Science News 2010
Here's a list of all the news articles that appeared on Science a GoGo in 2010.
22 December 2010
Genetic trait triples odds of cocaine abuse
Twenty-percent of Caucasians appear to carry a genetic variant that substantially increases their odds of being susceptible to severe cocaine abuse leading to fatal overdosing...
21 December 2010
Scientists manipulate immune system to produce "anti-Prozac"
Lending more weight to the theory that depression is linked to an inflammatory response in the brain; scientists have triggered the immune systems of mice to produce "despair-like" behavior that has similarities to depression in humans...
20 December 2010
Study identifies key aspects of music that evoke emotions in brain
Using fMRI neuroimaging, scientists have identified key aspects of musical performance that cause emotion-related brain activity, and they have shown for the first time how these small nuances work in the brain, in real-time...
17 December 2010
Ecstasy's empathogenic properties revealed to be a sham
Researchers exploring the use of MDMA (ecstasy) in psychotherapy have discovered that the drug distorts one's perception of others rather than producing true empathy...
16 December 2010
Stroke, brain injury treated with turmeric
A synthetic derivative of the spice turmeric has been found to dramatically improve the behavioral and molecular deficits seen in animal models of ischemic stroke and traumatic brain injury...
15 December 2010
Male circumcision for HIV prevention creates new dilemmas
An increase in high risk behaviors and a false belief in HIV immunity are just two of the issues that health agencies are facing in the wake of preventative male circumcisions in Africa...
14 December 2010
Diet shown to trigger mental illness
Changes in diet have previously been linked to a reduction of abnormal behaviors in mentally ill people, but a new study shows that diet can also trigger the onset of mental illness in the first place...
13 December 2010
Meditation as effective as antidepressants
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy - using meditation - provides equivalent protection against depressive relapse as antidepressant medication...
10 December 2010
Country boys boast bigger junk
A European study involving more than 6,000 white males has found significant differences in penis size when comparing urban and rural populations...
9 December 2010
Scientists create offspring from same-sex parents
Using stem cell technology, reproductive scientists have produced male and female mice from two fathers. The milestone opens the provocative possibility of same-sex couples having their own genetic children...
8 December 2010
Hygiene Hypothesis linked to depression
Rates of depression in younger people have steadily grown to outnumber rates of depression in older populations and researchers think it may be because of a loss of healthy bacteria contributing to an inflammatory response in the brain...
7 December 2010
Mating choices driven by bacteria?
In a discovery that has implications for our understanding of natural selection, scientists have shown that symbiotic bacteria can greatly influence a host body's choice of mate...
6 December 2010
Season of birth defines personality, but it's "not astrology," say researchers
The season in which babies are born can have a dramatic effect on their future propensity to neurological disorders as well as their overall personality and general mood...
3 December 2010
Strumpet gene writes infidelity into DNA
Individuals with a certain genetic variant are more likely to have a history of uncommitted sex, including one-night stands and acts of infidelity, say US researchers...
2 December 2010
Vintage goods a toxic threat to hipsters
Toys, home décor items, crockery, architectural salvage, kitchen utensils and jewelry purchased through antique stores, junk shops and thrift sales have been found to contain surface lead concentrations more than 700 times higher than the federal limit...
1 December 2010
Attractiveness a significant handicap for working women
A new research paper; "Are Good-Looking People More Employable?" found that a double standard exists where attractive men are much more likely to be successful in finding a job than good looking women...
30 November 2010
A biomarker for suicidal tendencies?
The radical notion that depression is caused by inflammation of the brain is gaining traction in neuroscience circles and has prompted some European researchers to look more closely at the biochemistry of those who have made violent suicide attempts to try and isolate a biochemical marker to identify potential suicides...
29 November 2010
Academics bemoan Google's lack of transparency and the homogenization of information
Google's monopolization of online academic search and lack of transparency is leading to less information diversity, say European scientists who warn that the production of scientific knowledge is "way too important to leave to companies and intelligent machines"...
25 November 2010
High protein low GI diet wins weight loss test
Which diet is the most effective for shedding weight? According to researchers who have just completed the world's largest study into diet, one that is high in proteins with less starch calories is the optimum way to lose weight and maintain a healthy BMI...
24 November 2010
Cloud confusion vexes global warming predictions
Estimates of global warming vary widely in large part due to the difficulty of modeling clouds and their effects. Now, as climatologists race to compile better cloud atlases, new research shows that current predictions of global temperature rise may be dramatically under-estimated...
23 November 2010
New test estimates age from blood sample
Using measures of T cell diversity, scientists from the Netherlands have devised a test that estimates the age of crime suspects or missing persons from blood collected at the scene of a crime...
22 November 2010
More of oxytocin's effects revealed
New experiments with oxytocin, known as the love hormone because of its importance in bonding between romantic partners and mothers and children, have shown it to have a profound influence on value judgments as well as feelings of well-being and our sensitivity to advertising...
19 November 2010
Getting to grips with spookiness
Physicists say they have found an equation which shows that non-locality and uncertainty, the two defining properties of quantum physics, are quantitatively linked and that the "amount" of non-locality is determined by the uncertainty principle...
18 November 2010
DoD-funded study pooh-poohs rare earth shortage
At current consumption rates, known deposits of rare earth elements in the United States are sufficient for 1,300 years, according to the first-ever nationwide estimate of these elements by the U.S. Geological Survey...
17 November 2010
Chaos computing researcher touts new silicon "chaogate"
Seeking to exploit the vast pattern formation properties of chaotic systems, a team of chaos computing researchers has created a silicon alternative to the conventional computer logic gate - the "chaogate"...
16 November 2010
Consumers' brains muddled by zero
Why does a one percent credit card interest rate appear more attractive to consumers than a zero percent rate? A new study finds that consumers are often flummoxed when it comes to the concept of zero...
15 November 2010
Vitamin D brouhaha gets heavy
While public health professionals continue to argue about whether current federal standards for vitamin D intake are too low, a new study has linked vitamin D deficiency to abnormal weight gain in children...
12 November 2010
Revealed! The elegant physics of cat lapping
The gravity-defying grace and exquisite balance of our feline friends extends to the way they lap-up their milk; which turns out to be a perfect balance between two physical forces...
