PsySciGuy's 

Recent Discoveries  

of interest to Psychology Students

03/06 & Fall   03/05 & Summer 06

 

Pop-Psy and more! ------------------------------------------------------  

New study shows young American females folic acid levels continuing to fall. All women of child bearing age should be on a folic acid supplement preferably as part of a daily B vitamin. Folic acid absolutely prevents spin bifida. 

The latest in Credit Card Scams

NO 'SMOKING' GUN -- RESEARCH INDICATES TEEN MARIJUANA USE DOES NOT PREDICT DRUG, ALCOHOL ABUSE, December 04
Marijuana is not a "gateway" drug that predicts or eventually leads to substance abuse, suggests a 12-year University of Pittsburgh study. The study, which found that young men who chose to initiate their drug use with marijuana were no more likely to go on to abuse drugs or alcohol than those who smoked or drank first, calls into question the long-held belief that has shaped prevention efforts and governmental policy for six decades.  
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news84468374.html

TEENS WHO TAKE MULTIVITAMINS HAVE HEALTHIER LIFESTYLES, December 04
Teenagers who take a daily multivitamin supplement have a healthier diet and lifestyle than those who don't take vitamins, reports a study in the December Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news84467836.html

PROBING QUESTION: WHAT MAKES SOMEBODY A MORNING PERSON OR A NIGHT OWL?, November 30
I'm a dyed-in-the-wool morning guy: up at 5, nodding off by 9 p.m. My college-freshman son, on the other hand, is the proverbial night owl: up around noon, and I don't even want to know when he gets to bed.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news84126028.html

PREGNANT WOMEN ARE URGED TO AVOID PAXIL, November 30
(AP) -- Pregnant women and those who plan to become pregnant should avoid taking the antidepressant Paxil if possible because of the risk of birth defects, a group of obstetricians said Thursday.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news84115255.html

Get ready for 24 hour living!

Fish
Fish consumption advice - simple and straight forward: 
There are several fish that are high in omega-3s and low in pollutants.  These include anchovies, Atlantic mackerel and herring, farmed oysters, sardines, and wild coho, sockeye and pink salmon. 

Fish consumption - the latest research complex and circuitous:
Yahoo News Article

Adding further weight to the theory that fish may be brain food, new research found that people with diets rich in fish have a significantly lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The key appears to be docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid that appears to affect dementia risk and to be important for the proper functioning of the central nervous system.

"If you have a high level of DHA, a fatty acid found in fish, it reduced your risk of dementia by about half," and also improves memory. So, either eat more fish or use one or two fish oil capsules a day. "...if it is the fat, you could take fish oil supplements and avoid mercury contamination issues."
Yahoo News Article 18 Nov 06

 

Vitamin D
"...patients should take enough oral cholecalciferol (never ergocalciferol, which is not vitamin D and appears to be a weaker agonist of the vitamin D receptor) in the winter to maintain high average summertime vitamin D blood levels (50 – 60 ng/ml). This means that many people with chronically low 25(OH)D levels, such as people with highly pigmented skin, the aged, the obese, and those who avoid sunlight, may need to take 5,000 IU (125 ug) of cholecalciferol daily during the colder months. How much is needed in sunnier months depends on latitude, season, weather patterns, and sunning habits." John Cannell, MD

My personal experience is that taking two 2000 IU/day has led to zero colds for the consumption period (as of Jan 4, 2007 four months).

Full Posting

Chocolate Milk!
"There's no reason it shouldn't be as good for recovery as a carb drink." It works like aspirin and it's cheaper!

