Better learning through handwriting

ScienceDaily (2011-01-24) -- Writing by hand strengthens the learning process. When typing on a keyboard, this process may be impaired. Neurophysiologists have examined research which goes a long way in confirming the significance of these differences. When writing by hand, our brain receives feedback from our motor actions, together with the sensation of touching a pencil and paper. These kinds of feedback is significantly different from those we receive when touching and typing on a keyboard.

Humans have been provoking climate change for thousands of years, carbon history shows

ScienceDaily (2011-01-24) -- The Roman Conquest, the Black Death and the discovery of America -- by modifying the nature of the forests -- have had a significant impact on the environment. These are the findings of scientists in Switzerland who have researched our long history of emitting carbon into the environment.

With cloud computing, the mathematics of evolution may get easier to learn

ScienceDaily (2011-01-22) -- An innovative, educational computing platform hosted by the cloud (remote, high-capacity, scalable servers) is helping university students understand parts of evolutionary biology on an entirely new level. Soon, high-school and middle-school students will benefit from the same tool as well.

Creating simplicity: How music fools the ear

ScienceDaily (2011-01-24) -- What makes music beautiful? The best compositions transcend culture and time -- but what is the commonality which underscores their appeal? New research suggests that the brain simplifies complex patterns, much in the same way that "lossless" music compression formats reduce audio files, by removing redundant data and identifying patterns.

Mathematical model could help predict and prevent future extinctions

ScienceDaily (2011-01-26) -- In an effort to better understand the dynamics of complex networks, scientists have developed a mathematical model to describe interactions within ecological food webs. The work illustrates how human intervention may effectively aid species conservation efforts.

Childhood self-control predicts adult health and wealth

ScienceDaily (2011-01-25) -- A long-term study has found that children who scored lower on measures of self-control as young as age 3 were more likely to have health problems, substance dependence, financial troubles and a criminal record by the time they reached age 32.

First-ever global map of surface permeability informs water supply, climate modelling

ScienceDaily (2011-01-25) -- Researchers have produced the first map of the world outlining the ease of fluid flow through the planet's porous surface rocks and sediments.

New dishware sanitizers prove more effective at killing harmful bacteria

ScienceDaily (2011-01-25) -- The tiger reserves of Asia could support more than 10,000 wild tigers -- three times the current number -- if they are managed as large-scale landscapes that allow for connectivity between core breeding sites, a new study finds. The study is the first assessment of the political commitment made by all 13 tiger range countries last November to double the tiger population across Asia by 2022.

Asian tiger numbers could triple if large-scale landscapes are protected

ScienceDaily (2011-01-25) -- The tiger reserves of Asia could support more than 10,000 wild tigers -- three times the current number -- if they are managed as large-scale landscapes that allow for connectivity between core breeding sites, a new study finds. The study is the first assessment of the political commitment made by all 13 tiger range countries last November to double the tiger population across Asia by 2022.

Time machine for climate scientists: Earth's extreme weather events since 1871 reanalyzed

ScienceDaily (2011-01-25) -- From the hurricane that smashed into New York in 1938 to the impact of the Krakatoa eruption of 1883, the late 19th and 20th centuries are rich with examples of extreme weather. Now an international team of climatologists have created a comprehensive reanalysis of all global weather events from 1871 to the present day, and from Earth's surface to the jet stream level.

Learning science : Actively recalling information from memory beats elaborate study methods

ScienceDaily (2011-01-21) -- Put down those science text books and work at recalling information from memory. That's the shorthand take away message of new research that says practicing memory retrieval boosts science learning far better than elaborate study methods.

Mindfulness meditation training changes brain structure in eight weeks

ScienceDaily (2011-01-21) -- Participating in an 8-week mindfulness meditation program appears to make measurable changes in brain regions associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress. A new study is the first to document meditation-produced changes over time in the brain's gray matter.

A second language gives toddlers an edge

ScienceDaily (2011-01-20) -- Toddlers who learn a second language from infancy have an edge over their monolingual peers, according to a new study. The research team tested the understanding of English and French words among 24-month-olds to see if bilingual toddlers had acquired comparable vocabulary in each language.

Are positive emotions good for your health in old age?

ScienceDaily (2011-01-20) -- The notion that feeling good may be good for your health is not new, but is it really true? A new article reviews the existing research on how positive emotions can influence health outcomes in later adulthood.

