Other posts
- December 18, 2012
- 11:51 AM
- 180 views
Dolphins Nicer Than Humans When Forming ‘Cliques’
by Andrew Porterfield in United Academics
Their flippers may forever prevent them from starting card-playing leagues, but bottlenose dolphins do form social clubs much like ours, a study from Georgetown University suggests. There is one major difference between dolphin and human social groups that should give us some pause; the dolphins appear to be nicer.... Read more »
Mann, J., Stanton, M., Patterson, E., Bienenstock, E., & Singh, L. (2012) Social networks reveal cultural behaviour in tool-using using dolphins. Nature Communications, 980. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1983
- December 18, 2012
- 05:37 AM
- 312 views
'Tis the season to be Doggy, fa la la la laaaa...
by Cobb & Hecht in Do You Believe In Dog?
Hey Julie, I absolutely LOVE Project: Play with your Dog study and how the Horowitz Dog Cognition Lab are crowd sourcing using citizen science! I don't think a better way of contributing to scientific understanding can possibly exist! I look forward to hearing updates about how the research goes. I will certainly participate - next time we head to the river to play, we'll take our camera to get some video! So you might have noticed the silly season of festivity has landed upon us... Assuming we live past Friday (and I really hope we do, because Friday is my birthday and I selfishly want the fun of a full birthday!) I thought I'd look at some ideas that might inspire gifts for the two- and four-legged doggy friends and family members in our life. (source)1. Read about a DogI have been re-reading Inside of a Dog recently and thoroughly enjoying it (again). This book would make a fantastic gift for anyone who would like to understand more about dogs, the science looking at dogs, how it all fits together and is relevant to our shared encounters with dogs. (source)2. Give a DogAfter all those posts about the science of children and dogs I do think every child should have a dog. But make sure it's an appropriate dog. (source)(source)Not every household or child is suited to owning a real dog, but that can't stop you giving that special little person in your life a gorgeous handmade pooch! Here are some I fell in love with on Etsy.(... Read more »
Sitler Robert K. (2006) The 2012 Phenomenon New Age Appropriation of an Ancient Mayan Calendar. Nova Religio, 9(3), 24-38. DOI: 10.1525/nr.2006.9.3.024
- December 17, 2012
- 11:32 AM
- 191 views
Data Visualization: Every Living Bird on Earth
by Zach Urbina in United Academics
A Yale-led team recently released this exhaustively researched data visualization showing the nearly 10,000 species of living birds on Earth. The data shows changes in the rate of diversification among birds, with diversity increasing among more recent species.... Read more »
Jetz, W., Thomas, G., Joy, J., Hartmann, K., & Mooers, A. (2012) The global diversity of birds in space and time. Nature, 491(7424), 444-448. DOI: 10.1038/nature11631
- December 17, 2012
- 03:49 AM
- 155 views
Mutiny, Butchery, and A Doomed Power Struggle: The Wreck of the Batavia Examined Using Bioarchaeology
by Zach Urbina in United Academics
The wreck of the Batavia is well known, but utilizing bioarchaeological analyses, new facts have been brought to light.... Read more »
Franklin, D. (2012) Human skeletal remains from a multiple burial associated with the mutiny of the VOC , 1629 . International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 22(6), 740-748. DOI: 10.1002/oa.1235
- December 12, 2012
- 11:13 AM
- 210 views
Remarkable Conditions: (The Risks of) Eating Human Brains
by Carian Thus in United Academics
Beware: feasting on human brains is not without its consequences. History can tell that ingestion of contaminated brain tissue can result in a lethal disease called kuru.... Read more »
Mead, S. (2003) Balancing Selection at the Prion Protein Gene Consistent with Prehistoric Kurulike Epidemics. Science, 300(5619), 640-643. DOI: 10.1126/science.1083320
- December 12, 2012
- 04:38 AM
- 194 views
Placebo and the Brain: How Does it Work?
