First direct electric link between neurons and light-sensitive nanoparticle films created
.... Nanoparticles are artificially created bits of matter not much bigger than individual atoms. Their behavior is controlled by the same forces that shape molecules; they also exhibit the bizarre effects associated with quantum mechanics. Scientists can exploit these characteristics to custom-build new mat...Brain works more chaotically than previously thought
...neuroscientist explains. Yet it is in the white matter that the scientists have made a remarkable discove...ble to demonstrate that certain cells in the white matter react to glutamate: the precursor to what are known as oligodendrocytes. Oligodendrocytes are the br...Three young scientists at Yale honored with Sloan Foundation Fellowships
...light and matter. "The idea that light can propel matter is quite old, and has been in the news recently as solar sail technology is being tested for spaceship propulsion," he said. "The basic laws underlying this effect have been understood for more than a century: when light reflects off a surface, it ex...Boosting brain power -- with chocolate
... cocoa beverage was associated with increased grey matter flow for two to three hours. "The demonstration of an effect of consuming this particular beverage on cerebral blood flow raises the possibility that certain food ingredients may be beneficial in increasing brain blood flow and enhancing brain fun...Bacteria research offers hope for new vaccine against meningococci
...emics: in Africa 250,000 people were affected in a matter of weeks in the late 1990s. Without treatment, mortality among those who contract the disease is 85-90 percent, with treatment some 10-15 percent. Patients also run a high risk of serious disability after recovery. Only humans are susceptible to ...Problem forgetting may be a natural mechanism gone awry
...part of the memory process falls out of kilter, no matter their ages. This change seems to be related to the chemicals necessary for brain cells to communicate with each other. The findings, published this month in the online edition of Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, expand the possibility that drug...Flavanols in cocoa may offer benefits to the brain
...e was associated with increased blood flow to grey matter for 2 to 3 hours, Macdonald said. This raises the possibility that certain food components like cocoa flavanols may be beneficial in increasing brain blood flow and enhancing brain function among older adults or for others in situations where they m...Cancer that colonizes our bodies
...ivilege for me to do my work for so long and, as a matter of fact, I wish I was able to continue doing it to...per cent might affect the rate. This shows that no matter how long you carry out research, theres always something surprising around the corner."...'Ten Commandments' could improve fisheries management
...d commandment" is to question every assumption, no matter how basic it is or what the conventional wisdom suggests. For instance, Hixon considers the traditional fishery goal of "maximum sustainable yield," which has been in place for decades, to be a flawed concept. A better approach is careful monitoring ......trous oxide emissions and boosts levels of organic matter in the soil, which makes for more fertile soil. ... corn stalks also can reduce the amount of organic matter in the soil, which reduces the fertility of the soil over time. "We need to carefully consider and...UCSB study on sibling detection mechanism highlighted in Nature
...he added, but their existence in humans had been a matter of controversy. According to the researchers, th... regulate sibling altruism and sexual aversion, no matter what we believe." The discovery of a mechanism designed to make family relationships non-erotic ca...BioMed Central announces winners of first open access research awards
...t" Dominic Job, University of Edinburgh, "Grey matter changes can improve the prediction of schizophrenia in subjects at high risk" Judith Lumley, La Trobe University, "PRISM (Program of Resources, Information and Support for Mothers): a community-randomized trial to reduce depression and improve wo...Standard therapy more effective than diabetes drug in helping women with PCOS achieve pregnancy
...he need to test any new application rigorously, no matter how promising it may seem initially." According to the study authors, women who took metformin ovulated more that the women who were given the standard treatment. Similarly, women in the combination therapy group ovulated more frequently than did...Adaptation to global climate change is an essential response to a warming planet
...s the future will be different from the present no matter what, so to not adapt is to consign millions to death and disruption." Adaptation is the process by which societies prepare for and minimize the negative effects of a variety of future environmental stresses on society, Sarewitz said. Mitigation is...News tips from the Journal of Neuroscience
...lmore et al. examined the growth of gray and white matter during the first weeks of life. The authors perfor... regions. The scans revealed tremendous early gray matter growth, particularly in occipital regions, and indicate that sexual dimorphic brain size exists at b...Women in polluted areas at higher risk of cardiovascular disease
...ld equal the diameter of a human hair. Particulate matter levels are monitored and regulated by the U.S. Env...fects once they are breathed in." Fine particulate matter is measured in micrograms (or millionths of a gram) per cubic meter; cities in the study had average...Faster, low cost sequencing technologies needed to drive era of personalized medicine
...equence genes known to be involved in disease in a matter of hours, and for a few hundred dollars. Lindsay, who is director of the Biodesign Institute's Center for Single Molecule Biophysics, is engaged in a different separately funded $1,000 genome project. Lindsay is threading DNA through a molecular ri...Duke geologist's book assails unrealistic mathematical models
...n: if your basic assumptions are wrong, it doesn't matter what the math does," said Pilkey, a retired professor at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences. "Since scientists now have computers on their desks that can do all kinds of sophisticated calculations, they have been saying 'g...Nevada scientist part of team that discovers hybrid speciation in butterflies in Sierra
...high elevations and the flying season lasts only a matter of a few weeks, the researchers noted that the still-unnamed species seeks out a certain plant at the higher elevations. They use this host plant to lay their eggs. Their "parent butterflies of the eastern and western Sierra do not show the same affi......an identify and diagnose hundreds of diseases in a matter of seconds at a cost of pennies," Wishart added. ...