A new study by a University of Exeter researcher has shed light on how an estimated one million-strong population of wild camels thriving in Australia’s remote outback have become reviled as pests and culled on a large scale. (more…)
Tübinger Neurowissenschaftler untersuchen, wie Bewegungen gesteuert werden
Obwohl wir uns dessen nur selten bewusst sind, beruhen schon einfachste Bewegungen unseres Körpers wie das Heben einer Hand auf der komplexen Kommunikation zahlreicher verteilter Hirnregionen. Neuere Befunde legen nahe, dass die rhythmische elektrische Aktivität von Nervenzellen wesentlich für diese Kommunikationsprozesse ist. Jedoch ist die genaue Funktion verschiedener Hirnrhythmen und ihrer Wechselwirkungen bislang weitestgehend unbekannt. (more…)
By analyzing the speed of seismic waves generated by earthquakes, scientists have shown that temperature differences deep within Earth’s mantle control the elevation and volcanic activity along mid-ocean ridges, the colossal mountain ranges that line the ocean floor. Recent research sheds new light on how temperature in the depths of the mantle influences the contours of the Earth’s crust.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Scientists have shown that temperature differences deep within Earth’s mantle control the elevation and volcanic activity along mid-ocean ridges, the colossal mountain ranges that line the ocean floor. The findings, published April 4 in the journal Science, shed new light on how temperature in the depths of the mantle influences the contours of the Earth’s crust. (more…)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – By reptile standards, alligators are positively chatty. They are the most vocal of the non-avian reptiles and are known to be able to pinpoint the source of sounds with accuracy. But it wasn’t clear exactly how they did it because they lack external auditory structures.
In a new study, an international team of biologists shows that the alligator’s ear is strongly directional because of large, air-filled channels connecting the two middle ears. This configuration is similar in birds, which have an interaural canal that increases directionality. (more…)
Researchers were able to improve walking and prolong survival in a mouse model by tweaking potassium levels
By boosting the ability of a specific type of cell to absorb potassium in the brain, UCLA researchers were able to improve walking and prolong survival in a mouse model of Huntington’s disease.
Their findings, published March 30 in the online edition of the journal Nature Neuroscience, could point to new drug targets for treating the devastating disease, which strikes one in every 20,000 Americans. (more…)
Zeynep Tufekci geht der Frage nach, ob das Internet gut oder schlecht sei – die Antwort ist die gleiche wie bei den meisten Menschen auch: Beides stimmt! Bei der Frage, welche gesellschaftliche Bedeutung die Technik nach der „Stunde Null“ hat, kommen wir jedoch weder mit moralischen „Gut-Böse“-Diskussionen weiter, noch mit überbordender Melodramatik. Dies fordert Jaron Lanier in der Debatte darum, wie „evil“ Google ist. Noch nicht genug von der aktuellen Debatte um das Wesen des Internets? Dann lesen Sie bitte weiter.
Researchers have found that central-east Mexico gave birth to the domesticated chili pepper, which is now the world’s most widely grown spice crop.
In the Southwest, the chili pepper is practically a dietary staple. It gives salsa a spicy crunch, it brings depth to Mexican sauces, and it provides an extra kick to Sonoran hot dogs. (more…)