by Jakob Andree in United Academics
Placebo, the positive effect of a drug that lacks any beneficial ingredients, has been researched for centuries but remain a mystery for psychologists and neuroscientists alike. Although there is now a considerable amount of amassed knowledge of how placebo can be induced, through which mechanisms it works, and which individuals are susceptible to the effect, the explicit answer to why and how our brains have the ability to ‘cure’ themselves under certain circumstances is yet to be found. Having dived into the literature on the phenomenon, a picture has emerged in which one of the brain’s greatest tricks can be better understood and the fascinating implications it has for how we look at the body-mind distinction.... Read more »
Kaptchuk TJ, Friedlander E, Kelley JM, Sanchez MN, Kokkotou E, Singer JP, Kowalczykowski M, Miller FG, Kirsch I, & Lembo AJ. (2010) Placebos without deception: a randomized controlled trial in irritable bowel syndrome. PloS one, 5(12). PMID: 21203519
- December 11, 2012
- 11:52 AM
- 190 views
Science on the Screen: The Truman Show
by Mark Fonseca Rendeiro in United Academics
Reality TV as a disorder? Yes its true.. the condition of feeling like you're constantly being watched or broadcasted is not a new one, but has taken on a modern form in the wake of "The Truman Show."... Read more »
Gold, J., & Gold, I. (2012) The “Truman Show” delusion: Psychosis in the global village. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, 17(6), 455-472. DOI: 10.1080/13546805.2012.666113
- December 11, 2012
- 11:50 AM
- 162 views
Science on the Screen: The Truman Show
by Mark Fonseca Rendeiro in United Academics
Reality TV as a disorder? Yes its true.. the condition of feeling like you're constantly being watched or broadcasted is not a new one, but has taken on a modern form in the wake of "The Truman Show."... Read more »
Gold, J., & Gold, I. (2012) The “Truman Show” delusion: Psychosis in the global village. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, 17(6), 455-472. DOI: 10.1080/13546805.2012.666113
- December 11, 2012
- 05:36 AM
- 355 views
The Science Surrounding Children & Dogs: Part 3 (The Ugly)
by Cobb & Hecht in Do You Believe In Dog?
Cute or feeding an unrealistic fantasy? (source)Hey Julie,You raise such an important point! In the same way that popular culture can influence our perceptions and interpretations of ‘cute’ in domains like body image and kawaii, photos of babies with dogs can set us up with unrealistic expectations that might lead to ugly situations and devastating outcomes. And it’s some of The Ugly side of the science surrounding children and dogs that I want to share with you today. Dogs can hurt children and children can hurt dogs. It’s ugly alright.Dogs biting kids:As you pointed out in your last post, part of the The Ugly is that dogs can and do bite babies and kids. (source)Dog bites are the most frequently reported type of animal bite to humans. The risk factors for being bitten vary a little from study to study (as you'd expect given each study looks at a different population), but generally, it’s consistent that the kids most at risk were: Aged five years or under (with the 5-10yr age group a close second);Attempting to access the dog’s territory or a resource (toy/food/bone, etc.) sometimes with the dog on lead or chained in a yard, orProvoking the dog (by stepping on; pulling the dog’s hair/ears; hitting or attempting to ‘discipline’ the dog or waking a sleeping dog);At home or in a friend’s/neighbour’s/relative’s house (i.e. a dog known to the child and generally in the dog’s home environment)Not directly supervised by an adult.From Reisner et al., 2007 (source)Boys appear more likely to be bitten by dogs not from their own households, but boys and girls have been shown to be bitten equally by dogs from their own households.(source)I emphasise most at risk, as obviously all people are at ... Read more »
Meints K., Allen K., & Watson C. (2011) Atypical face-scan patterns in children misinterpreting dogs facial expressions evidence from eye-tracking. Injury Prevention, 16(Supplement 1). DOI: 10.1136/ip.2010.029215.619
Shewell P C, & Nancarrow J D. (1991) Dogs that bite. BMJ, 303(6816), 1512-1513. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.303.6816.1512
Reisner I. R, Shofer F. S, & Nance M. L. (2007) Behavioral assessment of child-directed canine aggression. Injury Prevention, 13(5), 348-351. DOI: 10.1136/ip.2007.015396
Ozanne-Smith J, Ashby K, & Stathakis V Z. (2001) Dog bite and injury prevention--analysis, critical review, and research agenda. Injury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention, 321-326. PMID: 11770660
