Other Sciences News

Artist rendition of NASA’s TIMED spacecraft. The satellite is orbiting at 388 miles (625 km) and viewing in the anti-sunward limb direction. Image credit: NASA.

NASA’s TIMED Satellite Finds Hot Atomic Hydrogen in Earth’s Thermosphere

Dec 7, 2016 by News Staff

Using data from NASA’s TIMED satellite, scientists have discovered the existence of hot atomic hydrogen atoms in the thermosphere (from about 56 to 311...

Wadi Faynan, where J.P. Grattan et al found evidence of ancient pollution caused by bead making and/or repeated combustion of copper ores in hot fires. Image credit: University of Waterloo.

World’s Very First Polluted River? Scientists Find Evidence of Ancient Metallurgical Activity in Jordan

Dec 6, 2016 by News Staff

A research team led by Liverpool John Moores University scientists has discovered what could be the world’s very first polluted river, contaminated 7,000...

Distribution of the atmospheric ammonia concentration in June, July, and August 2008 at 9.3 mile (15 km) height as observed by MIPAS. Bright areas are measurement gaps due to high cloud cover. Image credit: Michael Höpfner / Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

Ammonia Detected in Earth’s Upper Troposphere

Dec 5, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

Ammonia, a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula NH3, has been found for the first time in the upper troposphere of our planet. Distribution...

A group of Australopithecus afarensis. Image credit: Matheus Vieeira.

Australopithecus afarensis ‘Lucy’ Spent Significant Time in Trees, New Study Reveals

Nov 30, 2016 by News Staff

According to a new study published in the journal PLoS ONE, the relative strength of arms and legs of ‘Lucy’ — a 3.18-million-year-old specimen...

Crystals of cesium platinide hydride 4Cs2Pt*CsH. Image credit: Ames Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy.

Researchers Synthesize First Intermetallic Double Salt with Platinum

Nov 28, 2016 by News Staff

A team of researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory has synthesized and accurately characterized cesium platinide hydride (4Cs2Pt*CsH),...

Neuroscientists Say Simple Mathematical Logic Underlies Complex Brain Computations

Nov 25, 2016 by News Staff

According to Dr. Joe Tsien, a neuroscientist at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, the brain’s basic computational algorithm is organized...

According to Murphy et al, large, salty, or protein-rich meals induce post-meal sleep in fruit flies. Image credit: Keith Murphy.

Study: Large, Salty, or Protein-Rich Meals Induce Post-Meal Sleepiness

Nov 23, 2016 by News Staff

Higher protein and salt content in our food, as well as the volume consumed, can lead to longer naps, a new study in fruit flies suggests. According to...

Mouse song system anatomy and syllable types: (A) proposed anatomy of the rudimentary mouse forebrain vocal communication circuit; (B) comparison with human; (C) comparison with songbird; (D) sonograms of examples syllables of the four syllable categories quantified from a C57 male mouse USV song, labeled according to pitch jumps. Anatomical abbreviations: ADSt - anterior dorsal striatum; Amb - nucleus ambiguous; ASt - anterior striatum; aT - anterior thalamus; Av - nucleus avalanche; HVC - a letter-based name; LArea X - lateral Area X; LMO - lateral mesopallium oval nucleus; LMAN - lateral magnocellular nucleus of the nidopallium; LMC - laryngeal motor cortex; LSC - laryngeal somatosensory cortex; M1 - primary motor cortex; M2 - secondary motor cortex; NIf - interfacial nucleus of the nidopallium; PAG - periaqueductal gray; RA - robust nucleus of the arcopallium; T - thalamus; VL - ventral lateral nucleus of the thalamus; XIIts - 12th vocal motor nucleus, tracheosyringeal part. Image credit: Jonathan Chabout et al, doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00197.

Study: Gene Implicated in Human Language Affects Vocal Communication in Mice

Nov 18, 2016 by News Staff

According to a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, ultrasonic vocal communication in adult mice is affected by the...

Discovery and screening of the humimycins. Top: the humimycins were predicted from closely related gene clusters found in two Rhodococcus spp. cultured from human subjects. Center: chemical structures of humimycin A and B; the two antibiotics differ only at the fourth (F or Y) and sixth (V or I) residues. Bottom: MIC values for the humimycins against a panel of human commensal and pathogenic bacteria; the humimycins were particularly active against bacteria in the Staphylococcus and Streptococcus genus. Image credit: John Chu et al.

