All posts; Tags Include "Evolutionary Anthropology"
- May 13, 2013
- 05:47 AM
- 568 views
Experience leads to the growth of new brain cells
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
How do organisms evolve into individuals that are distinguished from others by their own personal brain structure and behaviour? Scientists in Dresden, Berlin, Münster, and Saarbrücken have now taken a decisive step towards clarifying this question. Using mice as an animal model, they were able to show that individual experiences influence the development of new neurons, leading to measurable changes in the brain. The results of this study are published in Science on May 10th. The DFG-........ Read more »
Britta Grigull. (2013) Experience leads to the growth of new brain cells. Max Planck Institute for Human Development. info:/
- May 12, 2013
- 08:52 AM
- 736 views
A bright idea: Tiny injectable LEDs help neuroscientists study the brain
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
A new class of tiny, injectable LEDs is illuminating the deep mysteries of the brain.
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Washington University in St. Louis developed ultrathin, flexible optoelectronic devices – including LEDs the size of individual neurons – that are lighting the way for neuroscientists in the field of optogenetics and beyond.... Read more »
Liz Ahlberg. (2013) A bright idea: Tiny injectable LEDs help neuroscientists study the brain. University of Illinois News Bureau. info:/
Kim, T., McCall, J., Jung, Y., Huang, X., Siuda, E., Li, Y., Song, J., Song, Y., Pao, H., Kim, R.... (2013) Injectable, Cellular-Scale Optoelectronics with Applications for Wireless Optogenetics. Science, 340(6129), 211-216. DOI: 10.1126/science.1232437
- May 11, 2013
- 01:34 PM
- 923 views
Birth of a Black Hole
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
A new kind of cosmic flash may reveal something never seen before: the birth of a black hole.... Read more »
Marcus Woo. (2013) Birth of a Black Hole. Caltech news . info:/
- May 10, 2013
- 08:40 AM
- 991 views
Exotic atoms hold clues to unsolved physics puzzle at the dawn of the universe
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
An international team of physicists has found the first direct evidence of pear shaped nuclei in exotic atoms.
The findings could advance the search for a new fundamental force in nature that could explain why the Big Bang created more matter than antimatter—a pivotal imbalance in the history of everything.... Read more »
Nicole Casal Moore. (2013) Exotic atoms hold clues to unsolved physics puzzle at the dawn of the universe. The Michigan State University. info:/
- May 10, 2013
- 07:42 AM
- 804 views
Divide and define: Clues to understanding how stem cells produce different kinds of cells
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
The human body contains trillions of cells, all derived from a single cell, or zygote, made by the fusion of an egg and a sperm. That single cell contains all the genetic information needed to develop into a human, and passes identical copies of that information to each new cell as it divides into the many diverse types of cells that make up a complex organism like a human being.... Read more »
Laura J. Williams. (2013) Divide and define: Clues to understanding how stem cells produce different kinds of cells. The Michigan State University. info:/
- May 9, 2013
- 12:46 PM
- 710 views
Heart cells change stem cell behavior
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
Stem cells drawn from amniotic fluid show promise for tissue engineering, but it’s important to know what they can and cannot do. A new study by researchers at Rice University and Texas Children’s Hospital has shown that these stem cells can communicate with mature heart cells and form electrical couplings with each other similar to those found in heart tissue. But these electrical connections alone do not prompt amniotic cells to become cardiac cells.... Read more »
MIKE WILLIAMS. (2013) Heart cells change stem cell behavior. Rice University News. info:/
- May 9, 2013
- 08:36 AM
- 552 views
More Than a Good Eye: Carnegie Mellon Robot Uses Arms, Location and More To Discover Objects
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
A robot can struggle to discover objects in its surroundings when it relies on computer vision alone. But by taking advantage of all of the information available to it – an object’s location, size, shape and even whether it can be lifted – a robot can continually discover and refine its understanding of objects, say researchers at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute.... Read more »
Byron Spice. (2013) More Than a Good Eye: Carnegie Mellon Robot Uses Arms, Location and More To Discover Objects. Carnegie Mellon University News. info:/
- May 9, 2013
- 07:42 AM
- 1,150 views
Radiation Health Risks
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
The ability to gauge radiation at vanishingly low concentrations gives scientists a powerful tool for understanding ocean processes. “We can measure down to less than 1 becquerel”—one radioactive decay event per second, said Ken Buesseler, a marine chemist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. “But just because we can measure it doesn’t mean it’s necessarily harmful to human health.”... Read more »
David Pacchioli. (2013) Radiation Health Risks. WHOI Oceanus Magazine. info:/
- May 9, 2013
- 06:10 AM
- 952 views
Herschel finds hot gas on the menu for milky way’s black hole
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
ESA’s Herschel space observatory has made detailed observations of surprisingly hot molecular gas that may be orbiting or falling towards the supermassive black hole lurking at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy.... Read more »
ESA. (2013) Herschel finds hot gas on the menu for milky way's black hole. ESA Herschel. info:/
- May 9, 2013
- 04:03 AM
- 859 views
Electrifying potential
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
Alchemists never managed to change base metals into gold, but all around us microbes achieve the next best thing.
Using primitive electricity, some bacteria can change the electrical state of metals—notably iron, but also uranium, manganese, and arsenic.
And that makes them gold to University of Minnesota researchers Daniel Bond and Jeffrey Gralnick, both associate professors in the Department of Microbiology and members of the U’s BioTechnology Institute.... Read more »
UM News Office. (2013) Electrifying potential. University of Minessota. info:/
- May 8, 2013
- 02:02 PM
- 513 views
Unleashing oxygen
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
‘Superlattice’ structure could give a huge boost to oxygen reaction in fuel cells, increasing their power potential.
New research at MIT could dramatically improve the efficiency of fuel cells, which are considered a promising alternative to batteries for powering everything from electronic devices to cars and homes.... Read more »
David L. Chandler. (2013) Unleashing oxygen. MIT News. info:/
- May 8, 2013
- 07:48 AM
- 755 views
Study of new ‘bone-head’ hints at higher diversity of small dinosaurs
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
Scientists have named a new species of bone-headed dinosaur (pachycephalosaur) from Alberta, Canada. Acrotholus audeti (Ack-RHO-tho-LUS) was identified from both recently discovered and historically collected fossils. Approximately six feet long and weighing about 40 kgs in life, the newly identified plant-eating dinosaur represents the oldest bone-headed dinosaur in North America, and possibly the world. Research describing the new species is published May 7, 2013 in the journal Nature Communic........ Read more »
Eurekalert AAAS. (2013) Study of new 'bone-head' hints at higher diversity of small dinosaurs. EurekAlert AAAS. info:/
- May 8, 2013
- 06:13 AM
- 733 views
New Robotic Instruments to Provide Real-Time Data on Gulf of Maine Red Tide
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
A new robotic sensor deployed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Gulf of Maine coastal waters may transform the way red tides or harmful algal blooms (HABs) are monitored and managed in New England. The instrument was launched at the end of last month, and a second such system will be deployed later this spring.... Read more »
WHOI Media Relations Office. (2013) New Robotic Instruments to Provide Real-Time Data on Gulf of Maine Red Tide. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution . info:/
- May 8, 2013
- 04:31 AM
- 654 views
The Black Sea is a Goldmine of Ancient Genetic Data
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
When Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) marine paleoecologist Marco Coolen was mining through vast amounts of genetic data from the Black Sea sediment record, he was amazed about the variety of past plankton species that left behind their genetic makeup (i.e., the plankton paleome).... Read more »
WHOI Media Relations Office. (2013) The Black Sea is a Goldmine of Ancient Genetic Data. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. info:/
- May 7, 2013
- 04:52 PM
- 937 views
Moon rocks offer new view of lunar dynamo
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
The Moon clung to its magnetic field until at least 3.56 billion years ago, a study suggests — about 160 million years longer than scientists had thought.
That small change may be enough to rule out some ideas about how the Moon generated and held onto its ancient magnetism, through a process known as a dynamo.
“It seems like the lunar dynamo lasted very late in the Moon’s history,” says Benjamin Weiss, a palaeomagnetics expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Tech........ Read more »
Witze, A. (2013) Moon rocks offer new view of lunar dynamo. Nature. DOI: 10.1038/nature.2013.12929
- May 7, 2013
- 03:58 PM
- 631 views
Chaos proves superior to order
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
In a collaboration led by the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia, the researchers deformed mirrors in order to disrupt the regular light path in an optical cavity and, surprisingly, the resulting chaotic light paths allowed more light to be stored than with ordered paths.... Read more »
University of York Press Office. (2013) Chaos proves superior to order. University of York. info:/
- May 7, 2013
- 02:45 PM
- 707 views
New analysis suggests wind, not water, formed mound on Mars
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
A roughly 3.5-mile high Martian mound that scientists suspect preserves evidence of a massive lake might actually have formed as a result of the Red Planet’s famously dusty atmosphere, an analysis of the mound’s features suggests. If correct, the research could dilute expectations that the mound holds evidence of a large body of water, which would have important implications for understanding Mars’ past habitability.... Read more »
Morgan Kelly. (2013) New analysis suggests wind, not water, formed mound on Mars. Princeton University Office of Communications. info:/
- May 7, 2013
- 09:46 AM
- 975 views
One step closer to solar wind-powered spacecraft
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
A little over a year ago, a research team started to develop a vital part of a Finnish invention – an electric solar wind sail for interplanetary journeys. Now, a prototype has been successfully manufactured and tested.... Read more »
Anneli Waara. (2013) One step closer to solar wind-powered spacecraft. Uppsala University. info:/
- May 3, 2013
- 10:28 AM
- 781 views
Finding Nematostella: an ancient sea creature shines new light on how animals build an appendage
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
There’s a new actor on the embryology stage: the starlet sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. Its career is being launched in part by Stowers Institute for Medical Research Associate Investigator Matt Gibson, Ph.D., who is giving it equal billing with what has been his laboratory’s leading player, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.... Read more »
Stowers Institute for Medical Research. (2013) Finding Nematostella: an ancient sea creature shines new light on how animals build an appendage. Stowers Institute for Medical Research. info:/
- May 3, 2013
- 07:37 AM
- 842 views
Dark-matter detector hears first particle pops
by Perikis Livas in Chilon
The COUPP-60 dark-matter experiment has begun recording the trails of bubbles that passing particles form in its detector.... Read more »
Kelen Tuttle. (2013) Dark-matter detector hears first particle pops. Symmetry magazine. info:/
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