2010 ties record for world's warmest year: World Meteorological Organization

ScienceDaily (2011-01-20) -- The year 2010 ranked as the warmest year on record, together with 2005 and 1998, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Data received by the WMO show no statistically significant difference between global temperatures in 2010, 2005 and 1998.

Bus and tram passengers warned to keep their germs to themselves

ScienceDaily (2011-01-21) -- You are six times more likely to end up at the doctors with an acute respiratory infection (ARI) if you have recently used a bus or tram -- but those who use buses or trams daily might well be somewhat protected compared with more occasional users.

Mountain ranges may act as 'safe haven' for species facing climate change

ScienceDaily (2011-01-19) -- Swiss researchers studying the projected effects of climate change on alpine plant species have discovered that mountain ranges may represent a "safer" place to live during changing climate conditions. The research finds that the habitat diversity of mountain ranges offer species "refuge habitats" which may be important for conservation.

New CPR technique for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest increases survival by 53 percent

ScienceDaily (2011-01-19) -- An alternative method of cardipulmonary resuscitation increases long-term survival of patients. The study determined that active compression-decompression cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with augmentation of negative intrathoracic pressure gave patients a better chance of survival.

Predicting political hotspots: Professors' global model forecasts civil unrest against governments

ScienceDaily (2011-01-20) -- Researchers have developed a model predicting which countries will likely experience an escalation in domestic political violence against their governments within the next five years. The model is currently five for five, most recently predicting Tunisia.

Big breakfast generally doesn't help weight loss

ScienceDaily (2011-01-18) -- Does eating a big breakfast help weight loss or is it better to skip breakfast altogether? Available information is confusing but new research clears a path through these apparently contradictory reports.

Keeping your digital secrets safe: Researchers develop security application to keep private data private

ScienceDaily (2011-01-18) -- Researchers have developed a GPS application, Locacino, based on better security design. It provides users with a higher degree of control over their privacy settings, as well as a glimpse into how people really share information between friends over the Internet.

The importance of making a good first impression in the classroom

ScienceDaily (2011-01-18) -- A study of how medical students evaluate their professors is illustrating the critical importance of making a good first impression.

Scientific evidence supports effectiveness of Chinese drug for cataracts

ScienceDaily (2011-01-18) -- Scientists are reporting a scientific basis for the long-standing belief that a widely used non-prescription drug in China and certain other countries can prevent and treat cataracts, a clouding of the lens of the eye that is a leading cause of vision loss worldwide.

99% of pregnant women in US test positive for multiple chemicals including banned ones, study suggests

ScienceDaily (2011-01-16) -- The bodies of virtually all US pregnant women carry multiple chemicals, including some banned since the 1970s and others used in common products such as non-stick cookware, processed foods and personal care products, according to a new study.

Fruit and vegetable concentrate decreases number of days with severe cold symptoms

ScienceDaily (2011-01-17) -- Researchers have shown that a specific food supplement made from fruit and vegetable juice concentrates significantly reduced the number of days with severe cold symptoms. The report sees the potential benefits of the product in a reduced number of sick days and correspondingly lower expenditure on cold medicines.

Heart failure patients twice as likely to die if admitted to general wards, UK study finds

ScienceDaily (2011-01-18) -- Heart failure patients admitted to general wards are twice as likely to die as those admitted to cardiology wards, shows a UK audit of the treatment of the condition.

Bioactive compounds in berries can reduce high blood pressure

ScienceDaily (2011-01-15) -- Eating blueberries can guard against high blood pressure, according to new research.

Why coffee protects against diabetes

ScienceDaily (2011-01-15) -- Researchers have discovered a possible molecular mechanism behind coffee's protective effect against type 2 diabetes.

Dramatic ocean circulation changes caused a colder Europe in the past

ScienceDaily (2011-01-15) -- The unusually cold weather in Europe this winter has been caused by a change in the winds. Instead of the typical westerly winds warmed by Atlantic surface ocean currents, cold northerly Arctic winds are influencing much of Europe. However, scientists have long suspected that far more severe and longer-lasting cold intervals have been caused by changes to the circulation of the warm Atlantic ocean currents themselves.