11 November 2010
Paracetamol use linked to asthma and male infertility
New evidence has emerged that the use of paracetamol and other painkillers during pregnancy may be part of the reason for the increase in male reproductive disorders in recent decades, while another study has strengthened the link between maternal paracetamol use and infant asthma...
10 November 2010
Animal kingdom's testicle king revealed
Researchers in the UK believe they have found which species has the largest testicles in relation to body weight on the planet, and also why such gargantuan gonads are needed...
9 November 2010
Nanogenerator powers conventional electronics
Electronic gadgets that don't require charging are a step closer after the successful demonstration of a nanoscale generator that produces enough electricity from mechanical movement to power a LCD display...
8 November 2010
Religious ritual drives natural selection
A centuries-old religious ceremony carried out in a southern Mexican cave has led to evolutionary changes in a species of fish that dwell in the cave...
5 November 2010
Obesity to affect at least 42 percent of adults, say Harvard researchers
Mathematical models of social contagion suggest that America's obesity epidemic won't plateau until at least 42 percent of adults are obese and that social networks are largely to blame...
4 November 2010
Holographic video transmitted via Ethernet
Researchers at the University of Arizona have developed a holographic system that can transmit a series of 3D images in near-real-time. The monochromatic system is limited to a refresh rate of 0.5 frames/second but the developers say it is a precursor to full-blown holographic videoconferencing...
3 November 2010
BPA levels in US foods assessed for first time
Concerns over the gender-bending effects of plastic food packaging may be overstated. Measuring Bisphenol A (BPA) levels in a range of canned and plastic-wrapped foodstuffs, scientists found amounts that were almost 1,000 times lower than the "tolerable daily intake" levels set by the EPA and the European Food Safety Authority...
2 November 2010
Evergreen agriculture emerges as Africa's key to food security
Crop production occurring under a full canopy of trees sounds counter-intuitive, but a unique acacia known as a "fertilizer tree" is allowing African farmers to triple maize yields...
1 November 2010
Modern concerns echoed in ancient papyrus
The annual Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists contains some fascinating insights into what concerned ancient Egyptian minds; miracle medical cures, religious confusion, and monetary safeguards - involving cabbages...
29 October 2010
No shortage of neo-Earths
One of astronomy's current goals is to determine the number of sun-like stars that have an earth-like planet. Now, a new guesstimate from the University of California - Berkeley puts that number at a very high 1-in-4...
28 October 2010
Noise doubles heart disease risk
A persistently noisy workplace more than doubles an employee's risk of serious heart disease, suggest new findings in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine...
27 October 2010
Gender-bending pollutants' impact quantified
A four year study from the UK has shown that the effects of hormone-like pollutants are very damaging to fish populations, reducing their reproductive performance by up to 76 percent...
26 October 2010
New Arctic shipping routes will accelerate warming
As the Arctic Ocean warms and ice-packs retreat, shipping traffic will increase as new routes open up, but these new trade routes will come at a price as maritime engine exhaust particles will dramatically increase Arctic warming...
24 October 2010
Love the pain away
Passionate, intense feelings of love can provide amazingly effective pain relief, claims a new Stanford University School of Medicine study which compares the physiological effects of love to opiates or cocaine...
21 October 2010
Depression caused by brain inflammation?
A radical new theory about chronic depression suggests that the debilitating mental state originates from ancient mechanisms used by the body to deal with physical injury, such as pain and tissue repair...
20 October 2010
One-way Mars missions mooted
Fancy watching the sun rise over Olympus Mons? Or perhaps taking a stroll across the vast plains of the Vastitas Borealis? The only catch is you can never return to Earth...
19 October 2010
Uh-oh, placebo
In clinical trials for new drugs, the contents of the placebo are disclosed in only about 10 percent of cases, leading one researcher to question the lack of standards in placebo formulation and the appropriateness of drug companies providing their own placebos for trials...
18 October 2010
New optics capture exoplanet 63 million light years distant
New optical technology has allowed an international team of astronomers to obtain images of an exoplanet in the Beta Pictoris system 63 million light years away...
12 October 2010
Lighten up to get heavy
Regular exposure to light at night may lead to weight gain, even without changes in food intake or physical activity, according to new research conducted with mice...
11 October 2010
Deaf cats reveal secrets of super vision
Cats, which are the only animals besides humans that can be born deaf, have provided researchers with important insights into how deaf people develop significantly enhanced visual capabilities...
8 October 2010
Cheap-and-cheerful spectrometer for cell phones
A US chemistry professor has written software that turns a cell phone with a camera into a spectrometer, one of the most widely used instruments in chemistry for identifying and quantifying materials...
7 October 2010
Americans' lagging life expectancy blamed on healthcare system
Obesity, smoking and homicides aren't to blame, claims a new report "What Changes in Survival Rates Tell Us About U.S. Health Care." Instead, the costly, specialized and fragmented U.S. healthcare system is responsible for Americans' relatively poor life expectancy...
6 October 2010
Top reasons for Facebook unfriending revealed
Researchers spend a lot of time examining how people form friendships online, but little has been known about how those relationships end, until now...
5 October 2010
Study finds alarming changes in rainfall patterns
Researchers say the precipitation cycle is "accelerating dangerously" because of greenhouse gas-fueled higher temperatures and "rain is falling in all the wrong places, for all the wrong reasons"...
4 October 2010
New evidence that ADHD is genetic
Genetic analysis of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) revealed they were more likely to have small segments of their DNA duplicated or missing, lending new weight to the unfashionable theory that ADHD is a brain disorder with genetic links...
1 October 2010
Sex, Lies and Pharmaceuticals
Female sexual dysfunction is a construct of the pharmaceutical industry, asserts a new book that claims "drug marketing is merging with medical science in a frightening way..."
30 September 2010
Newly discovered exoplanet may be habitable
Planet hunters have discovered an Earth-sized planet orbiting a nearby star at a distance that places it in the habitable zone, where liquid water could exist and human habitation might be possible...
29 September 2010
Fizzy drinks titillate pain receptors
Scientists have discovered that the carbon dioxide in fizzy drinks activates the same pain sensors as mustard and horseradish, leading them to speculate that the consumption of soda is "a macho thing"...
28 September 2010
Report reveals enormous global cost of Alzheimer's
Already costing 1 percent of global GDP and growing rapidly, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias are the single most significant health and social crisis of the 21st century, warns a new multinational report...
