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Latest News
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Low levels of brain chemical may lead to obesity
A brain chemical that plays a role in long term memory also appears to be involved in regulating how much people eat and their likelihood of becoming obese, according to a National Institutes of Health study of a rare genetic condition.
Source: NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Posted at: 5:32pm
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Genetic link to dry macular degeneration found
A University of Kentucky ophthalmologist, along with a team of scientists, has discovered a genetic mutation that offers protection against a type of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disease of the eye that is the leading cause of blindness in adults over age 50.
Source: University of Kentucky

Posted at: 5:32pm
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Sticks and stones: A new study on social and physical pain
We all know the famous saying: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," but is this proverb actually true?
Source: Association for Psychological Science

Posted at: 5:06pm
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Yellowstone's ancient supervolcano: Only lukewarm?
The geysers of Yellowstone National Park owe their eistence to the "Yellowstone hotspot"--a region of molten rock buried deep beneath Yellowstone, geologists have found.
Source: National Science Foundation

Posted at: 5:06pm
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"Sick" fat found in obese people
A Temple University study finds fat in obese patients is "sick" when compared to fat in lean patients.
Source: Temple University

Posted at: 5:06pm
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Jamaican lizards' shows of strength mark territory at dawn, dusk
What does Jack LaLanne have in common with a Jamaican lizard? Like the ageless fitness guru, the lizards greet each new day with vigorous push-ups.
Source: University of California, Davis/Harvard

Posted at: 1:39pm
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Why is Greenland covered in ice?
Only changes in carbon dioxide levels are able to explain the transition from the mostly ice-free Greenland of three million years ago, to the ice-covered Greenland of today
Source: University of Bristol

Posted at: 1:39pm
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Scientists reveal effects of quantum 'traffic jam' in high-temperature superconductors
Scientists have uncovered the first experimental evidence for why the transition temperature of high-temperature superconductors -- the temperature at which these materials carry electrical current with no resistance -- cannot simply be elevated by increasing the electrons' binding energy.
Source: DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory

Posted at: 1:39pm
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Scientists discover minimum mass for galaxies
By analyzing light from small, faint galaxies that orbit the Milky Way, UC Irvine scientists believe they have discovered the minimum mass for galaxies in the universe – 10 million times the mass of the sun.
Source: University of California - Irvine

Posted at: 1:39pm
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NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity Climbing Out of Victoria Crater
NASA's Mars Exploration rover Opportunity is heading back out to the Red Planet's surrounding plains nearly a year after descending into a large Martian crater to examine exposed ancient rock layers.
Source: NASA

Posted at: 12:52pm
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Generations of Stars Pose for Family Portrait
A new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope tells a tale of life and death amidst a rich family history. The striking infrared picture shows a colorful cosmic cloud, called W5, studded with multiple generations of blazing stars.
Source: NASA/JPL

Posted at: 12:45pm
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Subliminal learning demonstrated in the human brain
Although the idea that instrumental learning can occur subconsciously has been around for nearly a century, it had not been unequivocally demonstrated.
Source: Cell Press

Posted at: 12:40pm
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Cocaine-induced brain plasticity may protect the addicted brain
A new study has unraveled some of the mysteries of the cocaine-addicted brain and may pave the way for the design of more effective treatments for drug addiction.
Source: Cell Press

Posted at: 12:40pm
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Ancient mother spawns new insight on reptile reproduction
A 75-million-year-old fossil of a pregnant turtle and a nest of fossilized eggs that were discovered in the badlands of southeastern Alberta by scientists and staff from the University of Calgary and the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology are yielding new ideas on the evolution of egg-laying and reproduction in turtles and tortoises.
Source: University of Calgary

Posted at: 12:40pm
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Toddler cancer spotted via e-mail
A toddler in Florida has been diagnosed with cancer after a Manchester woman saw early warning signs in a picture.
Source: BBC News

Posted at: 12:40pm
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Black raspberries slow cancer by altering hundreds of genes
New research strongly suggests that a mix of preventative agents, such as those found in concentrated black raspberries, may more effectively inhibit cancer development than single agents aimed at shutting down a particular gene.
Source: Ohio State University

Posted at: 12:40pm
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TV's 'Mythbusters' Tackle Moon Landing Hoax Claims
TV's 'Mythbusters' tackle the hoax claims linked to Apollo moon landings.
Source: Space.com

Posted at: 12:40pm
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Model helps computers sort data more like humans
Humans have a natural tendency to find order in sets of information, a skill that has proven difficult to replicate in computers. Faced with a large set of data, computers don't know where to begin -- unless they're programmed to look for a specific structure, such as a hierarchy, linear order, or a set of clusters.
Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Posted at: 10:33am
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Computer viruses make it to orbit
A computer virus is alive and well on the International Space Station (ISS).
Source: BBC News

Posted at: 10:33am
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Beyond jewelry: Engineering new uses for gold
The glitter of gold may hold more than just beauty, or so says a team of MIT researchers that is working on ways to use tiny gold rods to fight cancer, deliver drugs and more.
Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Posted at: 10:33am
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Greedy molecules could be behind the emergence of life
Artificial system shows how a molecular soup could be exploited by a single self-replicating complex.
Source: Nature

Posted at: 10:33am
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Sleight of hand and sense of self
An illusion that tricks people into believing a rubber hand belongs to them isn’t all in the mind, Oxford University researchers have found. They have observed a physical response as well, a finding that offers insight into conditions which affect a patient’s sense of self and body ownership, such as stroke, schizophrenia, autism, or eating disorders.
Source: University of Oxford

Posted at: 10:33am
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When glaciers disappear, the bugs move in
The bare soil left behind by retreating glaciers is soon taken over by bacteria that prepare the ground for life on a larger scale
Source: New Scientist

Posted at: 10:33am
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A Clash of Clusters Provides New Clue to Dark Matter
A powerful collision of galaxy clusters has been captured by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory. The observations of the cluster known as MACS J0025.4-1222 indicate that a titanic collision has separated the dark from ordinary matter and provide an independent confirmation of a similar effect detected previously in a target dubbed the Bullet Cluster.
Source: Newswise

Posted at: 10:24am
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Household Hazards: What to Avoid in a Storm
Lightning can strike indoors. Here's how to steer clear of it.
Source: ABC News

Posted at: 10:24am
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Most Adults Aren’t Immunized Against Serious Infectious Diseases
When is the last time you got vaccinated? If you’re like most Americans it’s been years, maybe even decades. In fact the Centers for Disease Control has warned that far too few American adults are being vaccinated against serious, even deadly diseases.
Source: Newswise

Posted at: 10:24am
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Pass me the nautiloid, nurse
The potential of 'object therapy' to be tested in hospital.
Source: Nature

Posted at: 10:24am
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Chronic stress alters our genetic immune response
Most people would agree that stress increases your risk for illness and this is particularly true for severe long-term stresses, such as caring for a family member with a chronic medical illness. However, we still have a relatively limited understanding of exactly how stress contributes to the risk for illness.
Source: Elsevier

Posted at: 10:10am
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Jawbreakers? Taking Stress Out on Teeth
Perpetual teeth grinders are in for a lifetime of pain, say dentists.
Source: ABC News

Posted at: 10:10am
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Scientists unmask brain's hidden potential
Previous research has found that when vision is lost, a person's senses of touch and hearing become enhanced. But exactly how this happens has been unclear.
Source: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Posted at: 10:10am
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Scientists Learn How Nemo Finds His Way Home
How does the orange clownfish — aka Nemo from the movie "Finding Nemo" — really find its way home?
Source: LiveScience

Posted at: 10:10am
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Bone parts don't add up to conclusion of Palauan dwarfs
Misinterpreted fragments of leg bones, teeth and brow ridges found in Palau appear to be an archaeologist's undoing, according to researchers at three institutions. They say that the so-called dwarfs of these Micronesian islands actually were modern, normal-sized hunters and gatherers.
Source: University of Oregon

Posted at: 10:10am
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Israel to Display the Dead Sea Scrolls on the Internet
Each piece of the Dead Sea Scrolls is being digitally photographed with the aim of putting the entire file online.
Source: NYT

Posted at: 10:10am
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Unusual ultrasonic vocalization patterns in mice may be useful for modeling autism
Scientists have found novel patterns of ultrasonic vocalizations in a genetic mouse model of autism, adding a unique element to the available mouse behaviors that capture components of the human disease, and representing a new step towards identifying causes and better treatments.
Source: Public Library of Science

