| Action video games bolster sensorimotor skills, study finds Posted: 17 Oct 2014 08:11 AM PDT People who play action video games such as Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed seem to learn a new sensorimotor skill more quickly than non-gamers do, psychology researchers have found.  |
| Superconducting circuits, simplified Posted: 17 Oct 2014 08:11 AM PDT New circuit design could unlock the power of experimental superconducting computer chips.  |
| Atomic trigger shatters mystery of how glass deforms Posted: 17 Oct 2014 08:10 AM PDT A new study has cracked one mystery of glass to shed light on the mechanism that triggers its deformation before shattering. Glass hangs in a metastable state in which the energy of the system is higher than the lowest-energy state the system could assume, a crystalline state. But its state is stable enough at room temperature to last a human lifetime.  |
| How the brain leads us to believe we have sharp vision Posted: 17 Oct 2014 07:13 AM PDT We assume that we can see the world around us in sharp detail. In fact, our eyes can only process a fraction of our surroundings precisely. In a series of experiments, psychologists have been investigating how the brain fools us into believing that we see in sharp detail.  |
| Scientific breakthrough will help design antibiotics of the future Posted: 17 Oct 2014 07:13 AM PDT Computer simulations have been used to show how bacteria are able to destroy antibiotics -- a breakthrough which will help develop drugs which can effectively tackle infections in the future.  |
| Blinded by non-science: Trivial scientific information increases trust in products Posted: 17 Oct 2014 07:12 AM PDT Beware of trivial graphs and formulas, warns new research. The study found trivial graphs or formulas accompanying medical information can lead consumers to believe products are more effective.  |
| 'Red effect' sparks interest in female monkeys Posted: 17 Oct 2014 07:12 AM PDT Recent studies showed that the color red tends increase our attraction toward others, feelings of jealousy, and even reaction times. Now, new research shows that female monkeys also respond to the color red, suggesting that biology, rather than our culture, may play the fundamental role in our "red" reactions.  |
| New data about endangered marsh harrier distribution in Europe Posted: 17 Oct 2014 06:53 AM PDT The use of ringing recoveries -- a conventional method used to study bird migration -- in combination with more modern techniques such as species distribution modelling and stable isotope analysis is useful to understand better bird distribution patterns and origin considering place and time of the year.  |
| Improving bladder function among people with spinal cord injuries Posted: 17 Oct 2014 06:31 AM PDT New research may lead to dramatically fewer bladder infections following spinal cord injuries and other traumatic injuries -- infections that can cause kidney damage, and even death, scientists report.  |
| Physicists sound warning to 'nail beauty fanatics' Posted: 17 Oct 2014 06:31 AM PDT The daily trimming of fingernails and toenails to make them more aesthetically pleasing could be detrimental and potentially lead to serious nail conditions.  |
| Cystic Fibrosis lung infection: Scientists open black box on bacterial growth Posted: 17 Oct 2014 06:31 AM PDT Researchers have shown for the first time how bacteria can grow directly in the lungs of Cystic fibrosis patients, giving them the opportunity to get tremendous insights into bacteria behavior and growth in chronic infections.  |
| Divide and conquer: Novel trick helps rare pathogen infect healthy people Posted: 17 Oct 2014 06:31 AM PDT New research into a rare pathogen has shown how a unique evolutionary trait allows it to infect even the healthiest of hosts through a smart solution to the body's immune response against it, scientists report.  |
| Plastic nanoparticles also harm freshwater organisms Posted: 17 Oct 2014 06:29 AM PDT Organisms can be negatively affected by plastic nanoparticles, not just in the seas and oceans but in freshwater bodies too. These particles slow the growth of algae, cause deformities in water fleas and impede communication between small organisms and fish.  |
| High-speed evolution in the lab: Geneticists evaluate cost-effective genome analysis Posted: 17 Oct 2014 06:29 AM PDT Life implies change. And this holds true for genes as well. Organisms require a flexible genome in order to adapt to changes in the local environment. Researchers want to know why individuals differ from each other and how these differences are encoded in the DNA. In two review papers, they discuss why DNA sequencing of entire groups can be an efficient and cost-effective way to answer these questions.  |
| Emergency aid for overdoses Posted: 17 Oct 2014 06:29 AM PDT Every minute counts in the event of an overdose. Now, researchers have developed an agent to filter out toxins from the body more quickly and efficiently. It can also be used for dialysis in patients suffering from hepatic failure.  |
| Tailored 'activity coaching' by smartphone Posted: 17 Oct 2014 06:29 AM PDT Today's smartphone user can obtain a lot of data about his or her health, thanks to built-in or separate sensors. Researchers now take this health monitoring to a higher level. Using the system he developed, the smartphone also acts as an 'activity coach': it advices the user to walk or take a rest. In what way the user wants to be addressed, is typically something the system learns by itself.  |
| Presence of enzyme may worsen effects of spinal cord injury and impair long-term recovery Posted: 17 Oct 2014 06:29 AM PDT Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition with few treatment options. Studies show that damage to the barrier separating blood from the spinal cord can contribute to the neurologic deficits that arise secondary to the initial trauma. Through a series of experiments, researchers suggest that matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) plays a pivotal role in disruption of the brain/spinal cord barrier (BSCB), cell death, and functional deficits after SCI. This link also presents new therapeutic possibilities.  |
| First step: From human cells to tissue-engineered esophagus Posted: 17 Oct 2014 06:26 AM PDT In a first step toward future human therapies, researchers have shown that esophageal tissue can be grown in vivo from both human and mouse cells.  |
| Explosion first evidence of a hydrogen-deficient supernova progenitor Posted: 16 Oct 2014 04:28 PM PDT A new model is the first characterization of the progenitor for a hydrogen-deficient supernova. The model predicts that a bright hot star, which is the binary companion to an exploding object, remains after the explosion.Their findings have important implications for the evolution of massive stars.  |
| Major benefits for students who attend live theater, study finds Posted: 16 Oct 2014 01:59 PM PDT Field trips to live theater enhance literary knowledge, tolerance, and empathy among students, according to a study. The research team found that reading and watching movies of Hamlet and A Christmas Carol could not account for the increase in knowledge experienced by students who attended live performances of the plays. Students who attended live performances of the play also scored higher on the study's tolerance measure than the control group by a moderately large margin and were better able to recognize and appreciate what other people think and feel.  |
| Impact of offshore wind farms on marine species Posted: 16 Oct 2014 09:36 AM PDT Offshore wind power is a valuable source of renewable energy that can help reduce carbon emissions. Technological advances are allowing higher capacity turbines to be installed in deeper water, but there is still much unknown about the effects on the environment. Scientists have now reviewed the potential impacts of offshore wind developments on marine species and make recommendations for future monitoring and assessment as interest in offshore wind energy grows around the world.  |
