All posts from Last Month
- April 23, 2013
- 10:30 PM
- 68 views
My Doctoral Diploma: Per2, Circadian Rhythms, and Coke
by Allison in Dormivigilia
This paper marks my official graduation from my doctoral program. I examined how clock genes modulate the ability of cocaine to shift rhythms of locomotor activity ... Read more »
Brager AJ, Stowie AC, Prosser RA, & Glass JD. (2013) The mPer2 clock gene modulates cocaine actions in the mouse circadian system. Behavioural brain research, 255-60. PMID: 23333842
- April 23, 2013
- 05:22 PM
- 95 views
A Method That Uses Bacteria to Produce Pure Diesel Developed
by dailyfusion in The Daily Fusion
A group of scientists from the University of Exeter, with support from Shell, has developed a new technique which makes use of bacteria to produce diesel fuel.... Read more »
Howard, T., Middelhaufe, S., Moore, K., Edner, C., Kolak, D., Taylor, G., Parker, D., Lee, R., Smirnoff, N., Aves, S.... (2013) Synthesis of customized petroleum-replica fuel molecules by targeted modification of free fatty acid pools in Escherichia coli. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1215966110
- April 23, 2013
- 05:07 PM
- 85 views
Design principles of quantum biology could open path to new solar technology
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
University of Chicago researchers have created a synthetic compound that mimics the complex quantum dynamics observed in photosynthesis and may enable fundamentally new routes to creating solar energy technologies. Engineering quantum effects into synthetic light-harvesting devices is not only possible, but also easier than anyone expected, the researchers report in the April 18 edition of Science Express.... Read more »
Steve Koppes. (2013) Design principles of quantum biology could open path to new solar technology. University of Chicago News. info:/
- April 23, 2013
- 02:30 PM
- 71 views
Scientists Unsure Why Female Flies Expel Sperm and Eat It
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
She's apparently a picky mater but not a picky eater. The female of a certain fly species, after mating with a male, dumps his ejaculate back out of her body and onto the ground. Then she gobbles it up. Despite new hints that this behavior may help the female choose which partner fertilizes her eggs, or keep her healthy in times of famine, scientists are still a little perplexed by it.
Various female insects, spiders, and birds are known to expel the male ejaculate from their bodies after t........ Read more »
Rodriguez-Enriquez, C., Tadeo, E., & Rull, J. (2013) Elucidating the function of ejaculate expulsion and consumption after copulation by female Euxesta bilimeki. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1518-5
- April 23, 2013
- 01:58 PM
- 112 views
Antibody triggers bone marrow stem cells to become brain cells
by beredim in Stem Cells Freak
In what they describe as a "serendipitous discovery", researchers from the Scripps Research Institute (SRI) have identified an antibody which can be used to turn bone marrow stem cells into brain cells. The newly developed technique is safer, simpler and more effective than then currently available ones, say the researchers.Read More... Read more »
Jia Xiea, Hongkai Zhanga, Kyungmoo Yeab, & Richard A. Lerner. (2013) Autocrine signaling based selection of combinatorial antibodies that transdifferentiate human stem cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. info:/
- April 23, 2013
- 11:43 AM
- 71 views
Creating the reference genome
In our workshops around the world on the UCSC Genome Browser, we talk at the very beginning about the framework for the organization of the data in the graphical representation. We describe that the reference genome–the official released genome–for a species provides the genome coordinates, or positions, that allows the rest of the data to [...]... Read more »
Zody, M., Jiang, Z., Fung, H., Antonacci, F., Hillier, L., Cardone, M., Graves, T., Kidd, J., Cheng, Z., Abouelleil, A.... (2008) Evolutionary toggling of the MAPT 17q21.31 inversion region. Nature Genetics, 40(9), 1076-1083. DOI: 10.1038/ng.193
- April 23, 2013
- 11:36 AM
- 17 views
Flycatchers’ genomes bring new insights into the genomic basis of evolution
by Charlotte Récapet in genome ecology evolution etc
How exactly do lineages diverge to the point that they can be considered separate species, and especially reach reproductive isolation, is still an ongoing question in evolutionary biology. Classical views of speciation hypothesize the existence of speciation genes, defined as … Continuer la lecture →... Read more »
Ellegren H, Smeds L, Burri R, Olason PI, Backström N, Kawakami T, Künstner A, Mäkinen H, Nadachowska-Brzyska K, Qvarnström A.... (2012) The genomic landscape of species divergence in Ficedula flycatchers. Nature, 491(7426), 756-60. PMID: 23103876
- April 23, 2013
- 11:15 AM
- 93 views
Hypothalaumus Connectivity Changes in Cluster Headaches
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Cluster headaches are a relatively rare but serious pain disorder. Unlike the female-predominant migraine headache, cluster headaches occur predominantly in men. These headaches tend to be acute in onset and affect only one side of the head.The term cluster describes the typical chronological pattern of these headaches. The tend to occur regularly for days or weeks and are then separated by periods of remission lasting months or years.Attacks typically last between 15 minutes a........ Read more »
Qiu E, Wang Y, Ma L, Tian L, Liu R, Dong Z, Xu X, Zou Z, & Yu S. (2013) Abnormal brain functional connectivity of the hypothalamus in cluster headaches. PloS one, 8(2). PMID: 23460913
- April 23, 2013
- 10:31 AM
- 92 views
Low Back Pain – What Healthcare Professionals THINK They Do and ACTUALLY Do
by Kim Kristiansen in Picture of Pain
Does good will and intentions equals what primary care physicians actually do when helping patients with non-specific pain complains like low back pain?