27 September 2010
Artificial leaf generates electricity
Solar cells that mimic nature have been created at North Carolina State University where water-gel-based artificial leaves containing chlorophyll produce electricity...
24 September 2010
Groundwater depletion accelerating worldwide
A new assessment of the planet's subterranean reservoirs shows the highest rates of depletion in the world's major agricultural centers, including northwest India, northeastern China, Pakistan, California and the Midwestern United States. The researchers also found that extracted groundwater is adding significantly to sea-level rise...
23 September 2010
Human-powered ornithopter flaps into record books
"Snowbird", a human-powered aircraft with flapping wings, has become the first of its kind to be capable of sustained flight, say its creators at the University of Toronto. The ornithopter maintained both altitude and airspeed for 19 seconds, and covered a distance of 145 meters at an average speed of 26 kilometers per hour...
22 September 2010
Neanderthal innovation surprises archaeologists
It was previously believed that Neanderthals developed tools and ornaments solely through contact with supposedly more advanced Homo sapiens, but new research shows that these sturdy ancestors could adapt, innovate and evolve technology on their own...
20 September 2010
Scientists uncover Homer Simpson gene
Deleting a certain gene in mice (one that is also found in humans) makes them smarter, but the Emory University researchers who discovered the "Homer Simpson gene" are cautious about its potential to enhance cognition in humans, saying that very little is known about the mysterious region of the brain the gene is linked to...
17 September 2010
Placebo a turn-on for women
Many women with low sex drives reported significant increases in sexual satisfaction after taking a placebo, according to new research from The University of Texas...
15 September 2010
Artificial ovary nurtures human eggs to maturity
Using a 3D Petri dish, researchers have built an artificial human ovary that can grow precursor cells into mature human eggs in the laboratory...
14 September 2010
Infant diet predicts adult love-life
For male infants, rapid weight gain in the first six months of life predicts a future where they will be taller, more muscled, stronger, have more sex partners and higher levels of testosterone than the average male...
13 September 2010
Pressure-sensitive crystalline semiconductor used to create artificial skin
Engineers have developed a pressure-sensitive electronic material from semiconductor nanowires that will help overcome a key challenge in robotics: adapting the amount of force needed to hold and manipulate a wide range of objects...
10 September 2010
Robots taught to deceive
Researchers have developed algorithms that allow a robot to determine whether it should deceive a human or other intelligent machine and which techniques to use for the best deceptive strategy...
9 September 2010
Is irrigation masking our warming climate?
Irrigation has made it possible to feed the world's population, and it may also be temporarily counteracting the effects of climate change in some regions, say scientists in a new study...
8 September 2010
Words decoded from brain signals
In an early step toward letting severely paralyzed people speak with their thoughts, researchers have translated brain signals into words using two grids of 16 microelectrodes implanted beneath the skull but atop the brain...
7 September 2010
Magic mushrooms a hit with cancer patients
Psilocybin, an hallucinogen found in magic mushrooms, can effectively and safely improve the moods of patients with advanced-stage cancer who are also suffering anxiety, claims a new study in the Archives of General Psychiatry...
6 September 2010
MIT scientists create self-assembling solar cell
One of the problems with common photovoltaic cells is that the sun's rays can be highly destructive to the materials used in the cell, leading to a gradual degradation of its performance. But plants have adopted an interesting strategy to address this issue: They constantly break down their light-capturing molecules and reassemble them from scratch, so the basic structures that capture the sun's energy are, in effect, always new and at optimum efficiency. Now, MIT scientists have succeeded in mimicking a key aspect of that process...
3 September 2010
Bright light at night carcinogenic
A new study confirms the theory that bright artificial lighting at night disrupts the body's production of melatonin and increases susceptibility to prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women...
2 September 2010
Intriguing evidence of charitable behavior in bacteria
Scientists have observed that in certain populations of bacteria, antibiotic resistant strains will release chemicals to assist weaker bacteria to survive, a finding that provides important insights into bacterial complexity and antibiotic resistance...
31 August 2010
First human communities may have originated from funeral feasts
Scientists working at a 12,000 year-old archeological site in Israel say they have evidence that ancient feasts to celebrate the burial of the dead brought about the world's first established communities...
30 August 2010
Scientists revisit Tesla's electricity-from-air ideas
Harnessing the electrical power that is generated naturally when water vapor collects on microscopic particles of dust and other material in the air could provide an alternative to solar power and reduce the incidence of lightning strikes, say scientists...
27 August 2010
Shortage of medical isotopes at crisis point
Radioactive isotopes are used to perform tens of millions of medical scans and treatments every year, but scientists this week said a global shortage of these materials will likely jeopardize patient care and drive-up health care costs...
26 August 2010
Solar flares spookily linked to radioactive decay on Earth
Researchers have found that the radioactive decay of some elements sitting in laboratories on Earth seems to be influenced by activities inside the sun, 93 million miles away. This surprising finding, they speculate, may indicate a previously unknown particle emitted by the sun...
25 August 2010
Astronomers detect distant solar system with five planets
Astronomers have discovered a planetary system 127 light-years away that contains at least five planets that orbit a star at distances that follow a regular pattern much like our own solar system...
24 August 2010
Water, the simplest appetite control method
An appetite control agent that requires no prescription, has no side-effects and costs almost nothing? A new clinical trial has confirmed that just two 8-ounce glasses of the stuff, taken before meals, enables people to shed pounds. The new miracle elixir? Water...
23 August 2010
Could oxytocin levels identify high risk parents?
It was known that birth and lactation boost oxytocin levels in new mothers and now researchers have found a link between oxytocin in new fathers and the quality of interactions they have with their new offspring; an association, say the researchers, that could help identify high risk parents...
20 August 2010
New link found between yoga and "feel-good" brain chemical
After finding a link between yoga postures and increased gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) levels in the brain, researchers suggest that yoga may be superior to other forms of exercise in its positive effect on mood and anxiety...
19 August 2010
Prehistoric "terror bird" jabbed prey like a boxer
Andalgalornis couldn't fly, but it used its unusually large, rigid skull - together with a hawk-like hooked beak - for a fighting strategy reminiscent of boxer Muhammad Ali. The agile creature repeatedly attacked and retreated, landing well-targeted, hatchet-like jabs to take down its prey...
