A Blog Around The Clock

* Cleansing nuclear fallout from the body:
A U.S. government scientist envisions purging the body of fallout with a compound from crab shells.
* Gay men likelier to gamble addictively, study suggests:
A small study may fuel a charged debate over why homosexuals, as growing evidence suggests, suffer addictions unusually often.
* Saturn moon found to resemble Earth at life’s birth:
Hazy skies on early Earth, similar to those on Saturn’s moon Titan, could have provided the ingredients for life, chemists say.
* Mystery of sudden infant deaths may be solved:
“Sudden infant death syndrome” results from abnormalities in the brain stem, a primitive brain region, a study suggests.
* Testosterone levels dropping, research finds:
Scientists cited a “substantial,” unexplained drop in American men’s testosterone levels in the past two decades.

Microbes Compete With Animals For Food By Making It Stink:

Microbes may compete with large animal scavengers by producing repugnant chemicals that deter higher species from consuming valuable food resources, a new study suggests. Ecologists have long recognized microbes as decomposers and pathogens in ecological communities. But their role as classic consumers who produce chemicals to compete with larger animals could be an important and common interaction within many ecosystems, according to a paper published this week in the journal Ecology

Decoded Sea Urchin Genome Shows Surprising Relationship To Humans:

The Sea Urchin Genome Sequencing Project consortium, led by the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, announced today the decoding and analysis of the genome sequence of the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus.

Social Exclusion Changes Brain Function And Can Lead To Poor Decision-making:

In new research, reported in the current online issue of the journal Social Neuroscience, researchers from the University of Georgia and San Diego State University report for the first time that social exclusion actually causes changes in a person’s brain function and can lead to poor decision-making and a diminished learning ability.

Tarantula Venom And Chili Peppers Target Same Pain Sensor:

Venom from a West Indian tarantula has been shown to cause pain by exciting the same nerve cells in mice that sense high temperatures and the hot, spicy ingredient in chili peppers, UCSF scientists have discovered.

Research Says Massage May Help Infants Sleep More, Cry Less And Be Less Stressed:

New research by a team at the University of Warwick says that massage may help infants aged under six months sleep better, cry less and be less stressed.

Two Nerve Cells In Direct Contact:

For the first time, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology in Martinsried near Munich have been able to show how two nerve cells communicate with each other from different hemispheres in the visual center. This astoundingly simple circuit diagram could at a later date provide a model for algorithms to be deployed in technical systems.

A Silent Pandemic: Industrial Chemicals Are Impairing Brain Development Of Children Worldwide:

Researchers found that 202 industrial chemicals have the capacity to damage the human brain, and they conclude that chemical pollution may have harmed the brains of millions of children worldwide.

Why Exercising Muscles Tire When Needed Most:

Fleeing animals, human athletes and non-athletes alike have experienced skeletal muscles giving out during those intense efforts when they are needed most, whether running for survival, the finish line or the bus. While the cause of muscle fatigue has interested to physiologists, engineers and medical experts for more than half a century, the phenomenon remains incompletely understood. A new study from Rice and Harvard universities links failing muscles to the source of the chemical energy util ized to fuel vigorous contractions in the body.

Scientists See With X-rays How Bones Resist Strain Thanks To Their Nano And Micro Structure:

Scientists from Max Planck Institute (Germany) and the ESRF have just discovered the way deformation at the nanoscale takes place in a bone by studying it with the synchrotron X-rays. This study explains the enormous stability and deformability of bones. The hierarchical structure of bones makes them able to sustain large strains without breaking, despite being made of essentially rigid units at the molecular level.

Odor Discrimination Linked To Timing At Which Neurons Fire:

Timing is everything. For a mouse trying to discriminate between the scent of a tasty treat and the scent of the neighborhood cat, timing could mean life or death. In a striking discovery, Carnegie Mellon University scientists have linked the timing of inhibitory neuron activity to the generation of odor-specific patterns in the brain’s olfactory bulb, the area of the brain responsible for distinguishing odors.

Spectacular Dinosaur Skull Comes Back To Alberta:

A “spectacular beast” is coming back to its original stomping grounds and making a new home at the University of Alberta — a coup that will allow its researchers to study the rare dinosaur skull up close.

Regular Exercise Plays A Consistent And Significant Role In Reducing Fatigue:

A new analysis by University of Georgia researchers finds overwhelming evidence that regular exercise plays a significant role in increasing energy levels and reducing fatigue.

Cold War Invisible Ink Secrets Unlocked:

Two Michigan State University researchers are the first to unlock the secrets of the invisible ink used by East Germany’s secret police force, the Stasi, and in the process have mixed a batch of chemistry, history and mystery to teach students.

Happy People Are Healthier, Psychologist Says:

Happiness and other positive emotions play an even more important role in health than previously thought, according to a study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine by Carnegie Mellon University psychology Professor Sheldon Cohen.

Children Show Strong Preference For Lucky Individuals:

Children as young as five to seven years of age prefer lucky individuals over the less fortunate, according to new research by psychologists at Harvard University and Stanford University. This phenomenon, the researchers say, could clarify the origins of human attitudes toward differing social groups and help explain the persistence of social inequality.

Female Pronghorns Choose Vigorous Mates; Offspring More Likely To Survive:

When a female animal compares males to choose a mate, she can’t order a laboratory genetic screen for each suitor. Instead, she has to rely on external cues that may indicate genetic quality. Until now, biologists have focused on elaborate ornaments, such as the peacock’s tail, as cues that females might use.

Why Wolves Are Not Dispersing As Fast As Expected In Yellowstone:

The slow dispersal rate of wolves in Yellowstone National Park had stumped researchers across North America until a team of mathematical biologists at the University of Alberta recently solved the puzzle.