- May 29, 2013
- 08:37 PM
- 56 views
One neurotransmitter to rule sexual preference?
by Shelly Fan in Neurorexia
I was planning on taking a small break from blogging after the #CAN2013 shebang, but this study is just too sweet to pass on. Serotonin! Sexual preference! Lesbian mice! From my Alma Matar! Interested? Read on. “Which way do you swing?” It’s such a simple, but loaded question. Social-economic issues aside, even the biological […]... Read more »
Zhang, S., Liu, Y., & Rao, Y. (2013) Serotonin signaling in the brain of adult female mice is required for sexual preference. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1220712110
- May 29, 2013
- 01:45 PM
- 63 views
Decision Theory Journal Club: The failure of rationality when foraging
by neuroecology in Neuroecology
When an animal forages for food, it leaves it current location for what it hopes is a better locale. We like to believe that this foraging decision is made when the animal expects to get more food if it leaves than if it stays. Simple and obvious, right? Unfortunately for our intuition, this doesn’t seem […]... Read more »
Wikenheiser, A., Stephens, D., & Redish, A. (2013) Subjective costs drive overly patient foraging strategies in rats on an intertemporal foraging task. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(20), 8308-8313. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1220738110
- May 29, 2013
- 01:43 PM
- 116 views
What Has No Legs And The Most Amazing Feet Ever?
by Miss Behavior in The Scorpion and the Frog
This starfish photo is by Mike Murphy at Wikimedia.We often think of echinoderms, like starfish, sand dollars, and sea urchins, as static ocean decorations. But if you watch them for long enough (or on fast-forward if you lack the patience) you will find that they have exciting motile lives. They hunt, they flee predators, and they mate. But how do they get around without any legs to stand on? Their secret is tube feet. If you look at the underbelly of these critters, you will see lots ........ Read more »
Lesser, M., Carleton, K., Bottger, S., Barry, T., & Walker, C. (2011) Sea urchin tube feet are photosensory organs that express a rhabdomeric-like opsin and PAX6. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 278(1723), 3371-3379. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.0336
Santos, R. (2005) Adhesion of echinoderm tube feet to rough surfaces. Journal of Experimental Biology, 208(13), 2555-2567. DOI: 10.1242/jeb.01683
- May 29, 2013
- 01:13 PM
- 59 views
A new microbe that correlates with weight loss
by Brooke N in Smaller Questions
Meet the bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila. It’s new to me too. I’m scared but excited.... Read more »
Everard, A., Belzer, C., Geurts, L., Ouwerkerk, J., Druart, C., Bindels, L., Guiot, Y., Derrien, M., Muccioli, G., Delzenne, N.... (2013) Cross-talk between Akkermansia muciniphila and intestinal epithelium controls diet-induced obesity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(22), 9066-9071. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1219451110
- May 29, 2013
- 12:41 PM
- 51 views
New Catalysts Will Get Cellphones Running on Acid
by dailyfusion in The Daily Fusion
Physicist Florian Nitze at the Umeå University, Sweden, has developed several new catalysts that improve the capacity of the fuel cells, making it possible to use relatively environmentally friendly formic acid in fuel cell powering your mobile phone or laptop.... Read more »
Nitze, F., Mazurkiewicz, M., Malolepszy, A., Mikolajczuk, A., Kędzierzawski, P., Tai, C., Hu, G., Kurzydłowski, K., Stobinski, L., Borodzinski, A.... (2012) Synthesis of palladium nanoparticles decorated helical carbon nanofiber as highly active anodic catalyst for direct formic acid fuel cells. Electrochimica Acta, 323-328. DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2011.12.104
- May 29, 2013
- 12:20 PM
- 57 views
The viruses that made us
by sedeer in Inspiring Science
Viruses make their living by breaking into cells and using the machinery and energy in the cell to reproduce. Once …Continue reading »... Read more »
Jacques, P., Jeyakani, J., & Bourque, G. (2013) The Majority of Primate-Specific Regulatory Sequences Are Derived from Transposable Elements. PLoS Genetics, 9(5). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003504
- May 29, 2013
- 12:10 PM
- 228 views
The price of your soul: neural evidence for the non-utilitarian representation of sacred values
by Doctor Spurt in Common Currencies
One common way that people reject the claim that there is a common currency in which all available options are represented is by raising the possibility that some options are ‘incommensurable’. For two things to be incommensurable in general means that there isn’t some standard of comparison which applies to both of them. So the relevance of such claims to the common currency thesis is pretty direct.Barry Schwartz, for example, holds that “some sets of commodities are simply incomparable........ Read more »
Berns, G., Bell, E., Capra, C., Prietula, M., Moore, S., Anderson, B., Ginges, J., & Atran, S. (2012) The price of your soul: neural evidence for the non-utilitarian representation of sacred values. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 367(1589), 754-762. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2011.0262
- May 29, 2013
- 12:09 PM
- 60 views
Shizgal and Conover’s ‘Orderly choice’ argument and evidence
by Doctor Spurt in Common Currencies
One of the clearest statements of an argument for a common currency thesis is found early in Peter Shizgal and Kent Conover’s 1996 paper ‘On the neural computation of utility.’ This is a reallyimportant paper for the common currency topic, and should be required reading for anyone in the area. It doesn’t only state a version of one of the key arguments, it also provides an exemplary kind of empirical evidence.Here is how they state the argument: In natural settings, the goals c........ Read more »
Shizgal, P., & Conover, K. (1996) On the Neural Computation of Utility. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 5(2), 37-43. DOI: 10.1111/1467-8721.ep10772715
- May 29, 2013
- 11:17 AM
- 49 views
MERS-CoV virus is "a threat to the entire world"
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Point:
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), a newly discovered SARS-like virus also known as novel coronavirus (nCoV), is spreading in the world with 49 total cases (latest update).
Study Further:
Although the coronaviruses cause illnesses such as common cold and SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, among others but the new virus is not SARS that is why World Health Organization (WHO) called it as Middle East respiratory symptom coronavirus, or MERS-CoV.
........ Read more »
de Groot, R., Baker, S., Baric, R., Brown, C., Drosten, C., Enjuanes, L., Fouchier, R., Galiano, M., Gorbalenya, A., Memish, Z.... (2013) Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV); Announcement of the Coronavirus Study Group. Journal of Virology. DOI: 10.1128/JVI.01244-13
- May 29, 2013
- 11:00 AM
- 49 views
CrossFit Workout: Muscle Damage and Heat can be a dangerous combination.
by AB Kirk in Stff Competition
CrossFit Workout, Muscle Damage and Rhabdomyolosis CrossFit is a very high intensity activity. It combines aerobic and strength training. It is very effective in increasing physical fitness. And very effectiveThe post CrossFit Workout: Muscle Damage and Heat can be a dangerous combination. appeared first on WODMasters Stiff Competition.... Read more »
Fortes MB, Di Felice U, Dolci A, Junglee NA, Crockford MJ, West L, Hillier-Smith R, Macdonald JH, & Walsh NP. (2013) Muscle Damaging Exercise Increases Heat Strain during Subsequent Exercise Heat Stress. Medicine and science in sports and exercise. PMID: 23559121
- May 29, 2013
- 10:00 AM
- 18 views
Seeing Eye to Eye With Your Physician
by Matt Wood in ScienceLife
Rita Gorawara-Bhat and her colleagues from the Section of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine are researching how things like eye contact with a physician can affect patient care.... Read more »
Gorawara-Bhat R, Dethmers DL, & Cook MA. (2013) Physician eye contact and elder patient perceptions of understanding and adherence. Patient education and counseling. PMID: 23537851
- May 29, 2013
- 10:00 AM
- 33 views
How do snails coil?
by Greg Laden in Greg Laden's Blog
Typically, snails coil as they grow. The exact shape and characteristics of the coil are known to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors, depending on the snail. There is an interesting story involving snails and the young Jean Piaget. Piaget is famous for his work in psychology, but before that, when he was…... Read more »
Shimizu, K., Iijima, M., Setiamarga, D., Sarashina, I., Kudoh, T., Asami, T., Gittenberger, E., & Endo, K. (2013) Left-right asymmetric expression of dpp in the mantle of gastropods correlates with asymmetric shell coiling. EvoDevo, 4(1), 15. DOI: 10.1186/2041-9139-4-15
- May 29, 2013
- 09:49 AM
- 38 views
Epidemiology of Childhood Brain Disorders: Conduct Disorder
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recently published an excellent review of the epidemiology of childhood brain disorders.In a previous post, I reviewed the findings in ADHD and in autism/autism spectrum disorder. In this post, I will summarize some of the key findings of the review for conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder.Conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder share some characteristics and can be conceptualized as two disorders along a line of severity. ........ Read more »
Perou R, Bitsko RH, Blumberg SJ, Pastor P, Ghandour RM, Gfroerer JC, Hedden SL, Crosby AE, Visser SN, Schieve LA.... (2013) Mental health surveillance among children - United States, 2005-2011. Morbidity and mortality weekly report. Surveillance summaries (Washington, D.C. : 2002), 62(2), 1-35. PMID: 23677130
- May 29, 2013
- 09:33 AM
- 56 views
Video Tip of the Week: QIIME for Quantitative Insights Into Microbial Ecology
The other day I was watching scientists in my twittersphere discuss things they were observing at the American Society for Microbiology meeting (#ASM2013 for more chatter). I like to see what kinds of tools are being discussed at meetings–and twitter is quite useful for that–and this particular tweet caught my eye: True RT @phylogenomics: I [...]... Read more »
Caporaso, J., Kuczynski, J., Stombaugh, J., Bittinger, K., Bushman, F., Costello, E., Fierer, N., Peña, A., Goodrich, J., Gordon, J.... (2010) QIIME allows analysis of high-throughput community sequencing data. Nature Methods, 7(5), 335-336. DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.f.303
- May 29, 2013
- 09:29 AM
- 38 views
Worm sperm
by Mostly Open Ocean in Mostly Open Ocean
You may have never thought about what feature distinguishes males from females. After all, in mammals the differences are often clear to us. In other groups too, the differences between male and female traits are often conspicuous. But, there are many species where male and female reproductive organs are both present in the same individual. Even in these species we can tell male parts from female parts.To distinguish male from female we look at the relative size of the sex cells or gametes. Male........ Read more »
Johnson, D., Monro, K., & Marshall, D. (2013) The maintenance of sperm variability: Context-dependent selection on sperm morphology in a broadcast spawning invertebrate. Evolution, 67(5), 1383-1395. DOI: 10.1111/evo.12022
