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- October 30, 2012
- 08:31 AM
- 209 views
Now You See Me, Now You Don’t – Unique Study of the Brain’s Face Area
by Jakob Andree in United Academics
hanks to the use of two different brain imaging techniques, and the cooperation of Ron Blackwell, a 47-year old engineer from California suffering from epilepsy, the researchers were for the first time able to show how these regions contribute to how we perceive faces. This finding might have important implications for people that suffer from so-called ‘face blindness’, an inability to perceive faces but not other types of objects, estimated to affect 2% of the population*.... Read more »
Parvizi, J., Jacques, C., Foster, B., Withoft, N., Rangarajan, V., Weiner, K., & Grill-Spector, K. (2012) Electrical Stimulation of Human Fusiform Face-Selective Regions Distorts Face Perception. Journal of Neuroscience, 32(43), 14915-14920. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2609-12.2012
Grüter, T., Grüter, M., & Carbon, C. (2008) Neural and genetic foundations of face recognition and prosopagnosia. Journal of Neuropsychology, 2(1), 79-97. DOI: 10.1348/174866407X231001
- October 29, 2012
- 10:01 AM
- 250 views
Geneva and Lausanne ‘Remain Vulnerable to Lake Tsunami’
by Jaime Menchén in United Academics
Researchers in Switzerland have found evidence to support the so-called “Tauredunum Event”, which is believed to have happened in AD 563 and involved a lake tsunami engulfing the shores of the Lake Léman. What's worse is that these scientists, who published their findings in Nature Geoscience, believe that there chances that this event will happen again.... Read more »
Kremer, K., Simpson, G., & Girardclos, S. (2012) Giant Lake Geneva tsunami in AD 563. Nature Geoscience. DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1618
- October 25, 2012
- 08:58 AM
- 189 views
New Insight on Prostate Cancer
by Mark Fonseca Rendeiro in United Academics
New research published in CANCER, the journal of the American Cancer Society, shows possible connections between a combination of metabolic factors and death from prostate cancer. Specifically, high blood pressure, blood sugar, blood lipids, and body mass index, known all-together as metabolic syndrome, have now been linked to an increase chance of dying from this type of cancer.... Read more »
Häggström, C., Stocks, T., Ulmert, D., Bjørge, T., Ulmer, H., Hallmans, G., Manjer, J., Engeland, A., Nagel, G., Almqvist, M.... (2012) Prospective study on metabolic factors and risk of prostate cancer. Cancer. DOI: 10.1002/cncr.27677
- October 25, 2012
- 07:03 AM
- 209 views
Even Moderate Drinking Can Be Harmful for the Brain
by Jaime Menchén in United Academics
The drinker might not experience any functioning problems in the short term, says graduate student Megan Anderson, of Rutgers University, but in the long term the story may be different. New research published in Neuroscience shows that moderate to binge drinking reduces the number of nerve cells in the hippocampus by about 40%. This means that the brain is less capable of creating new brain cells, thus finding it more difficult to learn new things.... Read more »
Anderson, M., Nokia, M., Govindaraju, K., & Shors, T. (2012) Moderate drinking? Alcohol consumption significantly decreases neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus. Neuroscience, 202-209. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.08.018
- October 24, 2012
- 10:56 AM
- 202 views
Podcast: Breakups and Antisocial Behavior
by Mark Fonseca Rendeiro in United Academics
Its no secret that breakups are hard and increase feelings of sadness and frustration, but what about the connection between ending a relationship and criminal activity? You may find this new evidence interesting and relevant to your own life! ... Read more »
LARSON, M., & SWEETEN, G. (2012) BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO: ROMANTIC DISSOLUTION, OFFENDING, AND SUBSTANCE USE DURING THE TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD*. Criminology, 50(3), 605-636. DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-9125.2012.00272.x
- October 24, 2012
- 07:03 AM
- 204 views
Scientists Find New Method to Test Bridges’ Health: Listening to Them “Singing in the Rain”
by Jaime Menchén in United Academics
It might become the most efficient and cost-effective method to check if a bridge needs repairing: Just spray the bridge’s deck with water and record the sound. That way, according to researchers at the Brigham Young University, in the US, may be possible to detect delamination (separation of structural layers) in bridges.... Read more »
Mazzeo, B., Patil, A., & Guthrie, W. (2012) Acoustic impact-echo investigation of concrete delaminations using liquid droplet excitation. NDT , 41-44. DOI: 10.1016/j.ndteint.2012.05.007
- October 23, 2012
- 09:03 AM
- 261 views
Why You Should Keep Exercising in your 70s
by Jaime Menchén in United Academics
It keeps you fit and healthy, but also prevents brain shrinkage, according to new research published in Neurology. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh found a direct link between physical activity and less atrophy and white matter lesion. In contrast, mental and social activities didn’t show real benefit.... Read more »
Gow, A., Bastin, M., Munoz Maniega, S., Valdes Hernandez, M., Morris, Z., Murray, C., Royle, N., Starr, J., Deary, I., & Wardlaw, J. (2012) Neuroprotective lifestyles and the aging brain: Activity, atrophy, and white matter integrity. Neurology, 79(17), 1802-1808. DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182703fd2
- October 23, 2012
- 03:42 AM
- 224 views
The Power of a Handshake: Research
by Jaime Menchén in United Academics
Researchers in the US have studied the influence of handshaking on social evaluations, finding that a firm, confident handshake “not only increases the positive effect toward a favorable interaction, but it also diminishes the impact of a negative impression.” The paper, published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, might be the first to provide scientific evidence of the power of this long-held tradition.... Read more »
Dolcos, S., Sung, K., Argo, J., Flor-Henry, S., & Dolcos, F. (2012) The Power of a Handshake: Neural Correlates of Evaluative Judgments in Observed Social Interactions. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 1-14. DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00295
- October 22, 2012
- 10:31 AM
- 252 views
Do Anabolic Hormones Enhance Muscle Growth?
by Carian Thus in United Academics
Bodybuilders try to manipulate their testosterone and growth hormone levels through exercise routines, as these anabolic hormones are known to promote muscle growth. But according to two separate studies, these anabolic hormones do not influence muscle protein synthesis, the process that leads to increased muscle mass.... Read more »
West, D., & Phillips, S. (2011) Associations of exercise-induced hormone profiles and gains in strength and hypertrophy in a large cohort after weight training. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 112(7), 2693-2702. DOI: 10.1007/s00421-011-2246-z
West, D., Burd, N., Churchward-Venne, T., Camera, D., Mitchell, C., Baker, S., Hawley, J., Coffey, V., & Phillips, S. (2012) Sex-based comparisons of myofibrillar protein synthesis after resistance exercise in the fed state. Journal of Applied Physiology, 112(11), 1805-1813. DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00170.2012
- October 22, 2012
- 04:09 AM
- 265 views
How Love and Sex Can Change Your World
by Annemarie van Oosten in United Academics
Being exposed to sex can change the way we perceive the world. Simple cues that have to do with sex can change people’s focus to the ‘here and now’, and thus induce a local and analytical way of processing. ... Read more »
Forster, J., Epstude, K., & Ozelsel, A. (2009) Why Love Has Wings and Sex Has Not: How Reminders of Love and Sex Influence Creative and Analytic Thinking. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35(11), 1479-1491. DOI: 10.1177/0146167209342755
Gervais, S., Vescio, T., Förster, J., Maass, A., & Suitner, C. (2012) Seeing women as objects: The sexual body part recognition bias. European Journal of Social Psychology, 42(6), 743-753. DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.1890
Raska, D., & Nichols, B. (2012) Using subtle reminders of love to foster healthy snack choices. Journal of Consumer Behaviour. DOI: 10.1002/cb.1381
- October 19, 2012
- 07:15 AM
- 236 views
Later Sexual Initiation Predicts Relationship Satisfaction in Adulthood
by Carian Thus in United Academics
Some start experimenting with sex at a very young age, others wait until marriage before losing their virginity. Paige Harden of the University of Texas, wondered if the age at which adolescents have their first sexual experience predicts romantic outcomes later in life.... Read more »
Harden, K. (2012) True Love Waits? A Sibling-Comparison Study of Age at First Sexual Intercourse and Romantic Relationships in Young Adulthood. Psychological Science. DOI: 10.1177/0956797612442550
- October 18, 2012
- 07:01 AM
- 281 views
Dolphins Can Stay Alert for 15 Days in a Row by Sleeping with One Half of their Brains
by Jaime Menchén in United Academics
The trait is called unihemispheric sleep, and allows dolphins to remain vigilant at any time and be able to breathe at the surface of water when needed, even during sleep. Researchers in the US wanted to test how long can a dolphin stay alert without interruption. The result: Up to 15 days, maybe even more.... Read more »
Brian K. Branstetter, James J. Finneran, Elizabeth A. Fletcher, Brian C. Weisman, & Sam H. Ridgway. (2012) Dolphins Can Maintain Vigilant Behavior through Echolocation for 15 Days without Interruption or Cognitive Impairment. PLOS ONE. info:/10.1371/journal.pone.0047478
- October 18, 2012
- 04:45 AM
- 406 views
Are Your Children too Impulsive and Emotional? Maybe They Aren’t Getting Enough Sleep
by Jaime Menchén in United Academics
It seems that just half an hour of sleep makes a big difference when it comes to children ages 7 to 11. Researchers in Canada have found that kids who were allowed to sleep just a bit more than usual performed much better at school than kids who were deprived almost one hour of sleep over the week.... Read more »
Gruber, R., Cassoff, J., Frenette, S., Wiebe, S., & Carrier, J. (2012) Impact of Sleep Extension and Restriction on Children's Emotional Lability and Impulsivity. PEDIATRICS. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2012-0564
- October 16, 2012
- 07:02 AM
- 241 views
The Key to Success: Learning from Failures
by Jaime Menchén in United Academics
What’s common to NASA’s Challenger and Columbia disasters, Toyota’s recall crisis in 2010 and the sinking of the Titanic? All of them could have been avoided if the companies had learnt from previous failures, according to new research published in Elsevier’s journal Safety Science.... Read more »