The Courts and Junk Science
The FDA is allowing silicone breast implants to be sold again, 14 years after they were removed from the market by the same agency over questions of safety. Most studies have failed to link the implants to serious or chronic diseases such as cancer and lupus. Lawsuits over the products drove one of the manufacturers, Dow Corning, into bankruptcy, increased the power of the courts, and made many lawyers rich. Oh yea, this junk science also frightened many women, caused needless surgeries to remove the implants, and killed a few women. But who cares about that when you can destroy a company and get rich. Link

 

VICTORY AND DEFEAT: ARE YOU A WOLF OR A SHEEP?, June 19 
Are all people stressed out by a defeat or does it hurt some more than 
others? It may depend on whether you're a power-hungry wolf or a sheep, 
according to University of Michigan psychology researchers.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news69951399.html

GERMAN SCIENTISTS FIND DYSLEXIA GENE, June 20 
German researchers say they've found a genetic component for the 
learning disability dyslexia, possibly opening new methods of treatment. 
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news70032777.html

'THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE' MAY BE OPIUM CRAVING, June 20 
Neuroscientists have proposed a simple explanation for the pleasure of 
grasping a new concept: The brain is getting its fix. The "click" of 
comprehension triggers a biochemical cascade that rewards the brain with 
a shot of natural opium-like substances, said Irving Biederman of the 
University of Southern California. He presents his theory in an invited 
article in the latest issue of American Scientist. 
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news70030587.html

SLOW-FROZEN PEOPLE? LATEST RESEARCH SUPPORTS POSSIBILITY OF 
CYROPRESERVATION, June 20 
The latest research on water - still one of the least understood of all 
liquids despite a century of intensive study – seems to support the 
possibility that cells, tissues and even the entire human body could be 
cyropreserved without formation of damaging ice crystals, according to 
University of Helsinki researcher Anatoli Bogdan, Ph.D.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news70025926.html
STUDY: GENES, BRAIN CHEMISTRY MAY DETERMINE ANOREXIA, June 16 06 
Luanne Sanders remembers her first diet, when she was 14 years old, 
because the results were so dramatic. No sooner had she decided to lose 
weight than she found herself plunging into a binge-purge cycle it took 
her decades to overcome.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news69657092.htm
BODYBUILDERS HAVE DISTORTED BODY IMAGE, June 16 
Welsh researchers who studied "gym rats" say many of those who use 
steroids seem to suffer from body image problems similar to those of 
anorexics.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news69651751.html
WHERE THE BRAIN ORGANIZES ACTIONS, June 16 06
Researchers have discovered that Broca's area in the brain--best known 
as the region that evolved to manage speech production--is a major 
"executive" center in the brain for organizing hierarchies of behaviors. 
Such planning ability, from cooking a meal to organizing a space mission, 
is considered one of the hallmarks of human intelligence.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news69691053.html
SLEEPY FRUIT FLIES PROVIDE CLUES TO LEARNING AND MEMORY, June 15 06
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have 
discovered that a brain region previously known for its role in learning 
and memory also serves as the location of sleep regulation in fruit 
flies. Through further examination of this brain structure, researchers 
hope to shed light on sleep regulation and its role in memory.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news69607900.html

Yahoo! Mail - revelationsofsd@yahoo.com

Research suggests multiple 'body clocks'
5 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
Research conducted at Oregon Health & Science University suggests that contrary to popular belief, the body has more than one "body clock." The previously known master body clock resides in a part of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Researchers at OHSU's Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) have now revealed the existence of a secondary clock-like mechanism associated with the adrenal gland. The research also suggests a high likelihood that additional clocks exist in the body.

Preview Far Infrared Silicon Diodes Treat Burns 
The St. Petersburg researchers (Russia) suggest that infrared emission should be used to treat burns. A unique device based on silicon light-emitting diodes was developed by the St. Petersburg physicists – specialists of the Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, and the St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical University. Emission of far infra-red range of wave-lengths generated by this device will help to cure in an ordinary hospital even such burns that could be previously treated only in specialized burn centers. The Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE) will help the researchers to arrange production of remarkable devices.Preview Far Infrared Silicon Diodes Treat Burns

