A Blog Around The Clock

Researchers Give Name To Ancient Mystery Creature:

For the first time, researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, have been able to put a name and a description to an ancient mammal that still defies classification.

Protein Important In Blood Clotting May Also Play A Role In Fertility:

A protein known to play a role in blood clotting and other cell functions is also critical for proper sperm formation in mice, according to researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

Computer Scientists Go Badger Spotting:

Although an unlikely subject for computer scientists to be researching, the badger population provides an ideal testing group for a new system of data storage from micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). Recent advances in MEMS technology allow for the use of small radio-frequency identification (RFID) devices on the animals, whose behaviour can be monitored in detail with a sensor network.

New Dwarf Buffalo Discovered By Chance In The Philippines:

The fossil of a newly described species of extinct, dwarf water buffalo was found in the Philippine island of Cebu. While large domestic water buffalo stand six feet at the shoulder and weigh 2,000 pounds, B. cebuensis would have stood only two-and-one-half feet and weighed about 350 pounds. Bubalus cebuensis, which evolved from a large-sized continental ancestor to dwarf size, is the first well-supported example of ‘island dwarfing’ among cattle and their relatives.

Blue Eyes — A Clue To Paternity:

Before you request a paternity test, spend a few minutes looking at your child’s eye color. According to studies, published this week in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, the human eye color reflects a simple, predictable and reliable genetic pattern of inheritance. The researchers show that blue-eyed men find blue-eyed women most attractive. According to the researchers, it is because there could be an unconscious male adaptation for the detection of paternity, based on eye color.

Jonah, Shelley and Razib have more.
Our Vision Changes In The Blink Of An Eye:

A study by Scott Read of the QUT School of Optometry found the upper eyelid’s pressure and shape of its opening work to change the shape of our eyes throughout the day.

Far More Than A Meteor Killed Dinos, Evidence Suggests:

There’s growing evidence that the dinosaurs and most their contemporaries were not wiped out by the famed Chicxulub meteor impact, according to a paleontologist who says multiple meteor impacts, massive volcanism in India and climate changes culminated in the end of the Cretaceous Period.

High-fitness Males Produce Low-fitness Daughters, And High-fitness Mothers Produce Low-fitness Sons:

Hemiclonal analysis of Drosophila melanogaster reveals that high-fitness males produce low-fitness daughters and high-fitness mothers produce low-fitness sons, with implications for models of sexual selection.

Many Teens Lose Migraines As They Reach Adulthood:

There’s good news for kids and teens with migraines. Nearly 40 percent of kids and teens with migraine no longer had headaches 10 years later, and another 20 percent developed less severe headaches, according to a new study published in the Oct. 24, 2006, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

This may be due to getting their sleep back. Sleep deprivation is a cause of migraines, among else.
Anxiety Disorders Linked To Physical Conditions:

Anxiety disorders appear to be independently associated with several physical conditions, including thyroid disease, respiratory disease, arthritis and migraine headaches, according to a report in the Oct. 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. This co-occurrence of disorders may significantly increase the risk of disability and negatively affect quality of life.

Circadian Gene Helps The Brain Predict Mealtime:

By investigating how animals can predict the timing of food availability, researchers have identified the first gene critical for anticipation of mealtime. This gene, called Period 2, is a key component of the circadian time-keeping system.

I wrote about this a couple of days ago – scroll down.

Vegetables, Not Fruit, Help Fight Memory Problems In Old Age:

Eating vegetables, not fruit, helps slow down the rate of cognitive change in older adults, according to a study published in the Oct. 24, 2006, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology

Honey Bee Genome Holds Clues To Social Behavior:

By studying the humble honey bee, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have come a step closer to understanding the molecular basis of social behavior in humans.

More links a couple of posts below.
Sunflower Speciation Highlights Roles For Transposable Elements In Evolution:

In a finding that furthers our understanding of how hybridization may contribute to genome changes and the evolution of new species, researchers have found that the genomes of three sunflower species that arose in evolution as hybrids of the same two parental types have undergone a massive proliferation of genetic entities known as transposable elements.

New Imaging Technique Discovers Differences In Brains Of People With Autism:

Using a new form of brain imaging known as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), researchers in the Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging at Carnegie Mellon University have discovered that the so-called white matter in the brains of people with autism has lower structural integrity than in the brains of normal individuals. This provides further evidence that the anatomical differences characterizing the brains of people with autism are related to the way those brains process information.

