Other posts
- January 9, 2013
- 10:10 AM
- 141 views
Sexual Desire in Penicillin-Producing Fungus Using Darkness and Oxygen Deprivation
by Zach Urbina in United Academics
Even fungus molds need sex once in a while, provided that scientists set the right mood. Since the initial research into Penicillium chrysogenum, a century ago, it was long believed that the penicillin-producing fungus mold reproduced only by spores. Spores spread by getting caught in the wind, moving through water, or attaching to the fur of an animal.
However, recent findings by an international research team at Ruhr-Universitat determined that P. chrysogenum has a sexual cycle, as in, two genders and is able to reproduce sexually.... Read more »
Böhm J, Hoff B, O’Gorman CM, Wolfers S, Klix V, Binger D, Zadra I, Kürnsteiner H, Pöggeler S, Dyer PS, . (2013) Sexual Reproduction and Mating-Type – Mediated Strain Development in the Penicillin-Producing Fungus Penicillium Chrysogenum. PNAS. info:/10.1073/pnas.1217943110
- January 9, 2013
- 05:15 AM
- 163 views
The power of color
by Katja Keuchenius in United Academics
The color of a cup can not only make your hot chocolate look more appealing, it also makes the chocolate taste better, new research reveals. This video shows you more about the power of colours.... Read more »
Piqueras-Fiszman, B., & Spence, C. (2012) The Influence of the Color of the Cup on Consumers' Perception of a Hot Beverage. Journal of Sensory Studies, 27(5), 324-331. DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-459X.2012.00397.x
- January 8, 2013
- 11:10 AM
- 223 views
4 Easy Ways to Feel More Attractive
by Carian Thus in United Academics
Having a bad hair day, a huge pimple or did you gain some weight during the holidays? Don’t feel ugly, use these tips:... Read more »
Bègue, L., Bushman, B., Zerhouni, O., Subra, B., & Ourabah, M. (2012) ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder’: People who think they are drunk also think they are attractive. British Journal of Psychology. DOI: 10.1111/j.2044-8295.2012.02114.x
Ashikali, E., & Dittmar, H. (2012) The effect of priming materialism on women's responses to thin-ideal media. British Journal of Social Psychology, 51(4), 514-533. DOI: 10.1111/j.2044-8309.2011.02020.x
- January 7, 2013
- 04:16 AM
- 329 views
How Being a Macho Man or a Girly Girl Can Be Good for Your Love Life
by Annemarie van Oosten in United Academics
Are you a macho man? Or a girly girl? Well, this may be a good thing if you want to have a long and exciting relationship with your partner. Researchers from the University of North Carolina have shown that coupling and sexual behavior are related to our gendered behavior.... Read more »
Udry, J., & Chantala, K. (2004) Masculinity-Femininity Guides Sexual Union Formation in Adolescents. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30(1), 44-55. DOI: 10.1177/0146167203258840
- January 5, 2013
- 07:00 PM
- 168 views
Getting the Lead Out of Urban Crime
by Patrick Meyer in United Academics
Police and prisons aren’t the only way to fight crime; economist Rick Nevins found a direct causality between atmospheric lead (created primarily by leaded gasoline emissions and lead paint) and criminality as well as other deleterious psychological, physical, and behavioral effects. The causality is so blatant that Tulane University researchers Howard Mielke and Sammy Zahran found that in New Orleans, when maps of lead contamination and crime statistics are overlapped, they are nearly identical.... Read more »
Nevin, R. (2000) How Lead Exposure Relates to Temporal Changes in IQ, Violent Crime, and Unwed Pregnancy. Environmental Research, 83(1), 1-22. DOI: 10.1006/enrs.1999.4045
Reyes, J. (2007) Environmental Policy as Social Policy? The Impact of Childhood Lead Exposure on Crime. The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis , 7(1). DOI: 10.2202/1935-1682.1796
- January 4, 2013
- 09:20 AM
- 161 views
Electric Stimulation of Brain Releases Powerful, Opiate-Like Painkiller
by Zach Urbina in United Academics
Certain regions of the brain pack a mighty punch, releasing a substance similar to pharmaceutical-grade opiates when provided with a tiny jolt of electricity. Researchers from the University of Michigan published findings that uncovered one of the human body’s most powerful painkillers, while treating the brain of a patient with severe, recurring facial pain.... Read more »
Dos Santos, M, Love, T, Martikainen, I, Nascimento, T, Fregni, F, Cummiford, C, Deboer, M, Zubieta, J, & DaSilva, A. (2012) Immediate Effects of tDCS on the μ-Opioid System of a Chronic Pain Patient. Frontiers in Psychiatry. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2012.00093
- January 4, 2013
- 05:04 AM
- 155 views
Is it possible to classify animal mental health disorders?