Posted at: 10:10am
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A Stem-Cell Revolution
Biologist Doug Melton talks about how disease-specific stem cells will reshape medicine.
Source: Technology Review

Posted at: 10:10am
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Protection zones in the wrong place to prevent coral reef collapse
Conservation zones are in the wrong place to protect vulnerable coral reefs from the effects of global warming, an international team of scientists warned today.
Source: Public Library of Science

Posted at: 10:10am
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Pre-Incan female Wari mummy unearthed in Peru
Archeologists working at Peru's Huaca Pucllana ruins pulled a mummy from a tomb on Tuesday, thought to be from the ancient Wari culture that flourished before the Incas.
Source: Reuters

Posted at: 10:10am
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Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Men defy stereotypes in defining masculinity
Contrary to stereotypes about sexual performance and masculinity, men interviewed in a large international study reported that being seen as honorable, self-reliant and respected was more important to their idea of masculinity than being seen as attractive, sexually active or successful with women.
Source: Indiana University

Posted at: 5:15pm
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Study of islands reveals surprising extinction results
It's no secret that humans are having a huge impact on the life cycles of plants and animals. UC Santa Barbara's Steven D. Gaines and fellow researcher Dov Sax decided to test that theory by studying the world's far-flung islands.
Source: University of California - Santa Barbara

Posted at: 4:48pm
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ABC-transporters efflux anti-HIV drugs
Researchers at Tulane University Medical Center in New Orleans (USA) have discovered that drug-efflux pumps, belonging to the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter family, are constitutively expressed on vascular endothelial cells.
Source: Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine

Posted at: 4:48pm
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Scientist unveils secret of newborn's first words
A new study could explain why "daddy" and "mommy" are often a baby's first words – the human brain may be hard-wired to recognize certain repetition patterns.
Source: University of British Columbia

Posted at: 4:39pm
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Trouble quitting?: A new smoking study may reveal why
A new study from researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University sheds light on why smokers' intentions to quit "cold turkey" often fizzle out within days or even hours.
Source: University of Pittsburgh

Posted at: 4:39pm
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Why do eyelids sag with age?
Many theories have sought to explain what causes the baggy lower eyelids that come with aging, but UCLA researchers have now found that fat expansion in the eye socket is the primary culprit.
Source: University of California - Los Angeles

Posted at: 4:29pm
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Rating: 2/5
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GLAST Observatory renamed for Fermi, reveals entire gamma-ray sky
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and NASA announced today that the Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) has revealed its first all-sky map in gamma rays.
Source: DOE/US Department of Energy

Posted at: 4:29pm
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Rating: 2/5
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Researchers find high levels of toxic metals in on-line herbal medicines
Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that one fifth of both U.S.-manufactured and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic medicines purchased via the Internet contain lead, mercury or arsenic.
Source: Boston University

Posted at: 4:29pm
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Rating: 2/5
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Racing cane toads reveals they get cold feet on Southern Australia invasion
Cane toads weren't allowed to compete in the Olympics, but scientists have raced cane toads in the laboratory and calculated that they would not be able to invade Melbourne, Adelaide or Hobart and are unlikely to do well in Perth or Sydney, even with climate change.
Source: University of Melbourne

Posted at: 12:16pm
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Rating: 2/5
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Molecular cubes in the sunlight
Hydrogen will be one of the most important fuels of the future. It would be ideal to obtain hydrogen by splitting water instead of from petroleum. However, the electrolysis of water is a very energy intensive process, making it both expensive and unsustainable if the electricity necessary to generate it comes from the burning of fossil fuels.
Source: Wiley-Blackwell

Posted at: 12:16pm
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Rating: 2/5
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Caesarean babies more likely to develop type 1 diabetes
Babies delivered by Caesarean section have a 20 per cent higher risk than normal deliveries of developing the most common type of diabetes in childhood, according to a study led by Queen's University Belfast.
Source: Queen's University Belfast