Blueprinting the human brain
(CNET) A 3D computer simulation of 10,000 neurons firing in the human brain produces a terabyte of data - a fraction of what it would take to map the brain's billions of neurons in algorithms, according to scientists working on the Blue Brain project, a collaboration of IBM, the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), in Lausanne, Switzerland, and others. The project is an attempt to create a blueprint of the human brain to advance cognition research. Last year, EPFL bought an IBM Blue Gene/L supercomputer for the two-year project, which is being conducted in Switzerland. The group only recently simulated the firing of 10,000 neurons in a single column in the neocortex, the largest area of the human brain governing high-level thinking and action. A column typically contains 100,000 neurons. To deal with the enormous amount of data generated from the project, the group relies on visualisation tools to locate and earmark interesting results in the computations for further research. Blue Brain bought a supercomputer from SGI to create a small media centre to display the 3D simulations, which Henry Markram, a scientist working on the Blue Brain project, said is like sitting inside the brain.
http://news.com.com
Lego builds open source robotics toy
(VNUNet) The toy maker Lego has announced plans to release the source code of its forthcoming Mindstorms NXT toys. Mindstorms NXT is a set of robotics tools including sensors and a central computer unit that allows Lego builders to create structures that sort items based on their colour or that can move around obstacles. Lego will also publish developer kits that allow individuals to create their own software and hardware that work with the set. Lego will release specifications that allow children to use a Bluetooth mobile phone or other device to control or communicate with their creations. Releasing the source code will make children more familiar with the open source phenomenon, according to Raven Zachary, a senior analyst at The 451 Group. "I suspect that the outcome will be a vibrant community of developers, possibly including my own kids," he wrote on a company blog.
http://www.vnunet.com

IST Results - News in Brief

That Morning Caffeine Fix? Consider It Health Care

Here's another plug for green tea -- and coffee, too.

A large Japanese study has found that sipping away on six cups of green tea each day may shrink type 2 diabetes risk, especially among women and overweight men. Why? Researchers aren't sure yet, but caffeine may play a role. Even though green tea's not loaded with the stuff, other studies have found that the caffeine in coffee seems to guard against diabetes.

Mingle, Sleep, and Be Merry

Looking for fun ways to stay well? Spend more time with friends -- and in bed.

Having close pals you can laugh and cry with, through thick and thin, is a blessing. So is getting a good night's sleep, especially in restless times. But wait, there's more. Both also reduce your blood levels of an inflammatory protein that's been linked to Alzheimer's, bone thinning, heart trouble, rheumatoid arthritis, and even some kinds of cancer.
A Gym for Your Memory

Want to have the kind of mind that can recall directions with MapQuest-like accuracy? Get moving.

Take a walk, go for a bike ride, hit the gym. Exercise makes extra space in the "scratch pad" part of your brain, also known as your working memory. It's where you jot down bits of information that you need to act on immediately, such as which street to turn onto or what the chef's daily specials are.

RealAge Benefit: Exercising regularly can make your RealAge as much as 9 years younger.

 

BRAIN DIFFERENCES COULD EXPLAIN WHY MALES AND FEMALES 
EXPERIENCE PAIN RELIEF DIFFERENTLY, April 18 

A study conducted by investigators at Georgia State University and the 
Atlanta-based Center for Behavioral Neuroscience (CBN) reports that 
anatomical and functional differences in the brain may explain sex 
differences in the experience of pain and in the effects of certain drugs on 
pain.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news64588700.html

DIET SEEN TO CUT ALZHEIMER'S RISK SHARPLY, April 18 
A Columbia University study has found that the Mediterranean diet rich 
in olive oil can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease by up to 40 
percent. 
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news64580999.html

STUDY REVEALS NEW ALCOHOLIC GENES, April 18 
U.S. government researchers say they have identified new genes that may 
contribute to excessive alcohol consumption. 
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news64547966.html

Stretch your Stretching
First, Pretend You're Gumby . . .
Use your mind to help your muscles go from stiff to supple the next time you're doing a full-body stretch.
Put another way: pretend you're Gumby. Researchers have found that people who vividly imagine lengthening and moving their arms or legs find stretching easier to do. And that could lead to greater flexibility gains. So close your eyes and envision your muscles getting longer and looser whenever you stretch.

