Fossil brain teaser: New study reveals patterns of dinosaur brain development

Science Daily - Mon, 20/05/2013 - 3:40pm
A new study sheds light on how the brain and inner ear developed in dinosaurs. Using high-resolution CT scanning and 3D computer imaging, it was possible to reconstruct and visualise the brain and inner ear of Dysalotosaurus lettowvorbecki -- a small, plant-eating dinosaur, which lived 150 million years ago, in what is now Tanzania.
Categories: Science

Link between childhood ADHD and obesity revealed in first long-term study

Science Daily - Mon, 20/05/2013 - 3:39pm
A new study found men diagnosed as children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were twice as likely to be obese in a 33-year follow-up study compared to men who were not diagnosed with the condition.
Categories: Science

Clearwater | Space Wallpaper

Space.com - Mon, 20/05/2013 - 3:13pm
This stunning space wallpaper is a Landsat image of the Clearwater Lakes in Canada’s Quebec province. Located to the east of the Hudson Bay, what appears to be two separate lakes is actually a single body of water that fills two depressions.
Categories: Science

Yahoo Pinkie-Swears It Won't Ruin Tumblr

Slashdot - Mon, 20/05/2013 - 3:03pm
Nerval's Lobster writes "Yahoo has agreed to acquire Tumblr for $1.1 billion. As you know, Yahoo is a major corporation with a need to monetize its assets in a way that makes its shareholders happy, leaving open the question of whether it'll alter Tumblr's DNA in order to make the latter more of a significant cash generator. But at least for the moment, Yahoo seems content to leave its new property alone. 'Per the agreement and our promise not to screw it up, Tumblr will be independently operated as a separate business,' read the company's press release. 'The product, service and brand will continue to be defined and developed separately with the same Tumblr irreverence, wit, and commitment to empower creators.' Tumblr CEO David Karp, who has been known to make some very anti-advertising comments in the past, will remain in place. Even so, anyone who likes Tumblr may have some cause for concern, because Yahoo has a history of making high-profile acquisitions that subsequently implode. Back in 1999, for example, it paid over $3 billion for GeoCities, another blogging network that it eventually shut down after years of failing the update the property. In 2005, it acquired popular photo-sharing Website Flickr, which it likewise allowed to languish and die. That same year it bought Delicious, a popular Webpage-bookmarking site, and did exactly nothing with it. So when Yahoo starts off its Tumblr press release with a promise not to screw things up, it's a self-deprecating nod toward all that history. New Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has been on a bit of a buying spree of late, snatching up startups such as Summly in an attempt to make her company 'cool' and relevant."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Categories: Science

Immune protein could stop diabetes in its tracks, discovery suggests

Science Daily - Mon, 20/05/2013 - 2:49pm
Researchers have identified an immune protein that has the potential to stop or reverse the development of type 1 diabetes in its early stages, before insulin-producing cells have been destroyed. The discovery has wider repercussions, as the protein is responsible for protecting the body against excessive immune responses, and could be used to treat, or even prevent, other immune disorders such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
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Predicting infectious influenza

Science Daily - Mon, 20/05/2013 - 2:49pm
A new computer model could help scientists predict when a particular strain of avian influenza might become infectious from bird to human, according to a new report.
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Uptick In Whooping Cough Linked To Subpar Vaccines

Slashdot - Mon, 20/05/2013 - 2:19pm
sciencehabit writes "Whooping cough, or pertussis, has exploded in the United States in recent years. A new study (abstract) confirms what scientists have suspected for some time: The return of the disease is caused by the introduction of new, safer vaccines 2 decades ago. Although they have far fewer side effects, the new shots don't offer long-lived protection the way older vaccines do."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Categories: Science

Earth's iron core is surprisingly weak

Science Daily - Mon, 20/05/2013 - 1:54pm
Researchers have used a diamond anvil cell to squeeze iron at pressures as high as 3 million times that felt at sea level to recreate conditions at the center of Earth. The findings could refine theories of how the planet and its core evolved.
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Mechanism linking key inflammatory marker to cancer identified

