news 2013

Ever wondered why your otherwise brilliant friends always seem to partner up with less-than-ideal mates? A new University of Toronto study could help explain why. Led by Stephanie Spielmann , a postdoctoral researcher in the psychology department, the study found that the fear of being single is a meaningful predictor of settling for less in relationships among both men and women.

With evidence growing that meditation can have beneficial health effects, scientists have sought to understand how these practices physically affect the body. A new study by researchers in Wisconsin, Spain, and France reports the first evidence of specific molecular changes in the body following a period of mindfulness meditation.

Viruses alter plant biochemistry in order to manipulate visiting aphids into spreading infection The work started almost accidentally when about five years ago a student and I noticed that aphids became sick or died when confined on a virus-infected plant Dr John Carr University of Cambridge researchers have shown that viruses use aphids as pawns, discouraging the insects from permanently settling on already-infected crops and using this forced migration to spread infection to healthy vegetation.

Repetitive sounds and seizures experienced in infancy can permanently hinder formation of blood vessels in the brains of mice, Yale University researchers report online Dec. The findings raise an intriguing question, note the researchers: Can similar stimuli during infancy in humans, such as fever-related seizures and lengthy exposure to blaring music cause a long-term reduction in brain blood vessels?

A new technique developed at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source could help scientists better understand and improve the materials required for high-performance lithium-ion batteries that power EVs and other applications. The technique, which uses soft X-ray spectroscopy, measures something never seen before: the migration of ions and electrons in an integrated, operating battery electrode.

A UW-Madison research team reports today that the brain can produce and release estrogen - a discovery that may lead to a better understanding of hormonal changes observed from before birth throughout the entire aging process. The new research shows that the hypothalamus can directly control reproductive function in rhesus monkeys and very likely performs the same action in women.

Even with today's technology, it still takes both a male and a female to make a baby. But is it important for both parents to raise that child? Many studies have outlined the value of a mother, but few have clearly defined the importance of a father, until now. New findings from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) show that the absence of a father during critical growth periods, leads to impaired social and behavioural abilities in adults.

At a CERN seminar November 26th, Aliaksandr (Sasha) Pranko of the Physics Division at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) presented key direct evidence that the "Higgs-like" particle discovered at CERN last year does what a Higgs is supposed to do: it couples not only to other bosons but to fermions as well.

For a copy of the paper, go to http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/apl/103/20/10. Nano Electronic Diamond Devices and Systems group Researchers at the University of Glasgow have found an improved method to introduce mobile electronic charge into synthetic diamond. The improved method will increase the stability and performance of electronic components such as transistors made from diamond and lead to a new generation of tough and durable electronic systems that could be used in space.

New research from Karolinska Institutet shows that omega-3 fatty acids in dietary supplements can cross the blood brain barrier in people with Alzheimer's disease, affecting known markers for both the disease itself and inflammation. The findings are presented in the Journal of Internal Medicine, and strengthen the evidence that omega-3 may benefit certain forms of this seriously debilitating disease.

Contrary to many textbook illustrations, electrons aren't just balls floating around an atom. In quantum theory, they're more like little tops, exhibiting "spin," and each creating its own tiny magnetic field. Learning how best to manipulate these spins could open up technological advances in everything from quantum computers to encryption protocols to highly sensitive detectors.

Researchers from Lund University in Sweden have shown for the first time that our eye movements actively help us remember events. Where we focus our gaze can actively affect how successful we are in retrieving the right memory. WATCH VIDEO STORY The unique study used eye tracking technology to record three different scenarios.

Academics at The University of Nottingham have launched two free internet resources for vets. Scientists from the Centre for Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine (CEVM) at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science have launched BEstBETS for VETS ( www.bestbetsforvets.org ) and VetSRev ( www.nottingham.ac.uk/cevm/vetsrev ).

Heavier rainfall linked with continuing decline of peregrine populations in Canada's Arctic. A mother peregrine falcon tries to brood two chicks that have died from exposure to cool, wet conditions caused by heavier rainfall in the Arctic. Rain, crucial to sustaining life on Earth, is proving deadly for young peregrine falcons in Canada's Arctic.

When great white gene shark genes were compared with humans' and zebrafish (shown here), it was found their genes were surprisingly similar to humans'. Despite widespread fascination with sharks, the world's oldest ocean predators have long been a genetic mystery. The first deep dive into a great white shark's genetic code has fished up big surprises behind a design so effective it has barely changed since before dinosaurs roamed.

Researchers demonstrate new way to sustain high-performance fusion plasmas Posted December 3, 2013; 11:00 a.m. by John Greenwald, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory A multinational team led by Chinese researchers in collaboration with U.S. and European partners has successfully demonstrated a novel technique for suppressing instabilities that can cut short the life of controlled fusion reactions.

Listen up nickel-titanium and all you other shape-memory alloys, there's a new kid on the block that just claimed the championship for elasticity and is primed to take over the shape memory apps market at the nanoscale. A research team at Berkeley Lab has discovered a way to introduce a recoverable strain into bismuth ferrite of up to 14-percent on the nanoscale, larger than any shape-memory effect observed in a metal.

Researchers at the University of Nottingham conducted a meta-analysis of experimental studies into cannabinoids; chemicals related to those found in cannabis, some of which also occur naturally in the body. The findings showed that the compounds could reduce the size of stroke and improve neurological function.

University of Washington Like humans, some song sparrows are more effusive than others, at least when it comes to defending their territories. New findings from the University of Washington show that consistent individual differences exist not only for how aggressive individual song sparrows are but also for how much they use their signals to communicate their aggressive intentions.

Why beaks evolved in some theropod dinosaurs and what their function might have been is the subject of new research by an international team of palaeontologists published this week in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). Beaks are a typical hallmark of modern birds and can be found in a huge variety of forms and shapes.