In a recent study, three groups of volunteers (30 people in all) went through a 4-week flexibility program. While all the groups emerged with more limber bodies, two of them applied their minds as well as their bodies to the process. One group visualized moving the limb they were stretching, while the other imagined the physiological process of stretching, trying to "see" their muscles elongating. Both of these groups found their flexibility workouts easier to do than the members of the control group did . . . yet they still got at least the same flexibility gains. Sweet.

Get Juiced
If you don't touch the hard stuff but would love some of the highly touted health benefits attributed to red wine, pour yourself a glass of grape juice instead. Like wine, grape juice is full of protective pigments known as flavonoids. Unlike wine, it doesn't . . . Read more: http://ramailer.realage.com/ct/click?q=af-~dE8QLpYDpryumLyIbXb~sv0ksRR

Situation - Auto Accident

* Federal study followed 241 drivers of 100 vehicles for 1 year to observe driving behavior
* Conducted by researchers w/ NHTSA, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
* Study showed 80% of crashes caused by distractions, sleepiness
* Reading, putting on makeup, reaching for moving object tied to increase chance of crash
* Dialing, answering cell phone increased rate of crash, near-miss 2.8 times
* Likelihood of distraction 4 times higher for drivers age 18-20 than for those over 35

Significance

* 100 vehicles wired w/ cameras, sensors tracked 109 primary drivers, 241 total drivers
* Observed driver behavior for 12-13 months, over 2M miles, in VA, Washington, DC area
* Caught 82 crashes, 761 near-crashes, 8295 critical incidents
* 78% of accidents, 65% of near-crashes involved driver inattention in 3 seconds before incident
* Drowsiness played much greater role in accidents than previously believed
* Automakers using data to develop precrash sensors to warn of impending accidents
http://www.automotivedigest.com/view_art.asp?articlesID=18939

EVEN AT SMALL SCALES, THE BIG DECISIONS ARE MADE AT THE WATER COOLER, April 20 
When a group of people tries to decide how to carry out an important 
task, it is sometimes said that the pivotal discussions do not happen in large, well-attended meetings, but in one-on-one conversations around the water cooler. It turns out that among individual neurons in our brains, the same may hold true.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news64770522.html


NANO WORLD: BREATH TEST FOR BREAST CANCER, April 21 
Breath tests for breast cancer might arise via pockets only square 
nanometers or billionths of a meter in size, experts told UPI's Nano World. 
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news64858897.html


FINDINGS RELEASED ON REAL-WORLD DRIVER BEHAVIOR, DISTRACTION, CRASH  FACTORS, April 20 
Driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes and 
near-crashes, according to a landmark research report released today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI). 
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news64755045.html


U.S. MUMPS OUTBREAK LIKELY TO WORSEN, April 20 
Federal officials say the outbreak of mumps centered in the U.S. 
Midwest is likely to spread before it can be reined in with vaccinations and 
quarantines. 
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news64753448.html


EDUCATION LINKED WITH CALCIUM DEPOSITS, April 20 
A Northwestern University study suggests higher levels of education are associated with a lower prevalence of coronary artery calcium. 
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news64753402.html


STUDY WATCHES THE BRAIN 'SHUTTING OFF', April 19 
Israeli scientists say they have observed the human brain in the act of losing "self" as it shuts down introspection during a demanding sensory task. 
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news64683846.html


MOUSE TO MAN: THE STORY OF CHROMOSOMES, April 19 
U.S. scientists say sequencing human chromosome 17 and mouse chromosome 11 has offered unique insights into the evolution of the genome of higher mammals. 
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news64683795.html


'WORD-VISION' BRAIN AREA CONFIRMED, April 19 
French neuroscientists have ended a long controversy, confirming a 
specific area of the human brain plays a causal role in our ability to 
recognize words.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news64683768.html


THE LOGIC OF LIFE, April 20 
Even though the entire human genome has now been 'read' - the chemical composition of our DNA has been more or less mapped out, gene by gene - we still have a rather poor grasp of how living cells actually work. 
That's because the genome is not really a 'book of life', but is just a 
catalogue of the parts of the cellular machinery, rather like a list of 
all the electronic components in a complicated computer circuit. The 
key challenge for biologists in the twenty-first century is to figure 
out how those component genes are wired together. To do that, they may need help from physicists, electronic and computer scientists, and others.

Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news64765763.html

HIGH-RESOLUTION LIGHT MICROSCOPE REVEALS 
THE FUNDAMENTAL MECHANISMS OF NERVE COMMUNICATION, 
April 14, 2006 

The development of STED microscopy has allowed researchers at the Max-Planck Institute for 
Biophysical Chemistry to image, for the first time, proteins from single synaptic vesicles, answering 
long-standing questions of neurocommunication (Nature, 13th April 2006). In a simultaneous 
publication (Science Express, 13th April 2006), STED microscopy revealed the spatial distribution 
of the bruchpilot protein and aided neurobiologists from the European Neuroscience Institute 
and the University of Würzburg in understanding the protein’s central role in the formation of 
active synaptic zones.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news64239200.html

Brain Cells Fused with Computer Chip

Ker Than
LiveScience Staff Writer
LiveScience.com

The line between living organisms and machines has just become a whole lot blurrier. European researchers have developed "neuro-chips" in which living brain cells and silicon circuits are coupled together. The achievement could one day enable the creation of sophisticated neural prostheses to treat neurological disorders or the development of organic computers that crunch numbers using living neurons.
Full story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20060327/sc_space/braincellsfusedwithcomputerchip

RESEARCHERS FIND 'SWITCH' FOR BRAIN'S PLEASURE PATHWAY, March 22 
Amid reports that a drug used to treat Parkinson's disease has caused 
some patients to become addicted to gambling and sex, University of 
Pittsburgh researchers have published a study that sheds light on what may 
have gone wrong.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news12026.html
STANFORD PROFESSOR HOPES TO MIMIC THE BRAIN ON A CHIP, March 21 
Microchips that function as the brain does or see like our eyes do were 
once consigned to an unrealized world of flying cars and robot 
housekeepers. Thanks, in part, to a Stanford researcher, such "neuromorphic" 
processors are becoming more of a reality.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news11981.html
TEENS UNDERGO FAST BRAIN MAKEOVER, March 24 
U.S. researchers say a teen's brain undergoes a previously unsuspected 
biological makeover not complete until they're 25, and that could 
explain a few things.  
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news12113.html
PESTICIDE EXPOSURE LINKED TO LOWER IQ, March 24 
A study of North Dakota farm children found those children exposed to 
pesticides tested an average of 5 points lower on standard IQ tests. 
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news12105.html
WASABI'S KICK LINKED TO SINGLE PAIN RECEPTOR, March 24 
A single pain receptor is responsible for the kick delivered by garlic 
and mustard oil, which is the active ingredient in mustard and in the 
pungent green sushi condiment known as wasabi, according to a Yale 
School of Medicine study published this week in Cell.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news12099.html
 
Expert Advice on Healthy Sleep

This is your final HealthGuide issue on better sleep. This HealthGuide issue contains independent content from RealAge about how to talk to your doctor about your sleep habits.

See this newsletter

More Choices for Better Sleep

If attempts to improve your sleep on your own have failed, and if your doctor has ruled out or diagnosed any underlying causes of your insomnia, it might be time to consider medication for improving your sleep.

Look here!

Medical Reasons for Poor Sleep

Physical and Psychological details

The Keys to Happiness, and Why We Don't Use Them

Robin Lloyd
Special to LiveScience
LiveScience.com
Tue Feb 28, 11:02 AM ET

"It requires some effort to achieve a happy outlook on life, and most people don't make it." —Author and researcher Gregg Easterbrook

Psychologists have recently handed the keys to happiness to the public, but many people cling to gloomy ways out of habit, experts say. Polls show Americans are no happier today than they were 50 years ago despite significant increases in prosperity, decreases in crime, cleaner air, larger living quarters and a better overall quality of life. Happiness is 50 percent genetic, says University of Minnesota researcher David Lykken. What you do with the other half of the challenge depends largely on determination, psychologists agree. As Abraham Lincoln once said, "Most people are as happy as they make up their minds to be."