17 August 2010
New insight into matter-antimatter conundrum
Physicists have observed that short-lived B meson particles produced from proton collisions break down into debris that includes slightly more matter than antimatter, just the sort of matter/antimatter asymmetry that could explain the prevalence of matter over antimatter in the universe...
16 August 2010
Body dysmorphia not improved by cosmetic surgery
A new study has found that while many who suffer from body dysmorphic disorder seek cosmetic procedures, only 2 percent of procedures actually reduced the severity of the psychiatric disorder. Physicians, however, continue to provide requested surgeries to people suffering from the condition despite the poor outcomes...
13 August 2010
Oral sex study worries health experts
According to new Canadian research, one-third of women find fellatio empowering and half regard oral sex as less intimate than intercourse. Of more concern, however, is the finding that more than 80 percent of 18-25 year olds don't use protection when engaging in oral sex...
12 August 2010
French boffins find optimum way to pour champagne
French scientists may have finally settled a long-standing disagreement over the best way to pour a glass of champagne, reporting that pouring a well-chilled bubbly in an angled, down-the-side way is best for preserving taste and fizz...
11 August 2010
Cambrian explosion linked to rapid super-continent shift
Geologists have uncovered evidence that the Gondwana supercontinent underwent a rapid 60-degree rotation across the Earth's surface during the Early Cambrian period, a crucial time in Earth's evolutionary history when most of the major groups of complex animals appeared...
9 August 2010
Last ditch appeal to save irreplaceable seed bank from bulldozers
A frantic appeal has been made directly to the Russian government to save an extraordinarily diverse seed collection located near St. Petersburg from real estate developers. Because the Pavlovsk Fruit and Berry Collection is "priceless," argue the developers, no monetary value can be assigned to it, thus it is essentially worthless...
6 August 2010
Sperm quality found to plummet with BPA exposure
In the first human study of its kind, researchers have found that the controversial plastics chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) appears to be linked to decreased sperm quality and concentration...
5 August 2010
Ovulating women buy sexier clothes
Ovulating women unconsciously buy sexier clothes, doing so not to impress men, say the researchers, but to outdo rival women during the handful of days each month when they are ovulating...
4 August 2010
Women more likely to bed men in red
Red is typically thought of as a sexy color for women only, but a new study suggests that the link between the color red and sex also applies to men...
3 August 2010
Sun-storm to hit within 24 hours
Sky watchers might get to enjoy some spectacular Northern Lights tomorrow, thanks to a massive explosion on the surface of the Sun that blasted a huge quantity of plasma directly at the Earth...
2 August 2010
Surgery linked to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
A Spanish study has found a significant correlation between the risk of certain neurological diseases and surgical procedures. The findings follow on from a separate study that showed that disease causing prions can form when brain tissue is exposed to iron...
30 July 2010
Graphene stress produces gigantic pseudo-magnetic fields
Researchers have reported the creation of pseudo-magnetic fields far stronger than the strongest magnetic fields ever sustained in a laboratory - just by putting the right kind of strain onto a patch of graphene...
28 July 2010
Primates on The Pill find it hard to pull
Hormonal contraceptives change the ways in which captive ring-tailed lemurs relate to one another sexually, leading the researchers to speculate that The Pill could also be influencing human mate choice...
27 July 2010
Mad cow disease... sans cow!
In a startling new study, scientists have shown for the first time that abnormal prions - fragments of infectious protein that can cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease - can erupt from healthy brain tissue...
26 July 2010
HIV preventative effect too small to justify circumcision, claims new study
Previous studies carried out in Africa indicated circumcision to be effective in limiting the spread of HIV, but new research suggests circumcision would have a very small effect on reducing HIV incidence in the United States...
16 July 2010
Finally! Something that eats jellyfish
Jellyfish have few predators and the increasing incidence of ocean "dead zones" around the world has seen jellyfish populations explode in recent years. Now, however, ocean scientists have identified a common fish species that likes nothing better than jellyfish for dinner...
14 July 2010
Stroke me, baby! Touching body-parts can prevent stroke damage, suggests study
The most common type of stroke can be completely prevented in rats by stimulating a single whisker, say University of California researchers who suggest that stimulation of the fingers, lips or face could all have a similar effect in humans...
13 July 2010
Acoustic fabric functions as speaker and microphone
MIT researchers have announced a new milestone on the path to functional-fiber fabrics: acoustic threads that can both detect and produce sound. Applications touted include clothes that function as sensitive microphones, for capturing speech or monitoring bodily functions...
12 July 2010
Clever cats use mimicry when hunting
In a fascinating example of vocal mimicry, researchers have documented for the first time a wild cat species imitating the call of its intended victim: a small, squirrel-sized monkey...
9 July 2010
Alzheimer's breakthrough: A chemical to make brain cells grow
"It was blind luck," say the researchers who discovered a chemical that makes new neurons grow in the part of the brain that is integral to learning and memory...
8 July 2010
Cougar sex drive an evolutionary adaptation
As a woman's fertility begins to wane, the brain ramps up the libido in what researchers call "reproduction expediting," an adaptive response that makes women more willing to engage in one-night stands and adventurous sexual behavior in an effort capitalize on their remaining childbearing years...
7 July 2010
Romantic rejection triggers reward and addiction centers in the brain
The pain and anguish of rejection by a romantic partner trigger activity in the parts of the brain associated with motivation, reward and addiction cravings, according to a study that has implications for understanding why the feelings related to rejection can lead to stalking, homicide and suicide...
6 July 2010
Adult testicular function affected by exposure in womb to BPA
Low-level exposure in the womb to the plastic chemical bisphenol A (BPA) can harm testicular function into adulthood, according to a new study that adds to the growing list of concerns about the ubiquitous chemical...
5 July 2010
Super-high pressures used to create super "battery"
Using super-high pressures similar to those found deep in the Earth, researchers have created a compact, never-before-seen material that they say is the "most condensed form of energy storage outside of nuclear energy"...
2 July 2010
Hair we are! Hair-strands record travels
Scientists can now identify the geographic locations you have visited by measuring the chemical traces in your hair strands left by the food and beverages you consume...
30 June 2010
Brewing a primordial broth on Titan
Replicating the atmosphere of Titan and blasting it with UV light has allowed researchers to create organic macromolecules that they think are a model for the chemistry of pre-life Earth...
29 June 2010
Transform! Origami robots self-fold
Researchers have demonstrated a concept they call "origami robotics" using a single thin sheet composed of interconnected triangular sections that can transform itself into different shapes...