Posted at: 12:16pm
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Rating: 2/5
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Research expedition on corals and global warming
For just one late-summer night each year, the shallow waters off the coast of Puerto Rico fill with the pale-pink spawn of elkhorn corals -- the tiny, round packets of the adult corals' eggs and sperm.
Source: Penn State

Posted at: 12:16pm
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Rating: 2/5
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New analysis of earthquake zone raises questions
Oregon State University scientists have completed a new analysis of an earthquake fault line that extends some 200 miles off the southern and central Oregon coast that they say is more active than the San Andreas Fault in California.
Source: Oregon State University

Posted at: 12:16pm
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Rating: 2/5
Votes: 1
Scientists Discover Leptin Can Also Aid Type 1 Diabetics
Terminally ill rodents with type 1 diabetes have been restored to full health with a single injection of a substance other than insulin by scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Source: UT Southwestern Medical Center

Posted at: 9:51am
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Rating: 2/5
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Cell removal technique could lead to cheaper drugs
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have pioneered a simple way to remove dead cells from cell cultures used to make protein-based drugs, which are increasingly prescribed to treat a range of illnesses.
Source: University of Edinburgh

Posted at: 9:51am
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Rating: 2/5
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Fingerprint analysis technique could be used to identify bombmakers
University of Leicester experts have held discussions with military personnel in Afghanistan following the discovery of new technology to identify fingerprints on metal.
Source: University of Leicester

Posted at: 9:51am
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Rating: 2/5
Votes: 1
'Perfect pitch' in humans far more prevalent than expected
Researchers at the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences have developed a unique test for perfect pitch, and have found surprising results.
Source: University of Rochester

Posted at: 9:51am
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Rating: 2/5
Votes: 1
How do galaxies grow?
How do galaxies form? The most widely accepted answer to this fundamental question is the model of 'hierarchical formation', a step-wise process in which small galaxies merge to build larger ones.
Source: ESO

Posted at: 9:51am
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Rating: 2/5
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New Sphere in Exploring the Abyss
Scientists are hard at work on the tiny submarine that will replace the legendary Alvin.
Source: NYT

Posted at: 9:51am
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Rating: 2/5
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New evidence debunks 'stupid' Neanderthal myth
Research by UK and American scientists has struck another blow to the theory that Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) became extinct because they were less intelligent than our ancestors (Homo sapiens).
Source: University of Exeter

Posted at: 9:51am
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Rating: 2/5
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Scientists See Moon as Research Outpost, Training Ground
A new corps of scientists and technologies are vital for future moon research.
Source: Space.com

Posted at: 9:51am
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Rating: 2/5
Votes: 1
Researchers find monkeys enjoy giving to others
Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, have shown capuchin monkeys, just like humans, find giving to be a satisfying experience.
Source: Emory University

Posted at: 9:51am
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Rating: 2/5
Votes: 1
More Evidence of Underage China Gymnasts
Search engine technology may uncover something China wants to keep hidden.
Source: ABC News

Posted at: 9:51am
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Rating: 2/5
Votes: 1
Looking beyond the drug receptor for clues to drug effectiveness
Antipsychotic drugs that are widely used to treat schizophrenia and other problems may not work as scientists have assumed, according to findings from Duke University Medical Center researchers that could lead to changes in how these drugs are developed and prescribed.
Source: Duke University Medical Center

Posted at: 9:51am
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Rating: 2/5
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Human exoskeleton suit helps paralyzed people walk
paralyzed for the past 20 years, former Israeli paratrooper Radi Kaiof now walks down the street with a dim mechanical hum.
Source: Reuters

Posted at: 9:51am
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Rating: 2/5
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Potential diabetes treatment selectively kills autoimmune cells from human patients
In experiments using blood cells from human patients with diabetes and other autoimmune disorders, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have confirmed the mechanism behind a potential new therapy for type 1 diabetes.
Source: Massachusetts General Hospital

Posted at: 9:51am
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Rating: 2/5
Votes: 1
Sleight of hand and sense of self
An illusion that tricks people into believing a rubber hand belongs to them isn't all in the mind, Oxford University researchers have found. They have observed a physical response as well, a finding that offers insight into conditions which affect a patient's sense of self and body ownership, such as stroke, schizophrenia, autism, or eating disorders.
Source: ABC NewsUniversity of Oxford

