The News:
Domestication Of The Donkey May Have Taken A Long Time
ScienceDaily (Mar. 13, 2008) — An international group of researchers has found evidence for the earliest transport use of the donkey and the early phases of donkey domestication, suggesting the process of domestication may have been slower and less linear than previously thought.
Based on a study of 10 donkey skeletons from three graves dedicated to donkeys in the funerary complex of one of the first Pharaoh's at Abydos, Egypt, the team, led by Fiona Marshall, Ph.D., professor of Anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis, and Stine Rossel of the University of Copenhagen, found that donkeys around 5,000 years ago were in an early phase of domestication. They looked like wild animals but displayed joint wear that showed that they were used as domestic animals.
"Genetic research has suggested African origins for the donkey," said Marshall. "But coming up with an exact time and location for domestication is difficult because signs of early domestication can be hard to see. Our findings show that traces of human management can indicate domestication before skeletal or even genetic change. more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Research news: Students with cell phones may take more risks, study finds
The News:
Students With Cell Phones May Take More Risks, Study Finds
ScienceDaily (Mar. 5, 2008) — Carrying a cell phone may cause some college students – especially women – to take risks with their safety, a new study suggests. A survey of 305 students at one campus found that 40 percent of cell phone users said they walked somewhere after dark that they normally wouldn’t go.
A separate survey found that about three-quarters of students said that carrying a cell phone while walking alone at night made them feel somewhat or a lot safer.
“Students seem to feel less vulnerable when they carry a cell phone, although there’s not evidence that they really are,” said Jack Nasar, co-author of the study and professor of city and regional planning at Ohio State University.
“If anything, they are probably less safe because they are paying less attention to their surroundings.”
Nasar conducted the study with Peter Hecht of Temple University in Philadelphia and Richard Wener of Brooklyn Polytechnic University in New York. Their results were published in a recent issue of the International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the International Journal of Urban and Regional Research.
Students With Cell Phones May Take More Risks, Study Finds
ScienceDaily (Mar. 5, 2008) — Carrying a cell phone may cause some college students – especially women – to take risks with their safety, a new study suggests. A survey of 305 students at one campus found that 40 percent of cell phone users said they walked somewhere after dark that they normally wouldn’t go.
A separate survey found that about three-quarters of students said that carrying a cell phone while walking alone at night made them feel somewhat or a lot safer.
“Students seem to feel less vulnerable when they carry a cell phone, although there’s not evidence that they really are,” said Jack Nasar, co-author of the study and professor of city and regional planning at Ohio State University.
“If anything, they are probably less safe because they are paying less attention to their surroundings.”
Nasar conducted the study with Peter Hecht of Temple University in Philadelphia and Richard Wener of Brooklyn Polytechnic University in New York. Their results were published in a recent issue of the International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the International Journal of Urban and Regional Research.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Research news: Kids of afflicted parents face risk of Alzheimer's
The News:
Kids of afflicted parents face risk of Alzheimer's
A study shows children are more likely to end up with Alzheimer's if both parents suffered from the disease.
By Carla K. JohnsonThe Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 03/11/2008 06:20:00 AM MDT
CHICAGO — One parent with Alzheimer's disease is tough enough, but imagine the memory-robbing illness striking both parents — and knowing chances are high you'll get it too. A study of more than 100 families for the first time gauges the size of that risk.
"I'm scared," said Jackie Lustig, 52, of Sudbury, Mass., whose father died of Alzheimer's and whose mother is living it. "I'm hoping to heck that the pharmaceutical companies come up with something better than there is now. It's not a nice way to go."
The study, appearing in March's Archives of Neurology, found more than 22 percent of the adult children of 111 couples with Alz heimer's had the disease themselves. Risk grew with age. Among offspring older than 60, more than 30 percent were affected. In those older than 70, nearly 42 percent had the disease.
Prior studies have found a 6 to 13 percent prevalence of the disease in the U.S. population older than 65.