Extent of corruption in countries around the world tied to earthquake fatalities

ScienceDaily (2011-01-16) -- A new assessment of global earthquake fatalities over the past three decades indicates that 83 percent of all deaths caused by the collapse of buildings during earthquakes occurred in countries considered to be unusually corrupt.

Academics urge universities to change culture to value teaching as highly as research

ScienceDaily (2011-01-15) -- The reward systems at universities heavily favor science, math and engineering research at the expense of teaching, which can and must change, according to a group of academics.

Tinnitus is the result of the brain trying, but failing, to repair itself

ScienceDaily (2011-01-15) -- Tinnitus appears to be produced by an unfortunate confluence of structural and functional changes in the brain, say neuroscientists.

Universities miss chance to identify depressed students, study finds

ScienceDaily (2011-01-15) -- One out of every four or five students who visits a university health center for a routine cold turns out to be depressed, but most centers miss the opportunity to identify these students because they don't screen for depression, according to new research. About 2 to 3 percent of these depressed students have had suicidal thoughts or are considering suicide. Depression screening is easy and must be done for every health center student, researchers said.

Laser sheds light on tracking source of microbial contamination on beach

ScienceDaily (2011-01-15) -- A simple, automated method of tracking E. coli uses a laser to detect and monitor the microbe in potentially contaminated bodies of water or waterways. The technique could reduce the incidence of waterborne disease outbreaks.

Bioactive compounds in berries can reduce high blood pressure

ScienceDaily (2011-01-15) -- Eating blueberries can guard against high blood pressure, according to new research.

Why coffee protects against diabetes

ScienceDaily (2011-01-15) -- Researchers have discovered a possible molecular mechanism behind coffee's protective effect against type 2 diabetes.

Dramatic ocean circulation changes caused a colder Europe in the past

ScienceDaily (2011-01-15) -- The unusually cold weather in Europe this winter has been caused by a change in the winds. Instead of the typical westerly winds warmed by Atlantic surface ocean currents, cold northerly Arctic winds are influencing much of Europe. However, scientists have long suspected that far more severe and longer-lasting cold intervals have been caused by changes to the circulation of the warm Atlantic ocean currents themselves.

Driving simulators help older adults improve their road skills

ScienceDaily (2011-01-14) -- Older drivers could benefit from training programs that put them behind the wheel -- in a driving simulator, with an observer who helps them develop their skills, according to a new article.

Taking more steps every day can help ward off diabetes

ScienceDaily (2011-01-14) -- Simply taking more steps every day not only helps ward off obesity but also reduces the risk of diabetes, finds a new study.

Old-growth forests are what giant pandas need

ScienceDaily (2011-01-13) -- A new study indicates that giant pandas need old-growth forests as much as bamboo forests. This work could assist conservationists in creating strategic plans that help conserve this critically endangered bear species.

More breaks from sitting are good for waistlines and hearts

ScienceDaily (2011-01-13) -- It is becoming well accepted that, as well as too little exercise, too much sitting is bad for people's health. Now a new study has found that it is not just the length of time people spend sitting that can make a difference, but also the number of breaks that they take. Plenty of breaks, even if they are as little as one minute, seem to be good for people's hearts and their waistlines.

Private room intensive care units associated with lower infection rates

ScienceDaily (2011-01-13) -- Converting hospital intensive care units to private rooms is associated with a reduction in the rate at which patients acquire infections, according to a new study.

Is 'breast only' for first six months best?

ScienceDaily (2011-01-14) -- Current guidance advising mothers in the UK to exclusively breast feed for the first six months of their baby's life is being questioned by child health experts.

NASA image shows La Niña-caused woes down under

ScienceDaily (2011-01-12) -- The current La Niña in the Pacific Ocean, one of the strongest in the past 50 years, continues to exert a powerful influence on weather around the world, affecting rainfall and temperatures in varying ways in different locations. For Australia, La Niña typically means above-average rains, and the current La Niña is no exception. Heavy rains that began in late December led to the continent's worst flooding in nearly a half century, at its peak inundating an area the size of Germany and France combined.

Species loss tied to ecosystem collapse and recovery

ScienceDaily (2011-01-12) -- Geologists have a cautionary tale: Lose enough species in the oceans, and the entire ecosystem could collapse. Looking at two of the greatest mass extinctions in Earth's history, the scientists attribute the ecosystems' collapse to a loss in the variety of species sharing the same space. It took up to 10 million years after the mass extinctions for the ecosystem to stabilize.

