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Paleolithic paintings in El Castillo cave in Northern Spain date back at least 40,800 years - making them Europe's oldest known cave art, according to new research published today in Science. The practice of cave art in Europe thus began up to 10,000 years earlier than previously thought, indicating the paintings were created either by the first anatomically modern humans in Europe or, perhaps, by Neanderthals.

A year-long study on children's music-making indicates that playing music in groups on a regular basis greatly improves a child's ability to empathise with others.

Researchers at the University of Melbourne have identified a formula to understand why some branded movies go viral on the internet. Researchers at the University of Melbourne have identified a formula to understand why some branded movies go viral on the internet. In a study of more than 130 YouTube movies created by some of the biggest brands, researchers identified patterns which form the basis of a Branded Viral Movie Predictor algorithm, which they say identifies why some movies are watched and passed on more than others.

There are no definitive findings that Marcellus Shale drilling activity has affected crime rates in Pennsylvania, but more study is needed, according to a preliminary report conducted recently by the Justice Center for Research at Penn State. The report was produced in response to public concerns that crime rates may be on the rise in areas experiencing drilling-related population growth.

In a new review article, researchers at the University of Toronto , The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and Children's Hospital Boston have found there frequently is a lack of patient-family comprehension at the time of discharge from the emergency department, leaving patients and families unable to report the diagnosis or understand instructions for at-home care, medication use or reasons to return to the hospital.

Treatment with the drug dutasteride (Avodart) and regular monitoring delays the progression of low-risk, localized prostate cancer, according to the results of a three-year clinical trial conducted by the University of Toronto's Neil Fleshner . The research also shows that the treatment reduces anxiety, said Fleshner, a professor of surgery and head of the Division of Urology at the University Health Network.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.-Teens who see movie characters using cigarettes are quicker to try smoking than their peers who did not watch the same scene, a new study finds. However, the exposure to movie images involving cigarettes does not appear to lead teens who have tried smoking to become regular smokers sooner, said Sonya Dal Cin, an assistant professor of communication studies at the University of Michigan and the study's lead author.

BERKELEY - Imagine tapping into the mind of a coma patient, or watching one's own dream on YouTube. With a cutting-edge blend of brain imaging and computer simulation, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, are bringing these futuristic scenarios within reach. Using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and computational models, UC Berkeley researchers have succeeded in decoding and reconstructing people's dynamic visual experiences - in this case, watching Hollywood movie trailers.

McGill researchers discover it's all in the timing Daniel Levitin's most recent study grew out of a disappointing concert performance. Levitin, a renowned author, researcher and professor in the Psychology Department at McGill University, was listening to one of his favourite pieces, a Mozart piano concerto, when he found his attention drifting.

01 April 2010 Hundred Years´ War manuscript gets new lease of life A unique website showcasing virtual manuscripts chronicling the Hundred Years´ War will be launched online this month (2 April 2010) thanks to the work of academics at the University of Sheffield. The website, which was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and produced in conjunction with the University of Liverpool, will offer more than 100 transcriptions from the renowned Chronicles of Jehan Froissart, which provide a unique account of the epic battle between the English and the French.

A telephone press conference will be held to discuss the findings of the most recent annual California Educational Opportunity Report by UCLA's Institute for Democracy, Education and Access ( UCLA IDEA ) and the University of California's All-Campus Consortium on Research for Diversity ( UC ACCORD ).

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Oct. Mark E. Richard, who specializes in the philosophy of language, philosophical logic, and metaphysics and epistemology, has been named professor of philosophy at Harvard University, effective July 1, 2010. "Professor Richard is an original, rigorous, and creative scholar who has made important, and impressive, contributions to the philosophy of language," says Diana Sorensen, dean for the arts and humanities in Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Cambridge, Mass. September 10, 2009 - A team of archaeologists and paleobiologists has discovered flax fibers that are more than 34,000 years old, making them the oldest fibers known to have been used by humans. The fibers, discovered during systematic excavations in a cave in the Republic of Georgia, are described in this week’s issue of Science.

Cambridge, Mass. April 30, 2009 - Researchers at Harvard University have found that humans aren't the only ones who can groove to a beat - some other species can dance, too. This capability was previously believed to be specific to humans. The research team found that only species that can mimic sound seem to be able to keep a beat, implying an evolutionary link between the two capacities.