Posted at: 9:51am
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Rating: 2/5
Votes: 1
Exploring the function of sleep
Is sleep essential? Ask that question to a sleep-deprived new parent or a student who has just pulled an "all-nighter," and the answer will be a grouchy, "Of course!"
Source: Public Library of Science

Posted at: 9:50am
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Rating: 2/5
Votes: 1
'Magnetic cows' are visible from space
Despite thousands of years of coexistence, exploitation and cheese, humanity seems to have missed an intriguing fact about cows: they like to point north. Or possibly south.
Source: Nature

Posted at: 9:50am
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How does bluetongue virus survive through the winter?
In 2006, Bluetongue virus – which infects livestock – reached Northern Europe for the first time. Some people thought that the outbreak would be limited to that particular year, as winter was expected to kill off the midges that host and spread the disease, bringing the threat of infection to an end.
Source: Public Library of Science

Posted at: 9:50am
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Largest Squid Ever Caught Is "Giant, Gelatinous Blob"
Despite its species' fearsome reputation, the colossal squid was likely sluggish and would have been filled with thousands of glowing babies, said a scientist who dissected her
Source: National Geographic

Posted at: 9:50am
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DNA barcoding in danger of 'ringing up' wrong species
DNA barcoding is a movement to catalog all life on earth by a simple standardized genetic tag, similar to stores labeling products with unique barcodes. The effort promises foolproof food inspection, improved border security, and better defenses against disease-causing insects, among many other applications.
Source: Brigham Young University

Posted at: 9:50am
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Double first for Large Hadron Collider
Counter-clockwise beam test produces historic particle collisions.
Source: Nature

Posted at: 9:50am
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New findings explain genetic disorder's unique shift
Findings reported in this month's issue of PLoS Biology give insight into the unique characteristics of the birth defect known as Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), and at the same time, may help explain the way that a certain type of gene is expressed in all humans.
Source: University of Tennessee at Knoxville

Posted at: 9:50am
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Technology That Outthinks Us: A Partner or a Master?
Vernor Vinge has been urging his fellow humans to get smarter by collaborating with computers.
Source: NYT

Posted at: 9:50am
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Monday, August 25, 2008
How to get a college roommate you can live with
Anxious college freshmen can relax. No matter who will be sharing their dorm room, they have the power to make the relationship better, University of Michigan research suggests.
Source: University of Michigan

Posted at: 6:25pm
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Century-old rule of chemistry overturned
A new study by research chemists at the University of Warwick has challenged a century old rule of pharmacology that defined how quickly key chemicals can pass across cell walls. The new observations of the Warwick researchers suggest that the real transport rates could be up to a hundred times slower than predicted by the century old "Overton's Rule".
Source: University of Warwick

Posted at: 6:22pm
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Why wind turbines can mean death for bats
Power-generating wind turbines have long been recognized as a potentially life-threatening hazard for birds. But at most wind facilities, bats actually die in much greater numbers.
Source: Cell Press

Posted at: 2:12pm
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Road Tolls Hacked
Drivers using the automated FasTrak toll system on roads and bridges in California's Bay Area could be vulnerable to fraud, according to a computer security firm in Oakland, CA.
Source: Technology Review

Posted at: 2:12pm
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New hope for stroke patients
If a stroke patient doesn't get treatment within approximately the first three hours of symptoms, there's not much doctors can do to limit damage to the brain.
Source: Loyola University Health System

Posted at: 2:12pm
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X-rays could tell Chinese Olympic gymnasts' ages, scientists say
Is He Kexin 16 or 14? Doctors and forensics experts say bone growth could reveal how old the Olympic medalists really are.
Source: LA Times

Posted at: 2:12pm
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Burning incense increases risk of respiratory tract cancers
Long term use of incense increases the risk of developing cancers of the respiratory tract, according to a new study. The new analysis, which the authors say is the first prospective investigation of incense and cancer risk
Source: American Cancer Society

Posted at: 2:12pm
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If Bigfoot Isn't In Georgia, Where Is He?
One more Bigfoot hoax went down in history this week. But Jeffrey Meldrum, a professor of anatomy and biological sciences at Idaho State University, says strange tracks are part of a growing body of evidence that something may be out there.
Source: NPR

Posted at: 2:12pm
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