Biology posts
- June 9, 2015
- 09:39 AM
- 251 views
What Happens When 28,000 Volunteers Are Set Loose in the Virtual Serengeti
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
What's a scientist to do with 1.2 million photos, most of grass but some containing valuable data about endangered animals? Turn the whole thing over to the public, if you're the creators of Snapshot Serengeti. This project caught the attention of tens of thousands of volunteers. Now their work has produced a massive dataset that's already helping scientists in a range of fields.
Most online citizen science involves a degree of tedium—counting craters, tracing kelp mats. But Snapshot ... Read more »
Swanson, A., Kosmala, M., Lintott, C., Simpson, R., Smith, A., & Packer, C. (2015) Snapshot Serengeti, high-frequency annotated camera trap images of 40 mammalian species in an African savanna. Scientific Data, 150026. DOI: 10.1038/sdata.2015.26
- June 9, 2015
- 09:00 AM
- 207 views
Dinosaur Blood Cells, Soft Tissue Discovered in 75-Million-Year-Old Fossils
by Blake de Pastino in Western Digs
Scientists say they’ve isolated what appear to be red blood cells and other microscopic bits of soft tissue from several 75-million-year old dinosaur fossils, using a technique that could revolutionize the study of ancient animals.
... Read more »
Sergio Bertazzo, Susannah C. R. Maidment, Charalambos Kallepitis, Sarah Fearn, Molly M. Stevens, & Hai-nan Xie. (2015) Fibres and cellular structures preserved in 75-million–year-old dinosaur specimens. Nature Communications. info:/
- June 9, 2015
- 04:55 AM
- 196 views
Familial autoimmune disease and offspring autism risk
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
"An overall increased risk of autism in children with family history of ADs [autoimmune diseases] was identified."That was the bottom line of the "systematic review and meta-analysis" carried out by Shunquan Wu and colleagues [1] summarising the "current evidence on the relationship between family history of autoimmune diseases (ADs) and risk of autism in children." Autoimmune disorders by the way, are the various conditions that come about when the body fails to recognise self as........ Read more »
Wu, S., Ding, Y., Wu, F., Li, R., Xie, G., Hou, J., & Mao, P. (2015) Family history of autoimmune diseases is associated with an increased risk of autism in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuroscience . DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.05.004
- June 8, 2015
- 06:07 PM
- 233 views
Your Brain Is Bigger In The Morning
by Neuroskeptic in Neuroskeptic_Discover
The brain shrinks over the course of the day, ending up smaller in the evening - before returning to its full size the next morning. That's according to a neat new study based on an analysis of almost 10,000 MRI scans. It's published today in Neuroimage.
Kunio Nakamura and colleagues of the Montreal Neurological Institute examined 3,269 scans from multiple sclerosis trials and 6,114 from the ADNI Alzheimer's disease project. This makes it the biggest neuroscience study I can think of.
... Read more »
Nakamura K, Brown RA, Narayanan S, Collins DL, Arnold DL, & Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. (2015) Diurnal fluctuations in brain volume: Statistical analyses of MRI from large populations. NeuroImage. PMID: 26049148
- June 8, 2015
- 04:53 AM
- 185 views
Transdermal nicotine for aggression comorbid to autism?
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
The paper from Gerrit Van Schalkwyk and colleagues [1] caught my eye recently and a potentially interesting case report on the use of "transdermal nicotine as an adjunctive medication to treat aggression in a hospitalized adolescent with ASD [autism spectrum disorder]."Transdermal, by the way, refers to passage through the various and complicated layers of the skin, and reflects an important way of getting medicines into the body other than via the more traditional oral route. I'm more than........ Read more »
Van Schalkwyk, G., Lewis, A., Qayyum, Z., Koslosky, K., Picciotto, M., & Volkmar, F. (2015) Reduction of Aggressive Episodes After Repeated Transdermal Nicotine Administration in a Hospitalized Adolescent with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-015-2471-0
- June 7, 2015
- 03:50 PM
- 97 views
How to live with a killer. Part II: Let him in (and turn off the alarm)
by Humeandroid in The Art of World-Making
Recently I started writing a post about selfish genes in yeasts, based on a very interesting new paper. In the course of reading the paper and thinking about yeast selfish genes, I discovered another fascinating story that I just had to write about. Hence part II of “How to live with a killer.” The last […]... Read more »
Drinnenberg, I., Fink, G., & Bartel, D. (2011) Compatibility with Killer Explains the Rise of RNAi-Deficient Fungi. Science, 333(6049), 1592-1592. DOI: 10.1126/science.1209575
- June 7, 2015
- 12:10 PM
- 167 views
Babies who can resettle are more likely to ‘sleep through the night’
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Good news, for parents who see their babies “resettle” when they wake up. According to a video study, young infants who can “resettle” themselves after waking up are more likely to sleep for prolonged periods at night. Okay, maybe that’s bad news for parents who don’t have a baby who “resettles,” but it’s still good information.... Read more »
St James-Roberts, I., Roberts, M., Hovish, K., & Owen, C. (2015) Video Evidence That London Infants Can Resettle Themselves Back to Sleep After Waking in the Night, as well as Sleep for Long Periods, by 3 Months of Age. Journal of Developmental , 36(5), 324-329. DOI: 10.1097/DBP.0000000000000166
- June 7, 2015
- 09:05 AM
- 209 views
Therapeutic horseback riding for autism?
