Science News – Newsletter for January 25, 2011

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

We aren’t born afraid of spiders and snakes

WASHINGTON – People aren’t born afraid of spiders and snakes, but can learn these fears very quickly during infancy, says a new research.

Scientists have studied how infants and toddlers react to scary objects. In one set of experiments, they showed infants as young …. Read the original article : here.

Longer words get message across faster, more effectively

LONDON – A new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge has found that longer words carry more information and therefore, are more efficient in getting a message across.

It’s a common notion amongst scientists that the length of a word was …. Original article on Gaea Times at : Longer words get message across faster, more effectively.

Fear of spiders, snakes acquired

WASHINGTON – We aren’t born afraid of spiders and snakes, but we can pick up these fears very quickly as infants, scientists say.

Arne Ohman at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and Susan Mineka from Northwestern University, US, have studied how infants and toddlers react to scary objects, the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science …. Original source : Fear of spiders, snakes acquired.

Social networking ‘leads to sex faster’

NEW YORK – Facebook, texting and other social networking tools make new couples to jump into bed faster, reveals a new US survey.

According that third annual sex survey by Shape and Men’s Fitness magazines, nearly four out of five women and three of five men say that digital intimacy leads to having sex faster, reports … Read : Social networking ‘leads to sex faster’.

New 230mn-yr-old predator ‘dawn runner’ discovered in South America

WASHINGTON – Experts have announced the discovery of a dinosaur that roamed South America approximately 230 million years ago and have dubbed it the ‘dawn runner’.

“It really is the earliest look we have at the long line of meat eaters that would ultimately culminate in Tyrannosaurus rex near the end of the dinosaur era,” said … Original source on Gaea Times at : New 230mn-yr-old predator ‘dawn runner’ discovered in South America.

Deep brain stimulation may control hard-to-treat BP

WASHINGTON – A new case study has found that deep brain stimulation may help control hard-to-treat blood pressure.

Researchers in Frenchay Hospital in Bristol, UK, studied a man who received a deep brain stimulator to treat his pain from central pain syndrome that developed after a stroke.

Deep brain stimulation uses a surgical implant similar to … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Deep brain stimulation may control hard-to-treat BP.

Largest volcano ‘to erupt after 600,000 yrs, wipe out two-thirds of the U.S’

LONDON – Scientists have predicted that the world’s largest volcano beneath Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming could erupt for the first time in 600,000 years and wipe out 66 percent of the United States.

Researchers monitoring Yellowstone National Park’s Caldera said that has it been rising at a record rate since 2004 – its floor has …. Read the original article : Largest volcano ‘to erupt after 600,000 yrs, wipe out two-thirds of the U.S’.

Composer Frederic Chopin’s hallucinations may be linked to epilepsy

WASHINGTON – Polish composer Frederic Chopin, who was hounded by hallucinations during his relatively short life, probably had epilepsy, according to a new study.

Chopin, who was plagued by poor health throughout his life, died in 1849 at the age of 39 as a result of chronic lung disease, which has recently been attributed to cystic … Original article on : Composer Frederic Chopin’s hallucinations may be linked to epilepsy.

Some Himalayan glaciers advancing, despite global warming

LONDON – Some of the Himalayan glaciers are advancing thanks to the presence of debris such as pebbles, rocks, and debris from surrounding mountains, suggests a new study.

Bodo Bookhagen, of the Department of Geography at UC Santa Barbara, co-authored a paper said, “With the aid of new remote-sensing methods and satellite images, we identified debris … Read more >>.

Pigs terrorising people in Africa’s Kalahari desert

JOHANNESBURG – Pigs are reportedly creating havoc and “terrorising” people in Africa’s Kalahari desert. They are roaming the streets, disturbing road traffic and are all over the marketplaces.

In Botswana’s Tsabong town in the midst of the desert, the pigs are also frequenting backyard gardens and destroying them, Xinhua reported citing the local Daily News.
…. Source article : Pigs terrorising people in Africa’s Kalahari desert.

Know the bird and count it too – at Pong wetlands

SHIMLA – Can you tell a bar-headed goose from a spotbilled duck? Himachal Pradesh will soon launch a unique drive to promote bird watching and count the exact number of flapping beauties at the Pong dam wetlands of Kangra Valley.

The state’s forest department, in association with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and World … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Know the bird and count it too – at Pong wetlands.

Egypt asks German museum for Nefertiti bust

Cairo, Jan 25 (IANS/AKI) Egypt’s supreme council of antiquities has asked Berlin’s Neues Museum to return a priceless painted limestone bust of Nefertiti, the ancient Egyptian queen renowned for her beauty.

The treasure has been in the possession of the museum since its discovery in 1912 by a German archaeologist.
The exquisite bust underscores …. Read the original article : Egypt asks German museum for Nefertiti bust.

New cell phone app identifies predatory adults posing as kids

LONDON – Worried that your child may be being secretly groomed on the Internet by a predatory paedophile? Well, you can take a breather as scientists have developed a new mobile phone application that helps identify adults posing as children.

The software, Child Defence, enables children to scan web chat on their mobile phones to check …. Original article on Gaea Times at : New cell phone app identifies predatory adults posing as kids.

Why women make more effective politicians

NEW YORK – A new study explains why women turn out to be more effective lawmakers in the land.

The study found that between 1984 and 2004, women won their home districts an average of USD49 million more per year than their male counterparts and not just across ‘women’s issues’ but also for other projects, reports …. Source : Gaea News Network.

First parrot-sized dino with only one finger discovered in China

WASHINGTON – Scientists have discovered a new species of parrot-sized dinosaur that has only one finger, in China.

It belongs to the Alvarezsauroidea, a branch of the carnivorous dinosaur group Theropods – which eventually evolved into Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor.

The well-preserved fossil was uncovered in rocks of the Upper Cretaceous Wulansuhai Formation, which is located near the …. Source article : First parrot-sized dino with only one finger discovered in China.