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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: scientific research

scientific research stories: 48 news summaries

21 - 40 of 48 Stories | << Prev 1 2 3 Next >>

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 Our Not-So-Distant 
 Relatives: Kangaroos 

Scientists decode marsupial's genome, find much in common with humans

Nov 18, 08 4:26 PM CST
(Newser) - The kangaroo genome has much in common with that of humans, the Telegraph reports. Scientists in Australia, under the auspices of the Centre of Excellence for Kangaroo Genomics, have completed mapping the marsupial’s genetic code. “There are a few differences, we have a few more of this,... More »

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evolution • Australia • genome • human • scientific research • kangaroo

 Assassin Cells Slay Hidden HIV 

Human trials set next year

Nov 10, 08 4:02 AM CST
(Newser) - A promising new treatment for AIDS may be in the works, with the discovery that genetically engineered immune cells can detect and destroy HIV even when the virus tries to hide by mutating. The so-called “assassin” cells, created from the T-cells of an HIV patient, have worked their magic... More »

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medical breakthrough • AIDS • HIV • immune system • scientific research • genetic engineering • CD4 T-cells

 Bullies May Enjoy Inflicting Pain 

Brain scans show agressors feel reward watching others suffer

Nov 7, 08 12:33 PM CST
(Newser) - Bullies appear to enjoy seeing other people in pain, Reuters reports. Researchers in Chicago took brain scans of two sample groups of teens while showing them videos of one person hurting another. When showed violence, one group of teens, who were diagnosed with aggressive-conduct disorder and had recently attacked schoolmates,... More »

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high school • violence • bullying • fMRI • scientific research • teenager • aggression

Vitamin Could Delay Onset of Alzheimer's

B3 pills caused big improvement in mice; human trials to begin

Nov 5, 08 2:07 PM CST
(Newser) - A simple dose of vitamin B3 may be one of the keys to combating the brain deterioration caused by Alzheimer’s disease, California scientists say. The team found that diseased mice given high levels of the vitamin retained normal memory ability over the four months of a study, and healthy... More »

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memory • medical breakthrough • medical research • vitamin B • neurons • scientific research • Alzheimer's Disease

 'Water Monster' About to Die Off 

Mexican salamander suffers in polluted canals and lagoons

Nov 2, 08 6:18 PM CST
(Newser) - Mexico’s “water monster"—a mere foot long but once central to the Aztec legend and diet—is close to dying out, the AP reports. Axolotls have long endured in the polluted Venice-like canals of Lake Xochimilco in Mexico City, but baby-gobbling fish and ebbing water quality are... More »

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endangered species • Mexico City • Mexico • Aztec • salamanders • scientific research • International Union for Conservation of Nature

43% of Women Have Sex Issues, But Few Are Troubled

Experts caution that dysfunction is relative, say 12% bothered is lower than thought

Oct 31, 08 2:28 PM CDT
(Newser) - Just under half of the female population suffers from sex problems, ABC News reports. A new study found that 43% of its 32,000-women sample reported problems with low desire, arousal or difficulty with orgasms, but only 12% of women said such problems cause them personal anguish. More »

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women • sex • sexuality • relationship • academic research • scientific research • sexual dysfunction

Eating Too Fast Makes You Fat

Men who scarf their meals are 84% more likely to be obese; women even more so

Oct 22, 08 12:52 PM CDT
(Newser) - When your mom said to slow down and chew your food, she may have been more right than she knew: Speedy eating can double your risk of being overweight, according to a new study. Japanese scientists compared hundreds of food-savoring people to their sprinter counterparts, and found a striking correlation... More »

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obesity • eating • overweight • scientific research

 Stress Pushes 
 Animals to Binge, Too 

House pets feel human worries; lab animals turn to high-fat treats

Oct 17, 08 6:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - Animals get stressed out just like humans, and they even cope anthropomorphically, binging on sweet, fatty foods, LiveScience reports. What’s more, animals can read our misgivings and take on that stress themselves. “The more intelligent an animal is, the more psychological stress it can undergo,” one veterinarian... More »

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rats • stress • monkey • human • sympathy • scientific study • scientific research • animal • brain chemistry

 Multitasking 
 Is a Myth 

Imaging shows brain quickly switches among tasks instead

Oct 4, 08 9:33 AM CDT
(Newser) - Pull your ears away from that cell phone: Multitasking is a myth. New research shows we can’t really concentrate on two things at once; rather, the executive functions of the brain sweep quickly between multiple tasks. It’s thought that survival and the hunt made this rapid refocusing of... More »

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MIT • human evolution • MRI • multitask • University of Michigan • natural selection • scientific research • executive function

Docs Tout Safer, Non-Embryonic Stem Cells

Virus, used in mice, repurposes adult cells with no risk of cancer

Sep 26, 08 3:34 PM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists have discovered a safer way to turn adult cells into stem cells, the Boston Globe reports. The cells, similar to those harvested from embryos, are called induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells; Japanese researchers introduced the method 2 years ago. But the Japanese used retroviruses, which can cause cancer;... More »