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
"This is the first large-scale randomized, controlled trial demonstrating efficacy of THR [therapeutic horseback riding] for the ASD [autism spectrum disorder] population, and findings are consistent with previous equine-assisted intervention studies."So said the results of the study by Robin Gabriels and colleagues [1] who, under randomised controlled trial conditions, set about "evaluating the effectiveness of therapeutic horseback riding (THR) on self-regulation, soci........ Read more »
Gabriels, R., Pan, Z., Dechant, B., Agnew, J., Brim, N., & Mesibov, G. (2015) Randomized Controlled Trial of Therapeutic Horseback Riding in Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child . DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2015.04.007
- June 6, 2015
- 12:47 PM
- 185 views
That daily soda or sugary drink habit may be punishing your liver
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
If you enjoy a daily soda, or other tasty sugar filled drink, you may want to put it down. New research shows that a daily sugar-sweetened beverage habit may increase the risk for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The study comes from researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University and is bad news for anyone who loves sugary drinks.... Read more »
Ma, J, Fox, CS, Jacques, PF, Speliotes, EK, Hoffmann, U, Smith, CE, Saltzman, E, & McKeown, NM. (2015) Sugar-Sweetened Beverage, Diet Soda, and Fatty Liver Disease in the Framingham Study Cohorts. Journal of Hepatology. DOI: http://dx.org/10.1016/j.jhep.2015.03.032
- June 6, 2015
- 06:31 AM
- 182 views
Humidity Powered Energy
by Viputheshwar Sitaraman in Draw Science
We can now power low energy devices using humidity! Scientists harnessed bacteria that shrink in response to changes in humidity to generate energy.... Read more »
Yuan, T., Ormonde, C., Kudlacek, S., Kunche, S., Smith, J., Brown, W., Pugliese, K., Olsen, T., Iftikhar, M., Raston, C.... (2015) Shear-Stress-Mediated Refolding of Proteins from Aggregates and Inclusion Bodies. ChemBioChem. DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201402427
- June 5, 2015
- 02:34 PM
- 200 views
Dietary supplementation and autism (and the horror of a GFCF diet)
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
As perhaps expected, the results reported by Patricia Stewart and colleagues [1] suggesting that: "Few children with ASD [autism spectrum disorder] need most of the micronutrients they are commonly given as supplements, which often leads to excess intake" has generated some interesting media headlines given their mention of the words "gluten/casein-free diet (GFCF)".A case in point is an article titled: 'Autism Diets' Do Not Provide Children With Adequate Supplementation, Can Lead To O........ Read more »
Patricia A. Stewart, Susan L. Hyman, Brianne L. Schmidt, Eric A. Macklin, Ann Reynolds, Cynthia R. Johnson, S. Jill James, & Patricia Manning-Courtney. (2015) Dietary Supplementation in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Common, Insufficient, and Excessive. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. info:/
- June 5, 2015
- 10:22 AM
- 243 views
Phantom Eye Patients See and Feel with Missing Eyeballs
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
Amputees often feel eerie sensations from their missing limbs. These "phantom limb" feelings can include pain, itching, tingling, or even a sense of trying to pick something up. Patients who lose an eye may have similar symptoms—with the addition of actual phantoms.
Phantom eye syndrome (PES) had been studied in the past, but University of Liverpool psychologist Laura Hope-Stone and her colleagues recently conducted the largest study of PES specifically in patients who'd lost an eye to c........ Read more »
Hope-Stone L, Brown SL, Heimann H, Damato B, & Salmon P. (2015) Phantom Eye Syndrome: Patient Experiences after Enucleation for Uveal Melanoma. Ophthalmology. PMID: 26004080
- June 5, 2015
- 06:32 AM
- 256 views
Horses Use Subtle Body Language To Communicate
by Jeffrey Daniels in United Academics
Horses communicate amongst each other with eye and ear twitches.... Read more »
Wathan, J., & McComb, K. (2014) The eyes and ears are visual indicators of attention in domestic horses. Current Biology, 24(15). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.06.023
- June 5, 2015
- 04:56 AM
- 217 views
Enterovirus encephalitis increases risk of ADHD
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
"Patients with EV [enterovirus] encephalitis have an increased risk of developing ADHD [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder]."So said the findings from Chou and colleagues [1] (open-access here) based on data derived from everyone's favourite 'big data' database - the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan (see here for one of many examples of the database being put to good research use)."The study population consisted of 2646 children diagnosed with ADHD and 2........ Read more »
Chou IC, Lin CC, & Kao CH. (2015) Enterovirus Encephalitis Increases the Risk of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Taiwanese Population-based Case-control Study. Medicine, 94(16). PMID: 25906098
- June 4, 2015
- 02:15 PM
- 230 views
Eating the placenta: trendy but no proven health benefits and unknown risks
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Celebrities such as Kourtney Kardashian blogged and raved about the benefits of their personal placenta ‘vitamins’ and spiked women’s interest in the practice of consuming their placentas after childbirth.