28 June 2010
Fundamental misreading of cell signaling revealed
In new research that will impact our understanding of basic biological processes, scientists have discovered that the way cells "talk" to each other is far more complicated and nuanced than previously thought...
25 June 2010
Tactile sensations have profound effect on decision making
A comfortable chair makes a person more amenable to negotiation and a heavy clipboard makes a resume more substantive. Fascinating new research shows that we are heavily influenced by our sense of touch...
23 June 2010
Expolanet's winds blow at 10,000 kmh
Astronomers have measured a superstorm for the first time in the atmosphere of the exoplanet HD209458b, where carbon monoxide winds blow at 10,000 km per hour from the hot day side to the cooler night side of the planet...
22 June 2010
Synthetic antibodies successfully tested in mice
Researchers have created the first "plastic antibodies" to be successfully employed in live organisms - stopping the spread of bee venom through the bloodstream of mice. The revolutionary technique can be used to fight a range of lethal toxins and pathogens...
21 June 2010
Male menopause mostly mythical
Although there has been a 400 percent surge in testosterone therapy prescriptions, European researchers say that the so-called male menopause is relatively rare, affecting only 2 percent of men, and that most symptomatic men are simply in poor health...
18 June 2010
Sense of direction hard-wired into brain
First suggested by 18th century philosopher Immanuel Kant, scientists now have empirical evidence for the theory that a pre-wired spatial framework is present in mammalian brains...
17 June 2010
Pollutants make free-range eggs less healthy
Free-range eggs may not be as healthy as consumers think, with new research showing alarmingly high levels of dioxins in free-range eggs compared to cage or barn laid eggs...
16 June 2010
Study suggests the war on drugs might really be a war on sex
Why is there so much heated argument about whether the use of recreational drugs is morally wrong? A new study suggests that the debate about drugs might really be about sex...
15 June 2010
Autism risk tripled with IVF
IVF and other assisted fertility treatments may be solving one problem by creating another, suggests a researcher from Tel Aviv University who found a strong link between IVF and mild to moderate cases of autism...
14 June 2010
Mars' missing water
Scientists have uncovered fresh evidence for a massive ocean that once covered a third of Mars' surface. But the big question is where did all the water go?
11 June 2010
Exoplanet orbit tracked
For the first time, astronomers have been able to directly follow the motion of an exoplanet as it moves to the other side of its host star...
10 June 2010
Personality traits predict fertility
The reproductive success of both men and women is influenced by our personality traits, say scientists who found that women with higher levels of neuroticism were likely to give birth to a larger number of children...
9 June 2010
New evidence for hot climate forcing early humans to walk upright
The Turkana Basin in Kenya, where the average daily temperature has been around 100 degrees for the past 4 million years, may have been the place where humans first began to walk upright...
8 June 2010
Sexsomnia linked to illicit drug use
Nearly 1-in-10 sleep center patients report sexsomnia incidents and researchers say there is an association between sexsomnia and recreational drug use...
4 June 2010
Markedly higher risk of suicide in men with low IQ scores
Even after adjusting for factors such as age and socioeconomic status, researchers found that men with lower IQ scores were significantly more likely to have attempted suicide at least once - usually by taking an overdose of medication...
3 June 2010
Scientists' frustration with frustration at an end
Frustration, the term used to describe a system's interacting components when they cannot settle into a state that minimizes each interaction, has been extremely difficult to study because even systems with few components have interactions so complex that they cannot be modeled effectively on the most powerful computers. Now, however, a team of researchers has simulated frustration in a quantum system in a precisely controllable experimental arrangement. The breakthrough should provide new insights into a host of puzzling phenomena that affect systems from neural networks and social structures to protein folding and magnetism...
1 June 2010
New target for mood meds
The slow-working, scatter-gun style of current antidepressants may become a thing of the past, thanks to new research that has identified the specific serotonin receptor that is linked to anti-depressive and anti-anxiety behavior...
31 May 2010
Breakthrough in Ebola treatment
Using genetic particles known as small interfering RNAs, scientists have halted the replication process of the deadly Ebola virus in monkeys; a breakthrough that the researchers say should be reproducible in humans...
28 May 2010
Bone marrow transplant cures mental illness
For the first time, a team of geneticists has shown that there is a direct cause-and-effect link between a psychiatric disorder and the immune system, a discovery that could herald new treatments for mental illness...
27 May 2010
Shark attack stats highlight risk of B&W Speedos
An analysis of shark attacks in the US has found that attacks are most likely to occur on a Sunday, in less than 6 feet of water, during a new moon and involve surfers wearing black and white bathing suits...
26 May 2010
Virus-fungus combo behind honeybee collapse?
A group of pathogens including a fungus and family of viruses may be working together to cause the decline in honeybees known as colony collapse disorder...
25 May 2010
Soil bacterium enhances brain's ability to learn
Researchers say that the bacterium Mycobacterium vaccae, already believed to have antidepressant qualities, could also improve the brain's ability to learn new tasks...
24 May 2010
First observation of Brownian instantaneous velocity
A hundred years after Albert Einstein said we would never be able to observe the instantaneous velocity of tiny particles undergoing Brownian motion, a group of Texan physicists has done so...
21 May 2010
Synthetic genome successfully transplanted into cell
Scientists have created the first cell controlled by a synthetic genome, a feat that will allow researchers to probe the basic machinery of life and to engineer custom-designed bacteria...
20 May 2010
Anomalous supernova puzzles astronomers
Supernova 2005E, discovered five years ago by the University of California's Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope, is a calcium-rich supernova that defies categorization, leading astronomers to speculate that it may hint at new and unusual physics...
19 May 2010
Ball lightning all in the mind, say physicists
Physicists have shown that the magnetic fields produced by lightning discharges have the same properties as transcranial magnetic stimulation, a technique used in psychiatry that can produce images of luminous shapes in the brain...
18 May 2010
New hypothesis links smallpox vaccination and HIV
Smallpox immunization may confer protection against HIV, say researchers who suggest that the end of smallpox vaccination in the mid-20th century may have caused the rapid contemporary spread of HIV...
14 May 2010
Risky business and a woman's touch
Participants in a financial simulation were inclined to throw caution to the wind if a female experimenter patted them on the back, whereas similar patting from a male researcher had no effect...