Study estimates land available for biofuel crops

ScienceDaily (2011-01-12) -- Using detailed land analysis, researchers have found that biofuel crops cultivated on available land could produce up to half of the world's current fuel consumption -- without affecting food crops or pastureland. Focusing on marginal land, the team assessed land availability from a physical perspective to identify land around the globe available to produce grass crops for biofuels, with minimal impact on agriculture or the environment.

How human vision perceives rapid changes: Brain predicts consequences of eye movements based on what we see next

ScienceDaily (2011-01-12) -- Scientists have demonstrated that the brain predicts consequences of our eye movements based on what we see next. The findings have implications for understanding human attention and applications to robotics.

Our perceptions of masculinity and femininity swayed by our sense of touch

ScienceDaily (2011-01-12) -- Gender stereotypes suggest that men are usually tough and women are usually tender. A new study finds these stereotypes have some real bodily truth for our brains; when people look at a gender-neutral face, they are more likely to judge it as male if they're touching something hard and as female if they're touching something soft.

Common painkillers linked to increased risk of heart problems

ScienceDaily (2011-01-12) -- Commonly used painkillers for treating inflammation can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to an analysis of the evidence.

Parents give boys preferential treatment when there is a chronic food shortage

ScienceDaily (2011-01-12) -- In situations of chronic food shortage, parents are inclined to give boys a preferential treatment, despite the fact that the health of their daughters suffers more from food insecurity, according to new research.

Men with macho faces attractive to fertile women, researchers find

ScienceDaily (2011-01-12) -- When their romantic partners are not quintessentially masculine, women in their fertile phase are more likely to fantasize about masculine-looking men than are women paired with George Clooney types, says a new study.

Scientists discover way to stop pancreatic cancer in early stages, study suggests

ScienceDaily (2011-01-12) -- Cancer researchers have found a way to stop early stage pancreatic cancer in research models -- a result that has far-reaching implications in chemoprevention for high-risk patients.

'Thirdhand smoke' may be bigger health hazard than previously believed

ScienceDaily (2011-01-12) -- Scientists are reporting that so-called "thirdhand smoke" -- the invisible remains of cigarette smoke that deposits on carpeting, clothing, furniture and other surfaces -- may be even more of a health hazard than previously believed. The study extends the known health risks of tobacco among people who do not smoke but encounter the smoke exhaled by smokers or released by smoldering cigarette butts.

How partners perceive each other's emotion during a fight has a huge impact on their reactions

ScienceDaily (2011-01-12) -- Some of the most intense emotions people feel occur during a conflict in a romantic relationship. Now, psychologists show that how each person perceives the other partner's emotion during a conflict greatly influences different types of thoughts, feelings and reactions in themselves.

Virus killer gets supercharged: Discovery greatly improves common disinfectant

ScienceDaily (2011-01-12) -- Researchers report that adding silicone to titanium dioxide, a common disinfectant, dramatically increases its ability to degrade aerosol- and water-borne viruses.

Lab-on-a-chip developed for fast, inexpensive blood tests: Smartphone app next

ScienceDaily (2011-01-12) -- While most blood tests require shipping a vial of blood to a laboratory for analysis and waiting several days for the results, a new device invented by a team of engineers and students uses just a pinprick of blood in a portable device that provides results in less than 30 minutes. The next step will turn blood testing into a smartphone application.

Musical chills: Why they give us thrills

ScienceDaily (2011-01-12) -- Scientists have found that the pleasurable experience of listening to music releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain important for more tangible pleasures associated with rewards such as food, drugs and sex.

Middle school is when the right friends may matter most

ScienceDaily (2011-01-12) -- As adolescents move from elementary school into their middle or junior-high years, changes in friendships may signal potential academic success or troubles down the road, say researchers.

Earth is twice as dusty as in 19th century, research shows

ScienceDaily (2011-01-12) -- If the house seems dustier than it used to be, it may not be a reflection on your housekeeping skills. The amount of dust in the Earth's atmosphere has doubled over the last century, according to a new study; and the dramatic increase is influencing climate and ecology around the world.

People neglect who they really are when predicting their own future happiness

ScienceDaily (2011-01-12) -- Humans are notoriously bad at predicting their future happiness. A new study suggests that part of the reason for these mispredictions lies in failing to recognize the key role played by one's own personality when determining future emotional reactions.

