Science News – Newsletter for February 9, 2011

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Bats shown to form human-like friendships

WASHINGTON – Human-like friendships exist among at least five different types of animals, says a new research.

Previous studies determined that elephants, dolphins, some carnivores and certain non-human primates, such as chimpanzees, have the ability-just as humans do – to maintain [..] Read the original article: here.

Car-size asteroid to pass close by Earth Wednesday

WASHINGTON – U.S. scientists have said that a car-size asteroid will pass near Earth Wednesday, the second space rock in five days to fly near – but pose no threat of hitting – our planet.

According to an alert from NASA’s Asteroid Watch program, the asteroid … Read : Car-size asteroid to pass close by Earth Wednesday.

Scientists ‘fingerprint’ chips to make them foolproof

LONDON – Counterfeiters are targeting chips and electronic components, causing losses running into billions of dollars besides putting people’s lives at risk in areas where safety is paramount — automobile and aircraft engineering.

Although anti-piracy technology provides a degree of protection, it no longer is an insurmountable obstacle for the counterfeiters.
However, researchers …. Read the original article : Scientists ‘fingerprint’ chips to make them foolproof.

How to turn bacteria against themselves

WASHINGTON – Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have explained a mechanism by which bacteria protect themselves from their own toxins.

Bacteria often attack with toxins designed to hijack or even kill host cells. But they also have ways to avoid self-destruction.

The new study described one of these protective mechanisms, potentially paving … Read : How to turn bacteria against themselves.

Short breaks from work can improve your focus: Study

WASHINGTON – While doing the same work for a prolonged period, we tend to lose our focus and our performance goes down.

Now, a new study has overturned a decades-old theory about the nature of attention and showed that even brief breaks could improve our focus on that task for a longer period.

“You start performing poorly …. Original article : Short breaks from work can improve your focus: Study.

How using Facebook can lead to a roller coaster of emotions

WASHINGTON – Does Facebook makes you feel that everyone’s having fun except you? You may be just overestimating your friends’ happiness, suggests a new study.

A Stanford University research has suggested that when we misgauge our friends’ negative feelings, we feel worse about ourselves.

For the study, the researchers examined how college students evaluate their own …. Original article : How using Facebook can lead to a roller coaster of emotions.

How the brain learns from mistakes

WASHINGTON – University of Basel scientists have identified a protein that plays a major role in forming the right kind of connections in the rapidly growing brain of newborn mammals.

The protein was found to help neuronal cells in the brain repair errors when they had connected to the wrong type of cell and it may …. Source : Gaea News Network.

Paper of old tomes unravels history of pollution

LONDON – Some history of pollution may be concealed between the lines of text preserved in old tomes and newspapers in libraries.

A scientist has found that a paper in such collections contains a record of atmospheric conditions at the time when the trees that went into making it were growing.
“Rather than …. Original source : Paper of old tomes unravels history of pollution.

Being nice or being nasty is in a woman’s genes

LONDON – A Scottish research suggests that being nice or being nasty is in your genes – particularly if you’re a woman.

The study of almost 1,000 pairs of identical and non-identical twins, conducted by psychologist Gary Lewis and colleagues at Edinburgh University, has found that genetic factors appeared to affect how likely someone was to …. Read the original article : Being nice or being nasty is in a woman’s genes.

Lymph node removal ‘not always needed in early-stage breast cancer’

WASHINGTON – Scientists have found that women with early-stage breast cancer may not need to have surgery to remove cancerous lymph nodes in the armpit.

They discovered that certain women with breast cancer who had only their sentinel lymph node removed – the lymph node closest to the cancer – survived just as long as women … Original article on : Lymph node removal ‘not always needed in early-stage breast cancer’.

Facebook founder’s Indian-origin ’stalker”apologizes’

NEW YORK – Pradeep Manukonda, an Indian-origin man accused of stalking Mark Zuckerberg, has apologized to the Facebook founder.

Zuckerberg obtained a restraining order against 31-year-old Pradeep Manukonda, claiming he has been harassing and threatening him through the social networking site and in person.

A judge ordered Manukonda to stay at least 300 yards (274 meters) away … Read more : Facebook founder’s Indian-origin ’stalker’ ‘apologizes’.

Wolverines to vanish due to climate change?

WASHINGTON – A new research has concluded that the aggressive wolverine may not be powerful enough to survive climate change in the contiguous United States.

Wolverine habitat in the northwestern United States is likely to warm dramatically if society continues to emit large amounts of greenhouse gases, according to new computer model simulations carried out at … Read more »».

Heavy drinking in late adolescence linked to long-term alcohol problems

WASHINGTON – Reducing drinking during late adolescence is likely to be important for preventing long-term adverse consequences of drinking, as well as protecting against more immediate harms, says a new study.

The research was conducted by Jim McCambridge from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK, and colleagues.

Although there is an urgent need …. Original article on Gaea Times at : Heavy drinking in late adolescence linked to long-term alcohol problems.

Polar bear births could plummet due to climate change

WASHINGTON – Researchers have studied the reproductive ecology of polar bears in Hudson Bay and have linked declining litter sizes with loss of sea ice.

The University of Alberta researchers Peter Molnar, Andrew Derocher and Mark Lewis carried out the research.

They say that projected reductions in the number of newborn cubs is a significant threat to …. Source article : Polar bear births could plummet due to climate change.

‘Thinking cap’ actually makes people ‘think outside the box’

MELBOURNE – It’s official – the ‘thinking cap’ developed by Australian researchers really makes people ‘think outside the box’.

Professor Allan Snyder and Richard Chi from Sydney University’s Centre of the Mind, said subjects wearing the cap were able to acquire new modes of thinking and were three times as likely to solve complex problems.

“We look … Read : ‘Thinking cap’ actually makes people ‘think outside the box’.

Eggs are lower in cholesterol than previously believed

WASHINGTON – Eggs are lower in cholesterol than previously thought, according to new nutrition data from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS)

The USDA-ARS recently reviewed the nutrient composition of standard large eggs, and results show the average amount of cholesterol in one large egg is 185 mg, 14 percent lower than … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Eggs are lower in cholesterol than previously believed.

However, according to the new study co-authored by Kenneth Levine, a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, until recently no one was …. Read the original article : Charismatic leadership can be learned, measured: Study.