13 May 2010
Molecular "robot" built from DNA
A team of scientists have programmed an autonomous molecular "robot" made out of DNA to start, move, turn, and stop while following a DNA track...
12 May 2010
Intergalactic gas cloud could hold universe's "missing" matter
Astronomers have new evidence that a vast reservoir of hot, diffuse gas about 400 million light years from Earth could contain the "missing matter" of the universe...
11 May 2010
Robustness of quantum entanglement in photosynthesis surprises researchers
Scientists have conducted the first study in which quantum entanglement has been examined and quantified in a real biological system...
10 May 2010
HIV non-progressors have super-charged T cells
A new study shows that individuals with the HLA B57 gene produce larger numbers of T cells that are cross-reactive, meaning they can attack HIV mutations that arise to escape activated killer T cells...
7 May 2010
Antioxidant supplements found to induce genetic abnormalities
A chance discovery by Cedars-Sinai researchers has shown that high doses of antioxidant nutritional supplements can increase genetic abnormalities in cells, which may predispose the supplement-takers to cancer...
6 May 2010
Organic farming "a luxury we can't afford," concludes UK report
Organic farming is perceived as wildlife friendly, but the benefits to birds, bees and butterflies don't compensate for the lower yields produced, according to a new study from the University of Leeds...
5 May 2010
Depth-of-field irrelevant with omni-focus camera
Based on an entirely new distance-mapping principle, the omni-focus lensing system delivers automatic real-time focus of both near and far field images, simultaneously, in high resolution...
4 May 2010
Centrifuge made from a salad spinner for developing countries
Two Rice University undergraduates have turned a simple salad spinner into a rudimentary centrifuge that medical clinics in developing countries can use to separate blood without electricity...
3 May 2010
Ancient glaciation period yields clues to carbon cycle anomalies
A massive glaciation event - triggered by the geological episode known as "snowball Earth" - that occurred around 720 million years ago is yielding important clues as to how anomalies in Earth's carbon cycle can occur...
30 April 2010
Oxytocin found to impact learning processes
Released on a massive scale during orgasm, the neuropeptide oxytocin is also known to trigger childbirth and strengthen the emotional bond between a mother and new-born child. Now, researchers have found that it can also have a dramatic effect on men's emotional empathy and learning processes...
29 April 2010
Discovery of asteroid water hints at oceans' origins
Scientists have detected a thin layer of water ice and organic molecules on the surface of the asteroid 24 Themis, a finding that adds weight to the theory that Earth's oceans resulted from an asteroid impact...
28 April 2010
Soda drinks found to accelerate signs of aging
New research shows that the phosphates in popular sodas accelerate signs of aging and may also increase the prevalence of age-related complications such as kidney disease, cardiovascular calcification and skin atrophy...
27 April 2010
Atomic spin captured in image
The use of atomic spin to create nanoscale magnetic storage devices - a field known as spintronics - is a hot topic in physics and computing, but until now no one had actually seen the spin...
26 April 2010
International team claim organic computing breakthrough
A research team from Japan and the US has replicated the problem-solving actions of neurons in an organic molecular layer that they say is massively parallel and self-healing - the first time such a brain-like circuit has been created...
23 April 2010
Sex appeal as important as education?
"Erotic capital" is the implicit but powerful commodity that can count just as much as educational qualifications in the labor market, politics, media or the arts, argues a new study...
22 April 2010
Physicists get a glimpse of fault-tolerant qubits
Rice University physicists have uncovered a bizarre state of matter which possesses what the researchers call a "quantum registry," making it immune to information loss from external quantum perturbations...
21 April 2010
Cold weather and prostate cancer: are pollutants the connection?
Cold, dry weather has been linked to an increased incidence of prostate cancer and researchers believe that the way in which weather patterns interact with persistent organic pollutants may be the underlying factor...
20 April 2010
Eating disorders lurking in most women
When women with eating disorders viewed an image of an overweight person, MRI scans revealed their brains "lighting up" in ways that suggested extreme unhappiness and self-loathing. But the researchers were astonished to observe the same responses from women with no history of eating disorders and no apparent body image issues...
19 April 2010
Neural implant "melts" onto brain
Scientists have developed a brain implant that essentially melts into place, snugly fitting to the brain's surface. According to the development team, the ultrathin flexible implants, made partly from silk, can record brain activity more faithfully than thicker implants embedded with similar electronics...
16 April 2010
Climatologists ponder Earth's missing heat
Astonishingly, climatologists can't account for roughly half of the heat that is believed to have built up on the Earth in recent years. "The heat will come back to haunt us sooner or later," lament the scientists, who hypothesize that this "missing" heat may be building up in the deepest parts of the oceans...
15 April 2010
Cheap-and-cheerful memristor tech set to spur AI research
The recent demonstration of mass-produced memristors performing stateful logic operations and their likely application in an artificially rendered memory and learning process known as "spike timing dependent plasticity" will make memristors the must-have tinkertoy for AI researchers...
14 April 2010
Electricity generated directly from photosynthesis
Scientists have "wired up" algae to harness a tiny electric current directly from the plant during photosynthesis; an achievement which could lead to the highly efficient generation of bioelectricity with no carbon byproducts...
13 April 2010
"Striking" link between omega-3 fatty acid and male fertility
The dramatic effect that a little-known omega-3 fatty acid has on sperm may have important implications for treating male infertility, say University of Illinois scientists...
12 April 2010
Artificial photosynthesis: modified virus splits water
MIT researchers have found a novel way to mimic the process by which plants use sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. They used a modified virus as a "biological scaffold" that can assemble the nanoscale components needed to split a water molecule into hydrogen and oxygen atoms...
9 April 2010
Autism may be reversible thanks to newly identified DNA "tag"
Scientists have discovered that drugs which affect the methylation state (so-called "DNA tagging") of genes could reverse autism's effects...
8 April 2010
Molecular gastronomy gets nod from scientists
A sweeping review of molecular gastronomy has identified what the researchers believe is an emerging scientific discipline which they say will foster a revolution in restaurant and home kitchens...
7 April 2010
Black hole effect created with nanotube
Harvard physicists have found that a high-voltage nanotube can cause cold atoms to spiral inward under dramatic acceleration before disintegrating violently - an atomic scale destructive force that is eerily similar to the inexorable attractive force that black holes exert on matter at the cosmic scale...