Mobile telephony without base stations

ScienceDaily (2011-01-13) -- The new generation of mobile phone technology makes it possible to communicate directly from one telephone to another without having to rely on base stations. A Swedish researcher presents a program that runs on telephones and can deliver messages even when the infrastructure for telecommunication has been knocked out.

Tinnitus treatment: Rebooting the brain helps stop the ring of tinnitus in rats

ScienceDaily (2011-01-13) -- Targeted nerve stimulation could yield a long-term reversal of tinnitus, a debilitating hearing impairment affecting at least 10 percent of senior citizens and up to 40 percent of military veterans, according to a new article.

Two medicines taken together improve control of blood pressure

ScienceDaily (2011-01-12) -- New research shows that starting treatment of blood pressure with two medicines rather than the one produces better and faster results and fewer side effects -- findings that could change clinical practice world-wide.

Antifreeze proteins: How one gene becomes two (with different functions)

ScienceDaily (2011-01-13) -- Researchers report that they are the first to show in molecular detail how one gene evolved two competing functions that eventually split up -- via gene duplication -- to pursue their separate destinies. The study validates a decades-old hypothesis about a key mechanism of evolution. The study also confirms the ancestry of a family of "antifreeze proteins" that helps the Antarctic eelpout survive in the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean.

Catfish study reveals multiplicity of species

ScienceDaily (2011-01-11) -- An extensive investigation of South American Corydoras catfish, reveals that catfish communities, although containing almost identically colored and patterned fish, could actually contain three or more different species. Establishing for the first time that many species are mimetic, this discovery suggests that in many cases the number of Corydoras catfish species may be higher than previously recognized, with consequent implications for environmentalists charged with protecting environmental diversity and safeguarding the species.

Abstinence, heavy drinking, binge drinking associated with increased risk of cognitive impairment

ScienceDaily (2011-01-11) -- Previous research regarding the association between alcohol consumption and dementia or cognitive impairment in later life suggests that mild to moderate alcohol consumption might be protective of dementia. However, most of the research has been conducted on subjects already rather elderly at the start of the follow-up. A new study addresses this problem with a follow-up of more than two decades.

Mountain glacier melt to contribute 12 centimeters to world sea-level increases by 2100

ScienceDaily (2011-01-11) -- Melt off from small mountain glaciers and ice caps will contribute about 12 centimeters to world sea-level increases by 2100, according to new research.

Shellfish safer to eat, thanks to biosensor technology

ScienceDaily (2011-01-11) -- New technology promises to make shellfish safer to eat. A new test not only ensures shellfish are free of toxins before they reach the food chain but is likely to revolutionize the global fishing industry. While the current process for monitoring potentially dangerous toxins in shellfish takes up to two days, the new test slashes the testing time to just 30 minutes using new biosensor technology and provides a much more reliable result.

Smoking around your kindergartner could raise their blood pressure

ScienceDaily (2011-01-11) -- Kindergartners whose parents smoke have higher blood pressure than those with non-smoking parents, according to new research. The study of more than 4,000 pre-school children in Germany is the first to show that exposure to nicotine increases the blood pressure of children as young as 4 or 5. Since childhood blood pressure tracks into adult life, researchers said youngsters exposed to cigarette smoke could have a higher risk of heart disease later in life.

Being poor can suppress children's genetic potentials, study finds

ScienceDaily (2011-01-11) -- Growing up poor can suppress a child's genetic potential to excel cognitively even before the age of 2, according to research from psychologists in Texas.

Hard-to-find fish reveals shared developmental toolbox of evolution

ScienceDaily (2011-01-11) -- A SCUBA expedition in Australia and New Zealand to find the rare embryos of an unusual shark cousin enabled American and British researchers to confirm new developmental similarities between fish and mammals. The study confirms that organisms separated by hundreds of millions of years of evolution share similar genetic programs for body formation.

Wildlife biologists use dogs' scat-sniffing talents for good

ScienceDaily (2011-01-11) -- Biologists have harnessed a dog's natural talent for sniffing out the scat of other animals for a good cause. Researchers are fine-tuning the use of dogs as a non-invasive tool for wildlife studies and management.