Happiness does not come via prescription drugs, although 10 percent of women 18 and older and 4 percent of men take antidepressants, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Anti-depressants benefit those with mental illness but are no happiness guarantee, researchers say.

Nor will money or prosperity buy happiness for many of us. Money that lifts people out of poverty increases happiness, but after that, the better paychecks stop paying off sense-of-well-being dividends, research shows.

One route to more happiness is called "flow," an engrossing state that comes during creative or playful activity, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has found. Athletes, musicians, writers, gamers, and religious adherents know the feeling. It comes less from what you're doing than from how you do it.

Sonja Lyubomirsky of the University of California at Riverside has discovered that the road toward a more satisfying and meaningful life involves a recipe repeated in schools, churches and synagogues. Make lists of things for which you're grateful in your life, practice random acts of kindness, forgive your enemies, notice life's small pleasures, take care of your health, practice positive thinking, and invest time and energy into friendships and family.

The happiest people have strong friendships, says Ed Diener, a psychologist University of Illinois. Interestingly his research finds that most people are slightly to moderately happy, not unhappy.

"There are selfish reasons to behave in altruistic ways," says Gregg Easterbrook, author of "The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse" (Random House, 2004). "Research shows that people who are grateful, optimistic and forgiving have better experiences with their lives, more happiness, fewer strokes, and higher incomes," according to Easterbrook. "If it makes world a better place at same time, this is a real bonus." Diener has collected specific details on this. People who positively evaluate their well-being on average have stronger immune systems, are better citizens at work, earn more income, have better marriages, are more sociable, and cope better with difficulties.

Lethargy holds many people back from doing the things that lead to happiness. Easterbrook, also a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institute, goes back to Freud, who theorized that unhappiness is a default condition because it takes less effort to be unhappy than to be happy.

"If you are looking for something to complain about, you are absolutely certain to find it," Easterbrook told LiveScience. "It requires some effort to achieve a happy outlook on life, and most people don't make it. Most people take the path of least resistance. Far too many people today don't make the steps to make their life more fulfilling one."

The Keys to Happiness, and Why We Don't Use Them - Yahoo! News

BIRDS CAN DISTINGUISH LANGUAGES: RESEARCHERS, 
February 06 
 Pet birds can not only imitate sounds, they can distinguish between 
languages, potentially offering new clues on how the brain recognizes 
speech, Japanese researchers say. 
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news10560.html

MAKING 'PAVLOV'S COCKROACH', 
February 05 
In an experiment that made him a household name, the Russian scientist 
Ivan Pavlov a century ago got dogs used to hearing a bell every time 
they were fed. The dogs soon started drooling whenever they heard the 
bell.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news10556.html
Yahoo! Mail - revelationsofsd@yahoo.com
 
BRAIN CHANGES SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER AGE 18, STUDY SAYS, 
February 06 
Two Dartmouth researchers are one step closer to defining exactly when 
human maturity sets in. In a study aimed at identifying how and when a 
person's brain reaches adulthood, the scientists have learned that, 
anatomically, significant changes in brain structure continue after age 
18.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news10581.html
'TRUST ME, I'M A PHYSICIST' – 
THE WEIRD WORLD OF QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT, 
February 03 
Declaring that it is always useful to start a lecture with a literary 
quote, Professor Sir Peter Knight began his on quantum entanglement with 
the statement: "Let's just say we want to avoid any Imperial 
entanglements."
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news10536.html
Yahoo! Mail - revelationsofsd@yahoo.com
NEW ANALYSIS SHOWS THREE HUMAN MIGRATIONS 
OUT OF AFRICA
February 03 
A new, more robust analysis of recently derived human gene trees by 
Alan R. Templeton, Ph.D, of Washington University in St Louis, shows 
three distinct major waves of human migration out of Africa instead of just 
two, and statistically refutes — strongly — the 'Out of Africa' 
replacement theory.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news10534.html
EXPERT: YOU TOO CAN BE CREATIVE; 
IT JUST TAKES HARD WORK, 
February 03 
Do you desire to be a more creative person but don't think you have the 
"creative" gene? You may have some hard work ahead, but it's possible 
to become the next Walt Disney or Martha Stewart, says an expert on 
creativity at Washington University in St. Louis.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news10540.html

The First Runner's High: 
Jogging Separated Humans from Apes
By Robert Roy Britt
LiveScience Senior Writer
posted: 17 November, 2004
1:07 p.m. ET


No offense, but your long neck, flat face and well-endowed buttocks are the reason you have an edge over pigs and monkeys in the marathon.

