ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

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• Drug therapy could eventually reverse memory decline in seniors
• Chandra and XMM-Newton provide direct measurement of distant black hole's spin
• Determination might be a very human expression
• Sea-level rise threatens UNESCO World Heritage sites
• Passive smoking causes irreversible damage to children's arteries
• New evidence confirms link between IQ, brain cortex
• Native American city on the Mississippi was America's first 'melting pot'
• Health benefits from free play confirmed by research
• Brain differences linked to insomnia identified by researchers
• The space double-whammy: Less gravity, more radiation
• 'Shark's eye' view: Witnessing the life of a top predator
• Candelabra found in Ibiza waters offers clues about medieval navigation routes

Drug therapy could eventually reverse memory decline in seniors Posted: 05 Mar 2014 11:47 AM PST It may seem normal: As we age, we misplace car keys, or can't remember a name we just learned or a meal we just ordered. But researchers say memory trouble doesn't have to be inevitable, and they've found a drug therapy that could potentially reverse this type of memory decline. The drug can't yet be used in humans, but the researchers are pursuing compounds that could someday help the population of aging adults who don't have Alzheimer's or other dementias but still have trouble remembering day-to-day items.

Chandra and XMM-Newton provide direct measurement of distant black hole's spin Posted: 05 Mar 2014 10:54 AM PST Astronomers have used NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the European Space Agency's (ESA's) XMM-Newton to show a supermassive black hole six billion light years from Earth is spinning extremely rapidly. This first direct measurement of the spin of such a distant black hole is an important advance for understanding how black holes grow over time.

Determination might be a very human expression Posted: 05 Mar 2014 05:46 AM PST Humans might be using facial expressions of determination as a call for help from others, according to new research. When children and chimpanzees were both given a task that was impossible to solve, children's faces expressed determination or frustration the more they tried to solve the task, but chimpanzees did not. The facial expressions shown by the children -- chin raised and lips pressed together -- could signal effort or frustration, according to a researcher who said it is possible humans have evolved to use these facial expressions to solicit help from others.

Sea-level rise threatens UNESCO World Heritage sites Posted: 04 Mar 2014 06:56 PM PST Some of the world's most recognizable and important landmarks could be lost to rising sea-levels if current global warming trends are maintained over the next two millennia. This is according to a new study that has calculated the temperature increases at which the 720 sites currently on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites would be impacted by subsequent sea-level rises.

Passive smoking causes irreversible damage to children's arteries Posted: 04 Mar 2014 06:54 PM PST Exposure to passive smoking in childhood causes irreversible damage to the structure of children's arteries, according to a study. The study is the first to follow children through to adulthood in order to examine the association between exposure to parental smoking and increased carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) -- a measurement of the thickness of the innermost two layers of the arterial wall -- in adulthood. It adds further strength to the arguments for banning smoking in areas where children may be present, such as cars.

New evidence confirms link between IQ, brain cortex Posted: 04 Mar 2014 11:17 AM PST Rate of change in the thickness of the brain's cortex is an important factor associated with a person's change in IQ, according to a collaborative study by scientists in five countries. The cortex is the thin, outermost layer of nerve cell tissue of the brain, typically measuring a few millimeters in thickness. The cortex contains nerve cell bodies and is critical for cognitive functions such as perception, language, memory and consciousness. The cortex begins to thin after the age of five or six as part of the normal aging process. This study is the first to show the association between cortical thickness and development in full scale IQ, and has potentially wide-ranging implications for the pedagogical world and for judicial cases in which the defendant's IQ score could play a role in determining the severity of the sentence.

Native American city on the Mississippi was America's first 'melting pot' Posted: 04 Mar 2014 06:50 AM PST New evidence establishes for the first time that Cahokia, a sprawling, pre-Columbian city situated at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, hosted a sizable population of immigrants. Cahokia was an early experiment in urban life, researchers say.

Health benefits from free play confirmed by research Posted: 03 Mar 2014 05:35 AM PST Cheap items like crates and buckets encourage children to be more active and creative than expensive play equipment, researchers have found. The findings are the result of a long-term study into the play differences of primary school children with access to different playgrounds. Introducing simple, everyday objects during recess and lunchtime can cut sedentary behavior by half, improve creativity and boost social and problem-solving skills, the research shows.

Brain differences linked to insomnia identified by researchers Posted: 28 Feb 2014 12:57 PM PST Researchers report that people with chronic insomnia show more plasticity and activity than good sleepers in the part of the brain that controls movement. "Insomnia is not a nighttime disorder," says study leader. "It's a 24-hour brain condition, like a light switch that is always on. Our research adds information about differences in the brain associated with it." The researchers say they hope their study opens the door to better diagnosis and treatment of the most common and often intractable sleep disorder that affects an estimated 15 percent of the United States population.

The space double-whammy: Less gravity, more radiation Posted: 28 Feb 2014 07:49 AM PST Astronauts floating weightlessly in the International Space Station may appear carefree, but years of research have shown that microgravity causes changes to the human body. Spaceflight also means exposure to more radiation. Together, microgravity and radiation exposure add up to pose serious health risks. But research is not only making space safer for astronauts, it's helping to improve health care for the Earth-bound as well.

'Shark's eye' view: Witnessing the life of a top predator Posted: 27 Feb 2014 11:26 AM PST Instruments strapped onto and ingested by sharks are revealing novel insights into how one of the most feared and least understood ocean predators swims, eats and lives. Scientists are also piloting a project using instruments ingested by sharks and other top ocean predators, like tuna, to gain new awareness into these animals' feeding habits. The instruments, which use electrical measurements to track ingestion and digestion of prey, can help researchers understand where, when and how much sharks and other predators are eating, and what they are feasting on.

Candelabra found in Ibiza waters offers clues about medieval navigation routes Posted: 26 Feb 2014 04:49 AM PST The history of medieval navigation on the Iberian peninsula is a great mystery. In the 1970s, a recreational diver found a bronze candelabra in Ibiza. It is a unique piece from the 10th century which could provide clues on sea routes in the period.

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