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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News


Does a junk food diet make you lazy? Psychology study offers answer

Posted: 04 Apr 2014 07:19 PM PDT

A new psychology study provides evidence that being overweight makes people tired and sedentary, rather than vice versa. Life scientists placed 32 female rats on one of two diets for six months. The first, a standard rat's diet, consisted of relatively unprocessed foods like ground corn and fish meal. The ingredients in the second were highly processed, of lower quality and included substantially more sugar -- a proxy for a junk food diet.

Bacterial gut biome may guide colon cancer progression

Posted: 04 Apr 2014 11:04 AM PDT

Gut bacteria can change the microenvironment in a way that promotes the growth and spread of tumors, research demonstrates. The results suggest that bacterial virulence proteins may suppress DNA repair proteins within the epithelial cells that line the colon. "There is a drastic, unmet need to look at new ways to define exactly how colon cancer forms in the gut and what triggers its progression into a lethal form," said the lead researcher. "We suggest that some bacterial proteins can promote genetic changes that create conditions in the gut that would favor the progression of colon cancer."

Light-activated neurons from stem cells restore function to paralyzed muscles

Posted: 04 Apr 2014 11:03 AM PDT

A new way to artificially control muscles using light, with the potential to restore function to muscles paralyzed by conditions such as motor neuron disease and spinal cord injury, has been developed by scientists. The technique involves transplanting specially-designed motor neurons created from stem cells into injured nerve branches. These motor neurons are designed to react to pulses of blue light, allowing scientists to fine-tune muscle control by adjusting the intensity, duration and frequency of the light pulses.

More Earthquakes for Chile? Seismic gap has not been closed

Posted: 04 Apr 2014 11:00 AM PDT

After the strong earthquake that struck Chile on April 2 (CEST), numerous aftershocks, some of them of a considerable magnitude, have struck the region around Iquique. Seismologists doubt that the strong earthquake closed the local seismic gap and decreased the risk of a large earthquake. On the contrary, initial studies of the rupture process and the aftershocks show that only about a third of the vulnerable zone broke.

Chowing down on watermelon could lower blood pressure, study suggests

Posted: 03 Apr 2014 06:54 AM PDT

Watermelon could significantly reduce blood pressure in overweight individuals both at rest and while under stress. "The pressure on the aorta and on the heart decreased after consuming watermelon extract," the small study concludes.

'Homo' is the only primate whose tooth size decreases as its brain size increases

Posted: 03 Apr 2014 06:54 AM PDT

Scientists have discovered a curious characteristic of the members of the human lineage, classed as the genus Homo: they are the only primates where, throughout their 2.5-million year history, the size of their teeth has decreased in tandem with the increase in their brain size.

Computer maps 21 distinct emotional expressions -- even 'happily disgusted'

Posted: 31 Mar 2014 12:35 PM PDT

Researchers have found a way for computers to recognize 21 distinct facial expressions -- even expressions for complex or seemingly contradictory emotions such as "happily disgusted" or "sadly angry." The study more than triples the number of documented facial expressions that researchers can now use for cognitive analysis.

Temperature fluctuations: Atlantic Ocean dances with the sun and volcanoes

Posted: 31 Mar 2014 08:45 AM PDT

Natural fluctuations in the ocean temperature in the North Atlantic have a significant impact on the climate in the northern hemisphere. These fluctuations are the result of a complex dance between the forces of nature, but researchers can now show that solar activity and the impact of volcanic eruptions have led this dance during the last two centuries.

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