No, according to a new study.
... Read more »
Kim Kristiansen, M.D:. (2014) Low Back Pain – What Healthcare Professionals THINK They Do and ACTUALLY Do. Picture of Pain. info:/
- April 23, 2013
- 09:56 AM
- 92 views
People With More Personal Power Punish More Harshly
by Andrew Porterfield in United Academics
Often, employees are shocked by what they think is a supervisor’s severe reaction to a subordinate’s transgression. Meanwhile, observers of Congressional debates have wondered at how seriously the debaters (on either side of the aisle) seem to take themselves.... Read more »
Wiltermuth, S., & Flynn, F. (2012) Power, Moral Clarity, and Punishment in the Workplace. Academy of Management Journal. DOI: 10.5465/amj.2010.0960
- April 23, 2013
- 09:29 AM
- 110 views
Temple of the Autonomus Machine
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
A news item over at Archaeology reports that a little wireless robot called Tlaloc II-TCwill soon “investigate the far reaches of a tunnel found beneath the Temple of the Plumed Serpent at Teotihuacan,” entering a chamber “estimated to be 2,000 years old, and [that] may have been used as a place for royal ceremonies or burials.”... Read more »
BLDGBLOG. (2013) TEMPLE OF THE AUTONOMOUS MACHINE. BLDGBLOG. info:/
- April 23, 2013
- 09:02 AM
- 21 views
Significant Life [Legal] Decisions and the Impact of Emotional Intelligence on the Accuracy of Forecasting Future Emotional Reactions
by Dan DeFoe in Psycholawlogy
We all make significant life decisions. These choices impact our future emotional well-being. We want to foresee how our choices will impact us in the future. A number of research studies show that our forecasts about our emotional reactions to future emotional events guide our decisions about relationships, occupations, and health behaviors. Other [...]The post Significant Life [Legal] Decisions and the Impact of Emotional Intelligence on the Accuracy of Forecasting Future Emotional ........ Read more »
Hoerger, M., Chapman, B., Epstein, R., & Duberstein, P. (2012) Emotional intelligence: A theoretical framework for individual differences in affective forecasting. Emotion, 12(4), 716-725. DOI: 10.1037/a0026724
- April 23, 2013
- 08:33 AM
- 86 views
Autism and the methylome
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
Q: When is an identical twin not an identical twin? A: Pretty much all the time (at least according to some people) as our increasing understanding of the complexity of genetics stretches and modifies long-held beliefs about the building blocks of life and their role in our health and wellbeing.DNA methylation differences? @ Wikipedia Today I'm talking about identical (monozygotic) twins - siblings derived from one fertilised egg - and how the science of epigenetics might have so........ Read more »
Wong, C., Meaburn, E., Ronald, A., Price, T., Jeffries, A., Schalkwyk, L., Plomin, R., & Mill, J. (2013) Methylomic analysis of monozygotic twins discordant for autism spectrum disorder and related behavioural traits. Molecular Psychiatry. DOI: 10.1038/mp.2013.41
- April 23, 2013
- 07:34 AM
- 71 views
April 23, 2013
by Erin Campbell in HighMag Blog
I’m thankful that my body knows how to handle days when I feed it wonderful things, like a banana and a giant bowl of strawberries, then follow it up with a few gut-busting mini-doughnuts. Although worms and other organisms don’t have access to doughnuts like I do, their bodies still have protections in place to handle changes in their diet. Today’s image is from a paper describing how the germline is protected from a changing diet.Organisms consume a variety of food options, y........ Read more »
Gracida, X., & Eckmann, C. (2013) Fertility and Germline Stem Cell Maintenance under Different Diets Requires nhr-114/HNF4 in C. elegans. Current Biology, 23(7), 607-613. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.02.034
- April 23, 2013
- 06:23 AM
- 91 views
Workplace psychopathy: what consequences does it have?