The 'mad' Egyptian scholar who proved Aristotle wrong

ScienceDaily (2011-01-10) -- Ibn al-Haytham's 11th-century Book of Optics, which was published exactly 1000 years ago, is often cited alongside Newton's Principia as one of the most influential books in physics. Yet very little is known about the writer, considered by many to be the father of modern optics.

Liver disease a possible predictor of stroke

ScienceDaily (2011-01-10) -- People suffering from fatty liver disease may be three times more likely to suffer a stroke than individuals without fatty liver, according to a new study. The study is the first to find a link between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease -- a disease characterized by the accumulation of fat in the liver in non drinkers -- and stroke.

Grape ingredient resveratrol increases beneficial fat hormone

ScienceDaily (2011-01-10) -- Researchers have identified a novel way in which resveratrol, a substance in grapes, exerts positive health effects.

http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&pub=sciencedaily

ScienceDaily (2011-01-10) -- The epic ocean-spanning journeys of the gigantic leatherback turtle in the South Atlantic have been revealed for the first time thanks to groundbreaking research using satellite tracking. Experts in the UK led a five-year study to find out more about these increasingly rare creatures and inform conservation efforts.

Gesturing while talking helps change your thoughts

ScienceDaily (2011-01-10) -- Sometimes it's almost impossible to talk without using your hands. These gestures seem to be important to how we think. They provide a visual clue to our thoughts and, a new theory suggests, may even change our thoughts by grounding them in action.

IPv6 guide provides path to secure deployment of next-generation Internet protocol

ScienceDaily (2011-01-06) -- As the day draws nearer for the world to run out of the unique addresses that allow us to use the Internet, researchers have issued a guide for managers, network engineers, transition teams and others to help them deploy the next generation Internet protocol (IPv6) securely.

Couch potatoes beware: Too much time spent watching TV is harmful to heart health

ScienceDaily (2011-01-10) -- Spending too much leisure time in front of a TV or computer screen appears to dramatically increase the risk for heart disease and premature death from any cause, perhaps regardless of how much exercise one gets, according to a new study.

Lab In A Drop: Pocket-sized PCR Rapid Test Including Sample Preparation

ScienceDaily (2008-05-07) -- Jürgen Pipper and his team at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Singapore have developed a rapid test for genetic diagnosis that combines the preparation of biological samples with a polymerase chain reaction on one chip.

Health chip gives instant diagnoses

ScienceDaily (2011-01-07) -- Soon, your family doctor will no longer have to send blood or cancer cell samples to the laboratory. A little chip will give her test results on the spot.

High dietary fat, cholesterol linked to increased risk of breast cancer

ScienceDaily (2011-01-07) -- Elevated fat and cholesterol levels found in a typical American-style diet play an important role in the growth and spread of breast cancer, say researchers.

Scientists construct synthetic proteins that sustain life

ScienceDaily (2011-01-07) -- In a groundbreaking achievement that could help scientists "build" new biological systems, Princeton University scientists have constructed for the first time artificial proteins that enable the growth of living cells.

What carbon cycle? College students lack scientific literacy, study finds

ScienceDaily (2011-01-07) -- Most college students in the United States do not grasp the scientific basis of the carbon cycle -- an essential skill in understanding the causes and consequences of climate change, according to new research.

Packaging that knows when food is going bad

ScienceDaily (2011-01-07) -- Packaging that alerts consumers to food which is starting to go bad is being developed by researchers in the UK.

Origin of life on Earth: 'Natural' asymmetry of biological molecules may have come from space

ScienceDaily (2011-01-07) -- Certain molecules do exist in two forms which are symmetrical mirror images of each other: they are known as chiral molecules. On Earth, the chiral molecules of life, especially amino acids and sugars, exist in only one form, either left-handed or right-handed. Why is it that life has initially chosen one form over the other? Now researchers have for the first time obtained an excess of left-handed molecules (and then an excess of right-handedones) under conditions that reproduce those found in interstellar space. This result therefore supports the hypothesis that the asymmetry of biological molecules on Earth has a cosmic origin. The researchers also suggest that the solar nebula formed in a region of massive stars.

Routine blood test may identify people with pre-diabetes, cutting later treatment costs

ScienceDaily (2011-01-06) -- A simpler form of testing individuals with risk factors for diabetes could improve diabetes prevention efforts by substantially increasing the number of individuals who complete testing and learn whether or not they are likely to develop diabetes, according to a new study.