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medical breakthrough • Massachusetts • virus • biology • Harvard • scientific research • induced pluripotent stem cells

 Autism-Reversing 
 Drugs Show Promise 

MIT scientists stumbled onto workaround for misfiring brain system

Sep 24, 08 12:50 PM CDT
(Newser) - MIT scientists have discovered one of the mechanisms of Fragile X Syndrome, one cause of autism, and are developing drugs to treat it, NPR reports. The disorder, triggered by a genetic mutation, interferes with the normal links between brain cells, making those networks something like a car without a brakes.... More »

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medical breakthrough • mental health • autism • MIT • brain • neurons • scientific research • Fragile X Syndrome

Athletes to Donate Brains
for Concussion Study

New research center studies the effects of concussions

Sep 24, 08 2:52 AM CDT
(Newser) - A dozen athletes have agreed to donate their brains to a new research project that will study them for the long-term effects of concussions, the New York Times reports. The Boston University center has already  examined the brains of six deceased NFL players, finding brain damage in five cases. Former... More »

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NFL • New England Patriots • brain damage • US women's soccer • traumatic brain injury • scientific research • Boston University

 Seals Plunge for Climate Data

Scientists use deep-diving creatures for Antarctic research

Aug 17, 08 1:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - Giant seals living in the chilly waters of Antarctica are helping researchers gather important data on climate change, reports Popular Mechanics. The elephant seals, tagged with hat-like sensors, make frequent dives deep into the Southern Ocean and surface with valuable details about water temperature and salinity. The dense waters of... More »

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climate change • global warming • Antarctica • sensors • ocean temperature • scientific research • elephant seals

OPINION

 Ice Reveals Climate History

Research offers window into changes

Aug 3, 08 12:19 PM CDT
(Newser) - Over the next three summers in Greenland, a group of international scientists will unearth samples of the country’s ice core down to its very bedrock, in the hopes of painting a complete picture of Earth's changing climate. Each layer provides a dated mixture of water and air bubbles that... More »

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climate change • global warming • Greenland • research • polar ice caps • Thomas Friedman • Arctic Circle • scientific research

Tiny Shrew Drinks More Than You

Mouse-like mammal downs equivalent of 9 glasses of wine nightly

Jul 30, 08 4:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Malaysian pentailed shrew drinks enough booze, weight for weight, to kill a human with a similar habit—prompting scientists to study the creature for clues to our own alcoholic thirst. Pentails, which share a common ancestor with primates, knock back the equivalent of nine glasses of wine every night... More »

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animal behavior • scientific research • alcohol consumption • shrew

Don't Talk Down to Alzheimer's Patients: Docs

Trouble communicating leads to frustration, uncooperative behavior

Jul 28, 08 8:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - Even after they lose the ability to communicate easily, Alzheimer’s disease patients remain aware of the world around them and know when they're being talked down to, a study shows. Video evidence suggests patients are twice as likely to accept help from caregivers, and to not shut down or... More »

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elderly • dementia • video • scientific study • caregivers • scientific research • Alzheimer's Disease

 Study Rewrites 
 Birds' Family Tree 

DNA research reveals new information about bird relations

Jun 26, 08 9:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - A five-year study of bird DNA is turning the world of ornithology on its head. The study revealed such drastic new information about the evolution of birds that dozens will need new scientific names, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Notable finds: Falcons are not related to hawks or eagles; hummingbirds—... More »

MORE ABOUT:
evolution • birds • DNA • scientific discoveries • scientific research • Field Museum

OPINION

Google's Data Avalanche Trumps Scientific Method

No need for theories to connect the data—data all anyone really needs

Jun 24, 08 6:38 PM CDT
(Newser) - The data avalanche Google made possible has buried the scientific method, Chris Anderson argues in Wired, begging the question, “What can science learn from Google?” We’re in the “Petabyte Age,” he argues, when massive amounts of data obviate need for models and theories—the imperfect, if... More »

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Google • data • scientific research • scientific method

 Coffee's Smell Alone
 Can Perk You Up 

Beverage's mere aroma increases wakefulness, study shows

Jun 16, 08 1:19 PM CDT
(Newser) - The aroma of coffee is enough to wake you up, a new study shows. Smelling coffee stimulated the expression of genes known to reverse the damaging effect of stress and sleep deprivation in test animals’ brains, international researchers tell LiveScience. Coffee’s stimulating effects have been known for ages, but... More »

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coffee • caffeine • stimulant • smell • sense of smell • scientific study • scientific research

Scientific Journals Battle Doctored Images

Publications see fraud in submissions; screening on the rise

May 30, 08 4:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - Scientific journals' status as bastions of objectivity and truth has come under fire in the past 10 years because of "image fraud," the Chronicle of Higher Education reports. Researchers alter representations of scientific data for inclusion in journal articles for various reasons, and not all have evil intentions.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
federal investigation • scientific discoveries • doctored photo • scientific research • false statement • scientific journal

21 - 40 of 48 Stories | << Prev 1 2 3 Next >>


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