Other Sciences News

Cats Have Facial Expressions and Some People Can Read Them, Scientists Say

People can infer cats’ affective states from subtle aspects of their facial expressions -- although most find this challenging -- and some individuals are very good at doing so. Image credit: CaptainMeo.
Dec 3, 2019 by News Staff

A new study, published in the journal Animal Welfare, shows that some people are particularly good at identifying feline emotions from cats’ faces; women are more successful at this task than men, and younger participants more successful than older, as are participants with professional feline (e.g. veterinary) experience. You can visit a dedicated website where you can test your own cat-reading abilities. People can infer cats’ affective states...

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King Charles II of Spain was the last in the Habsburg line and one of the most afflicted with the facial deformity.

‘Habsburg Jaw’ Was Result of Inbreeding, New Research Confirms

Dec 3, 2019 by News Staff

A facial condition called the ‘Habsburg jaw’ (mandibular prognathism) owes its name to its high prevalence in the Habsburg dynasty of Spanish and Austrian...

Fabrication of the liquid-entrenched smooth surface: (a) schematic showing the two-step spray-coating process to form the LESS coating; the molecularly grafted polymer layer creates chemical affinity to the lubricant; (b) optical images showing the individual coating processes on glass; the lubricant used was silicone oil, and the blue testing liquid was dyed water. Image credit: Wang et al, doi: 10.1038/s41893-019-0421-0.

Innovative Toilet Coating Could Reduce Cleaning Water Consumption by 90%

Dec 2, 2019 by News Staff

A team of materials scientists and engineers from the Pennsylvania State University and Cranfield University has designed and fabricated a new toilet coating...

Schematic of the team’s ultracold chemistry apparatus; ground-state KRb molecules at 500 nK are trapped by a crossed optical dipole trap: (A) absorption image of KRb molecules; the color bar indicates the optical depth of the KRb cloud; CCD - charge-coupled device; (B) the trapped molecules are surrounded by velocity-map imaging (VMI) ion optics , which consist of a series of disk-shaped electrodes; the researchers use a pulsed UV laser to photoionize the molecules; B - magnetic field; (C) example time of flight (TOF) spectrum; (D) for each species identified in the mass spectrum, the scientists also obtain a velocity-map image from which the momentum distribution can be inferred. Image credit: Hu et al, doi: 10.1126/science.aay9531.

Chemists Directly Observe Coldest Ever Chemical Reaction

Dec 2, 2019 by News Staff

When two diatomic molecules collide, they can sometimes swap partners. For instance, two potassium-rubidium (KRb) molecules can produce K2 and Rb2. The...

A range of now extinct megafauna that was present when humans first arrived in Australia. Image credit: Peter Trusler, Monash University.

Study: Humans and Climate Change Drove Australian Megafauna to Extinction

Dec 2, 2019 by News Staff

Ancient Australia’s super-sized animals, the megafauna, became extinct about 42,000 years ago, but the role of humans in their demise has been debated...

Mice receiving extra-virgin olive oil displayed improved memory and cognition which was associated with increased basal synaptic activity and short-term plasticity; this effect was accompanied by an upregulation of complexin 1, a key presynaptic protein; moreover, extra-virgin olive oil treatment resulted in a significant reduction of tau oligomers and phosphorylated tau at specific epitopes. Image credit: Skica911.

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil-Rich Diet Protects Mice from Multiple Forms of Dementia

Dec 2, 2019 by News Staff

Extra-virgin olive oil, a major component of the Mediterranean diet, is rich in cell-protecting antioxidants and known for its multiple health benefits....

Neanderthal. Image credit: Neanderthal Museum.

Were Neanderthals, Denisovans and Other Archaic Humans Victims of Sixth Mass Extinction?

Dec 1, 2019 by The Conversation

Nine human species walked the Earth 300,000 years ago. Now there is just one. A reconstruction of a Neanderthal man. Image credit: Neanderthal Museum. Neanderthals...

Chen & van Breemen found drugs in blood supply used for research. Image credit: Allinonemovie.

Researchers Find Caffeine, Other Chemicals in Donor Blood Serum

Nov 28, 2019 by News Staff

In new research, Oregon State University scientists worked with biomedical suppliers to purchase and analyze 18 batches of human blood serum pooled from...

Neanderthals are commonly thought to have relied on dangerous close range hunting techniques, using non-projectile weapons like the thrusting spears depicted here; this hunting approach is thought to have brought them into violent contact with large mammals, resulting in high levels of injury especially to the head and neck when compared to modern humans; Beier et al found similar head injury levels in both Neanderthals and Upper Paleolithic humans, casting doubt on this hypothesis. Image credit: Gleiver Prieto.