‘Fruit Fly Dating Game’ Provides Clues To Our Reproductive Prowess:

Queen’s University researchers have discovered that seeking out the most attractive mate may be unhealthy for any offspring. Using a “virtual fruit fly dating game”, Biology professor Adam Chippindale and graduate student Alison Pischedda have found that mating with a “fit” partner actually leads to dramatically lower rates of reproductive success in the next generation.

Tiny ‘Housekeeper’ Crabs Help Prevent Coral Death In South Pacific:

Tiny crabs that live in South Pacific coral help to prevent the coral from dying by providing regular cleaning “services” that may be critical to the life of coral reefs around the world, according to scientists from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Evidence Of Gut Parasite Found In Dinosaur:

University of Colorado at Boulder researchers have discovered what appears to be the first evidence of parasites in the gut contents of a dinosaur, indicating even the giants that roamed Earth 75 million years ago were beset by stomach worms.

Steep Oxygen Decline Halted First Land Colonization By Earth’s Sea Creatures:

New research suggests a multimillion year gap in the colonization of Earth’s land by marine creatures might have been caused by a sharp drop in atmospheric oxygen.

Study Suggests Evolutionary Link Between Diet, Brain Size In Orangutans:

In a study of orangutans living on the Indonesian islands of Borneo and Sumatra, scientists from Duke University and the University of Zurich have found what they say is the first demonstration in primates of an evolutionary connection between available food supplies and brain size.

Diversity Promotes Cooperation Among Microbes:

Understanding how cooperation evolves and is maintained represents one of evolutionary biology’s thorniest problems. New research using the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens has identified a novel mechanism that thwarts the evolution of cheats and broadens our understanding of how cooperation might be maintained in nature and human societies.

Scientists Find A Key To Immune System’s Ability To Remember:

An international team of scientists has ferreted out an important clue to how the key cells of the immune system are able to remember old foes and quickly mount a response to hold them at bay.

Visual Imagery Technique Boosts Voting, Study Finds:

Registered voters who used a simple visual imagery technique the evening before the 2004 election were significantly more likely to vote the next day, a new study found. It was all a matter of the visual perspective people took when they imagined themselves voting.
It was all a matter of the visual perspective people took when they imagined themselves voting.
Researchers asked some Ohio college students to picture themselves voting the next day from a third-person perspective – as if they were observers viewing their own actions. Others were told to picture themselves voting in a first-person perspective, through their own eyes.
A full 90 percent of those who pictured themselves voting from a third-person visual perspective reported later that they did indeed vote, compared to only 72 percent who took the first-person viewpoint.
“When participants saw themselves as others would, they were more motivated to actually get out and vote,” said Lisa Libby, co-author of the study and assistant professor of psychology at Ohio State University.
“They saw themselves as more likely to vote and that translated into action.
“The strength of the results were particularly noteworthy given that the experiment was conducted in Ohio during the 2004 election, when there were unprecedented efforts to mobilize voter turnout in a crucial swing state,” she said.

Why The Best Things Come To Those Who Wait:

Pushing to the front of the queue is not the best ploy for males who want to propagate their genes according to scientists from the University of Exeter. Dr. David Hodgson and Dr David Hosken from the University of Exeter’s School of Biosciences studied female mating with multiple males, especially species who mate with more than one partner in rapid succession, and discovered why the last male in line is most likely to impregnate the female.

Population Trends, Practices And Beliefs Could Have Adverse Effect On HIV Rates:

A review of research on the prevalence of HIV in the Middle East and North Africa has found that whilst cultural and religious practices may be behind a low prevalence of HIV in the region, they could potentially contribute to increasing the spread of HIV.

‘Drunk’ Fruit Flies Could Shed Light On Genetic Basis Of Human Alcohol Abuse:

Fruit flies get “drunk,” just like humans, when exposed to large amounts of alcohol and may in future help to explain why some people are genetically predisposed to alcohol abuse. Humans and fruit flies respond to alcohol in a very similar way at the gene level, according to a study published today in the open access journal Genome Biology.

Researchers Find Food-free Route To Obesity:

Can people get fat — and risk debilitating diabetes — without overeating? The answer may be yes, according to Timothy Kieffer, a University of British Columbia researcher, who has found that imbalance in the action of a hormone called leptin produces obesity and major disturbance in blood sugar levels, even when food intake is at normal levels.