by Stuart Farrimond in Guru: Science Blog
Is there an equivalent in the animal kingdom to the DSM IV that’s used to diagnose mental health problems in humans? Is there animal psychiatry, or is it just classed as behavioural? Asked by Nicky Sewell via Facebook Psychologist, psychiatrist, and “just plain old doctor” – a veterinary behaviorist has to be all three in [...]... Read more »
Sheppard G, & Mills DS. (2003) Construct models in veterinary behavioural medicine: lessons from the human experience. Veterinary research communications, 27(3), 175-91. PMID: 12777092
Overall, K. (2004) BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Behavioural Medicine. D. Horwitz, D. Mills, Heath, S. Quedgeley (Eds.) Glos., British Small Animal Veterinary Association, 2002. 288pp. £66 (soft) ISBN 0905214595. The Veterinary Journal, 168(1), 107-108. DOI: 10.1016/S1090-0233(03)00072-8
- January 3, 2013
- 05:04 PM
- 198 views
Thinking laterality: steps, jumps and wonder-whorls
by Cobb & Hecht in Do You Believe In Dog?
Happy New Year Julie! Thank you for all that great info about canine noise sensitivity and what can be done. I'm very happy to report my two dogs got through the fireworks without any obvious anxiety this year. I'm so pleased you raised the topic of laterality in dogs. Left paw preference - right paw preference - welcome to laterality! (source)Dr Lisa TomkinsYou mentioned the work of Dr Nick Branson, who I have been fortunate to work with in our Australian working dog welfare research, along with Professor Paul McGreevy, who we have both mentioned before. One of Paul's postgraduate students -- Dr Lisa Tomkins -- recently received her PhD after progressing this field of study significantly. Lisa and I met a few years back when we were studying different Guide Dog populations. I thought I'd tell you briefly about her research and how it connects laterality and working dogs. I also thank Lisa for sending me through some of her images to help in illustrating her work. It's no mean feat to try and summarise many years of dedicated PhD research without selling it short, but I'll do my best! Lisa looked at a range of physiological, physical and behavioural traits relating to Guide Dog success during the course of her PhD. As part of this, her research uncovered some new and particularly fascinating results regarding the expression of motor, sensory and structural laterality.First-stepping (Motor)One of the problems with the Kong™ test (see picture above), that has been used as a benchmark test of laterality, is that hunger and/or motivation to feed can be confounding factor. It can also take up to four hours to collect the requisite 50 observations per dog.All set to step (source) Lisa's research demonstrated that a novel and innovative first-stepping test (that recorded the first foot moving forward after standing still with both forelegs level) overcame the issues of food involvement and proved much quicker, with 50 observations collected in under 20 minutes. Her results showed a stronger bias demonstration that the previously used Kong™ test and the majority of dogs tested showed a preference to the right (46%), rather than the left (30%) or ... Read more »
Tomkins Lisa M., Thomson Peter C., & McGreevy Paul D. (2012) Associations between motor, sensory and structural lateralisation and guide dog success. The Veterinary Journal, 192(3), 359-367. DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2011.09.010
- January 3, 2013
- 08:00 AM
- 150 views
Tortured Confessions – The Science of Waterboarding, Torture, and “Intense Stress”
The new movie “Zero Dark Thirty” has been met with a lot of criticism about the role waterboarding played in getting information that contributed to the assassination of Osama bin Laden.
