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Friday, February 14, 2014

ScienceDaily: Top Science News

ScienceDaily: Top Science News


Why did the orangutan come down from the trees?

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 06:51 AM PST

Orangutans come down from the trees and spend more time on the ground than previously realized -- but this behavior may be partly influenced by humans, a new study has found. The research is based on a large-scale analysis of orangutan terrestriality using comprehensive camera-trapping data from 16 sites across Borneo.

Drastic chemical change occurring in birth of planetary system: Has the solar system also experienced it?

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 05:37 AM PST

A new star is formed by gravitational contraction of an interstellar molecular cloud consisting of gas and dust. In the course of this process, a gas disk (protoplanetary disk), whose size is on the order of 100 AU, forms around the protostar and evolves into a planetary system. The Solar System was also formed in this way about 4.6 billion years ago, and life was eventually born on the Earth. How unique in the Universe is the situation which happened for the Solar System? In order to answer this question, understanding the formation of protoplanetary disks as well as the associated chemical evolution in various star forming regions is essential.

Brain process takes paper shape: Paper-based device mimics electrochemical signalling in human brain

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 06:23 PM PST

A paper-based device that mimics the electrochemical signalling in the human brain has been created by a group of researchers from China. The thin-film transistor (TFT) has been designed to replicate the junction between two neurons, known as a biological synapse, and could become a key component in the development of artificial neural networks, which could be utilized in a range of fields from robotics to computer processing.

Ancient reptile birth preserved in fossil: Ichthyosaur fossil may show oldest live reptilian birth

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 03:37 PM PST

Ichthyosaurs were giant marine reptiles that evolved from land reptiles and moved to the water. Scientists report a new fossil specimen that belongs to Chaohusaurus (Reptilia, Ichthyopterygia), the oldest of Mesozoic marine reptiles that lived approximately 248 million years ago. The partial skeleton was recovered in China and may show a live birth.

Mathematical beauty activates same brain region as great art or music

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 03:35 PM PST

People who appreciate the beauty of mathematics activate the same part of their brain when they look at aesthetically pleasing formula as others do when appreciating art or music, suggesting that there is a neurobiological basis to beauty.

Novel compound keeps Parkinson's symptoms at bay in mice

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 08:28 AM PST

Scientists report that they have developed a novel compound that appears to protect mice against developing movement problems associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). The research could one day in the future translate into a therapy that could halt the progression of PD.

Weather changes may be linked with stroke hospitalization, death

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 08:25 AM PST

Stroke hospitalization and death rates may be associated with changes in environmental temperature and dew point. Large daily temperature changes and higher average dew points may be linked with higher stroke hospitalizations.

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