At age 62, Gayle Dorman worries every time she misplaces her car keys. "Is this the day I'm going to start losing it?" she wonders. more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Archives of Neurology.
Kids of afflicted parents face risk of Alzheimer's
A study shows children are more likely to end up with Alzheimer's if both parents suffered from the disease.
By Carla K. JohnsonThe Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 03/11/2008 06:20:00 AM MDT
CHICAGO — One parent with Alzheimer's disease is tough enough, but imagine the memory-robbing illness striking both parents — and knowing chances are high you'll get it too. A study of more than 100 families for the first time gauges the size of that risk.
"I'm scared," said Jackie Lustig, 52, of Sudbury, Mass., whose father died of Alzheimer's and whose mother is living it. "I'm hoping to heck that the pharmaceutical companies come up with something better than there is now. It's not a nice way to go."
The study, appearing in March's Archives of Neurology, found more than 22 percent of the adult children of 111 couples with Alz heimer's had the disease themselves. Risk grew with age. Among offspring older than 60, more than 30 percent were affected. In those older than 70, nearly 42 percent had the disease.
Prior studies have found a 6 to 13 percent prevalence of the disease in the U.S. population older than 65.
At age 62, Gayle Dorman worries every time she misplaces her car keys. "Is this the day I'm going to start losing it?" she wonders. more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Archives of Neurology.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Research news: Pharmaceuticals fouling U.S. drinking water
The News:
Pharmaceuticals fouling U.S. drinking water
A five-month study finds a variety of drugs in water supplies - and growing concern among experts.
By Jeff Donn, Martha Mendoza and Justin Pritchard The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 03/10/2008 01:15:50 AM MDT
A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — has been found in the drinking-water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.
To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe. more...
also, this related article
Low-level drugs show signs of being harmful
By Jeff Donn The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 03/10/2008 01:13:30 AM MDT
Troubled by drugs discovered in European waters, poisons expert and biologist Francesco Pomati set up an experiment: He exposed developing human kidney cells to a mixture of 13 drugs at levels mimicking those found in Italian rivers.
There were drugs to fight high cholesterol, high blood pressure, seizures, depression, pain, infection and cancer, but all in tiny amounts.
The result: The pharmaceutical blend slowed cell growth by up to a third — suggesting that scant amounts might exert powerful effects, said Pomati, who works at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. more...
The Research:
Read the research reported in the story "Low-level drugs show signs of being harmful", in the journal Environmental science and pollution research.
Pharmaceuticals fouling U.S. drinking water
A five-month study finds a variety of drugs in water supplies - and growing concern among experts.
By Jeff Donn, Martha Mendoza and Justin Pritchard The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 03/10/2008 01:15:50 AM MDT
A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — has been found in the drinking-water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.
To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe. more...
also, this related article
Low-level drugs show signs of being harmful
By Jeff Donn The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 03/10/2008 01:13:30 AM MDT
Troubled by drugs discovered in European waters, poisons expert and biologist Francesco Pomati set up an experiment: He exposed developing human kidney cells to a mixture of 13 drugs at levels mimicking those found in Italian rivers.
There were drugs to fight high cholesterol, high blood pressure, seizures, depression, pain, infection and cancer, but all in tiny amounts.
The result: The pharmaceutical blend slowed cell growth by up to a third — suggesting that scant amounts might exert powerful effects, said Pomati, who works at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. more...
The Research:
Read the research reported in the story "Low-level drugs show signs of being harmful", in the journal Environmental science and pollution research.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Research news: More than meets the ear in successful cocktail party conversations
The News:
More Than Meets The Ear In Successful Cocktail Party Conversations
ScienceDaily (Mar. 8, 2008) — Just picture the scene: you're at a cocktail party, talking to someone you would like to get to know better but the background noise is making it hard to concentrate. Luckily, humans are very gifted at listening to someone speaking while many other people are talking loudly at the same time. This so-called cocktail-party-phenomenon is based on the ability of the human auditory system to decompose the acoustic world into discrete objects of perception.