But a new Northwestern Medicine review of 10 current published research studies on placentophagy did not turn up any human or animal data to support the common claims that eating the placenta — either raw, cooked or encapsulated — offers protection against po........ Read more »
Young, S., & Benyshek, D. (2010) In Search of Human Placentophagy: A Cross-Cultural Survey of Human Placenta Consumption, Disposal Practices, and Cultural Beliefs. Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 49(6), 467-484. DOI: 10.1080/03670244.2010.524106
Selander, J., Cantor, A., Young, S., & Benyshek, D. (2013) Human Maternal Placentophagy: A Survey of Self-Reported Motivations and Experiences Associated with Placenta Consumption. Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 52(2), 93-115. DOI: 10.1080/03670244.2012.719356
- June 4, 2015
- 01:28 PM
- 195 views
DNA breakage underlies both learning, age-related damage
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
The process that allows our brains to learn and generate new memories also leads to degeneration as we age, according to a new study. The finding could ultimately help researchers develop new approaches to preventing cognitive decline in disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Each time we learn something new, our brain cells break their DNA, creating damage that the neurons must immediately repair.... Read more »
Ram Madabhushi, Fan Gao, Andreas R. Pfenning, Ling Pan, Satoko Yamakawa, Jinsoo Seo, Richard Rueda, Trongha X. Phan, Hidekuni Yamakawa, Ping-Chieh Pao.... (2015) Activity-Induced DNA Breaks Govern the Expression of Neuronal Early-Response Genes. Cell. DOI: http://dx.org/10.1016/j.cell.2015.05.032
- June 4, 2015
- 06:00 AM
- 120 views
‘Hellboy’ Dinosaur Discovered in Alberta Reveals Evolutionary Surprises
by Blake de Pastino in Western Digs
Discovered in the ancient sediments of Alberta, and named for a monstrous hero from ’90s comics, a strange new species of horned dinosaur is an object lesson in how appearances can deceive, paleontologists say.
... Read more »
Brown, C., & Henderson, D. (2015) A New Horned Dinosaur Reveals Convergent Evolution in Cranial Ornamentation in Ceratopsidae. Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.04.041
- June 4, 2015
- 05:15 AM
- 231 views
Clinical course of schizophrenia and Toxoplasma gondii infection
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
Regular readers of this blog probably know that I'm quite interested in the idea that the parasitic organism known as Toxoplasma gondii might have some rather interesting 'connections' to the presentation of [some] schizophrenia (see here). That the cat that might be sat in front of you as you read this post might have the ability to 'share' such a marvellous organism such as T. gondii as per the 'feline zoonosis theory of schizophrenia' (see here) is another aspect that has been also been ........ Read more »
Celik T, Kartalci S, Aytas O, Akarsu GA, Gozukara H, & Unal S. (2015) Association between latent toxoplasmosis and clinical course of schizophrenia - continuous course of the disease is characteristic for Toxoplasma gondii-infected patients. Folia parasitologica. PMID: 25960559
- June 3, 2015
- 10:03 PM
- 224 views
Deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease: Uncovering the mechanism
by neurosci in Neuroscientifically Challenged
Parkinson's disease (PD) belongs to a group of diseases that are referred to as neurodegenerative because they involve the degeneration and death of neurons. In PD a group of structures called the basal ganglia, which play a role in facilitating movement, are predominantly affected. The substantia nigra, one of the basal ganglia nuclei as well as one of the most dopamine-rich areas in the brain, is severely impacted; by the end stages of the disease patients have often lost 50-70% of the dopamin........ Read more »
de Hemptinne, C., Swann, N., Ostrem, J., Ryapolova-Webb, E., San Luciano, M., Galifianakis, N., & Starr, P. (2015) Therapeutic deep brain stimulation reduces cortical phase-amplitude coupling in Parkinson's disease. Nature Neuroscience, 18(5), 779-786. DOI: 10.1038/nn.3997
- June 3, 2015
- 11:29 AM
- 228 views
Measles-induced immune amnesia
by Aurelie in Coffee break Science
Measles is no trifling childhood disease. The virus is extremely contagious, and measles infection can have severe complications, such as pneumonia, encephalitis, brain damage, and death. Now, a recent study published in Science suggests that measles can also leave children… Continue reading →... Read more »
Mina MJ, Metcalf CJ, de Swart RL, Osterhaus AD, & Grenfell BT. (2015) Vaccines. Long-term measles-induced immunomodulation increases overall childhood infectious disease mortality. Science (New York, N.Y.), 348(6235), 694-9. PMID: 25954009
topics
join us!
Do you write about peer-reviewed research in your blog? Use ResearchBlogging.org to make it easy for your readers — and others from around the world — to find your serious posts about academic research.
If you don't have a blog, you can still use our site to learn about fascinating developments in cutting-edge research from around the world.
Research Blogging is powered by SMG Technology.
To learn more, visit seedmediagroup.com.