This article looks at the question of waterboarding not in ethical terms, but in efficacy terms. Is waterboarding effective at what it's supposed to do? Science provides the answer.... Read more »
O'Mara S. (2009) Torturing the brain: On the folk psychology and folk neurobiology motivating 'enhanced and coercive interrogation techniques'. Trends in cognitive sciences, 13(12), 497-500. PMID: 19781978
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- January 3, 2013
- 07:36 AM
- 175 views
Natural Gas May Harm Environment More
by Andrew Porterfield in United Academics
Natural gas wells, seen as a “greener” alternative to coal and oil and more immediately accessible than solar or wind power, may actually be leaking more harmful gases than expected. The reports of this leakage are casting more doubts on the true effectiveness and environmental benefit of natural gas production.
... Read more »
Pétron, G., Frost, G., Miller, B., Hirsch, A., Montzka, S., Karion, A., Trainer, M., Sweeney, C., Andrews, A., Miller, L.... (2012) Hydrocarbon emissions characterization in the Colorado Front Range: A pilot study. Journal of Geophysical Research, 117(D4). DOI: 10.1029/2011JD016360
- January 2, 2013
- 09:13 AM
- 199 views
Embarrassing Conditions: Bed-Wetting during Sex
by Carian Thus in United Academics
The world is full of of embarrassing conditions you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. Every week, Carian discusses one. This week: Urination during sex.... Read more »
Hines, T. (2001) The G-spot: A modern gynecologic myth. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 185(2), 359-362. DOI: 10.1067/mob.2001.115995
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- December 30, 2012
- 05:23 AM
- 240 views
Scientists Rediscover the Violence Gene, MAOA-2R
by nooffensebut in The Unsilenced Science
New research shows that MAOA-2R induces violence and delinquency far more than the so-called “warrior gene,” MAOA-3R. It is also far more common in African-American men than white men. Plus, MAOA’s designation as a cancer gene could influence the development of therapies.... Read more »
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Beaver, K., Wright, J., Boutwell, B., Barnes, J., DeLisi, M., & Vaughn, M. (2013) Exploring the association between the 2-repeat allele of the MAOA gene promoter polymorphism and psychopathic personality traits, arrests, incarceration, and lifetime antisocial behavior. Personality and Individual Differences, 54(2), 164-168. DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2012.08.014
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Guo, G., Roettger, M., & Cai, T. (2008) The Integration of Genetic Propensities into Social-Control Models of Delinquency and Violence among Male Youths. American Sociological Review, 73(4), 543-568. DOI: 10.1177/000312240807300402
Guo, G., Ou, X., Roettger, M., & Shih, J. (2008) The VNTR 2 repeat in MAOA and delinquent behavior in adolescence and young adulthood: associations and MAOA promoter activity. European Journal of Human Genetics, 16(5), 626-634. DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejhg.5201999
Huang L, Frampton G, Rao A, Zhang KS, Chen W, Lai JM, Yin XY, Walker K, Culbreath B, Leyva-Illades D.... (2012) Monoamine oxidase A expression is suppressed in human cholangiocarcinoma via coordinated epigenetic and IL-6-driven events. Laboratory investigation; a journal of technical methods and pathology, 92(10), 1451-60. PMID: 22906985
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Moffitt, T., Caspi, A., & Rutter, M. (2006) Measured Gene-Environment Interactions in Psychopathology. Concepts, Research Strategies, and Implications for Research, Intervention, and Public Understanding of Genetics. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 1(1), 5-27. DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-6916.2006.00002.x
Murphy SM, Puwanant A, Griggs RC, & Consortium for Clinical Investigations of Neurological Channelopathies (CINCH) and Inherited Neuropathies Consortium (INC) Consortia of the Rare Disease Clinical Research Network. (2012) Unintended effects of orphan product designation for rare neurological diseases. Annals of neurology, 72(4), 481-90. PMID: 23109143
Pietrangeli, P. (2004) Amine Oxidases and Tumors. NeuroToxicology, 25(1-2), 317-324. DOI: 10.1016/S0161-813X(03)00109-8
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- December 28, 2012
- 07:07 AM
- 150 views
Karma Exists: What Doing Good Does For You
by Katja Keuchenius in United Academics
It's an old wisdom, but now there's scientific proof: helping someone does not only benefit the reciever. ... Read more »
Layous, K., Nelson, S., Oberle, E., Schonert-Reichl, K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2012) Kindness Counts: Prompting Prosocial Behavior in Preadolescents Boosts Peer Acceptance and Well-Being. PLoS ONE, 7(12). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0051380
- December 27, 2012
- 05:29 AM
- 167 views
Fireworks: not fun for everyone (or every dog)
by Cobb & Hecht in Do You Believe In Dog?