- May 29, 2013
- 09:08 AM
- 56 views
Teamwork Isn’t Universally Effective
by Andrew Porterfield in United Academics
Today’s working environments usually require people to create teams. Many projects are now complex enough that one person, or even one group of similarly trained people, won’t get the job done. But have teams developed a mythology unto themselves? Has anybody asked how effective they really are?... Read more »
Carney, B., West, P., Neily, J., Mills, P., & Bagian, J. (2010) Differences in Nurse and Surgeon Perceptions of Teamwork: Implications for Use of a Briefing Checklist in the OR. AORN Journal, 91(6), 722-729. DOI: 10.1016/j.aorn.2009.11.066
DeChurch, L., & Mesmer-Magnus, J. (2010) The cognitive underpinnings of effective teamwork: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(1), 32-53. DOI: 10.1037/a0017328
Allen, N., & Hecht, T. (2004) The ‘romance of teams’: Toward an understanding of its psychological underpinnings and implications. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 77(4), 439-461. DOI: 10.1348/0963179042596469
- May 29, 2013
- 08:30 AM
- 38 views
Interactions between shelter dogs: some new research
by CAPB in Companion Animal Psychology Blog
Some animal shelters house dogs in pairs or small groups. This can enrich their lives, but it could also potentially be a source of stress if the dogs are not well-matched. A new paper by Irena Petak, of the University of Zagreb, Croatia, examines the communication patterns between dogs housed in groups.At the Dogs Trust in Salisbury, England, there is a sanctuary for long-term residents. There is a ‘mountain area’ with an artificial mountain and three kennels, and a tree area with gra........ Read more »
Petak, I. (2013) Communication Patterns Within a Group of Shelter Dogs and Implications for Their Welfare. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 16(2), 118-139. DOI: 10.1080/10888705.2013.741001
- May 29, 2013
- 08:25 AM
- 44 views
Gas, Knuckles, And The Little Blue Pill
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
Recent studies have shed a little more light on the state of gas in your body. Besides the obvious, gas bubbles play a role in cracking your knuckles and in decompression sickness after scuba diving. A 2013 study indicates that drugs that regulate nitric oxide generation for vasodilation have a tendency to increase the chances of decompression sickness. This means you might want to skip the Viagra if you plan on diving. In terms of joint manipulation, a study shows that despite the annoying soun........ Read more »
Blatteau, J., Brubakk, A., Gempp, E., Castagna, O., Risso, J., & Vallée, N. (2013) Sidenafil Pre-Treatment Promotes Decompression Sickness in Rats. PLoS ONE, 8(4). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0060639
deWeber, K., Olszewski, M., & Ortolano, R. (2011) Knuckle Cracking and Hand Osteoarthritis. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 24(2), 169-174. DOI: 10.3122/jabfm.2011.02.100156
- May 29, 2013
- 08:13 AM
- 50 views
Angelina Jolie doesn't trust medical imaging
by Know Your Images in Know Your Images
Angelina Jolie shocked us all with her decision to remove both her breasts in order to prevent breast cancer. Her breast cancer risk was calculated based on genetics and was 87%. Now it is 5%. I have to agree that this woman is brave! However, I think a very intense screening could have been done with very good results. There are several methods to detect breast cancer: (digital) mammography, tomosynthesis, breast MRI, ultrasound, positron emission tomography and even microwave imaging. Some wit........ Read more »
Warner, E. (2004) Surveillance of BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutation Carriers With Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Ultrasound, Mammography, and Clinical Breast Examination. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 292(11), 1317-1325. DOI: 10.1001/jama.292.11.1317
Kriege M, Brekelmans CT, Boetes C, Besnard PE, Zonderland HM, Obdeijn IM, Manoliu RA, Kok T, Peterse H, Tilanus-Linthorst MM.... (2004) Efficacy of MRI and mammography for breast-cancer screening in women with a familial or genetic predisposition. The New England journal of medicine, 351(5), 427-37. PMID: 15282350
- May 29, 2013
- 07:38 AM
- 49 views
Plants Frozen Under a Glacier for 400 Years Can Come Back to Life
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
From 1550 to 1580, the period of cooling known as the Little Ice Age hit Ellesmere Island, in extreme northern Nunavut, Canada. As temperatures plunged, most of the island was swallowed by the advance of glaciers. The vegetation that had blanketed the terrain—mostly mosses and lichens—was buried under dozens of feet of ice.... Read more »
Joseph Stromberg. (2013) Plants Frozen Under a Glacier for 400 Years Can Come Back to Life. Smithsonian Magazine. info:/
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