And you can thank your hungry ancestors for these useful anatomical features, which may also have led to the big brain you now enjoy.

A new study suggests the need for endurance made us what we are. Hunting or scavenging on the African savannah was the genesis of the Nike empire, the thinking goes. Those who ran well separated themselves from the pack of apes and became the earliest humans, eating protein that enlarged their brains.

Running got us out of the trees and made us smarter.

http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/041117_running_humans.html

Head-On Collusions
(HealthScoutNews)
It seems there's a great gender difference in the posture, proximity and position of two people approaching each other.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=97&e=2&cid=97&u=/hsn/20030108/hl_hsn/head_on_collusions

 

 

Open to Suggestion?
(HealthScoutNews)
If you're in need or want of hypnosis therapy, make sure you get it when you'll be most receptive to it.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=97&e=6&cid=97&u=/hsn/20030108/hl_hsn/open_to_suggestion_

 

 

Science ------------------------------------------------------

COFFEE CUTS BREAST CANCER RISK: STUDY, January 06 
Women with a particular gene mutation may reduce their risk of breast 
cancer by a startling amount simply by drinking coffee, according to 
new Canadian research. 
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news9665.html

Discovery dramatically changes understanding of brain

Fri Jan 6, 3:00 PM ET

A new study finds that a cell once believed to serve neurons instead may perform the crucial function of regulating blood flow in the brain.

The discovery challenges a basic assumption in neuroscience and could have implications for interpreting brain scans and understanding what occurs during brain trauma and Alzheimer's disease.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20060106/sc_space/discoverychallengesthinkingonkeybrainfunction

MEN AND WOMEN DIFFER IN BRAIN USE DURING SAME TASKS

December 01,06
The comedians are right. The science proves it. A man's brain and a woman's brain really do work differently. New research from the University of Alberta shows that men and women utilize different parts of their brains while they perform the same tasks. The results of the research are reported this month in the journal NeuroImage.
Full story at: http://www.physorg.com/news8634.html

 

Science - AP

Rats Train in Tanzania to Sniff Out Mines

In their little red, black and blue harnesses, they look like miniature sniffer dogs. But their trainers at Sokoine University of Agriculture say the giant rats can do a much better job. "Rats are good, clever to learn, small, like performing repeated tasks and have a better sense of smell than dogs," said Christophe Cox, the Belgian coordinator of the rat training project.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20030915/ap_on_sc/exp_rats_to_the_rescue&e=4

 

 

Science - Reuters

Embryo Cells Become Sperm in Japanese Experiment

Mon Sep 15, 5:35 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Japanese researchers said on Monday they had coaxed embryonic stem cells from mice into becoming sperm cells -- a key step into understanding how to control these "master cells" of the body.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=585&ncid=585&e=4&u=/nm/20030915/sc_nm/science_sperm_dc

 

 

Health - HealthDay

Skill Sets Stay Same As We Age

The findings appear in the September issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.

The researchers found that even as cognitive skills declined, the study subjects retained higher levels of skills in the same areas they had before. For example, participants who were better at quick thinking than verbal skills at age 72 retained that gap at age 83.

The findings suggest that aging doesn't reduce brain power to a single level, Anstey says: "Our results suggest that the picture is much more complex."

More information

Learn more about aging and the brain from Seniors-Site.com,

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=97&ncid=97&e=1&u=/hsn/20030915/hl_hsn/skillsetsstaysameasweage

 

 

 

 

 

 


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Last update: March 25th 2006