Deaf cats reveal secrets of super vision
Deaf people often report enhanced abilities in their remaining senses, but up until now no one has explained how this occurs. Now, researchers at The University of Western Ontario have discovered there is a causal link between enhanced visual abilities and reorganization of the part of the brain that usually handles auditory input in congenitally […]
Cheap-and-cheerful spectrometer for cell phones
University of Illinois chemistry professor Alexander Scheeline 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 in both the physical and biological sciences. Scheeline firmly believes the ultra-cheap spectrometer will foster critical thinking in students. “Science […]
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. The report explores why the United States continues to lag behind other nations when it comes […]
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. “Unfriending,” as it has become known, is the subject of a new study by researcher Christopher Sibona, from the University of Colorado Denver Business School. Sibona’s work, based on a survey […]
Study finds alarming changes in rainfall patterns
A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describes alarming changes in rainfall patterns which the researchers say indicates an out-of-kilter precipitation cycle that is leading to “rain is falling in all the wrong places, for all the wrong reasons.” The study also notes how freshwater is flowing into Earth’s oceans […]
New evidence that ADHD is genetic
The results of genetic analysis of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) published in The Lancet reveal 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. The study also found a significant overlap between these […]
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.” Female sexual dysfunction is just one of the conditions that author Ray Moynihan says big pharma has constructed in order to build global markets for new drugs. Moynihan’s […]
Newly discovered exoplanet may be habitable
Planet hunters from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the Carnegie Institution of Washington have discovered an Earth-sized planet orbiting a nearby star at a distance that places it in the “Goldilocks zone” (the orbital zone conducive to harboring life), where liquid water could exist and human habitation might be possible. The new planet […]
Fizzy drinks titillate pain receptors
University of Southern California scientists have discovered that the carbon dioxide in fizzy drinks activates the same pain sensors as mustard and horseradish, leading them to speculate that we consume soda to prove our toughness. Emily Liman, senior author of the study into carbonation’s effects, explained that it evokes two distinct sensations. “It makes things […]
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. “This is a wake-up call,” said Dr Daisy Acosta, Chairman of Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI, the non-profit international federation of 73 Alzheimer […]