RefBan

Referral Banners

Friday, April 20, 2012

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News


19th century therapy for Parkinson's disease may help patients today

Posted: 19 Apr 2012 10:26 AM PDT

In the 19th century, Jean-Martin Charcot, the celebrated neurologist, developed a "vibration chair," to relieve symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Charcot reported improvements in his patients, but he died shortly thereafter and a more complete evaluation of the therapy was never conducted. Now, a group of neurological researchers have replicated his work in a study to see if Charcot's observation holds true against modern scientific testing.

Ravens remember relationships they had with others

Posted: 19 Apr 2012 10:25 AM PDT

In daily life we remember faces and voices of several known individuals. Similarly, mammals have been shown to remember calls and faces of known individuals after a number of years. Ravens have now been found to differentiate individuals based on familiarity. Additionally, scientists discovered that ravens can remember the closeness they had with others for three years.

Cells in normal tissue seem to have 'personal space' issues; Factor in maintaining healthy tissue

Posted: 19 Apr 2012 06:12 AM PDT

Cells in normal tissue seem to have "personal space" issues. They know how much space they like, and if things get too tight, some cells are forced to leave. Researchers have found that normal epithelium tissue ejects living cells to maintain a steady population and ease overcrowding, a discovery has the potential to reveal what goes awry in cancer when cells do not turnover, but instead pile up.

Reminders of secular authority reduce believers' distrust of atheists

Posted: 18 Apr 2012 01:23 PM PDT

What's the group that least agrees with Americans' vision of their country? According to many sociological surveys, it's atheists. Previous research suggests that the dislike of atheists mostly comes from distrust, driven by the belief that people act better when they feel like they're being watched by God. But new research shows that reminding people of various sources of secular authority -- like government -- may have the same effect.

Brain-activated muscle stimulation restores monkeys' hand movement after paralysis

Posted: 18 Apr 2012 10:50 AM PDT

An artificial connection between the brain and muscles can restore complex hand movements in monkeys following paralysis, according to a new study. The neuroprosthesis uses a brain-computer interface to control electrical stimulation of muscles and restore hand movement after temporary paralysis.

No comments: