The Bonobo, or Pygmy Chimpanzee as it was once called, is one of our closest relatives, yet one of the most poorly studied. This fascinating ape displays unique social order and other highly interesting traits, and unfortunately like all great apes it is also endangered. Very little is known, however, about how many specimens are there in the wild or
Obese people have poorer sense of taste, study shows
Previously, it’s been shown that obesity can cause changes in the brain, leading some people to over eat food high in saturated fat and refined sugar, as well as cause poorer memory. A new study published by researchers at University at Buffalo found a new physiological trait that can become altered as a result of obesity. Their findings suggest that obese
Bra Sensors Could Monitor Overeating
Despite all the related problems which contribute to obesity such as stress , the main cause is… eating too much. Recent studies have shown that people tend to overeat when they are stressed out – often creating a negative cycle of eating more, gaining weight and then getting stressed out about gaining weight – especially during the holiday season with
Inexpensive nano-camera takes 3D pictures
Researchers have developed a camera that can capture translucent objects in 3D The camera is very cheap, at only $500 The camera could be used in medical imaging and collision-avoidance detectors, among others A $500 “nano-camera” that can operate at the speed of light and take 3D pictures has been developed by researchers in the MIT Media Lab. The camera,
Trees can capture 50% of particulate pollution cities
Trees planted along a city street could screen residents from sun and noise – but more importantly, they can also protect them from the polluted air. A new study has shown that tree leaves can capture more than 50% of the polluting particulate matter – the main source of urban pollution and a trigger for disease. In cities, this type
Even if all emissions stop today, Earth will continue to warm for centuries
By now, hopefully, most people understand the huge problems caused by global warming – but most people probably don’t understand just how bad things are. Even if all emissions would somehow magically stop right now, the Earth would continue to warm for hundreds of years, according to a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change by researchers from Princeton.
Scientists Find Brain Region That Helps You Make Up Your Mind
Researchers have found that a very small portion of your brain plays a key role in decision making. A University of British Columbia study published in Nature Neuroscience says that we need to rethink what we know about the lateral habenula, a region of the brain previously linked to depression and avoidance behaviours; they claim that it is critically involved
Earliest Buddhist shrine uncovered right at the birthplace of Buddha
At one of the sites where it’s possible that Buddha was born, archaeologists have identified the remains of an ancient shrine – a timber structure which used to encircle a tree – right at the heart of the present day Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini, Nepal. Carbon dating reveals this ancient structure is at least 2500 years old, making it
145 million year old body of seawater found under Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay is one of the few oceanic impact craters on Earth When the huge impact took place ~35 million years ago, it sealed the ancient oceanic water The water has remained virtually unchanged since then A new study published in Nature provides chemical, isotopic and physical evidence that groundwater found at about 1.5 km deep under the Chesapeake
Armada of instruments witness the brightest cosmic event of the century: the birth of a black hole
Astronomers all over the world rejoiced recently after they were treated to a most privileged event. Using the RAPTOR (RAPid Telescopes for Optical Response) system in New Mexico and Hawaii, in conjunction with the most sophisticated observatories in the world, researchers witnessed what may be the most brightest event this century: an extreme flash of light emanated as a massive star
Scientists receive funding to clone extinct goat
The bucardo, a mountain goat perfectly adapted for life in the extreme cold and snow of winter in the Pyrenees, became extinct in 2000. From the last living specimen, a goat called Celia, researchers managed to harvest living cells and store them in liquid nitrogen. Using these cells, Spanish researchers now plan to de-extinct the species by cloning it. This
Stone-Tipped Spears Predate Existence of Humans
Researchers have found obsidian spearheads dated 85.000 years ago before the development of Homo Sapiens (280.000 years ago). This is a very complicated process, requiring numerous steps and lots of concentration and skill This has 2 possible explanations: either humans evolved much earlier than previously believed, either another species had advanced craftsmanship skills Shocking implications Somebody was
New research could totally change the way organic solar cells are made
Stanford researchers claim the inherent disordered molecular structure of polymer semiconductors is actually desirable. Current organic solar cells made with semiconducting polymers try to mimic orderly silicon structures as much as possible; this direction of research may be fundamentally wrong according to the Stanford researchers. A balance between molecular order and disorder at the polymer semiconducting interface is required; if
World’s smallest radio shows graphene advantage
A team from Columbia Engineering researchers, led by Mechanical Engineering Professor James Hone and Electrical Engineering Professor Kenneth Shepard has managed to take advantage of graphene’s unique properties (it’s strength and electric conduction) to create a nano-mechanical system that can create FM signals – in other words, the world’s smallest radio. “This work is significant in that it demonstrates an
CT and 3D printing combined to reproduce fossilized dinosaur bones
Most fossils are very fragile, difficult to handle and transport Researchers conducted CT scans on fossils still trapped in sedimentary material, creating 3D models The models were then 3D printed – an accurate, non invasive method to replicate fossils for schools, museums and other researchers Doctors and dinosaurs Being a paleontologist and working with dinosaur fossils is a
Psychobiotic germs could be the next game changer in psychiatry and recreational drug use alike
An estimate 20% of Americans use some of form of psychotropic medication, amounting to a $34 billion industry. Desperate to ease their problems away with one magic pill, people are flocking in pharmacies to take their regular hits of Prozac, Valium or Vicodin. In the future, however, a new class of drugs may enter the market – drugs that are
Just 90 companies are responsible for 60% of all man made global warming emissions – Exxon, Chevron and BP lead the way
The climate crisis we are facing right now (which for one reason or another many people choose to ignore) has largely been caused by only 90 companies – which between them produced nearly two-thirds of the greenhouse gas emissions generated since the industrial revolution, new research suggests. The study was found that almost all these companies worked in oil, gas
Snail venom inspired powerful pain reliever without addiction
The new drug is the most promising since morphine was introduced – it is 100 times more potent than existing pain medications, but it works at very low doses, without inducing the risk of addiction. Predator snails and painkillers Snail venom in a pill could offer powerful relief for people suffering from severe (acute or chronic) pain – including patients
Ocean acidification could devastate the economy in the future
As if that would be our biggest concern in the first place, but it’s important to understand, especially for policy makers, that even though dumping CO2 as a byproduct of current energy production methods is a lot cheaper than “cleaner alternatives”, in the long run the balance of economics turn. A new report released today at the Third Symposium on
Early humans interbred with Neanderthals, Denisovans, and another, mysterious species
A new genome analysis study suggests that interbreeding between modern humans, Neanderthals, Denisovans and a mysterious archaic population was way more common than previously believed. A Lord of the Rings world Several decades ago, many anthropologists believed that humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans didn’t interbreed at all; as time passed, some evidence of this started popping out, and science acknowledged it,
Pseudoscience is threatening our society.