Neanderthal Extinction Caused by Inbreeding and Smallness of Their Populations, Study Suggests

Nov 28, 2019 by News Staff

A long-standing enigma in paleoanthropology is the demise of Neanderthals about 40,000 years ago. There is general agreement that their disappearance coincides...

Massive Asteroid Impacts Triggered Early Plate Tectonics, Study Suggests

Nov 27, 2019 by News Staff

When and how the Earth evolved from a molten mass into a rocky planetary body continually resurfaced by plate tectonics remain some of the biggest questions...

Overview of the study sites along the coastline of northern Oman: (a) Makran subduction zone (MSZ) and the Owen fracture zone (OFZ). White dots are earthquakes >M4.5; (b) the study site in Oman (black dots). Image credit: Hoffmann et al, doi: 10.1016/j.margeo.2019.106068.

Massive Tsunami Hit Northern Coast of Oman 1,000 Years Ago: Study

Nov 26, 2019 by News Staff

Sedimentological evidence and archaeological data show that huge tsunami hit the coast of today’s Sultanate of Oman around 1000 CE; the tsunami was almost...

Music is universal: it exists in every society (both with and without words), varies more within than between societies, regularly supports certain types of behavior, and has acoustic features that are systematically related to the goals and responses of singers and listeners. Image credit: Gerd Altmann.

Human Songs From Around the World Share Universal Features, Study Says

Nov 25, 2019 by News Staff

Songs from cultures spanning the globe exhibit universal patterns, according to a new study published in the journal Science. Music is universal: it exists...

Dietary pulses with or without other legumes are associated with reduced cardiovascular disease incidence with low certainty and reduced coronary heart disease, hypertension, and obesity incidence with very low certainty. Imager credit: Niek Verlaan.

Eating Legumes Reduces Heart Disease Risks, Says New Review

Nov 22, 2019 by News Staff

According to a review of previous prospective cohort studies, eating beans, lentils, peas, and other legumes reduces the risk for cardiovascular disease,...

Internet access should be considered a universal entitlement because it is necessary for people to be able to lead minimally decent lives. Image credit: Pete Linforth.

Internet Access Must Be Considered as Basic Human Right, Researcher Says

Nov 21, 2019 by News Staff

Internet access is a moral human right that requires that everyone has unmonitored and uncensored access to this global medium, which should be publicly...

A model of the molecular structure of ribose and an image of the Murchison meteorite. Image credit: Yoshihiro Furukawa.

Researchers Find Extraterrestrial Sugars in Meteorites

Nov 20, 2019 by News Staff

An international team of scientists from Japan and the United States has found ribose and other bioessential sugars in two primitive meteorites, NWA 801...

Thin films of glassy alumina (Al2O3) subjected to mechanical stress. Image credit: Tampere University.

New Glass Bends Instead of Breaking

Nov 20, 2019 by News Staff

A new glass material, developed by Tampere University researcher Erkka Frankberg and colleagues, appears to possess metal-like ductility at room temperature. Thin...

This image illustrates the beginning stages of an influenza infection and shows what happens after the influenza viruses enter the human body. Image credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ketogenic Diet Protects against Influenza A Virus Infection, Animal Study Finds

Nov 19, 2019 by News Staff

A new study led by Professor Akiko Iwasaki of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Professor Vishwa Deep Dixit from Yale School of Medicine shows that...

Forensic facial reconstruction of another Australopithecus species - A. afarensis. Image credit: Cicero Moraes / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Living Great Apes are Smarter than Australopithecines, New Research Suggests

Nov 18, 2019 by News Staff

New research challenges the long-held idea that, because the brain of human ancestors called australopithecines was larger than that of many modern great...

TAS2R38 predicted lower consumption of vegetables in people who possessed the PAV haplotype. Image credit: Jerzy Górecki.

Genetic Variants Play Role in Our Food Choices: Study

Nov 18, 2019 by News Staff

Genetic variants determine whether or not you can tolerate eating certain vegetables, according to new research. TAS2R38 predicted lower consumption of...

Tiny holes punched into a high-temperature superconducting material revealed that Cooper pairs can also conduct electricity the way metals do. Image credit: Brown University.

Scientists Uncover New State of Matter in Superconductor

Nov 15, 2019 by News Staff

An international team of physicists and materials scientists from the United States and China has discovered a new state of matter they’ve named ‘Cooper...

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