It was originally believed that the major acoustic cue used by the auditory system to solve this task was directional information of the sound source, but even though localisation of different sound sources with two ears improves the performance, it can be achieved monaurally, for example in telephone conversations, where no directional information is available.
Scientists led by Holger Schulze at the Leibniz-Institute for Neurobiology in Magdeburg, and the Universities of Ulm, Newcastle and Erlangen have now found a neuronal mechanism in the auditory system that is able to solve the task based on the analysis of the temporal fine structure of the acoustic scene. Different speakers have different temporal fine structure in their voiced speech and that such signals are represented in different areas of the auditory cortex according to this different time structure. more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal PLoS One.
More Than Meets The Ear In Successful Cocktail Party Conversations
ScienceDaily (Mar. 8, 2008) — Just picture the scene: you're at a cocktail party, talking to someone you would like to get to know better but the background noise is making it hard to concentrate. Luckily, humans are very gifted at listening to someone speaking while many other people are talking loudly at the same time. This so-called cocktail-party-phenomenon is based on the ability of the human auditory system to decompose the acoustic world into discrete objects of perception.
It was originally believed that the major acoustic cue used by the auditory system to solve this task was directional information of the sound source, but even though localisation of different sound sources with two ears improves the performance, it can be achieved monaurally, for example in telephone conversations, where no directional information is available.
Scientists led by Holger Schulze at the Leibniz-Institute for Neurobiology in Magdeburg, and the Universities of Ulm, Newcastle and Erlangen have now found a neuronal mechanism in the auditory system that is able to solve the task based on the analysis of the temporal fine structure of the acoustic scene. Different speakers have different temporal fine structure in their voiced speech and that such signals are represented in different areas of the auditory cortex according to this different time structure. more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal PLoS One.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Research news: It Took Eons to Make Grand Canyon Grand
The News:
It Took Eons to Make Grand Canyon Grand
How old is the Grand Canyon? Study says it took longer than once thought to become grand
By LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press Writer AP
Mar 6, 2008
Gazing into the majestic Grand Canyon, awe-struck visitors inevitably ask: "How old is it?" Far older than generally thought, says new evidence that scientists culled from caves lining the canyon's red limestone cliffs.
The Grand Canyon often is referred to as about 6 million years old _ but its western half actually began to open at least 17 million years ago, a University of New Mexico team reports Friday in the journal Science.
Wait: The western side of the canyon is the downstream end of the Colorado River, so how could it be older than the arguably more spectacular eastern side?
Remember, geologists caution, that the Grand Canyon was carved from drainage systems that didn't turn into the single river we now know as the Colorado until roughly 6 million years ago. The new research suggests two canyons formed that eventually joined. And it makes sense that the older side would even look different, less jagged, thanks to more years of gravity and wind erosion to soften its edges.
"This is really exciting for those of us who work in the stories and theories of how the Grand Canyon has evolved," Arizona geologist Wayne Ranney, author of "Carving the Grand Canyon," said of the new work. "This paper helps us to more clearly understand that different parts of the canyon formed at different times. That's how big the Grand Canyon is." more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science.
It Took Eons to Make Grand Canyon Grand
How old is the Grand Canyon? Study says it took longer than once thought to become grand
By LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press Writer AP
Mar 6, 2008
Gazing into the majestic Grand Canyon, awe-struck visitors inevitably ask: "How old is it?" Far older than generally thought, says new evidence that scientists culled from caves lining the canyon's red limestone cliffs.
The Grand Canyon often is referred to as about 6 million years old _ but its western half actually began to open at least 17 million years ago, a University of New Mexico team reports Friday in the journal Science.
Wait: The western side of the canyon is the downstream end of the Colorado River, so how could it be older than the arguably more spectacular eastern side?
