ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

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• Mixed genes: Interactive world map of human genetic history reveals likely genetic impacts of historical events
• Ancient reptile birth preserved in fossil: Ichthyosaur fossil may show oldest live reptilian birth
• No such thing as porn 'addiction,' researchers say
• Well-child visits linked to more than 700,000 subsequent flu-like illnesses
• Solving an evolutionary puzzle: Atlantic killifish thriving in highly polluted water
• Plastic shopping bags make a fine diesel fuel
• Investigating the fiber of our being: How our gut bacteria metabolize complex carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables
• The physics of curly hair: Researchers develop first detailed model for a 3-D strand of curly hair
• New pathway for fear discovered deep within brain
• Jaw dropping: Scientists reveal how vertebrates came to have a face
• Eat spinach or eggs for faster reflexes: Tyrosine helps you stop faster
• Majority of Americans have their heart health facts wrong
• Efficiently harnessing low frequency vibrations as infinite power source for miniature electronic devices
• Dating refined for Atapuerca site where Homo antecessor appeared

Mixed genes: Interactive world map of human genetic history reveals likely genetic impacts of historical events Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:23 AM PST When individuals from different groups interbreed, their offspring's DNA becomes a mixture of the DNA from each admixing group. Pieces of this DNA are then passed along through subsequent generations, carrying on all the way to the present day. Researchers have now produced a global map detailing the genetic histories of 95 different populations across the world, spanning the last four millennia.

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.

No such thing as porn 'addiction,' researchers say Posted: 12 Feb 2014 12:32 PM PST Journalists and psychologists are quick to describe someone as being a porn "addict," yet there's no strong scientific research that shows such addictions actually exists. So says a clinical psychologist in practice in a large behavioral health program.

Well-child visits linked to more than 700,000 subsequent flu-like illnesses Posted: 12 Feb 2014 11:46 AM PST New research shows that well-child doctor appointments for annual exams and vaccinations are associated with an increased risk of flu-like illnesses in children and family members within two weeks of the visit. This risk translates to more than 700,000 potentially avoidable illnesses each year, costing more than $490 million annually.

Solving an evolutionary puzzle: Atlantic killifish thriving in highly polluted water Posted: 12 Feb 2014 11:46 AM PST For four decades, waste from nearby manufacturing plants flowed into the waters of New Bedford Harbor -- an 18,000-acre estuary and busy seaport. The harbor, which is contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and heavy metals, is one of the EPA's largest Superfund cleanup sites. It's also the site of an evolutionary puzzle that researchers have been working to solve.

Plastic shopping bags make a fine diesel fuel Posted: 12 Feb 2014 10:28 AM PST Plastic shopping bags, an abundant source of litter on land and at sea, can be converted into diesel, natural gas and other useful petroleum products, researchers report. The conversion produces significantly more energy than it requires and results in transportation fuels -- diesel, for example -- that can be blended with existing ultra-low-sulfur diesels and biodiesels.

Investigating the fiber of our being: How our gut bacteria metabolize complex carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables Posted: 12 Feb 2014 10:28 AM PST We are all aware of the health benefits of dietary fiber. But what is dietary fiber and how do we metabolize it? Researchers begun to uncover how our gut bacteria metabolize the complex dietary carbohydrates found in fruits and vegetables. Trillions of bacteria live in human intestines -- there are about ten times more bacterial cells in the average person's body than human ones. Known as "microbiota," these bacteria have a vital role to play in human health: they are central to our metabolism and well-being.

The physics of curly hair: Researchers develop first detailed model for a 3-D strand of curly hair Posted: 12 Feb 2014 10:28 AM PST The heroes and villains in animated films tend to be on opposite ends of the moral spectrum. But they're often similar in their hair, which is usually extremely rigid or -- if it moves at all -- is straight and swings to and fro. It's rare to see an animated character with bouncy, curly hair, since computer animators don't have a simple mathematical means for describing it. But now, researchers have developed the first detailed model for a 3-D strand of curly hair.

New pathway for fear discovered deep within brain Posted: 12 Feb 2014 10:28 AM PST Fear is primal. In the wild, it serves as a protective mechanism, but for humans, fear is more complex. A normal amount keeps us safe. But too much fear, like PTSD, can prevent people from living healthy lives. Researchers are working to understand how the brain translates fear into action. Today, scientists announce the discovery of a new neural circuit that links the site of fear memory with a brain area that controls behavior.

Jaw dropping: Scientists reveal how vertebrates came to have a face Posted: 12 Feb 2014 10:27 AM PST Scientists present new fossil evidence for the origin of one of the most important and emotionally significant parts of our anatomy: the face. Scientists show how a series of fossils, with a 410 million year old armored fish called Romundina at its center, documents the step-by-step assembly of the face during the evolutionary transition from jawless to jawed vertebrates.

Eat spinach or eggs for faster reflexes: Tyrosine helps you stop faster Posted: 11 Feb 2014 05:38 AM PST A child suddenly runs out into the road. Brake!! A driver who has recently eaten spinach or eggs will stop faster, thanks to the amino acid tyrosine found in these and other food products.

Majority of Americans have their heart health facts wrong Posted: 07 Feb 2014 07:23 AM PST Despite the fact that heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S., about three-quarters (74 percent) of Americans do not fear dying from it, according to a recent survey.

Efficiently harnessing low frequency vibrations as infinite power source for miniature electronic devices Posted: 07 Feb 2014 06:40 AM PST Researchers have conceptualized a novel strategy to efficiently harness low frequency vibrations as infinite power source for miniature electronic devices.

Dating refined for Atapuerca site where Homo antecessor appeared Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:37 AM PST One of the issues of the Atapuerca sites that generates the most scientific debate is the dating of the strata where the fossils are found. A study has clarified that the sediment of Gran Dolina, where the first remains of Homo antecessor were discovered in 1994, is 900,000 years old. The findings at the Lower Palaeolithic cave site of Gran Dolina, in the Sierra de Atapuerca mountain range (Burgos), have led to major advancements in our knowledge of human evolution and occupation of Eurasia.

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