Math explains history: Simulation accurately captures the evolution of ancient complex societies
The question of how human societies evolve from small groups to the huge, anonymous and complex societies of today has been answered mathematically, accurately matching the historical record on the emergence of complex states in the ancient world.
Herpes virus cleared from blood for first time
A COMMON virus that can reduce lifespan and cause blindness has been cleared from human blood for the first time.
Why humans are musical
Why don't apes have musical talent, while humans, parrots, small birds, elephants, whales, and bats do?
Data from across globe defines distinct Kawasaki disease season
Further evidence that long-range wind transport of an infectious agent might result in human disease
Minimal amount of debris from Japan's tsunami has washed ashore in California
Not long after a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan in 2011, washing whole towns out to sea, concerns grew that huge amounts of debris could wash up on California's coast.
Genes Associated with Autism Are Surprisingly Large
Longer Than Previously Thought: Researchers have discovered something surprising about autism genes:
Vitamin D alone does little to protect bone health in postmenopausal women
Calcium or combination supplement reduces bone turnover, osteoporosis risk
Daytime naps 'can boost learning'
Getting young children to take an hour-long nap after lunch could help them with their learning by boosting brain power, a small study suggests.
A neurological basis for the lack of empathy in psychopaths
When individuals with psychopathy imagine others in pain, brain areas necessary for feeling empathy and concern for others fail to become active and be connected to other important regions involved in affective processing and decision-making, reports a study published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
New study shows how ICU ventilation may trigger mental decline
Researchers from Penn Medicine and University of Oviedo identify molecular pathway linking ICU ventilation to brain damage
Genetic study pushes back timeline for first significant human population expansion
Using new genetic tools reveal that the first significant expansion of human populations appears to be much older than the emergence of farming and herding
Fusion, anyone? Not quite yet, but scientists show just how close we've come
The dream of igniting a self-sustained fusion reaction with high yields of energy, a feat likened to creating a miniature star on Earth, is getting closer to becoming reality, according the authors of a new review article in the journal Physics of Plasmas.
Melatonin helps control weight gain as it stimulates the appearance of 'beige fat'
Melatonin is a natural hormone segregated by the body and melatonin levels generally increase in the dark at night.
Research duo discover first instance of non-human primates whispering to each other
When threatened tamarin monkeys sometimes revert to whispering to one another
Moon is younger than first thought
Improved age data for the Moon suggests that it is much younger than previously believed according to scientists presenting at a Royal Society discussion meeting entitled Origins of the Moon this week (23 September).
Getting an expected award music to the brain's ears
Several studies have shown that expecting a reward or punishment can affect brain activity in areas responsible for processing different senses, including sight or touch.
Fish fossil yields jaw-dropping data on Man's past
Whale mass stranding attributed to sonar mapping for first time
Investigation of 2008 melon-headed whale stranding in Madagascar conducted by independent review panel
NASA Mars rover Curiosity finds water in first sample of planet surface
The first scoop of soil analyzed by the analytical suite in the belly of NASA's Curiosity rover reveals that fine materials on the surface of the planet contain several percent water by weight.
Humans May Be Most Adaptive Species
Constant climate change may have given Homo sapiens their flexibility
Current estimate of around quarter of a million deaths annually worldwide vastly underestimates true burden of rheumatic heart disease
Paper suggests that numbers published to date could be substantial underestimates due mainly to lack of high qualitydata from high-prevalence countries and regions
Experts confirm that fruit and vegetable consumption reduces risk of mortality
A diet rich in fruit and vegetables reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease mortality by 15%
Mucus might prove useful in treating IBD, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease
Mount Sinai researchers discover mucus prevents inflammatory reactions in the gut
An analgesic molecule discovered in its natural state in Africa
Even more surprising, analysis show that the molecule is identical to Tramadol, a wholly synthetic medication that is used world-wide as a painkiller.
Malignant brain tumours can be transformed into benign forms
Researchers from the Nencki Institute in Warsaw show how to deceive brain tumours and change malignant gliomas into benign forms
Most C. diff 'not hospital spread'
Most cases of C. difficile are not actually caused by the bug being spread round hospitals, a study suggests.
Anthropologists confirm link between cranial anatomy and two-legged walking
Anthropology researchers from The University of Texas at Austin have confirmed a direct link between upright two-legged (bipedal) walking and the position of the foramen magnum, a hole in the base of the skull that transmits the spinal cord.
Diet of Easter Islanders Revealed: Rats!
Chemical analyses of teeth from 41 human skeletons excavated on Easter Island revealed the inhabitants ate rats rather than seafood
Matchstick-sized sensor can record your private chats
A sensor previously used for military operations can now be tuned to secretly locate and record any single conversation on a busy street
Acupuncture Equal to Talk Therapy for Recurring Depression
Acupuncture appears to be equal to counseling and may offer an additional nonpharmacologic treatment option for patients with moderate to severe depression, new research suggests.
Revealed the benefits of strength training as physical exercise for 90-year-olds
After doing specific training for 12 weeks, people over the age of 90 improved their strength, power and muscle mass.
Over the limit
Size, shape and color of wine glass affect how much you pour
New breast cancer imaging technique could cut down on false positives
Researchers getting 5-times more accurate images with sodium MRI device
Newly identified antibodies effectively treat Alzheimer's-like disease in mice
Study conducted in mice suggests that newly identified antibody treatments can prevent the accumulation of tau proteins
Researchers demonstrate 'accelerator on a chip'
Technology could spawn new generations of smaller, less expensive devices for science, medicine
Understanding how infants acquire new words across cultures
Research provides new evidence of how infants acquiring Korean learn new words
Combining Chinese and Western medicine could lead to new cancer treatments
Combining traditional forms of Chinese and Western medicine could offer new hope for developing new treatments for liver, lung, colorectal cancers and osteosarcoma of the bones.
A new paradigm for nanoscale resolution MRI has been experimentally achieved
Novel MRI technique delivers a roughly 10nanometer spatial resolution
Survival after cancer diagnosis strongly associated with governments spending on health care
The more an EU (European Union) national government spends on health, the fewer the deaths after a cancer diagnosis in that country, according to new research to be presented to the 2013 European Cancer Congress (ECC2013) and published simultaneously in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology.
Irrefutable evidence that fall in death rates from colorectal cancer due to screening programmes
Screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) in European countries is highly effective in reducing mortality from the disease.
Killer cells trained on leukemia may protect some people
Immune system seems to remember cancer in people who've never had it
Scientists reduce progression of aggressive skin cancers in mice
The c-Fos oncogene has traditionally been linked to cellular activities related to cancer, such as cell division, differentiation -- conversion from one cell type to another -- or survival.
Scripps Research Institute study finds new moves in protein's evolution
Findings point to new approach to drug design
Young mums 'boost child death risk'
Children born to mothers under 30 are more likely to die than those born to older mums, a report on child deaths in the UK suggests.