Avner J R, & Baker M D. (1991) Dog bites in urban children. Pediatrics, 88(1), 55-57. PMID: 2057274
Currie Cheryl L. (2006) Animal cruelty by children exposed to domestic violence. Child Abuse , 30(4), 425-435. DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2005.10.014
ARLUKE A., LEVIN J., LUKE C., & ASCIONE F. (1999) The Relationship of Animal Abuse to Violence and Other Forms of Antisocial Behavior. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 14(9), 963-975. DOI: 10.1177/088626099014009004
McPhedran Samara. (2009) Animal Abuse, Family Violence, and Child Wellbeing: A Review. Journal of Family Violence, 24(1), 41-52. DOI: 10.1007/s10896-008-9206-3
Duncan Alex, & Miller Catherine. (2002) The impact of an abusive family context on childhood animal cruelty and adult violence. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 7(4), 365-383. DOI: 10.1016/S1359-1789(01)00064-7
Zasloff Lee R., Hart Lynette A., & Weiss Joan Melrod. (2003) Dog training as a violence prevention tool for at-risk adolescents. Anthrozoos: A Multidisciplinary Journal of The Interactions of People , 16(4), 352-359. DOI: 10.2752/089279303786992044
- December 11, 2012
- 03:48 AM
- 146 views
Do Bad Genes Beget Disease? Not So Fast
by Andrew Porterfield in United Academics
The purpose of genetic testing is to find altered genes that could cause disease. Then, people could be treated, or prospective parents can make decisions about having children. However, scientists are finding that having a gene that causes disease doesn’t necessarily cause that disease.... Read more »
Xue, Y., Chen, Y., Ayub, Q., Huang, N., Ball, E., Mort, M., Phillips, A., Shaw, K., Stenson, P., Cooper, D.... (2012) Deleterious- and Disease-Allele Prevalence in Healthy Individuals: Insights from Current Predictions, Mutation Databases, and Population-Scale Resequencing. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 91(6), 1022-1032. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2012.10.015
- December 6, 2012
- 11:39 PM
- 339 views
Research suggestions for H5N1 influenza virus infection
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
H5N1 influenza virus infection is a problem for which there is no experience of real-life treatment.
This infection results in varying number of mortality rates in the different countries and the factors associated with the host, virus and/or medical intervention resulting in this difference is still not known. Moreover, Indonesia, which has the greatest number of H5N1 human cases and mortalities in the world, has no clear seasonal pattern for this infection. Genetic variations of this virus in different parts of the world needs further study as it could help to determine the virulence and molecular evolution of the H5N1 viruses.
Related to H5N1 virus infection, clade 7 viruses were detected in chickens. Although, this clade viruses have not been found in humans since 2007 but it needs genetic studies as the information on the genetic evolution of this clade is limited.
Elderly population has relatively fewer cases of H5N1 virus infection and mortality that is thought to be the prior exposure to different forms of poultry and/or human influenza viruses resulting in cross-reactive immunity. However, it needs further work to develop optimal therapeutic strategies for H5N1 infection.
In a different study, researchers found that Egypt has the lower rates of pneumonia (problems) that is still unexplained “but may be attributed to the higher predilection of the Egyptian virus for the upper airway”.
Reference:
To, K., Ng, K., Que, T., Chan, J., Tsang, K., Tsang, A., Chen, H., & Yuen, K. (2012). Avian influenza A H5N1 virus: a continuous threat to humans Emerging Microbes & Infections, 1 (9) DOI: 10.1038/emi.2012.24
Davis, C., Balish, A., O'Neill, E., Nguyen, C., Cox, N., Xiyan, X., Klimov, A., Nguyen, T., & Donis, R. (2010). Detection and Characterization of Clade 7 High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza H5N1 Viruses in Chickens Seized at Ports of Entry and Live Poultry Markets in Vietnam Avian Diseases, 54 (s1), 307-312 DOI: 10.1637/8801-040109-ResNote.1... Read more »
To, K., Ng, K., Que, T., Chan, J., Tsang, K., Tsang, A., Chen, H., & Yuen, K. (2012) Avian influenza A H5N1 virus: a continuous threat to humans. Emerging Microbes , 1(9). DOI: 10.1038/emi.2012.24
Davis, C., Balish, A., O'Neill, E., Nguyen, C., Cox, N., Xiyan, X., Klimov, A., Nguyen, T., & Donis, R. (2010) Detection and Characterization of Clade 7 High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza H5N1 Viruses in Chickens Seized at Ports of Entry and Live Poultry Markets in Vietnam. Avian Diseases, 54(s1), 307-312. DOI: 10.1637/8801-040109-ResNote.1
