Many children with autism have elevated blood levels of serotonin -- a chemical with strong links to mood and anxiety. But what relevance this "hyperserotonemia" has for autism has remained a mystery. Investigators provides a physical basis for this phenomenon, which may have profound implications for the origin of some autism-associated deficits.
Solving a long-standing biological mystery, stem cell researchers have discovered that blood stem cells, the cells that later differentiate into all the cells in the blood supply, originate and are nurtured in the placenta.
Scientists have shown that just listening to a cell phone while driving is a significant distraction, and it causes drivers to commit some of the same types of driving errors that can occur under the influence of alcohol. Brain imaging reveals drivers are distracted even if they don't talk.
Pigeons prevented from taking naps in the afternoon sleep more intensely at night. In humans, as in all mammals, sleep consists of two phases: deep, dreamless slow-wave-sleep (SWS) alternates with dream phases, called Rapid Eye Movement (REM)-sleep. Although several studies suggest that information is processed and memories are consolidated during sleep, this remains a hotly debated topic in neurobiology.
Most of us experience 'gut feelings' we can't explain, such as instantly loving -- or hating -- a new property when we're househunting or the snap judgments we make on meeting new people. Now researchers say these feelings -- or intuitions -- are real and we should take our hunches seriously.
Evolutionary biologists have re-written the animal tree of life. A new study uses new genomics tools to answer old questions about animal evolution -- and offers up a few surprises among the branches. The study involved 40 million base pairs of new DNA data taken from 29 animal species. It settles some long-standing debates about the relationships between major groups of animals and offers up a few surprises. The big shocker: Comb jellyfish -- common and extremely fragile jellies with well-developed tissues -- appear to have diverged from other animals even before the lowly sponge, which has no tissue to speak of. This finding calls into question the very root of the animal tree of life, which traditionally placed sponges at the base.
Scientists have solved a 40-year-old puzzle, identifying the origin of an intense wave in the Earth's upper atmosphere that controls the Van Allen radiation belts. These belts consist of high-energy electrons that can damage satellites and spacecraft. The source of these low-frequency radio waves in space turns out not to be lightning or instabilities from a plasma, as previously proposed, but rather an intense electromagnetic wave type called chorus, which energizes electrons.
Spring in the Rockies begins when the snowpack melts. But with the advent of global climate change, the snow is gone sooner. Some of the region's wildflowers are blooming less because of it. Three flowers found in the Rockies are far more susceptible to late frost damage when the snow melts more quickly.
The bacteria Oxalobacter formigenes (O. formigenes), a naturally occurring bacterium that has no known side effects, is associated with a 70 percent reduction in the risk of recurrent kidney stones. According to the researchers, up to 80 percent of kidney stones are predominately composed on calcium oxalate (CaOx) and urinary oxalate is a major risk factor for CaOx stone formation. O. formigenes metabolizes oxalate in the intestinal tract and is present in a large proportion of the normal adult population.
New guidelines for colorectal cancer screening have been made. The guidelines add two new tests to the list of recommended options: stool DNA (sDNA) and CT colonography (CTC), also known as virtual colonoscopy, and for the first time include a preference for screening tests that can not only detect cancer early but also detect precancerous polyps, as those tests provide a greater potential for cancer prevention through polyp removal.
The share of electricity generated by nuclear should increase beyond the current 19%, a minister says. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 6 Mar 2008 | 11:11 am
BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing is seeking weather forecasters from home and abroad to provide hourly bulletins in three languages for every event of the Olympics in August, China's top meteorological official said on Thursday.
Science correspondent James Randerson describes a computerised mind-reading technique that can predict what you are looking at by using a brain scanner Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 6 Mar 2008 | 9:01 am
The International Whaling Commission aims to find common ground between the factions at a London meeting. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 6 Mar 2008 | 1:59 am
A weed has rapidly evolved to survive the challenge of life in the concrete jungle, a study shows. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 5 Mar 2008 | 8:14 pm
A bid to exhume the remains of Galileo Galilei for DNA tests sparks a row between Church and scientists. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 5 Mar 2008 | 7:14 pm
Scientists have developed a mind-reading technique that allows them to accurately predict images being viewed by people, by using scanners to study brain activity Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 5 Mar 2008 | 5:53 pm
The Antarctic cod puts itself into a state similar to hibernation for the winter, scientists have discovered. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 5 Mar 2008 | 2:50 pm
PORONG, Indonesia (Reuters) - Gas seeping from the ground in a village hit by a mud volcano in Indonesia's East Java province is triggering safety concerns and calls for an evacuation, residents said on Wednesday.
LONDON (Reuters) - Cutting through the chatter to understand a conversation during a crowded cocktail party is a gift researchers said on Wednesday stems from how the brain distinguishes the pitch of different voices.
HONGKONG/JAKARTA (Reuters) - Bird flu virus samples that Indonesia sent to a World Health Organisation laboratory last month have not shown signs of any mutation, a health ministry spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
Our level of happiness in life is strongly influenced by the genes with which we were born, say experts. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 5 Mar 2008 | 10:50 am
Scientists say 18,000-year- old remains are not a new species, but modern humans with a growth disorder. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 5 Mar 2008 | 10:48 am
