles, and lane markers; and let you know where you can park. Right now, a fleet of instrumented vehicles are testing these systems on two instrumented test beds -- one in Northern Virginia and one in Southwestern Virginia. | | Women's body talk: Perception stronger than reality? Nov 5th 2012, 14:26 How women think their friends feel about their bodies influences their own body concerns, according to a new study. Their work examines the role of friends in young women's body concerns. | | The evolution of creationism Nov 5th 2012, 14:26 Throughout history, people have sought to understand how the world came to be and how it has changed over time. This curiosity has produced a rich legacy of science and philosophy and impacted and influenced religion and theology. Researchers have now examined both the history of geology and of biblical views regarding Earth's origins. | | Prenatal testosterone levels influence later response to reward Nov 5th 2012, 13:16 Testosterone levels early in fetal development influence later sensitivity of brain regions related to reward processing and affect an individual's susceptibility to engage in behavior, that in extremes, are related to several neuropsychiatric conditions that asymmetrically affect one sex more than the other. Although present at low levels in females, testosterone is one of the primary sex hormones that exerts substantial influence over the emergence of differences between males and females. In adults and adolescents, heightened testosterone has been shown to reduce fear, lower sensitivity to punishment, increase risk-tasking, and enhance attention to threat. These effects interact substantially with context to affect social behavior. | | Therapy for stroke patients improved: More mobility due to deafferentation Nov 5th 2012, 13:16 Painkilling drugs that make many therapies possible are a blessing for patients. Thanks to modern anesthetics, not only can surgical operations be conducted without causing pain, they are also used for various diagnostic procedures. Anesthetics can be very useful in therapies for stroke patients, as psychologists and physicians in Germany are now able to demonstrate. | |
