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1000 years of climate data confirms Australia’s warming
Researchers map damaged connections in Phineas Gage's brain
Pediatric Epilepsy Impacts Sleep for the Child and Parents
Higher Pain Tolerance in Athletes May Hold Clues for Pain Management
Reduced glycerin formulation of tenofovir vaginal gel safe for rectal use
Internet usage patterns may signify depression
OMG! Texting ups truthfulness, new iPhone study suggests
Baby galaxies grew up quickly
How the worm knows where its nose is
Chocolate and diamonds: Why volcanoes could be a girl’s best friend

1000 years of climate data confirms Australia’s warming

Posted: 17 May 2012 07:06 AM PDT

In the first study of its kind in Australasia, scientists have used 27 natural climate records to create the first large-scale temperature reconstruction for the region over the last 1000 years.

The study was led by researchers at the University of Melbourne and used a range of natural indicators including tree rings, corals and ice cores to study Australasian temperatures over the past millennium and compared them to climate model simulations.

Researchers map damaged connections in Phineas Gage's brain

Posted: 17 May 2012 06:56 AM PDT

Poor Phineas Gage. In 1848, the supervisor for the Rutland and Burlington Railroad in Vermont was using a 13-pound, 3-foot-7-inch rod to pack blasting powder into a rock when he triggered an explosion that drove the rod through his left cheek and out of the top of his head. As reported at the time, the rod was later found, "smeared with blood and brains."

Pediatric Epilepsy Impacts Sleep for the Child and Parents

Posted: 17 May 2012 06:35 AM PDT

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital for Children in Boston have determined that pediatric epilepsy significantly impacts sleep patterns for the child and parents. According to the study available in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), sharing a room or co-sleeping with their child with epilepsy decreases the sleep quality and prevents restful sleep for parents.

Higher Pain Tolerance in Athletes May Hold Clues for Pain Management

Posted: 17 May 2012 06:23 AM PDT

Stories of athletes bravely “playing through the pain” are relatively common and support the widespread belief that they experience pain differently than non-athletes. Yet, the scientific data on pain perception in athletes has been inconsistent, and sometimes contradictory. Investigators from the University of Heidelberg have conducted a meta-analysis of available research and find that in fact, athletes can indeed tolerate a higher level of pain than normally active people.

Reduced glycerin formulation of tenofovir vaginal gel safe for rectal use

Posted: 17 May 2012 06:20 AM PDT

A change in the formulation of tenofovir gel, an anti-HIV gel developed for vaginal use, may make it safer to use in the rectum, suggests a study published online this week in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. In laboratory tests of rectal tissue, researchers from the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) found that the reformulated gel was less harmful to the lining of the rectum than the original vaginal formulation, and just as effective in protecting cells against HIV.

Internet usage patterns may signify depression

Posted: 16 May 2012 11:02 AM PDT

In a new study analyzing Internet usage among college students, researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology have found that students who show signs of depression tend to use the Internet differently than those who show no symptoms of depression.

OMG! Texting ups truthfulness, new iPhone study suggests

Posted: 16 May 2012 08:52 AM PDT

Text messaging is a surprisingly good way to get candid responses to sensitive questions, according to a new study to be presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Association for Public Opinion Research.

"The preliminary results of our study suggest that people are more likely to disclose sensitive information via text messages than in voice interviews," said Fred Conrad, a cognitive psychologist and director of the Program in Survey Methodology at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research.

Baby galaxies grew up quickly

Posted: 16 May 2012 08:41 AM PDT

Baby galaxies from the young Universe more than 12 billion years ago evolved faster than previously thought, shows new research from the Niels Bohr Institute. This means that already in the early history of the Universe, there was potential for planet formation and life. The research results have been published in the scientific journal, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters.

How the worm knows where its nose is

Posted: 16 May 2012 08:23 AM PDT

For decades, scientists have studied Caenorhabditis elegans – tiny, transparent worms – to glean clues about how neurons develop and function. A new Harvard study suggests that the worms' nervous system is much more capable and complex than previously thought, and has a way to monitor its own motion, a model one day could serve to develop treatments for disorders like schizophrenia.

Chocolate and diamonds: Why volcanoes could be a girl’s best friend

Posted: 16 May 2012 07:51 AM PDT

Scientists from the University of Southampton have discovered a previously unrecognised volcanic process, similar to one that is used in chocolate manufacturing, which gives important new insights into the dynamics of volcanic eruptions.