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Tuesday, November 1, 2011

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News


Fighting fire with fire: 'Vampire' bacteria has potential as living antibiotic

Posted: 31 Oct 2011 07:06 PM PDT

A vampire-like bacteria that leeches onto specific other bacteria -- including certain human pathogens -- has the potential to serve as a living antibiotic for a range of infectious diseases, a new study indicates.

Putting the body back into the mind of schizophrenia

Posted: 31 Oct 2011 07:02 PM PDT

A new study of body ownership using the rubber hand illusion found that people with schizophrenia have a weakened sense of self awareness and produced one of the rare documented cases of a spontaneous out-of-body experience in the laboratory.

Doctors can learn empathy through a computer-based tutorial

Posted: 31 Oct 2011 07:02 PM PDT

Cancer doctors want to offer a sympathetic ear, but sometimes miss the cues from patients. To help physicians better address their patients' fears and worries, a researcher has developed a new interactive training tool.

Bigger birds in central California, courtesy of global climate change

Posted: 31 Oct 2011 12:41 PM PDT

Birds are getting bigger in central California, and that was a big surprise for researchers. They uncovered the trend while working analyzing data from thousands of birds caught and released each year at two sites near San Francisco Bay and Point Reyes National Seashore. The study found that birds' wings have grown longer and birds are increasing in mass.

Shared genes with Neanderthal relatives: Modern East Asians share genetic material with prehistoric Denisovans

Posted: 31 Oct 2011 12:41 PM PDT

During human evolution our ancestors mated with Neanderthals, but also with other related hominids. Researchers have now shown that people in East Asia share genetic material with Denisovans, who got the name from the cave in Siberia where they were first found.

Fighting violent gang crime with math

Posted: 31 Oct 2011 09:12 AM PDT

Mathematicians working with the Los Angeles Police Department to analyze crime patterns have designed a mathematical algorithm to identify street gangs involved in unsolved violent crimes -- the first scholarly study of gang violence of its kind.

Do deficits in brain cannabinoids contribute to eating disorders?

Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:52 AM PDT

A new report suggests that deficits in endocannabinoid function may contribute to anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Endocannabinoids are substances made by the brain that affect brain function and chemistry in ways that resemble the effects of cannabis derivatives, including marijuana and hashish. These commonly abused drugs are well known to increase appetite, i.e., to cause the "munchies." Thus, it makes sense that deficits in this brain system would be associated with reduced appetite.

Physicians who play Mozart while performing colonoscopy may improve adenoma detection rate

Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:49 AM PDT

Physicians who listen to Mozart while performing colonoscopy may increase their detection rates of precancerous polyps, according to the results of a new study.

That's gross! Study uncovers physiological nature of disgust in politics

Posted: 25 Oct 2011 09:26 AM PDT

Most likely, you would be disgusted if confronted with a picture of a man eating a mouthful of writhing worms. Or a particularly bloody wound. Or a horribly emaciated but still living body. But just how much disgust you feel may lend important insight into your personal political proclivities. In a new study, political scientists closely measured people's physiological reactions as they looked at a series of pleasant and unpleasant images. Participants who identified themselves as conservative -- and, in particular, those who said they were against gay marriage -- had strong physiological reactions when shown the gross pictures.

Meerkats recognize each other from their calls

Posted: 13 Oct 2011 05:51 AM PDT

Wild meerkats living in the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa recognize group members from their calls, behavior researchers have established for the first time. The researchers assume that meerkats can tell the individual group members apart.

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