Science Daily - Mon, 20/05/2013 - 1:53pm
Researchers have revealed how a key player in cell growth, immunity and the inflammatory response can be transformed into a primary contributor to tumor growth.
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Archaeological genetics: It's not all as old as it at first seems

Science Daily - Mon, 20/05/2013 - 1:51pm
Genomic analyses suggest that patterns of genetic diversity which indicate population movement may not be as ancient as previously believed, but may be attributable to recent events.
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Lovelorn frogs bag closest crooner

Science Daily - Mon, 20/05/2013 - 1:51pm
What lures a lady frog to her lover? Good looks, the sound of his voice, the size of his pad or none of the above? After weighing up their options, female strawberry poison frogs (Oophaga pumilio) bag the closest crooner they can. This seemingly short-sighted strategy turns out to be the optimal mate choice strategy for these colorful frogs.
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Discovery of a novel medicine for the treatment of chronic wounds

Science Daily - Mon, 20/05/2013 - 1:50pm
Every 20 seconds, a limb is lost as a consequence of diabetic foot ulcer that does not heal. To date, medical solutions that can change this situation are very limited. A researchers has now presented a novel medicine for chronic wound treatment that may completely change the lives of millions of patients.
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Making ice-cream more nutritious with meat left-overs

Science Daily - Mon, 20/05/2013 - 1:48pm
Most of the animal proteins found in the meat industry waste have, until now, been underutilized. The challenge is to transform such waste into food of higher functionality and added value.
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Echolocation: Blind people have the potential to use their 'inner bat' to locate objects, study finds

Science Daily - Mon, 20/05/2013 - 1:48pm
New research shows that blind and visually impaired people have the potential to use echolocation, similar to that used by bats and dolphins, to determine the location of an object. The study examined how hearing, and particularly the hearing of echoes, could help blind people with spatial awareness and navigation.
Categories: Science

Anabolic steroids may affect future mental health

Science Daily - Mon, 20/05/2013 - 1:48pm
There is a link between use of anabolic-androgenic steroids and reduced mental health later in life. This is the main conclusion of a new study on elite male strength athletes. Twenty per cent of the subjects in the study admitted steroid use.
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Genetic diversity within tumors predicts outcome in head and neck cancer

Science Daily - Mon, 20/05/2013 - 1:46pm
A new measure of the heterogeneity – the variety of genetic mutations – of cells within a tumor appears to predict treatment outcomes of patients with the most common type of head and neck cancer.
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One in 10 teens using 'study drugs,' but parents aren't paying attention

Science Daily - Mon, 20/05/2013 - 1:44pm
Just one in 100 parents believe their kids have used prescription stimulants to boost grades, according to a new poll.
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Dark Matter, WIMPS, and NASA's Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer Data

Slashdot - Mon, 20/05/2013 - 1:32pm
cylonlover writes "Recently the media has been saturated with overly-hyped reports that NASA's Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer may have detected dark matter. These claims may have some justification if the word 'may' is shouted, but they rest on a number of really major assumptions and guesses, some of which are on weak and shifting soil. So just what was seen in the experiment, and what are the possible explanations?"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Categories: Science

Recap: The Sacrificial Lamb Does Not See the Knife on <em>Game of Thrones</em>

Wired News - Mon, 20/05/2013 - 1:30pm
The third season of Game of Thrones is finally here, and we?re back to chronicle the TV adaptation of George R. R. Martin?s world of Westeros -- and how it differs from the books -- in a series of letters between Wired writers (and Game of Thrones fanatics) Laura Hudson and Erik Henriksen.
Categories: Science

Dish Network's Apps Alone Might Be Enough to Make You Subscribe

Wired News - Mon, 20/05/2013 - 1:00pm
Now access to Dish's complete On Demand library, previously a perk only for iPad users, is available for iPhones as well as Android phones and tablets.
Categories: Science