- December 5, 2012
- 01:21 PM
- 166 views
Predicting the future by smelling
by Katja Keuchenius in United Academics
Smells can bring back great memories, but they can also predict the future. Neuro researcher Marijn van Wingerden tells us all about it.... Read more »
van Wingerden, M., Vinck, M., Tijms, V., Ferreira, I., Jonker, A., & Pennartz, C. (2012) NMDA Receptors Control Cue-Outcome Selectivity and Plasticity of Orbitofrontal Firing Patterns during Associative Stimulus-Reward Learning. Neuron, 76(4), 813-825. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.09.039
- December 5, 2012
- 07:14 AM
- 192 views
What bodies say about faces
by Katja Keuchenius in United Academics
It's not always the face that's the open book. When emotions are too strong we can better focus on body language.... Read more »
Aviezer, H., Trope, Y., & Todorov, A. (2012) Body Cues, Not Facial Expressions, Discriminate Between Intense Positive and Negative Emotions. Science, 338(6111), 1225-1229. DOI: 10.1126/science.1224313
- December 5, 2012
- 05:30 AM
- 183 views
Video of the Day: Slime Mold Solves Maze in One Try
by Zach Urbina in United Academics
The urge to survive remains strong is every living organism. In case you have any doubts, take ten seconds to watch this slime mold, Physarum polycephalum, solve a maze in a single pass, in order to get to food.... Read more »
Andrew Adamatzky. (2011) Slime mould solves maze in one pass .. assisted by gradient of chemo-attractants. IEEE Trans on NanoBioscience Volume: 11 , Issue: 2, 2012, Page(s): 131 - 134. arXiv: 1108.4956v1
- December 3, 2012
- 09:23 AM
- 324 views
Why mr. nice guy isn't sexy
by Katja Keuchenius in United Academics
Don't smile too much on your first date, you might end up in her 'friend zone'... Read more »
Tracy, J., & Beall, A. (2011) Happy guys finish last: The impact of emotion expressions on sexual attraction. Emotion, 11(6), 1379-1387. DOI: 10.1037/a0022902
- December 3, 2012
- 08:32 AM
- 233 views
Coming Soon—A Way to Catch Any Cancer Early
by Carian Thus in United Academics
There are hundreds of types of cancers. Almost all of them are classified by the organ in which they first appear. This system made it easy for surgeons to operate, but today, we know that cancers are largely caused by genetic disorders. Unfortunately, by the time most cancers are identified in an organ, it’s too late. ... Read more »
Leary, R., Sausen, M., Kinde, I., Papadopoulos, N., Carpten, J., Craig, D., O'Shaughnessy, J., Kinzler, K., Parmigiani, G., Vogelstein, B.... (2012) Detection of Chromosomal Alterations in the Circulation of Cancer Patients with Whole-Genome Sequencing. Science Translational Medicine, 4(162), 162-162. DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3004742
- December 3, 2012
- 03:55 AM
- 212 views
Fish Can See Red–Infrared
by Andrew Porterfield in United Academics
Dogs can hear sounds we can’t, and many other animals can see light beyond our human “visual spectrum,” such as ultraviolet light waves to find prey or avoid becoming prey. But until now, the near infrared spectrum was considered off limits to animals.
New research led by Dr. Sebastian Baldauf from the University of Bonn reports on the first known fish with infrared vision. The study appears in the October 21 online edition of NaturWissenschaften. The fish, called Pelvicachromis taeniatus, is a native of Africa and lives in shallow, murky streams. Usually, near infrared light signals are unsuitable for seeing because of ‘signal noise’ coming from heat.... Read more »
Meuthen, D., Rick, I., Thünken, T., & Baldauf, S. (2012) Visual prey detection by near-infrared cues in a fish. Naturwissenschaften, 99(12), 1063-1066. DOI: 10.1007/s00114-012-0980-7
- November 30, 2012
- 07:45 AM
- 291 views
Married horseshoe crabs produce less poo
by Charles Harvey in Charles Harvey - Science Communicator
You wouldn’t think that the sex life of the horseshoe crab would be that complicated, but you’d be wrong. Like every red blooded guy out there, horseshoe crabs have to think long and hard about the best way to attract a mate (even though horseshoe crab blood is actually blue). While human males have many options to choose, from say writing a romantic poem, or buying a lovely bunch of flowers for their sweetheart, crabs are generally limited to two different options.... Read more »
Smith, M., Schrank, H., & Brockmann, H. (2012) Measuring the costs of alternative reproductive tactics in horseshoe crabs, Limulus polyphemus. Animal Behaviour. DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.10.021
- November 28, 2012
- 04:43 PM
- 470 views
The Science Surrounding Children & Dogs: Part 2 (The Bad)
by Cobb & Hecht in Do You Believe In Dog?