Labib, A., & Read, M. (2013) Not just rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic: Learning from failures through Risk and Reliability Analysis. Safety Science, 51(1), 397-413. DOI: 10.1016/j.ssci.2012.08.014
- October 15, 2012
- 11:46 AM
- 268 views
Tragically Amusing Scientific Figure - The Dying Panda
by Carian Thus in United Academics
In most scientific papers, researchers represent their data in typical but boring tables, graphics and figures. But there are exceptions. This distressing though hilarious “comic” demonstrates how the remains of giant pandas accumulated in a sinkhole on Jiangdong Mountain (Yunnan, China).... Read more »
Jablonskia, NG, Xuepingb, J, Hongc, L, Zhengd, L, Flynne, LJ, & Zhicaif, L. (2012) Remains of Holocene giant pandas from Jiangdong Mountain (Yunnan, China) and their relevance to the evolution of quaternary environments in south-western China. Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology, 24(5). DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2011.640400
- October 15, 2012
- 04:06 AM
- 276 views
Your Childhood Friends Predict Your Adult Personality
by Katja Keuchenius in United Academics
Did you turn out to be who you thought you’d become when you were little? Not very probable. Research shows that we are not the best estimators of our future personality. Our peers seem to know way better in what social direction we’re headed. Listening to their opinion could therefore be the key to more success in life... Read more »
Martin-Storey, A, Serbin, LA, Stack, DM, Ledingham, JE, & Schwartzman, AE. (2012) Self and peer perceptions of childhood aggression, social withdrawal and likeability predict adult personality factors: A prospective longitudinal study. Personality and Individual Differences. DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2011.07.043
- October 12, 2012
- 04:18 AM
- 248 views
Brain Stimulation Eliminates Tendency to Ignore Bad News
by Gunnar de Winter in United Academics
A new study has shown that our bias towards good news can be decreased through brain stimulation. But should we do this?... Read more »
Sharot, T, Kanai, R, Marstonc, D, Kornd, CW, Rees, G, & Dolanf, RJ. (2012) Selectively altering belief formation in the human brain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1205828109
- October 11, 2012
- 10:33 AM
- 346 views
Confirmed: Jurassic Park Not Possible
by Mark Fonseca Rendeiro in United Academics
I'm sure you knew or at least presumed that the whole "Jurassic Park" method of bringing back Dinosaurs from in tact DNA samples could not be possible. But now we have new research that proves once and for all, that DNA cannot stay in tact for 80 million years (and then used by a wealthy entrepreneur to create a park full of dinosaurs).... Read more »
Morten E. Allentoft, Matthew Collins, David Harker, James Haile, Charlotte L. Oskam, Marie L. Hale, Paula F. Campos, Jose A. Samaniego, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Eske Willerslev.... (2012) The half-life of DNA in bone: measuring decay kinetics in 158 dated fossils. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.1745
- October 11, 2012
- 08:07 AM
- 329 views
Mice Are Able to Learn Songs: Research
by Jaime Menchen in United Academics
It is known that mice are able to sing ultrasonic melodies, far above the hearing range of humans, but they may also be capable of adapting their voices and learning new tunes, according to new research published in PLOS ONE.... Read more »
Gustavo Arriaga, Eric P. Zhou, & Erich D. Jarvis. (2012) Of Mice, Birds, and Men: The Mouse Ultrasonic Song System Has Some Features Similar to Humans and Song-Learning Birds. PLOS ONE. info:/10.1371/journal.pone.0046610
- October 11, 2012
- 05:05 AM
- 268 views
Rare Spiral Structure around Red Giant Star
by Jaime Menchén in United Academics
The image was taken by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), and it shows the old star R Sculptoris surrounded by a kind of spiral structure which has never been spotted before.... Read more »
Maercker, M., Mohamed, S., Vlemmings, W.H.T., Ramstedt, S., Groenewegen, M.A.T., Humphreys, E., Kerschbaum, F., Lindqvist, M., Olofsson, H., Paladini, C.... (2012) Unexpectedly large mass loss during the thermal pulse cycle of the red giant star R Sculptoris. Nature. DOI: 10.1038/nature11511
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