Protective Jelly Layers And Hatching Early Help Amphibian Embryos Avoid Dangerous Molds:

Boston University (BU) scientists have discovered that several species of amphibians use defense mechanisms to protect themselves against deadly water molds found in vernal pools of New England. Using both field observations and laboratory experiments, Ivan Gomez-Mestre, a research associate in Professor Karen Warkentin’s laboratory in the Department of Biology at BU, describes the various methods used by the spotted salamander, wood frog, and American toad to help avoid and survive water mold infections. The results appear in the October issue of the journal Ecology.

Scientists Prove That Parts Of Cell Nuclei Are Not Arranged At Random:

The nucleus of a mammal cell is made up of component parts arranged in a pattern which can be predicted statistically, says new research. Scientists hope this discovery that parts of the inside of a cell nucleus are not arranged at random will give greater insight into how cells work and could eventually lead to a greater understanding of how they become dysfunctional in diseases like cancer.

In Early Embryos, Cilia Get The Message Across:

How a perfectly symmetrical embryo settles on what’s right and what’s left has fascinated developmental biologists for a long time. The turning point came when the rotational beating of cilia, hair-like structures found on most cells, was identified as essential to the process. Now, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies take a step back and illuminate the molecular process that regulates formation of cilia in early fish embryos.

Bacteria Use Radioactive Uranium To Convert Water Molecules To Useable Energy:

Researchers report in this week’s Science a self-sustaining community of bacteria that live in rocks 2.8 kilometers below Earth’s surface. Think that’s weird? The bacteria rely on radioactive uranium to convert water molecules to useable energy.

The Neurobiology Behind Why Eating Feels So Good:

The need to eat is triggered by the hormone ghrelin. Ghrelin is produced in the gut and triggers the brain to promote eating, but it remains to be determined precisely how ghrelin affects different parts of the brain. A new study shows that in mice and rats, ghrelin triggers the same neurons as delicious food, sexual experience, and many recreational drugs; that is, neurons that provide the sensation of pleasure and the expectation of reward.

Pleasure And Pain: Study Shows Brain’s ‘Pleasure Chemical’ Is Involved In Response To Pain Too:

For years, the brain chemical dopamine has been thought of as the brain’s “pleasure chemical,” and studies have linked the addictive properties of drugs like cocaine to their effects on the dopamine system. But now, a new study adds a new twist to dopamine’s fun-loving reputation: pain.

Childcare Tug-of-war Influences Shorebird Breeding Systems:

The battle over who cares for the kids has played a key evolutionary role in deciding whether different species of shorebird are monogamous or polygamous, according to new research in the journal BioScience.

Stress Fast Tracks Puberty, Researchers Say:

Stress, such as that brought on by parental separation and absentee fathers, fast tracks puberty, say researchers in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Popular Anti-aging Supplement Has No Beneficial Effects, Mayo Clinic Study Finds:

A widely used anti-aging supplement has no effect on aging markers such as muscle strength, peak endurance, muscle mass, fat mass and glucose tolerance in elderly men and women, according to Mayo Clinic researchers. The findings from their two-year study appear in the Oct. 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Color Names: More Universal Than You Might Think:

From Abidji to English to Zapoteco, the perception and naming of color is remarkably consistent in the world’s languages. Across cultures, people tend to classify hundreds of different chromatic colors into eight distinct categories: red, green, yellow-or-orange, blue, purple, brown, pink and grue (green-or-blue), say researchers in this week’s online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Brain Changes In Patients With Migraine:

Researchers from Harvard Medical School have found increased thickness of two areas of the brain cortex in people with migraine when compared to healthy controls.

West Australian Fossil Find Rewrites Land Mammal Evolution:

A fossil fish discovered in the West Australian Kimberley has been identified as the missing clue in vertebrate evolution, rewriting a century-old theory on how the first land animals evolved.

Earliest Fungi May Have Found Multiple Solutions To Propagation On Land:

In the latest installment of a major international effort to probe the origins of species, a team of scientists has reconstructed the early evolution of fungi, the biological kingdom now believed to be animals’ closest relatives.

Temperament Linked To Onset Of Cancer And Early Death In Female Rats:

Female rats that are apprehensive of new experiences as infants maintain that temperament and die earlier from mammary and pituitary tumors than do their more adventuresome sisters, according to new research by a team based at the University of Chicago. The apprehensive rats were more likely to have irregular reproductive cycles than adventuresome rats, and that disruption could account for hormonal differences linked to the development of cancer earlier, the scholars found.