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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News


Brains are different in people with highly superior autobiographical memory

Posted: 30 Jul 2012 02:03 PM PDT

Scientists have discovered intriguing differences in the brains and mental processes of an extraordinary group of people who can effortlessly recall every moment of their lives since about age 10.

Grin and bear it: Smiling facilitates stress recovery

Posted: 30 Jul 2012 12:01 PM PDT

Just grin and bear it! At some point, we have all probably heard or thought something like this when facing a tough situation. But is there any truth to this piece of advice? Feeling good usually makes us smile, but does it work the other way around? Researchers have now examined how different types of smiling, and the awareness of smiling, affects our ability to recover from episodes of stress.

Mindreading hormone? A better judge of character with nasal spray?

Posted: 30 Jul 2012 06:49 AM PDT

Ingesting the hormone oxytocin via nasal spray improves the ability to read people's facial expressions. These findings hold great promise for treatment of mental health disorders and drug addiction. In other contexts, oxytocin is already well-known as the "bliss hormone". The hormone is secreted upon stimulation by touch and is known to result in a feeling of calm and physical relaxation. It is also used to induce labor in childbirth and as an aid for women experiencing difficulties in breastfeeding.

Lotus leaf inspires fog-free finish for transparent surfaces

Posted: 30 Jul 2012 06:41 AM PDT

Chinese scientists use silica nanoparticles resembling raspberries to create a water-repellent, fog-free, self-cleaning finish for glass and other transparent surfaces.

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