6 April 2010
Birth control residual runoff threatens fish fecundity
Fish swimming in treated waste water may become infertile thanks to potent pharma residuals. One such contraceptive leftover, the hormone levonorgestrel, was found in higher concentrations in fish than in women who take the contraceptive pill...
5 April 2010
Gonorrhea set to attain superbug status
Sexual health experts say the increase of multidrug resistance in gonorrhea raises the very real possibility that strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae resistant to all current treatment options could emerge in the near future...
31 March 2010
Toxic insects to blame for carnivorous plant decline?
British scientists say they have evidence that the consumption of insects contaminated with heavy metals may be a factor in the mysterious global decline of carnivorous plants...
30 March 2010
Magnetic field alters moral judgments
US neuroscientists have shown they can influence people's moral judgments by temporarily disrupting the right temporo-parietal junction of the brain, a finding that helps reveal how the brain constructs morality...
29 March 2010
E8 "theory of everything" looking rocky
The exceptionally simple theory of everything - known as E8 - proposed by a physicist surfer dude in 2007, does not hold water, says a rock-climbing Emory mathematician...
25 March 2010
Showers releasing a pharma cocktail into environment
The morning shower or soak in the tub have for the first time been identified as significant sources of the hormones, antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals that pollute the environment...
24 March 2010
Facial aging more than skin deep
Conventional facelifts to ward off the signs of aging are only fixing half the problem, according to researchers who say that facial bone structure - particularly the jaw bone - will be the next target for cosmetic surgeons...
23 March 2010
Meat and dairy link to global warming questioned
Public awareness campaigns such as "Meatless Mondays" and Europe's "Less Meat = Less Heat" are scientifically inaccurate, says a researcher who contends there is no evidence for repeated claims that diets rich in animal products lead to an increased production of greenhouse gases...
22 March 2010
Researchers say results from nanoparticle cancer treatment are "game changing"
Researchers have published the first proof that a targeted nanoparticle - injected directly into a patient's bloodstream - can enter into tumors, deliver double-stranded small interfering RNAs, and turn off an important cancer gene using a mechanism known as RNA interference...
19 March 2010
Checkout clerk's days numbered as printable RFID tags become a reality
Using nanotube transistors, researchers have developed a three-step process to print single-bit RFID tags - including the antenna, electrodes and dielectric layers - onto flexible plastic. The team is now working on 16-bit tags that would hold more information as well as being printable on paper...
18 March 2010
Geometry influences stem cell differentiation
Scientists have successfully used geometrically patterned surfaces to influence the development of stem cells into either fat cells or bone cells. The new approach is a radical departure from that of many stem-cell biologists, who focus instead on uncovering the role of proteins in controlling the ultimate fate of stem cells...
17 March 2010
"Fleeing galaxies" tracked deeper into universe
A new study of distant galaxy clusters mysteriously streaming at a million miles per hour towards the constellations Centaurus and Hydra has tracked this enigmatic "dark flow" to twice the distance originally reported...
16 March 2010
Chemical in bananas inhibits HIV infection
The lectin found in bananas is a potent inhibitor of HIV, a discovery that may yield new treatments to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV, say University of Michigan Medical School researchers...
15 March 2010
Opium poppy gives up its genetic secrets
Using advanced genomics techniques to probe the structure of the opium poppy, Canadian researchers have identified a gene called codeine O-dementhylase, a discovery that they say will open the door to creating micro-organisms that can produce custom-designed painkillers...
12 March 2010
Physicists to probe flu virus for macro quantum effects
European scientists have described an experiment to test for quantum superposition states in objects composed of as many as one billion atoms, specifically, a flu virus...
10 March 2010
Matrix turns opaque materials transparent
Experiments conducted by European researchers have shown that it's possible to focus light through opaque materials and detect objects hidden behind them...
9 March 2010
Popular SSRI meds and cataracts linked, say researchers
A Canadian study has linked the diagnosis of cataracts with the class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, as well as between cataracts and specific drugs within that class...
8 March 2010
Brain plasticity increased with Ritalin use
Millions of children are treated with Ritalin to improve their ability to focus on tasks, but scientists now report that Ritalin also directly enhances the speed of learning...
5 March 2010
Ozone hole could be lesser of two evils
Already classed as super-greenhouse gases, the chemicals that replaced the ozone-destroying CFCs once used in air conditioners and refrigerators also appear to break down in the upper atmosphere to form oxalic acid, one of the main culprits in acid rain...
3 March 2010
New concerns over nanosilver
Scientists have found that when nanosilver - a nanoparticle growing in popularity as a bactericidal agent - is suspended in solution, its toxicity increases tenfold, causing birth defects and death in aquatic species...
2 March 2010
SETI needs to get real, urges new book
For the last 50 years, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has been dominated by a hunt for tell-tale radio signals. But a new book suggests bold new innovations are required if we are ever to hear from our cosmic neighbors...
26 February 2010
Plastic chemical BPA found to induce epigenetic changes
Scientists from Yale have shown how the ubiquitous chemical bisphenol A (BPA) induces epigenetic changes in pregnant mice that trigger hormonal imbalances in the later life of female progeny...
25 February 2010
Astronomers cop an eyeful of giant planet's demise
An international group of astrophysicists have been documenting how the massive exoplanet known as WASP-12b is being stretched, distorted and slowly destroyed by its host star...
24 February 2010
Grizzlies moving in on polar bears' turf
Biologists have found that grizzly bears are roaming into areas that were traditionally thought of as polar bear habitats...
23 February 2010
Scientists create tiny RNA molecule with big implications
An extremely small RNA molecule created by University of Colorado scientists can catalyze a key reaction needed to synthesize proteins, lending more weight to the theory that all life on Earth evolved from primitive forms of RNA...
22 February 2010
IVF-linked chromosomal modifications prompt warning
Geneticists are recommending more rigorous health monitoring of IVF babies in later life as new research reveals links between assisted reproduction technologies and obesity and diabetes...
19 February 2010
Electric cars to moonlight as distributed power stores
With electric car numbers set to grow rapidly, scientists are exploring the potential for these vehicles to act as "distributed" storage devices for electricity which can then be fed back into the grid to create a robust and efficient electric fuel infrastructure...
18 February 2010
Revealed: new player in natural selection
The unexpected discovery of a new type of genetic variation suggests that natural selection - the force that drives evolution - is both more powerful and more complex than scientists had previously thought...
