RefBan

Referral Banners

Friday, January 4, 2013

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News

ScienceDaily: Strange Science News


An embryo that is neither male nor female: Impact of three unexpected sex determination factors analyzed

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 04:24 PM PST

Is it a girl or a boy? This is the first question parents ask at the birth of an infant. Though the answer is obvious, the mechanism of sex determination is much less so. Researchers attempt to shed light on this complex process by identifying the crucial role played by insulin and IGF1 and IGF2 growth factors, a family of hormones known for its role in metabolism and growth.

Your brain on Big Bird: Sesame Street helps to reveal patterns of neural development

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 04:23 PM PST

Using brain scans of children and adults watching Sesame Street, cognitive scientists are learning how children's brains change as they develop intellectual abilities like reading and math. The novel use of brain imaging during everyday activities like watching TV, say the scientists, opens the door to studying other thought processes in naturalistic settings and may one day help to diagnose and treat learning disabilities.

Editing genome with high precision: New method to insert multiple genes in specific locations, delete defective genes

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 11:32 AM PST

Researchers have developed a new technique for precisely altering the genomes of living cells by adding or deleting genes.

Time pressure enhances thrill of auctions

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 10:11 AM PST

Shopping is more than the rational exchange of goods against money. Emotions, however, do not only play a role when buying a red sports car or the fiftieth pair of shoes. At the stock exchange or during auctions, bidders also are often influenced by irrational motives.

Secretive food concocting: New characteristic of binge eating identified

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 10:07 AM PST

A new study suggests food concocting -- the making of strange food mixtures like mashed potatoes and Oreo cookies, frozen vegetables mixed with mayonnaise, and chips with lemon, pork rinds, Italian dressing and salt -- is common among binge eaters. The findings reveal that 1 in 4 survey participants secretly create concoctions.

Spinal ultrasounds seeking why astronauts grow taller in space

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 06:06 AM PST

Did you ever wish you could be just a teensy bit taller? Well, if you spend a few months in space, you could get your wish -- temporarily. It is a commonly known fact that astronauts living aboard the International Space Station grow up to 3 percent taller while living in microgravity. They return to their normal height when back on Earth. Studying the impact of this change on the spine and advancing medical imaging technologies are the goals of the Spinal Ultrasound investigation.

No comments: