Drug clears the fog of a sleepless night : Nature News: "A sleepless night can leave your memory in tatters, but research in mice raises the possibility that a drug could counteract the problem.
Although anyone who has ever been deprived of sleep knows all too well how tiredness can affect the brain, the molecular mechanism behind it has eluded researchers. 'One of the main problems is that sleep deprivation does a lot of things to the brain, and it's easy to get caught in a mish-mash of different effects,' says Christopher Vecsey of Brandeis University in Massachusetts."
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
How to Win an Argument About Vaccines | Magazine
How to Win an Argument About Vaccines | Magazine: "The anti-immunization crowd clings to well-worn myths. Arm yourself with facts."
Kids dope up to get 'high'
Kids dope up to get 'high': "Jeffrey is just one of at least six sophomores at the private Dalton School taking Humatrope, a designer drug for preteens that some experts call 'Miracle-Gro for kids.'
The growth hormones -- which are shockingly easy to get -- are being used increasingly by wealthy parents looking to give their children a leg up, literally, experts say."
The growth hormones -- which are shockingly easy to get -- are being used increasingly by wealthy parents looking to give their children a leg up, literally, experts say."
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Two-Stroke Motion
Two-Stroke Motion: "This new illusion won second place at the recent international 'Illusion of the Year' competition at the annual European Conference on Visual Perception, A Coruna, Spain.
What is it?
The illusion contains two pattern frames depicting a moving image (hence two-stroke) which are displayed using a technique that creates an impression of continuous forward movement. Any two frames from a motion sequence can be used. The two images below show two views of a motorcycle as it advances along the road."
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Fanged frogs among 40 new species in PNG crater
Fanged frogs among 40 new species in PNG crater: "A LOST world populated by fanged frogs, grunting fish and tiny bear-like creatures has been discovered in a remote volcanic crater on Papua New Guinea.
A team of scientists from Britain, the US, Hawaii and Papua New Guinea found more than 40 previously unidentified species when they climbed into the kilometre-deep crater of Mount Bosavi and explored a pristine jungle habitat teeming with life that has evolved in isolation since the volcano last erupted 200,000 years ago."
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Random Thoughts: Cymothoa exigua: Alien!
Random Thoughts: Cymothoa exigua: Alien!: "Cymothoa exigua is a parasitic crustacean of the family Cymothoidae. This parasite attaches itself at the base of the tongue of the Spotted rose snapper, Lutjanus guttatus, with the claws on its front three pairs of legs, and extracts blood. As the parasite grows, less and less blood is able to reach the tongue, and eventually the organ atrophies from lack of blood. The parasite then replaces the fish's tongue with its own body, by attaching to the muscles of the tongue stub."
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Men lose their minds speaking to pretty women
Men lose their minds speaking to pretty women - Telegraph: "The research shows men who spend even a few minutes in the company of an attractive woman perform less well in tests designed to measure brain function than those who chat to someone they do not find attractive.
Researchers who carried out the study, published in the Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology, think the reason may be that men use up so much of their brain function or 'cognitive resources' trying to impress beautiful women, they have little left for other tasks.
The findings have implications for the performance of men who flirt with women in the workplace, or even exam results in mixed-sex schools.
Women, however, were not affected by chatting to a handsome man." more -->
Researchers who carried out the study, published in the Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology, think the reason may be that men use up so much of their brain function or 'cognitive resources' trying to impress beautiful women, they have little left for other tasks.
The findings have implications for the performance of men who flirt with women in the workplace, or even exam results in mixed-sex schools.
Women, however, were not affected by chatting to a handsome man." more -->
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
A One-Way Ticket to Mars
A One-Way Ticket to Mars - NYTimes.com: "The most challenging impediment to human travel to Mars does not seem to involve the complicated launching, propulsion, guidance or landing technologies but something far more mundane: the radiation emanating from the Sun%u2019s cosmic rays. The shielding necessary to ensure the astronauts do not get a lethal dose of solar radiation on a round trip to Mars may very well make the spacecraft so heavy that the amount of fuel needed becomes prohibitive.
There is, however, a way to surmount this problem while reducing the cost and technical requirements, but it demands that we ask this vexing question: Why are we so interested in bringing the Mars astronauts home again?"
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