Science News – Newsletter for November 14, 2010

Twitter can give a boost to students’ grades

WASHINGTON – A study has suggested that using social networking sites like Twitter as a tool in university courses can help increase student engagement and also boost their grades.

The research was carried out by Rey Junco of Lock Haven University, Greg Heiberger of South Dakota State University and Eric Loken of The Pennsylvania State …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Twitter can give a boost to students’ grades.

Graphic images on cigarette packs influence intentions to quit smoking

WASHINGTON – Highly graphic images of the negative consequences of smoking have the greatest impact on smokers’ intentions to quit, say researchers at the University of Arkansas, Villanova University and Marquette University.

Their findings are based on a survey of more than 500 U.S. and Canadian smokers.

The most graphic images, such as those showing severe …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Graphic images on cigarette packs influence intentions to quit smoking.

Compound found in liquorice root could treat brain diseases

WASHINGTON – Compound found in liquorice root could help prevent or slow down the cell death associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, says a neuroscientist at the University of South Carolina.

Dr. Rosemarie Booze, the Bicentennial Chair Professor in Behavorial Neuroscience in the university’s College of Arts and Sciences, is isolating liquiritigenin-or … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Compound found in liquorice root could treat brain diseases.

Brain chemical that regulates mood may have anti-diabetic properties

LONDON – Serotonin – a brain chemical known to help regulate emotion, mood and sleep – might also have anti-diabetic properties, new findings by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center suggest.

The findings also offer a potential explanation for why individuals prescribed certain kinds of anti-psychotic drugs that affect serotonin signaling sometimes have problems with their …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Britain may run out of web addresses by 2012

LONDON – Britain will run out of internet addresses by 2012, warns a web scientist.

Vint Cerf, a Google vice-president, said the “unbelievable” trend could prevent British businesses from communicating with their customers around the world and in the country.
Cerf said the final tranche of web addresses would be allocated between the …. Original article  : Britain may run out of web addresses by 2012.

Haryana to implement strict ban on plastic bags, containers

CHANDIGARH – Haryana will strictly implement a ban on the manufacture, sale, distribution and use of virgin and recycled plastic carry bags, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said here Sunday.

A ban on littering of plastic articles such as plates, cups, tumblers, spoons, forks and straws at public places like national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Haryana to implement strict ban on plastic bags, containers.

Cilantro ingredient can suppress foul odour of ‘chitlins’

WASHINGTON – Scientists have identified an ingredient in cilantro that quashes the notoriously foul odour of chitlins – a smell known to drive people from the house when chitlins are cooking.

Yasuyoshi Hayata and colleagues note that chitlins – hog large intestines – are infamous for their foul smell, which is reminiscent of the waste …. Read the original article  : Cilantro ingredient can suppress foul odour of ‘chitlins’.

Slippery feet remind beetles to bathe

WASHINGTON – Insects skitter along leaves, logs and the sides of your picnic basket using their adhesive footpads. Now, a new study has revealed just how beetles keep their feet clean and ready to cling.

The research showed that it’s a decrease in friction that tells beetles to groom their dirty feet.

Lead author Stanislav Gorb …. Read the original article  : here.

Red light forces cancer cells to absorb chemo drugs

LONDON – Scientists have suggested that cancer cells suck up chemotherapy drugs more readily if they are zapped with red light.

According to researchers, the finding could help produce more effective cancer treatments.

Most cancer chemotherapy relies on cells absorbing drugs by diffusion across the cell membrane.

This does not always work, because some cells simply …. Source  : Red light forces cancer cells to absorb chemo drugs.

Sexually abused street teens have sex at an early age to get partner approval

WASHINGTON – A new study has revealed that homeless teens who were sexually molested as children may be motivated to have sex at an earlier age because they are seeking approval from their partners.

The research has been conducted by Ryerson University.

“For homeless teens, especially young women, being sexually abused as children may make these young … Read more : Sexually abused street teens have sex at an early age to get partner approval.