Consumers prefer products with few, and mostly matching, colors

ScienceDaily (2011-01-06) -- Most people like to play it safe when combining colors for an article of clothing or outfit, a new study suggests. When consumers were asked to choose colors for seven different parts of an athletic shoe, they tended to pick identical or similar colors for nearly every element. They usually avoided contrasting or even moderately different color combinations.

Thermostatic mixer valves could significantly reduce the risk of scalding in children, study finds

ScienceDaily (2011-01-06) -- Using a thermostatic mixer valve to control the maximum temperature of children's bath water can significantly reduce the temperature of hot bath water and should reduce the risk of scalding, according to researchers.

Protective properties of green tea uncovered

ScienceDaily (2011-01-06) -- When green tea is digested it is even more effective at protecting the body against Alzheimer's and cancer than was previously thought.

Is the hornet our key to renewable energy? Physicist discovers that hornet's outer shell can harvest solar power

ScienceDaily (2011-01-06) -- The brown and yellow parts of the Oriental hornet's body are able to harvest solar energy, and if that function can be mimicked, a novel way of achieving high-efficiency solar energy collection might be just around the corner, says a physicist who has demonstrated that the brown and yellow stripes on the insect's abdomen can absorb the sun's radiation, and the yellow pigment transforms that radiation into electric power.

Exercise may lower risk of death for men with prostate cancer

ScienceDaily (2011-01-06) -- A new study of men with prostate cancer finds that physical activity is associated with a lower risk of overall mortality and of death due to prostate cancer.

Mother’s milk improves physical condition of future adolescents, study finds

ScienceDaily (2011-01-06) -- Breast feeding new born babies has lots of advantages in the short and in the long-term for babies. A study has confirmed the recently discovered benefits, which had not been researched until now. Adolescents who are breast fed at birth have stronger leg muscles than those who received artificial milk.

Vitamin D accelerates recovery from tuberculosis

ScienceDaily (2011-01-06) -- Vitamin D can speed up antibiotic treatment of tuberculosis, according to new research. The study gives fresh insight into how vitamin D may affect the immune response.

Widespread, persistent oxygen-poor conditions in Earth's ancient oceans impacted early evolution of animals

ScienceDaily (2011-01-06) -- Researchers report that the transition from a generally oxygen-rich ocean during the Cambrian to the fully oxygenated ocean we have today was not a simple turn of the switch, as has been widely accepted. Their work shows the ocean fluctuated between oxygenation states 499 million years ago; such fluctuations, they say, played a major, perhaps dominant, role in shaping the early evolution of animals on the planet.

How to look younger without plastic surgery

ScienceDaily (2011-01-06) -- Psychologists were able to prove that volunteer testers were systematically wrong at estimating other people's age after having adapted to the faces of people of a specific age group by intensely looking at them.

Hidden literary references discovered in the Mona Lisa

ScienceDaily (2011-01-06) -- The Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece, the Mona Lisa, incorporates images inspired by the Roman poet Horace and Florentine poet Petrarch, according to one expert.

Border collie comprehends over 1,000 object names as verbal referents

ScienceDaily (2011-01-06) -- Researchers at Wofford College discovered that a border collie comprehends the names of over 1,000 objects, differentiating between names of objects and orders to fetch them. This research deepens the findings of researchers in Germany, who had discovered a dog that knew the names of a couple of hundred objects. Important questions were left open as to how far a dog could go, and whether the dog really understood that the object names were nouns and not commands to retrieve the object.

Corals provide evidence of changes to oceanic currents

ScienceDaily (2011-01-05) -- Examination of deep sea corals reveals that there have been drastic changes to oceanic currents in the western North Atlantic since the 1970s. The influence of the cold water Labrador Current, which is in periodic interchange with the warm Gulf Stream, has been decreasing continually since the 1970s. Occurring at the same time as Global Warming this phenomenon is unique in the past 2000 years.

Anti-bullying program reduces malicious gossip on school playgrounds

ScienceDaily (2011-01-05) -- Elementary school students who participated in a three-month anti-bullying program in Seattle schools showed a 72 percent decrease in malicious gossip. The study is the first to show that the widely-used Steps to Respect bullying prevention program can curb children's gossip, an element of playground culture often seen as harmless but capable of causing real harm.

