science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Παρασκευή 28 Μαρτίου 2014

Science News SciGuru.com

Marble Hand Illusion: alterations in perception of the material of our bodies
New insights into genetic history of cattle teach us about human history
Big Brown Bat Males Call 'Dibs' on Food
Prediction for the Coming Solar Minimum based on Sunspot Number from 1749 to Today
Filtering light waves based on direction

Marble Hand Illusion: alterations in perception of the material of our bodies

Posted: 28 Mar 2014 07:12 AM PDT

A bodily illusion termed the ‘marble hand illusion’ suggests that we rapidly update our assumptions about the perceived material qualities of our body depending on recent multiple sensory stimulations. This novel study from researchers in Milano-Bicocca University and IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano in Milan, Italy and the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience and Bielefeld University, Germany is published in the journal PLoS One.

New insights into genetic history of cattle teach us about human history

Posted: 27 Mar 2014 02:00 PM PDT

A study on genetics of cattle breeds has shed new light on the genetic history of domesticated cattle which in turn can teach us about human history. Previously geneticists thought that almost 10,000 years ago, Africans domesticated cattle that were native to Africa. However, the results of the new study from the University of Missouri has revealed that in fact these ancient cattle had their origins in an area known as ‘The Fertile Crescent’ in the Middle East. This suggests that these ancient African farmers migrated south to Africa, bringing cattle with them.

Big Brown Bat Males Call 'Dibs' on Food

Posted: 27 Mar 2014 12:57 PM PDT

As big brown bats wake up from their winter slumber and start zooming around in pursuit of insects to eat, how do they coordinate their activities in the dark of night? For one thing, according to researchers who report their findings on March 27 in the Cell Press journal Current Biology, males do it by telling other males to back off. In so doing, those vocal males—each with their own distinctive calls—increase their chances of a meal.

Prediction for the Coming Solar Minimum based on Sunspot Number from 1749 to Today

Posted: 27 Mar 2014 12:48 PM PDT

It has been established that the Heliospheric Magnetic Field (HMF) intensity fluctuates with the solar cycle. During the recent protracted solar minimum of cycle 24, the HMF intensity fell to a record observed low. As well, after the relatively small maximum of cycle 24, it has been shown that the magnetic and particle fluxes only made a partial recovery. Building on Schwadron et al. [2010], we show that the decreased flux levels at maximum will lead to an even lower coming minimum.

Filtering light waves based on direction

Posted: 27 Mar 2014 12:36 PM PDT

Light waves can be defined by three fundamental characteristics: their color (or wavelength), polarization, and direction. While it has long been possible to selectively filter light according to its color or polarization, selectivity based on the direction of propagation has remained elusive.