Humimycins: Scientists Discover Two New MRSA-Active Antibiotics

Nov 17, 2016 by News Staff

Using a novel approach called syn-BNP (synthetic-bioinformatic natural product) approach, scientists from the Rockefeller and Rutgers Universities have...

The best possible q-analogs of codes may be useful in more efficient data transmission. Image credit: Geralt.

Mathematical Breakthrough Could Lead to More Efficient Data Transmission

Nov 14, 2016 by News Staff

The best possible q-analogs of codes may be useful in more efficient data transmission. Image credit: Geralt. More than three decades ago, mathematicians...

Reconstruction of a Neanderthal. Image credit: Neanderthal Museum.

Natural Selection Removed Many Neanderthal Genes from Human Genome, Scientists Say

Nov 11, 2016 by News Staff

According to a team of researchers at the University of California, Davis, only a very small percentage of Neanderthal DNA is present in the genomes of...

The brain-spine interface developed for this study uses a brain implant like this one to detect spiking activity in the brain’s motor cortex. Seen here, a microelectrode array and a silicon model of a primate’s brain, as well as a pulse generator used to stimulate electrodes implanted on the spinal cord. Image credit: Alain Herzog / EPFL.

Neuroscientists Restore Leg Movement in Nonhuman Primates

Nov 10, 2016 by News Staff

A collaboration of neuroscientists from the United States, China and Europe has used a wireless ‘brain-spine interface’ to bypass spinal cord injuries...

Healthy living means higher brain function, according to Cohen et al. Image credit: Skeeze.

Healthier Lifestyle Linked to Better Brain Function, Delay of Dementia

Nov 9, 2016 by News Staff

A new study published in the Journal of Public Health has found eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, combined with regular exercise, leads to better...

Hippo family in Botswana. Image credit: Hans Stieglitz / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Plant-Eating Mammals Have Bigger Bellies, Claims New Study

Nov 7, 2016 by News Staff

Herbivorous, or plant-eating, mammals have bigger bellies than their usually slim carnivorous counterparts, according to a study led by University of Zurich...

In the study, whole-brain degree count maps, collected before the start of treatment, were used to identify potential brain regional markers for placebo propensity. Group differences in whole-brain maps for degree count (number of connections of any location to the rest of the brain) between placebo responders and non-responders identified four brain regions that differentiated placebo responders from non-responders. The highest significant difference was seen for the right midfrontal gyrus. Abbreviations: r-MFG - right midfrontal gyrus; ACC - anterior cingulate cortex; PCC - posterior cingulate cortex; r-S2/M1 - right secondary somatosensory and primary motor cortex. Image credit: Tétreault P. et al.

New Study Spotlights Brain Region Responsible for Placebo Response in Pain

Oct 31, 2016 by News Staff

A Northwestern University-led team of researchers has identified a region in the brain responsible for the ‘placebo effect’ in pain relief, when a...

Astrocyte cell. Image credit: Gerry Shaw / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Glial Cells Play Critical Role in Control of Appetite, Study Shows

Oct 28, 2016 by News Staff

Glial cells – non-neuronal brain cells that provide structural, nutritional and other supports to the brain — play a critical role in controlling...

Reduction in sensitivity to dishonesty over time. Image credit: Neil Garrett et al.

Study Examines How Human Brain Adapts to Self-Serving Dishonesty

Oct 25, 2016 by News Staff

A study led by University College London researchers Neil Garrett and Tali Sharot provides the first empirical evidence that self-serving lies gradually...

Examples of flaked stones produced by bearded capuchins (Sapajus libidinosus). Scale bars - 5 cm. Image credit: Tomos Proffitt et al.

Brazilian Capuchin Monkeys Unintentionally Make Sharp-Edged Stone Flakes

Oct 21, 2016 by News Staff

A University of Oxford-led team of scientists has observed bearded capuchins (Sapajus libidinosus) in Brazil deliberately break stones, unintentionally...

Holt et al. find no link between appetite and calorie intake. Image credit: Jimmy X. Rose.

No Link between Appetite and Calorie Consumption, New Study Finds

Oct 20, 2016 by News Staff

A new study published in the journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition has revealed there is no link between how hungry we feel and the amount...