by Alex Fradera in BPS Occupational Digest
Continuing our report on Smith and Lilienfeld's review of workplace psychopathy (part one here), we turn to the consequences it has - for leadership, for the organisation, and for unethical, even criminal behaviour. Leadership effectsIs psychopathy behind 'dark-side' and maladaptive approaches to leadership? Last post discussed a study by Babiak et al study looking at rates of psychopathy. The study also collected 360 data, and that data suggests that high scorers tended to be seen as weaker in ........ Read more »
Smith, S., & Lilienfeld, S. (2013) Psychopathy in the workplace: The knowns and unknowns. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 18(2), 204-218. DOI: 10.1016/j.avb.2012.11.007
- April 23, 2013
- 06:15 AM
- 71 views
fMRI lie detection and the Semrau case
by Know Your Images in Know Your Images
Semrau is a psychologist accused of committing fraud to Medicare and Medicaid. The case became mostly famous, because he asked that fMRI lie detection would be a evidence in court. The judge had to decide if fMRI was admissible and after hearing scientists advocating for both sides, he has decided not to admit such evidence. However, the question is: Will it be possible to use fMRI lie detection one day?, because the reason for not admitting it has been based on the error rates and acceptance by........ Read more »
Kozel, F., Johnson, K., Mu, Q., Grenesko, E., Laken, S., & George, M. (2005) Detecting Deception Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Biological Psychiatry, 58(8), 605-613. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.07.040
- April 23, 2013
- 05:50 AM
- 116 views
Why We Love When Losers Win and Heroes Fall | The Paradox Explained
by Carian Thus in United Academics
An unemployed neighbor wins the lottery, a friend who regularly boasts about his good health becomes ill. We are highly sensitive to changing fortunes of others. We want to know who’s doing worse and who’s doing better than before, as these shifts in our social environment may have implications for our own well-being. In particular we are drawn to unexpected changes: underdogs that beat the odds and top dogs that fall from grace. Whether we witness the creation of a hero or the demis........ Read more »
Brosnan SF, & De Waal FB. (2003) Monkeys reject unequal pay. Nature, 425(6955), 297-9. PMID: 13679918
Vandello, J., Goldschmied, N., & Richards, D. (2007) The Appeal of the Underdog. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33(12), 1603-1616. DOI: 10.1177/0146167207307488
Feather, N., & Sherman, R. (2002) Envy, Resentment, Schadenfreude, and Sympathy: Reactions to Deserved and Undeserved Achievement and Subsequent Failure. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28(7), 953-961. DOI: 10.1177/014616720202800708
Fehr, E. (1998) A Theory of Fairness, Competition and Cooperation. SSRN Electronic Journal. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.106228
- April 23, 2013
- 05:13 AM
- 99 views
Herschel links Jupiter’s water to comet impact
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
ESA’s Herschel space observatory has solved a long-standing mystery as to the origin of water in the upper atmosphere of Jupiter, finding conclusive evidence that it was delivered by the dramatic impact of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 in July 1994.
During the spectacular week-long collision, a string of 21 comet fragments pounded into the southern hemisphere of Jupiter, leaving dark scars in the planet’s atmosphere that persisted for several weeks.... Read more »
Markus Bauer. (2013) Herschel links Jupiter’s water to comet impact. ESA Herschel. info:/
- April 23, 2013
- 04:22 AM
- 106 views
What is cognitive behavioural therapy like for a teenager?
by Christian Jarrett in BPS Research Digest
Most research into CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) for teenagers has focused on whether it works or not, with largely positive results. Surprisingly little attention has been paid to finding out what it is actually like for a teenager to undertake CBT.
Deanna Donnellan and her colleagues have made an initial effort to plug this gap, conducting in-depth interviews with three teenage girls who'd completed a course of individual CBT, asking them about their perception of the therapy and what........ Read more »
Donnellan, D., Murray, C., & Harrison, J. (2012) An investigation into adolescents' experience of cognitive behavioural therapy within a child and adolescent mental health service. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 18(2), 199-213. DOI: 10.1177/1359104512447032
- April 23, 2013
- 04:10 AM
- 90 views
News in Brief: Yangtze’s age revealed
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
The world’s third longest river has a new age: The Yangtze River was in place by at least 23 million years ago, geologists report April 22 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.... Read more »
Erin Wayman. (2013) News in Brief: Yangtze's age revealed. ScienceNews. info:/
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