Remember, geologists caution, that the Grand Canyon was carved from drainage systems that didn't turn into the single river we now know as the Colorado until roughly 6 million years ago. The new research suggests two canyons formed that eventually joined. And it makes sense that the older side would even look different, less jagged, thanks to more years of gravity and wind erosion to soften its edges.
"This is really exciting for those of us who work in the stories and theories of how the Grand Canyon has evolved," Arizona geologist Wayne Ranney, author of "Carving the Grand Canyon," said of the new work. "This paper helps us to more clearly understand that different parts of the canyon formed at different times. That's how big the Grand Canyon is." more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Research news: More men taking on bigger load of chores, child care
The News:
More men taking on bigger load of chores, child care
While it's still not evenly divided, a greater portion of housework is being done by U.S. men. And an expert suggests that the reward could be more sex.
By David Crary The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 03/06/2008 02:01:44 AM MST
NEW YORK — American men still don't pull their weight when it comes to housework and child care, but collectively they're not the slackers that they used to be.
The average dad has gradually been getting better about picking himself up off the sofa and pitching in, according to a new report in which a psychologist suggests that the payoff for doing more chores could be more sex.
The report, released today by the Council on Contemporary Families, summarizes several recent studies on family dynamics. One found that men's contribution to housework had doubled over the past four decades; another found they tripled the time spent on child care over that span.
"More couples are sharing family tasks than ever before, and the movement toward sharing has been especially significant for full-time, dual-earner couples," the report says. "Men and women may not be fully equal yet, but the rules of the game have been profoundly and irreversibly changed."
more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in a report released by the Council on Contemporary Families.
More men taking on bigger load of chores, child care
While it's still not evenly divided, a greater portion of housework is being done by U.S. men. And an expert suggests that the reward could be more sex.
By David Crary The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 03/06/2008 02:01:44 AM MST
NEW YORK — American men still don't pull their weight when it comes to housework and child care, but collectively they're not the slackers that they used to be.
The average dad has gradually been getting better about picking himself up off the sofa and pitching in, according to a new report in which a psychologist suggests that the payoff for doing more chores could be more sex.
The report, released today by the Council on Contemporary Families, summarizes several recent studies on family dynamics. One found that men's contribution to housework had doubled over the past four decades; another found they tripled the time spent on child care over that span.
"More couples are sharing family tasks than ever before, and the movement toward sharing has been especially significant for full-time, dual-earner couples," the report says. "Men and women may not be fully equal yet, but the rules of the game have been profoundly and irreversibly changed."
more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in a report released by the Council on Contemporary Families.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Research news: Colon threats elude testers
The News:
Colon threats elude testers
Flat growths, not polyps, pose the bigger cancer threat, says a new study expected to change care.
By Carla K. Johnson The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 03/05/2008 01:54:23 AM MST
CHICAGO — Flat growths on the colon wall are more common in Americans than previously thought and more likely to be cancerous than the more familiar knobby masses known as polyps, a new study finds.
New techniques can locate and remove the flat growths, but many doctors aren't aware of their cancer risk and may not know how to look for them. The findings are likely to change the practice of colonoscopy, experts said, and may explain some colon cancers that arise between colonoscopies.
"I think it is very important. It's going to intensify the need for quality screening," said Dr. Stephen Hanauer, gastroenterology chief at the University of Chicago, who was not involved in the study. "You're not going to be able to do seven-minute colonoscopies."
The growths tend to be smaller when they are cancerous — the size of a nickel instead of a quarter — and are level with the colon wall or depressed like a pothole. They blend in with the surrounding tissue and are difficult to spot.
"They look like a pancake just lying on the floor," said the study's lead author, Dr. Roy Soetikno of the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System in California. more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Colon threats elude testers
Flat growths, not polyps, pose the bigger cancer threat, says a new study expected to change care.