190mn yrs old dinosaur eggs offer insights into infancy and growth

WASHINGTON – After sitting in collections for nearly three decades, some well preserved dinosaur eggs have offered new insights into the infancy and growth of early dinosaurs.

They represent the oldest embryos of any land-dwelling vertebrate ever found.

The eggs, found in 1976 in South Africa, date from the early part of the Jurassic Period, 190 million …. Read the original article  : here.

Broccoli juice may keep skin cancer at bay

WELLINGTON – Forget sunscreens, the thing that can actually protect your skin from UV rays is broccoli juice, say scientists.

Scientists in the United States have been testing broccoli extract on human volunteers and mice, which showed their skin was protected against sunburn.

Broccoli contains sulforaphane, an antioxidant, which helps stop sunburn and tumour development.

Additionally, scientists in … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Broccoli juice may keep skin cancer at bay.

Dyslexia secret of Da Vinci and Picasso’s success

LONDON – The secret of Leonardo da Vinci and Pablo Picasso’s success may have been their dyslexia, a learning difficulty. Researchers say that dyslexics have a better understanding of space.

The famous artists suffered from dyslexia, the inability to see words written properly, which is thought to affect as many as one in 12 children. … Read : Dyslexia secret of Da Vinci and Picasso’s success.

China to breed earthworms to recycle kitchen waste

BEIJING – An environmental group in China is planning to breed earthworms in a bid to recycle kitchen waste in several cities across the country.

Friends of Nature – one of the oldest environmental groups in the country – has recruited 21 families for the breeding purpose in Zhengzhou in Henan province, Xinhua reported Sunday.
…. Original article on Gaea Times at  : China to breed earthworms to recycle kitchen waste.

How much energy do we expend while walking?

WASHINGTON – Why do children tire more quickly than adults when out on a walk? Walkers use the same amount of energy per stride, but it becomes less economical for people of shorter height as they have to take more steps, researchers say.

Peter Weyand from Southern Methodist University, US, teamed up with Maurice Puyau … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : How much energy do we expend while walking?.

Heat-powered fan to make stoves cleaner

WASHINGTON – A Pennsylvania State University student is helping design a better cook stove for people in developing countries.

Paul Montgomery will present a simple heat-powered fan that could help to make these stoves more efficient and combat the serious health problems associated with cooking in unventilated spaces.

Some moderate-sized devices generate combined heat and power, … Original source on Gaea Times at : Heat-powered fan to make stoves cleaner.

Indian-origin boffin Muneesh Tewari receives Presidential Early Career Award

WASHINGTON – An Indian-origin scientist has been awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers – the nation’s highest honor for scientists at the beginning of their independent research careers.

Muneesh Tewari, an oncologist and cancer researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, is among 85 researchers and engineers nationwide to receive the honor … Read : Indian-origin boffin Muneesh Tewari receives Presidential Early Career Award.

Global warming threat to tropical rainforests exaggerated

LONDON – The threat to tropical rainforests from global warming may have been exaggerated, says a new study.

Researchers have shown that the world’s tropical forests thrived in the far distant past when temperatures were 3 to 5 Celsius warmer than today.
They believe that a wetter, warmer future may actually boost plants and animals … Read more »».

Men too can fake orgasms: Study

WASHINGTON – Women aren’t the only ones who can pretend to have orgasms, according to a new study, which found that even men feign pleasure in bed.

In a study of more than 200 college students, 25 percent of men and half of the women reported that they’d acted out an orgasm during sexual activity.

The … Original source on Gaea Times at : Men too can fake orgasms: Study.

Indians have harmed tigers more than the colonialists: Goa governor

PANAJI – Indians, not the colonialists, have let down the tiger, Goa’s governor S.S. Sidhu said Saturday, adding that contrary to forest department’s claims, there was evidence to suggest that tigers exist in Goa’s forests.

“Even the Royal Bengal tiger is endangered because of indiscriminate poaching. In India, it seems, we have done more …. Source  : Indians have harmed tigers more than the colonialists: Goa governor.