(source)Hi Julie,I hope you have had a lovely Christmas, we certainly did! The sun has been shining and we’ve enjoyed seeing our friends and family over the past few days.I’ve got my eye on New Year’s Eve now that Christmas has passed, but not because I’m planning a big night out. It’s all to do with fireworks. My two dogs demonstrate very different reactions to fireworks. One used to default into a shaking ball and tuck herself away into a corner somewhere (usually under my desk or next to my bed). (source)The other prefers to charge around, barking at the sky as though the sound is an intruder and will continue racing and barking until the noise stops. I’m sure that in his mind, he is convinced that he (once again) successfully saved us ALL by scaring off the weird sky-noises. To his credit – it works every time. Bark long enough and the noises do go away! (source)Over the years, we’ve developed strategies to help them both cope better with less anxiety and fear in these situations. Most of the time, these strategies work (or maybe they are just going deaf as they get older?!).However, lots of dogs have a really rough time on New Year’s Eve. (source)When I worked in a shelter, it was by far our busiest 24 hour period of the entire year. One year, we had more dogs enter the shelter than we physically had room to kennel (on average, we had 5-10 dogs admitted per day; on NYE, we could receive 100+!). They would end up in offices and leashed to anchor points in various locations. It was also a peak period for the associated vet clinic in treating emergencies, generally dogs hit by cars. Other dogs needed injured paws treated after running panicked along rough roads. Fortunately most dogs we reclaimed by their owners, but sadly, some were not so lucky and never made it home again.(source)Research conducted by the University of Bristol (UK) in 2005, showed that nearly half of the owners surveyed reported their dogs were frightened of loud noises. Of these dogs, fireworks were reported (in 83% of dogs) to cause fearful behaviours more than any other loud noise (e.g. thunderstorms). These figures are consistent with a later study conducted in New Zealand, published in 2010.... Read more »
Blackwell Emily, Casey Rachel, & Bradshaw John. (2005) Firework fears and phobias in the domestic dog. RSPCA / University of Bristol. http://www.rspca.org.uk/ImageLocator/LocateAsset?asset
Dale AR, Walker JK, Farnworth MJ, Morrissey SV, & Waran NK. (2010) A survey of owners' perceptions of fear of fireworks in a sample of dogs and cats in New Zealand. New Zealand Veterinary Journal, 58(6), 286-291. DOI: 10.1080/00480169.2010.69403
Bowen Jon. (2008) Behaviour: Firework fears and phobias. Companion Animal, 13(8), 59-63. DOI: 10.1111/j.2044-3862.2008.tb00529.x
Dreschel Nancy A., & Granger Douglas A. (2005) Physiological and behavioral reactivity to stress in thunderstorm-phobic dogs and their caregivers. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 95(3-4), 153-168. DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2005.04.009
Levine Emily D., Ramos Daniela, & Mills Daniel S. (2007) A prospective study of two self-help CD based desensitization and counter-conditioning programmes with the use of Dog Appeasing Pheromone for the treatment of firework fears in dogs (Canis familiaris). Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 105(4), 311-329. DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2006.11.006
Cracknell Nina R., & Mills Daniel S. (2008) A double-blind placebo-controlled study into the efficacy of a homeopathic remedy for fear of firework noises in the dog (Canis familiaris). The Veterinary Journal, 177(1), 80-88. DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2007.04.007
Bolster Christine. (2012) Fireworks are no fun for pets. Veterinary Nursing Journal, 27(10), 387-390. DOI: 10.1111/j.2045-0648.2012.00224.x
- December 26, 2012
- 12:22 PM
- 195 views
Hidden Inflammation Can Trigger Depression
by Zach Urbina in United Academics
It is impossible to address the ills of the human mind without also looking for what problems may exist in the body. A recently published study, which included 73,000 Danes, has shown that inflammation, whether the result of an illness or unhealthy lifestyle, can affect your mood, leading to depression. Scientists from Herlev Hospital and the University of Copenhagen isolated c-reactive protein (CRP) that, when inflamed, leads to a two to three times increased risk for depression.... Read more »
Wium-Andersen, M. (2012) Elevated C-Reactive Protein Levels, Psychological Distress, and Depression in 73 131 IndividualsElevated CRP Levels and Psychiatric Illness. Archives of General Psychiatry, 1. DOI: 10.1001/2013.jamapsychiatry.102
- December 26, 2012
- 07:48 AM
- 215 views
Eat All you Want; Just Not Late at Night
by Andrew Porterfield in United Academics
Oh, no, you’re thinking—another tedious, scolding holiday “science of overeating” story. Not so! You can eat what you want—even overindulge—as long as you don’t make a habit of it, and most important, don’t make that habit interfere with normal mealtimes.... Read more »
Zhang, L., Abraham, D., Lin, S., Oster, H., Eichele, G., Fu, Y., & Ptacek, L. (2012) PKC participates in food entrainment by regulating BMAL1. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(50), 20679-20684. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1218699110
- December 23, 2012
- 05:26 PM
- 169 views
Television is Good for Puppies
by Leema in Some Thoughts About Dogs
Is TV good for puppies? Research suggests that young puppies exposed to audio-visual stimulation are less fearful than puppies without this benefit.... Read more »
Pluijmakers, J., Appleby, D., & Bradshaw, J. (2010) Exposure to video images between 3 and 5 weeks of age decreases neophobia in domestic dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 126(1-2), 51-58. DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2010.05.006
- December 21, 2012
- 09:26 AM
- 182 views
Men with Mostly Brothers More Fertile
by Carian Thus in United Academics
Men with more brothers than sisters are more likely to have increased fertility, according to new research.
Scientists of the University of Sheffield and Brown University studied the semen of 500 men, and measured how fast their sperm swam – a major predictor of fertility. The participants also reported how many brothers or sisters they had in their family.... Read more »
Mossman, J., Slate, J., Birkhead, T., Moore, H., & Pacey, A. (2012) Sperm speed is associated with sex bias of siblings in a human population. Asian Journal of Andrology. DOI: 10.1038/aja.2012.109
- December 20, 2012
- 11:41 AM
- 181 views
Interview: The Irreversible Commitment to Adulthood
by Zach Urbina in United Academics
C elegans makes it look easy. During the course of development, based on environmental conditions, they either ramp up to becoming adults, or lay low as dauer larvae.... Read more »
Schaedel ON, Gerisch B, Antebi A, & Sternberg PW. (2012) Hormonal signal amplification mediates environmental conditions during development and controls an irreversible commitment to adulthood. PLoS biology, 10(4). PMID: 22505848
- December 19, 2012
- 04:31 AM
- 180 views
Bias Bonanza: The Deceiving Powers of the Baby-Face
by Carian Thus in United Academics
Our first impression of another person is often purely based on physical appearance and it can strongly influence our following judgments. For instance, many experiments have shown that people are tended to judge beautiful people as more intelligent, competent and sociable than less attractive people. But attractiveness is not the only factor related to appearance that has biasing effects. Another pervasive bias concerns a person’s facial maturity: the baby-face bias.... Read more »
Zebrowitz, L., & McDonald, S. (1991) The impact of litigants' baby-facedness and attractiveness on adjudications in small claims courts. Law and Human Behavior, 15(6), 603-623. DOI: 10.1007/BF01065855
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