scientific study

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Bird Culture Innate: Study
 Bird Culture Innate: Study 

May 4, 2009 2:46 AM CDT

Bird Culture Innate: Study

Isolated finches develop the same song over time

(Newser) - DNA may carry the blueprint for culture, a study of zebra finches has revealed. When raised in isolation, the birds' complex mating song—usually taught by male elders—develops into a harsh clamor. But as their offspring learn the song, they tweak it slightly and recreate the melody within a...

Infected Concrete Heals Self: Study

Scientists create self-healing concrete

(Newser) - Bacteria that secrete minerals are a well-known tool for "healing" cracked limestone statues, and the process got a Dutch scientist thinking. He theorized that concrete seeded with bacteria and a substance they transform into calcium carbonate would create a material that's able to seal cracks as they form. It...

Scientists: Parrots Groove to the Beat

(Newser) - Yes, it's an actual study: Parrots can dance. Really and truly dance. A painstaking review of lab video—and YouTube—revealed that the birds have rhythm, the Boston Globe reports. Frame-by-frame analysis of birds’ motion to music shows that they bob and weave in perfect sync to a beat, a...

Gum Chewing = Math Smarts: Study

(Newser) - Researchers have discovered that gum-chewing students perform better at math, the Los Angeles Times reports. A study, sponsored by the Wrigley Science Institute, showed that young scholars who chomped on gum while attending math class, doing homework, and taking tests score 3% higher on tests after 14 weeks. Teachers found...

World's Rivers Running Low: Study

(Newser) - The world’s rivers are drying up as climate change worsens and the demand for water increases, the BBC reports. Researchers studying 925 major waterways—from the Ganges to the Colorado—found significantly less fresh water flowing into oceans in 2004 than 50 years earlier. If the trend continues, the...

Great Barrier Reef Rebounds From Crisis

Scientists credit luck for natural wonder's 'spectacular' healing

(Newser) - Parts of the Great Barrier Reef bleached by warming waters 3 years ago have made a speedy recovery because of a few lucky breaks, the Guardian reports. Reefs typically take at least a decade to overcome human-created crises, but a combination of biological factors helped the reef's speedy healing, Australian...

Weight a Minute! Fatties Hurt Earth

Heavier people weigh on planet by excess eating, driving

(Newser) - People's carbon footprints grow as their weight increases, Reuters reports. By eating and tending to drive more than average, the world's billion overweight people each create an extra ton of carbon emissions annually,  a recent study has calculated. "When it comes to food consumption, moving about in a...

Birth Defects May Be Tied to Pesticide Levels

(Newser) - Babies conceived between April and July—the period when surface-water concentrations of pesticides are at their highest—run an increased risk of having a birth defect, Reuters reports. “Our study didn't prove a cause and effect link,” the lead researcher said, but “the fact that birth defects...

Poor Kids' Stress Harms the Brain, Chance of Success

Elevated stress hormones early can lead to lack of working memory later

(Newser) - Chronic stress caused by growing up poor appears to impair a developing child’s working memory, the Washington Post reports, pointing to another link between childhood poverty and lessened long-term success. While environmental and experiential factors—such as having fewer toys and more exposure to lead—likely affect the achievement...

Contrary to Opinion, Human Heart Regenerates

(Newser) - In a result defying popular opinion, the human heart regenerates about half of its cells over the course of a normal lifespan, the New York Times reports. A study used levels of a radioactive isotope in the earth’s atmosphere released by aboveground nuclear tests, and found in our bodies,...

Counting Chicks Redefine Birdbrain

Study shows chickens can do basic math

(Newser) - No dumb clucks, young chickens appear capable of basic arithmetic, Discover reports. Scientists relied on two innate chick traits—an instinct to flock with the biggest group and an attachment to objects—to test the birds’ noggins. After hiding yellow balls of varying numbers behind screens, they released the chicks....

Stem Cells Could Cure Deafness

Researchers believe breakthrough will help reverse hearing loss

(Newser) - Stem cell researchers have made a breakthrough they believe could someday cure deafness, the Times of London reports. The British team, working with stem cells from the inner ear, have successfully grown early versions of the cells that enable hearing and now aim to create functional cells that can be...

Autism Linked to Household Vinyl Flooring

(Newser) - Vinyl flooring has been linked to the development of autism in children, Scientific American reports. A joint US/Swedish study looking into the effects of household contaminants stumbled upon the result, which the researchers and others stressed was preliminary. It “turned up virtually by accident,” said one scientist. He...

Can Tomatoes Grow to Love Shakespeare?

Brit study puts plants-love-voices theory to the test

(Newser) - A tomato by any other name might taste as sweet, but will it grow as fast without the sound of a human voice? A new British study intends to find out with recordings of Shakespeare's verse and a poem by John Wyndman. The recordings will be played to the plants...

Cholesterol Drugs Cut Clot Risk
 Cholesterol Drugs Cut Clot Risk 
Mar 30, 2009 11:47 AM CDT

Cholesterol Drugs Cut Clot Risk

Large study looked at other possible drug benefits

(Newser) - Cholesterol-lowering drugs showed sizable effects on patients in a new study, but not only in the realm of lowering heart attack and stroke risk. The statins, which are sold under the brand name Crestor, also dramatically cut the occurrence of potentially deadly blood clots in healthy people, reports the New ...

Cartoons Could Help Diagnose Autism in Kids

Study finds differences in how autistic toddlers look at moving images

(Newser) - The way in which toddlers are drawn to animated movement may help facilitate the diagnosis of autism-spectrum disorders, reports the BBC. In the study, children who were developing normally focused on the half of a split-screen that featured an upright animation; children with signs of autism showed no preference between...

Caffeine: Athletes' Secret Weapon, and Legal, Too

Caffeine can improve sports ability by 5%

(Newser) - If Alex Rodriguez had only known. Caffeine is a performance-enhancer that helps athletes go longer and faster, and isn’t a banned substance. Caffeine works by turning fat into extra fuel, releasing calcium stored in muscles, and numbing the brain’s sense of exhaustion. The triple whammy improves performance by...

Female Finches 'Pick' Sex of Chicks

(Newser) - The female Gouldian finch can control the sex of her egg to produce the strongest possible offspring, the BBC reports. The species comes in two head colors, red and black, and same-color mates are more compatible. If a female finds herself with a different color mate, her offspring will be...

Mushrooms, Green Tea Cut Breast Cancer Risk

Study shows big effect among Chinese women

(Newser) - A mushroom a day could keep breast cancer away, according to a study that looked at the diets of more than 2,000 Chinese women. Their rates of the disease are four to five times lower than the worldwide average, and part of the reason may be the chemicals that...

Do Cougars Really Spawn a Brighter Brood?
Do Cougars Really Spawn
a Brighter Brood?
GLOSSIES
Mar 16, 2009 11:22 AM CDT

Do Cougars Really Spawn a Brighter Brood?

(Newser) - "At last, science has produced the case for cougars," writes Emily Nussbaum in New York. A study analyzing more than 50,000 pregnant women found that older fathers produce progeny that score lower on concentration, memory, and learning tests. Older mothers, on the other hand, are associated with...

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