High altitude, higher suicide risk
The current issue of the journal High Altitude Medicine & Biology contains an analysis of mortality data that reveals a…
Colored light used to control brains of GM animals
Optogenetics researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have achieved unparalleled control over the brain circuits in laboratory animals by…
Mad cow disease airborne
University of Zurich researchers have discovered that prions – the infectious proteins that can causeCreutzfeldt-Jakob (mad cow) disease – can…
Discredited MMR researcher planned business empire
Andrew Wakefield, the disgraced researcher who claimed a link between MMR vaccine and autism, planned a secret multi-national business offering…
Satellite catches thunderstorm producing antimatter bursts
Astronomers using the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope in orbit above the Earth have detected beams of antimatter produced above terrestrial…
Masculinity trumps intelligence for ovulating women
How human sexual selection evolved over time is becoming clearer with new findings from the University of Colorado at Boulder…
CO2 “inertia” makes significant climatic disruption inevitable
The first full climate simulation to make predictions out to the year 3000 indicates that even if zero CO2emissions were…
Benefits of breastfeeding last into adolescence
Breastfeeding appears to confer advantages well beyond infancy, with European researchers reporting significant differences in muscle strength and aerobic capacity…
Size of oceanic plastic patch “grossly exaggerated”
There’s a significant amount of plastic trash floating in the northern Pacific Ocean, but claims that the “Great Garbage Patch”…
Hair color revealed in DNA
The same European researchers who devised a forensic test to tell a person’s age from a sample of their blood…
Mass extinction event linked to invasive species
The arrival of invasive species can stop the dominant natural process of new species formation and trigger mass extinction events,…
The most intriguing science news from 2010
Do we have depression all wrong? Is there actually some truth to astrology? Could your antique collection be making you…
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…
Scientists manipulate immune system to produce “anti-Prozac”
Lending more weight to the theory thatdepression is linked to an inflammatory response in the brain, Vanderbilt University scientists have…
Study identifies key aspects of music that evoke emotions in brain
Using fMRI neuroimaging, Florida Atlantic University scientists have identified key aspects of musical performance that cause emotion-related brain activity, and…
Ecstasy’s empathogenic properties revealed to be a sham
Researchers exploring the use of MDMA (ecstasy) in psychotherapy say that the drug distorts one’s perception of others rather than…
Stroke, brain injury treated with turmeric
Created by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, a synthetic derivative of the spice turmeric has been shown…
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…
Diet shown to trigger mental illness
Changes in diet have previously been linked to a reduction of abnormal behaviors in mentally ill animals and people, but…
Meditation as effective as antidepressants
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy – using meditation – provides equivalent protection against depressive relapse as antidepressant medication, reports a new study…
Country boys boast bigger junk
According to a new study in the journal Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, men in rural areas have significantly…
Scientists create offspring from same-sex parents
Using stem cell technology, reproductive scientists at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center have produced male and female mice from two…
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…
Mating choices driven by bacteria?
In a discovery that has implications for our understanding of natural selection, Tel Aviv University scientists have shown that symbiotic…
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 risk of neurological disorders, including…
Strumpet gene puts infidelity into DNA
Individuals with a certain genetic variant are more likely to have a history of uncommitted sex, including one-night stands and…
Vintage goods a toxic threat to yuppies
Toys, home décor items, crockery, architectural salvage, kitchen utensils and jewelry purchased through antique stores, junk shops and thrift sales…
Attractiveness a significant handicap for working women
A new paper; “Are Good-Looking People More Employable?” from researchers at Ben-Gurion University (BGU) in Israel found that a double…
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…