I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving Julie!(source)I’m not exactly sure what that means, as we don’t celebrate it in Australia, but I hope you had a great time with your family and friends all the same!Thanks for all those fantastic resources you included in your last blog post. It was also great to see some extras posted by readers in the comments section. (source)Last time I looked at ‘The Good’ of some the science surrounding children and dogs. This post, it’s time to cover some of the ‘The Bad’. What can possibly be bad about children and dogs? Well, dogs don’t live as long as us, for one.When dogs die(source)Having established last time that dogs can benefit kids’ confidence, self-belief, trust, respect and heaps of other positive attitudes and behaviours, I was left wondering how losing a pet dog impacts children. Loss of a companion animal can be a devastating event for people of any age.Humans don’t all experience grief equally.Our understanding of death is linked to our developmental state, but young children can still feel pain at the loss of a family dog. For many children, the death of a pet dog will be their first experience with this kind of loss and grief. Pet dogs can be almost-constant companions for children, and have been assigned a role in reflected appraisal similar to that of a best friend.Psychologists encourage parents/guardians to explain death to kids sensitively and with honesty. Adults should answer questions simply, using clear and accurate information and avoid the desire to ‘protect’ children from death by hiding the truth of a pet’s illness or euthanasia. This is because children with active imaginations may create scenarios about the death that are far worse than reality. Adults should allow children to express their grief (through verbal, artistic or written expression; reading stories about the death of pets, etc.), acknowledging the importance of the relationship lost (rather than trivializing the death or running to buy a new puppy) and helping children to understand that grief is a normal and natural emotion that helps us cope with death. ... Read more »
Gerwolls Marilyn K., & Labott Susan M. (1994) Adjustment to the Death of a Companion Animal. Anthrozoos: A Multidisciplinary Journal of The Interactions of People , 7(3), 172-187. DOI: 10.2752/089279394787001826
SERPELL JAMES A. (1981) CHILDHOOD PETS AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON ADULTS' ATTITUDES. Psychological Reports, 49(2), 651-654. DOI: 10.2466/pr0.1981.49.2.651
Davis Janet Haggerty. (1987) Preadolescent Self-Concept Development and Pet Ownership. Anthrozoos: A Multidisciplinary Journal of The Interactions of People , 1(2), 90-94. DOI: 10.2752/089279388787058614
Van Houtte Beth A., & Jarvis Patricia A. (1995) The role of pets in preadolescent psychosocial development. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 16(3), 463-479. DOI: 10.1016/0193-3973(95)90030-6
Bryant Brenda K. (1990) The Richness of the Child-Pet Relationship: A Consideration of Both Benefits and Costs of Pets to Children. Anthrozoos: A Multidisciplinary Journal of The Interactions of People , 3(4), 253-261. DOI: 10.2752/089279390787057469
Kaufman Kenneth R., & Kaufman Nathaniel D. (2006) And Then the Dog Died. Death Studies, 30(1), 61-76. DOI: 10.1080/07481180500348811
Bonanno George A. (2004) Loss, Trauma, and Human Resilience: Have We Underestimated the Human Capacity to Thrive After Extremely Aversive Events?. American Psychologist, 59(1), 20-28. DOI: 10.1037/0003-066X.59.1.20
Bingham Glenda M., Budke Christine M., & Slater Margaret R. (2010) Knowledge and perceptions of dog-associated zoonoses: Brazos County, Texas, USA. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 93(2-3), 211-221. DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2009.09.019
- November 27, 2012
- 11:21 AM
- 160 views
Lighting the Way for Stem Cells in Our Brains
by Jakob Andrée in United Academics
Stem cell research promises to revolutionize the available treatments for many neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. While the goal is to one day soon be able to replace damaged or dead brain cells with stem cells influenced to develop into healthy, functioning neurons, no one has been able to show that transplanted stem cells can integrate with existing brain circuits.... Read more »
Pina-Crespo, J., Talantova, M., Cho, E., Soussou, W., Dolatabadi, N., Ryan, S., Ambasudhan, R., McKercher, S., Deisseroth, K., & Lipton, S. (2012) High-Frequency Hippocampal Oscillations Activated by Optogenetic Stimulation of Transplanted Human ESC-Derived Neurons. Journal of Neuroscience, 32(45), 15837-15842. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3735-12.2012
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