Science News – Newsletter for February 1, 2011

Frogs re-evolved ‘lost’ lower teeth after more than 200mn yrs

LONDON – New research suggests that frogs re-evolved ‘lost’ bottom teeth after more than 200 million years.

Tree-dwelling Gastrotheca guentheri are the only frogs with teeth on both their upper and lower jaw.

The reappearance of these lower teeth after such a long time fuels debate about whether complex traits are lost in evolution or if they …. Read the original article  : here.

UK Facebook users to get ‘bargain deals’ by sharing exact location

LONDON – British Facebook users can have access to shop discounts and restaurant “bargain deals” by just sharing their exact location through a new smartphone feature.

The Places Deals service is designed to log a member’s location and then find money-off deals in their local area, which can be shared with online friends.

“Friend deals” depend on … Read more >>>.

China seeks parental control over kids’ online gaming

BEIJING – In an effort to curb internet addiction, online game operators in China have been asked to provide parents with a tool to monitor their children while using internet.

A statement issued Monday by the ministry of culture and eight other central government departments said they have ordered the implementation of the Parents’ Guardian [..] Read the original article: here.

Newly deciphered ant genomes offer clues on ant social life, pest control

WASHINGTON – An international team of scientists has decoded the genome of a persistent household pest — the Argentine ant, an invasive species that is threatening native insects across the world.

The newly sequenced genomes of the Argentine ant …. Read the original article  : Newly deciphered ant genomes offer clues on ant social life, pest control.

UK teens using mobile phones to swap nude pics, access porn sites

LONDON – A study has found that teenagers in UK are using their mobile phones to swap revealing photographs of themselves and to also access porn sites.

Behind the bike sheds used to be the place where children were initiated into a slightly more grown-up …. Source article  : UK teens using mobile phones to swap nude pics, access porn sites.

Sark declared as world’s first dark sky island

WASHINGTON – The Channel Island of Sark has been declared as the world’s first dark sky island for the quality of its night sky.

Recognized by the International Dark-sky Association (IDA), Sark has no streetlights, paved roads or cars. Therefore, there’s no pollution as there is in cities.

The result … Read more >>>.

Newly discovered dino ‘may be father of Triceratops’

WASHINGTON – A newly discovered species of dinosaur appears to be related to the horned dinosaur species, Triceratops.

The new species, called Titanoceratops weighed nearly 15,000 pounds and a massive eight-foot-long skull. It lived …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Newly discovered dino ‘may be father of Triceratops’.

Leukaemia vaccine goes on clinical trial

LONDON – Scientists in Britain are set to begin the first human trials of a revolutionary cancer vaccine that could save thousands of lives a year.

The immune-boosting leukaemia jab will be tried out on volunteers who have either chronic or acute myeloid leukaemia – two forms of bone marrow and blood cancer.

If … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Leukaemia vaccine goes on clinical trial.

Girls who play video games behave better

WASHINGTON – Girls who play video games behave better, feel more connected to families and have stronger mental health.

Researchers from Brigham Young University focused on girls aged between 11 and 16 years who played video games with a parent.
“The surprising part about this for me is that girls don’t play video …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Snow Day Calculator Never Gone Wrong

TRENTON (GaeATimes.com)- When other children were absorbed with play stations, cartoons and hanging out with their friends, sixth grader David Sukhin, of New Jersey, was completely engrossed in creating a very handy tool, that would make him predict, whether to go to school the next day or not. Later naming it as the …. Original article  : Snow Day Calculator Never Gone Wrong.

Nearly a quarter of web traffic consists of pirated content: Study

WASHINGTON – The illegal downloading or uploading of copyrighted material such as movies, music and TV shows accounts for almost one-fourth of global web traffic, according to a new study.

It claimed that 23.8 percent of global Internet traffic consists of this illegal content, and that half of the illegal content is downloaded using the free … Read : Nearly a quarter of web traffic consists of pirated content: Study.

Brain scans ‘can predict smokers’ quitting success’

WASHINGTON – Brain scans will now predict accurately how successful a smoker will be in kicking the butt.

A new research from the University of Michigan has suggested that brain scans showing neural reactions could predict behaviour change well beyond people’s own assessment of how likely they are to succeed.

Emily Falk, director of U-M’s Communication Neuroscience …. Source article  : Brain scans ‘can predict smokers’ quitting success’.

How hearts adapt and recover from low oxygen

WASHINGTON – From the highest mountaintop comes a new study that sheds light on what happens to the hearts of people when exposed to low-levels of oxygen, such as those on Mount Everest or in the intensive care unit of a hospital.

In the study, researchers monitored subjects who spent time at the Mount Everest Base …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : How hearts adapt and recover from low oxygen.

Scientists grow arteries with most elastic protein reported

WASHINGTON – Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have grown arteries that exhibit the elasticity of natural blood vessels at the highest levels reported.

The new development could overcome a major barrier to creating living-tissue replacements for damaged arteries.

The team used smooth muscle cells from adult baboons to produce the first arteries grown outside the body …. Read the original article  : Scientists grow arteries with most elastic protein reported.

Scientist working to grow meat in lab

WASHINGTON – A scientist at the Medical University of South Carolina has been working for the past 10 years to grow meat.

Vladimir Mironov, one of only a few scientists worldwide involved in bioengineering “cultured” meat, believes that the product could help solve future global food crises resulting from shrinking amounts of land available for growing … Original article on : Scientist working to grow meat in lab.

Head injury ‘can blight the chances of survival up to 13 years later’

WASHINGTON – A new research has shown that a head injury can blight the chances of survival up to 13 years after the event, especially among younger adults.

As part of the study, researchers tracked over 2,000 people, 757 of whom had sustained a head injury that required admission to one of five hospitals in Glasgow …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Chimp mums ‘mourn their dead infants’

LONDON – Scientists have revealed for the first time that female chimpanzees mourn their dead infants.

According to researchers, chimpanzee mothers establish close physical relationships with their young, carrying them for up to two years and nursing them until they are six, reports the Telegraph.

But now scientists have filmed how one chimpanzee mother, whose 16-month-old infant … Original source on Gaea Times at : Chimp mums ‘mourn their dead infants’.

Moderate physical exercise in older adults shown to improve memory

WASHINGTON – A new study-conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, University of Illinois, Rice University, and Ohio State University-shows that one year of moderate physical exercise can increase the size of the brain’s hippocampus in older adults, leading to an improvement in spatial memory.

The project is considered the first study of its kind … Read more »»».

Dogs ‘can sniff out cancer in stool’

MELBOURNE – Japanese scientists claim that a Labrador can detect bowel cancer in breath and stool samples with remarkable accuracy.

The research team, led by Hideto Sonoda at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, says that the findings support hopes for an ‘electronic nose’ that could one day sniff a tumour at its earliest stages, reports ABC …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Dogs ‘can sniff out cancer in stool’.

Arctic Ocean water is ‘warmest it’s been for more than 2,000 years’

LONDON – A new study has found that the water flowing into the Arctic from the North Atlantic is at its warmest level for more than 2,000 years.

This could endanger polar bears, which need the ice in order to survive.

Scientists at the University of Colorado in Boulder examined tiny plankton-like organisms on the seabed of …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Arctic Ocean water is ‘warmest it’s been for more than 2,000 years’.