Walking speed associated with survival in older adults

ScienceDaily (2011-01-05) -- In an analysis that included data from 9 studies, having higher measures of walking speed among older adults was associated with increased length of survival, according to a new study.

Metabolic cost of human sleep deprivation quantified by researchers

ScienceDaily (2011-01-05) -- In the first-ever quantification of energy expended by humans during sleep, a research team has found that the metabolic cost of an adult missing one night of sleep is the equivalent of walking slightly less than two miles.

Filtering kitchen wastewater for plants

ScienceDaily (2011-01-05) -- Water is a precious commodity, so finding ways to re-use waste water, especially in arid regions is essential to sustainability. Researchers in India have now carried out a study of various waste-water filtration systems for kitchen wastewater and found that even the most poorly performing can produce water clean enough for horticultural or agricultural use.

How does your green roof garden grow?

ScienceDaily (2011-01-03) -- Growing plants on rooftops is an old concept that has evolved from simple sod roofing to lightweight "extensive green roofs". Researchers have evaluated the influence of substrate type and depth on establishment of five common green roof plants. A standout performer was saxifrage pink, which had an attractive appearance and persistent flowering habit, making it an excellent choice as a green roof plant.

The ecosystem engineer: Research looks at beavers' role in river restoration

ScienceDaily (2011-01-04) -- When engineers restore rivers, one professor hopes they'll keep a smaller engineer in mind: the North American beaver.

New system for analyzing information on WikiLeaks, social media

ScienceDaily (2011-01-04) -- Researchers in Spain have created a new computer system that has multiple applications for exploring information in a variety of areas including fraud detection, biomedicine, education, social media and the Internet. For example, the technology can be used to extract information from WikiLeaks from two perspectives: one, to obtain generic indicators that provide information on whether the data network has the features of a social network and whether communities of data are created that can provide relevant information; and two, to use the documents hosted on the website to analyze how a topic evolves over time, how a person or a group relates to different topics and how the documents themselves interrelate.

Dogs And Cats Can Live In Perfect Harmony In The Home, If Introduced The Right Way

ScienceDaily (2008-09-09) -- Thinking about adopting a perky little puppy as a friend for your fluffy cat, but worried that they'll fight -- well, like cats and dogs? Think again. New research has found a new recipe for success.

Even healthy cats act sick when their routine is disrupted

ScienceDaily (2011-01-04) -- A cat regularly vomiting hairballs or refusing to eat probably isn't being finicky or otherwise "cat-like," despite what conventional wisdom might say. There is a good chance that the cat is acting sick because of the stress caused by changes in its environment, new research suggests. Healthy cats were just as likely as chronically ill cats to refuse food, vomit frequently and leave waste outside their litter box in response to changes in their routine.

Cloud atlas: Scientist maps the meaning of mid-level clouds

ScienceDaily (2011-01-01) -- Clouds play a major role in the climate-change equation, but they are the least-understood variable in the sky, observes a geoscientist, who says mid-level clouds are especially understudied.

System for detecting noise pollution in the sea and its impact on cetaceans

ScienceDaily (2010-12-31) -- Researchers have developed the first system equipped with hydrophones able to record sounds on the seafloor in real time over the Internet. The system detects the presence of cetaceans and makes it possible to analyze how noise caused by human activity can affect the natural habitat of these animals and the natural balance of oceans. A new EU directive on the sea has ruled that all member states must comply with a set of indicators for measuring marine noise pollution before 2012.

Was Israel the birthplace of modern humans?

ScienceDaily (2010-12-31) -- Archaeologists have discovered evidence that places Homo sapiens in Israel as early as 400,000 years ago -- the earliest evidence for the existence of modern humans anywhere in the world.

Lower levels of education are associated with increased risks of heart failure

ScienceDaily (2010-12-31) -- Results from a large European study suggest that poorly educated people are more likely to be admitted to hospital with chronic heart failure than the better educated, even after differences in lifestyle have been taken into account.

What triggers mass extinctions? Study shows how invasive species stop new life

ScienceDaily (2010-12-31) -- An influx of invasive species can stop the dominant natural process of new species formation and trigger mass extinction events, according to new research. The study of the collapse of Earth's marine life 378 to 375 million years ago suggests that the planet's current ecosystems, which are struggling with biodiversity loss, could meet a similar fate.