17 February 2010
Size does matter, say condom boffins
Nearly half the men who took part in a survey on condom use said they had recently experienced a badly fitting condom that resulted in breakage, slippage or penile irritation. The answer, say medicos, is to sell smaller condoms but label them as "large"...
16 February 2010
Mirror symmetry broken at 4 trillion degrees
Mirror symmetry, the behavior that normally characterizes the interactions of quarks and gluons, has been observed to break down during extremely energetic particle collisions, raising the tantalizing prospect of different symmetries governing space, time and the behavior of fundamental particles...
15 February 2010
Multiplexing technique promises quantum leap in camera performance
Researchers have developed a way of capturing high-resolution still images alongside very high-speed video - a technology based on multiple exposures that effectively turns the camera's single CCD image sensor into hundreds of virtual cameras...
12 February 2010
Researchers tracing autism's roots
New research has found that in fragile X syndrome - a genetic defect that is the best-known cause of autism - there is delayed development of the sensory cortex, the part of the brain that responds to touch, which researchers speculate may trigger a domino effect and cause further problems with the wiring of the brain...
11 February 2010
Pollinators make a beeline for caffeine and nicotine
Bees prefer nectar containing nicotine and caffeine over nectar without these substances and researchers think this could be an evolutionary development intended, as in humans, to make the bee addicted...
10 February 2010
Worm DNA preserved in tequila
Not swallowing the worm at the bottom of a bottle of mescal doesn't mean you'll avoid worminess, say scientists who have discovered that the mescal, far from destroying the DNA of the agave butterfly caterpillar, actually leeches it out of the worm and preserves it...
8 February 2010
Ability to navigate may be linked to genes
Human, animals and even fish routinely reorient themselves using landmarks and mentally visualizing the geometry of their surroundings. Now, according to new research, it appears there may also be a genetic component that plays a part in our ability to navigate the world...
5 February 2010
Samoan study reveals possible evolutionary role for homosexuality
Male homosexuality doesn't make complete sense from an evolutionary point of view but a new study suggests that it may convey an indirect benefit by enhancing the survival prospects of close relatives. The study hypothesizes that homosexual men enhance their own genetic prospects by acting altruistically toward their nieces and nephews, thereby perpetuating some of their genes indirectly through the family line...
4 February 2010
Viagra found to enhance fetal growth
Not content with erections, Pfizer have been funding left-of-field studies for other potential applications for their stiffy dysfunction treatment. The latest finding to come from Pfizer's, er, benevolence? That the drug can enhance fetal growth - at least in pregnant sheep...
3 February 2010
Facebook use associated with depression
An alarming new study provides compelling evidence that chat rooms, online gaming and social networking sites can have a serious impact on mental health, leading to moderate to severe depression in users...
2 February 2010
White paint touted as climate remedy
Painting the roofs of buildings white has the potential to significantly cool cities, say researchers who have calculated that New York City would cool by almost 2 degrees Fahrenheit in summer...
29 January 2010
Ozone hole closure not so cool
Using a new global aerosol model, climatologists have discovered a feedback effect related to the hole's closure that could actually increase warming in the southern hemisphere...
28 January 2010
Sub-fertility linked to flame retardant exposure
The first study to investigate the impact of flame retardants - commonly found in household consumer products - on human fertility has linked exposure to the chemicals with reduced fertility in women...
27 January 2010
Antioxidants found to impair muscle function
Antioxidants increasingly have been praised for their benefits against disease and aging, but new studies show they can also seriously impair muscle function by limiting oxygen in the bloodstream...
26 January 2010
Traveling into the future... with sugar
Researchers looking into how blood glucose levels impact our thought processes have found that when we have more energy available (higher levels of blood glucose), we tend to be more future-oriented in our decision-making...
25 January 2010
Stillbirth linked directly to mother's oral bacteria
Confirming long-held suspicions, a Case Western Reserve University researcher has for the first time established a direct link between a mother's gum disease and the death of her fetus...
18 January 2010
Tying light in knots
A team of physicists has used knot theory - a branch of abstract mathematics - to create holograms where light can flow in whirls and eddies, forming lines in space called optical vortices...
15 January 2010
Antiviral drugs could create "super viruses"
Medications that kill viruses by forcing their nucleic acid to mutate rapidly might actually, in some instances, cause them to emerge from the process stronger, perhaps even more virulent than before drug treatment...
14 January 2010
Male testosterone levels surge with ovulation
Instead of using perfume to attract a mate, women may be better off going au naturel, say researchers who observed surges in testosterone when men were exposed to ovulatory odors...
13 January 2010
Poker paradox: the more hands you win, the more money you lose
Analyzing more than 27 million hands, a researcher has found that the more hands players win, the less money they're likely to collect - especially when it comes to novice players...
12 January 2010
Evolution to blame for modern-day health problems?
The ongoing pressures of human evolution could explain the rise of disorders such as autism, autoimmune diseases and reproductive disorders, say scientists who believe that evolutionary perspectives should be part of medical school curricula...
11 January 2010
Gardeners half-correct about midday watering
Gardeners have always maintained that watering plants in sunlight can damage the foliage, but new research shows that it isn't quite that simple...
8 January 2010
Physicists discover golden ratio in the quantum realm
An international team of researchers have for the first time observed a nanoscale symmetry hidden in solid state matter that shows the same attributes as the well known golden ratio from art and architecture...
7 January 2010
Cell phones reverse Alzheimer's in mice
A startling new study in mice provides the first evidence that long-term exposure to the electromagnetic emissions from cell phone use may actually protect against - and even reverse - Alzheimer's disease...
6 January 2010
Hubble captures images of earliest ever galaxies
The Hubble Space Telescope has broken the distance limit for galaxies by uncovering a primordial population of ultra-blue galaxies whose light is reaching us now after 13 billion years - just 600 to 800 million years after the Big Bang...
5 January 2010
Mind and body clash over sexual arousal
In women exposed to sexual stimuli, the responses of the mind and genitals are frequently not as closely matched as men's, suggesting a split between women's bodies and minds...
4 January 2010
Prions capable of evolutionary change
Scientists have discovered that prions, the tiny infectious proteins - without DNA or RNA - that can cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases such as mad cow disease, are capable of Darwinian evolution...