By Carla K. Johnson The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 03/05/2008 01:54:23 AM MST
CHICAGO — Flat growths on the colon wall are more common in Americans than previously thought and more likely to be cancerous than the more familiar knobby masses known as polyps, a new study finds.
New techniques can locate and remove the flat growths, but many doctors aren't aware of their cancer risk and may not know how to look for them. The findings are likely to change the practice of colonoscopy, experts said, and may explain some colon cancers that arise between colonoscopies.
"I think it is very important. It's going to intensify the need for quality screening," said Dr. Stephen Hanauer, gastroenterology chief at the University of Chicago, who was not involved in the study. "You're not going to be able to do seven-minute colonoscopies."
The growths tend to be smaller when they are cancerous — the size of a nickel instead of a quarter — and are level with the colon wall or depressed like a pothole. They blend in with the surrounding tissue and are difficult to spot.
"They look like a pancake just lying on the floor," said the study's lead author, Dr. Roy Soetikno of the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System in California. more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Research news: Snow flurries, bacteria likely
The News:
Snow Flurries, Bacteria Likely
by Christopher Joyce
All Things Considered, March 3, 2008 · Next time you're in a snowstorm, look up — and get a face-full of bacteria. It turns out there are bacteria up in the clouds, and some of them actually create ice crystals.
The inspiration for this research started in Montana. Brent Christner had a colleague there who was puzzled by some nasty plant bacteria that kept infecting his wheat crops. No matter what he did, he couldn't get rid of them. He suspected they might be airborne. So, Christner says, his friend cooked up a strange experiment involving a petri dish and an airplane.
He flew up in the airplane, "opened a window and held a petri plate outside," Christner explains. And in fact, bacteria grew.
The bacteria — which normally live on plants — were falling out of the sky. more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science.
Snow Flurries, Bacteria Likely
by Christopher Joyce
All Things Considered, March 3, 2008 · Next time you're in a snowstorm, look up — and get a face-full of bacteria. It turns out there are bacteria up in the clouds, and some of them actually create ice crystals.
The inspiration for this research started in Montana. Brent Christner had a colleague there who was puzzled by some nasty plant bacteria that kept infecting his wheat crops. No matter what he did, he couldn't get rid of them. He suspected they might be airborne. So, Christner says, his friend cooked up a strange experiment involving a petri dish and an airplane.
He flew up in the airplane, "opened a window and held a petri plate outside," Christner explains. And in fact, bacteria grew.
The bacteria — which normally live on plants — were falling out of the sky. more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Research news: How Roots Find A Route Around Obstacles In The Soil
The News:
How Roots Find A Route Around Obstacles In The Soil
ScienceDaily (Mar. 3, 2008) — Scientists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich have discovered how roots find their way past obstacles to grow through soil. The discovery, described in the forthcoming edition of Science, also explains how germinating seedlings penetrate the soil without pushing themselves out as they burrow.
"The key is in the fuzzy coat of hairs on the roots of plants" says Professor Liam Dolan. "We have identified a growth control mechanism that enables these hairs to find their way and to elongate when their path is clear."
Root hairs explore the soil in much the same way as a person would feel their way in the dark. If they come across an obstacle, they feel their way around until they can continue growing in an opening. In the meantime, the plant is held in place as the hairs grip the soil. more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science.
How Roots Find A Route Around Obstacles In The Soil
ScienceDaily (Mar. 3, 2008) — Scientists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich have discovered how roots find their way past obstacles to grow through soil. The discovery, described in the forthcoming edition of Science, also explains how germinating seedlings penetrate the soil without pushing themselves out as they burrow.
"The key is in the fuzzy coat of hairs on the roots of plants" says Professor Liam Dolan. "We have identified a growth control mechanism that enables these hairs to find their way and to elongate when their path is clear."
Root hairs explore the soil in much the same way as a person would feel their way in the dark. If they come across an obstacle, they feel their way around until they can continue growing in an opening. In the meantime, the plant is held in place as the hairs grip the soil. more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science.
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