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A Hands-on Approach to Treating Patients with Pulmonary Disease

By Guest PostAugust 15, 2012Healthaaron bohrer, biomarker, blood, breathing, chronic, copd, daniel jones, donald sefcik, drug free, hands on, hands on treatment, john wang, kerry melenovsky, lung diseases, medical care, michigan state university, obstructive pulmonary disease, osteopathic manipulative treatment, plasma, pulmonary disease, sham treatment, sherman gorbis, william pintal

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Researchers at Michigan State University are working to show how a noninvasive, drug-free form of hands-on medical care can help patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease improve their breathing.

The team from MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine will apply four osteopathic manipulative treatments to a group of patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. One of the most common lung diseases, COPD typically manifests as chronic bronchitis (a long-term cough with mucus) or emphysema (destruction of the lungs over time). (more…)

New Book Explores Noah’s Flood; Says Bible and Science Can Get Along

By Guest PostAugust 14, 2012Culture, Sciencebiblical book, catastrophic deluge, christians, creationism, dam in montana, david montgomery, eastern washington, false dichotomy, galileo galilei, genesis, geological evidence, geological processes, geologist, geomorphologist, glacial lake, global flood, grand canyon, landscape, mesopotamia, mesopotamian stories, missoula, mountaintop, native american, nicolas steno, noah, noahs flood, pacific ocean, regional flood, religious belief, rocks dont lie, roman catholic, scientific reason, st augustine, tibetan plateau, topography, tsangpo river

“I doubt the historic truth about Noah’s Flood will ever be known with certainty. And I don’t think it really matters. The discoveries of science have revealed the world and our universe to be far more spectacular than could have been imagined by Mesopotamian minds. To still see the world through their eyes is to minimize the wonder of creation.”

David Montgomery, “The Rocks Don’t Lie”

David Montgomery is a geomorphologist, a geologist who studies changes to topography over time and how geological processes shape landscapes. He has seen firsthand evidence of how the forces that have shaped Earth run counter to some significant religious beliefs.

But the idea that scientific reason and religious faith are somehow at odds with each other, he said, “is, in my view, a false dichotomy.” (more…)

Male Sandpipers That Sleep Less Have More Sex

By Guest PostAugust 14, 2012Nature, Scienceamanda watson, arctic circle, electroencephalogram, electromyogram datalogger, female, Germany, hypothesis, male sandpipers, mating, mating season, max planck institute, more sex, offspring, seewiesen, sleep deprivation, sleep less, stress

A study conducted by scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen, Germany has shown that the male members of a sandpiper population who spend less time sleeping are more successful at mating with females and have more offspring.

The sandpiper mating season takes place during the summer in the Arctic Circle, when the sun practically never goes down. Males of the species compete to impress females by fighting with each other, defending territory, and flying over the females while making a hooting sound. (more…)

Global Bullfrog Trade Spreads Deadly Amphibian Fungus Worldwide

By Guest PostAugust 14, 2012Natureamphibian fungus, bullfrog farming, bullfrog trade, chytrid fungus, hybridization hypothesis, michigan bullfrog, sex in chytrid

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— The global trade in bullfrogs, which are farmed as a food source in South America and elsewhere, is spreading a deadly fungus that is contributing to the decline of amphibians worldwide, according to a University of Michigan biologist and his colleagues. (more…)

For Young Adults, Appearance Matters More than Health, MU Research Suggests

By Guest PostAugust 13, 2012Culture, General, Healthappearance, carlia francis, college age, food environment, good nutrition, healthful choice, interactive play, maría len rios, mizzou advantage, nutrition 101, professor of theater, self image, societal message, suzanne burgoyne, unattainable figure, university of missouri, young adults

Research inspires interactive theater, opens dialogue

COLUMBIA, Mo. –When it comes to college-age individuals taking care of their bodies, appearance is more important than health, research conducted at the University of Missouri suggests. María Len-Ríos, an associate professor of strategic communication, Suzanne Burgoyne, a professor of theater, and a team of undergraduate researchers studied how college-age women view their bodies and how they feel about media messages aimed at women. Based on focus group research findings, the MU team developed an interactive play about body image to encourage frank discussions about conflicting societal messages regarding weight, values and healthful choices.

“During our focus group conversations, we learned that young people don’t think about nutrition when it comes to eating,” Len-Ríos said. “They think more about calorie-counting, which isn’t necessarily related to a balanced diet.” (more…)

Student Performance Improves When Teachers Given Incentives Upfront

By Guest PostAugust 13, 2012Educationacademic performance, bonus payment, broad foundation, chicago heights, economic research, field experiment, gadi barlevy, incentive, john list, loss aversion, motivate behavior, percentile, robert m beren, roland fryer, sally sadoff, student performance, teacher, teacher incentive, thinklink predictive assessment, thomas amadio, uchicago, upfront

A bonus payment to teachers can improve student academic performance — but only when it is given upfront, on the condition that part of the money must be returned if student performance fails to improve, research at the University of Chicago shows.

The study showed that students gained as much as a 10 percentile increase in their scores compared to students with similar backgrounds — if their teacher received a bonus at the beginning of the year, with conditions attached. There was no gain for students when teachers were offered the bonus at the end of the school year, the research found. (more…)

Natural birth — but not C-section — triggers brain boosting proteins

By Guest PostAugust 13, 2012Healthadult behaviors, brain boosting proteins, brain circuits, caesarean section, natural birth, vaginal birth

Vaginal birth triggers the expression of a protein in the brains of newborns that improves brain development and function in adulthood, according to a new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers, who also found that this protein expression is impaired in the brains of offspring delivered by caesarean section (C-sections). (more…)

Why Do Organisms Build Tissues They Seemingly Never Use?

By Guest PostAugust 12, 2012Sciencebeacon center, charles ofria, computational evolution, computer program, cornell university, Environment, evolution, evolutionary reason, jeff clune, michigan state university, mutate, mutation, organism, richard lenski, robert pennock, skyscraper, tissue

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Why, after millions of years of evolution, do organisms build structures that seemingly serve no purpose?

A study conducted at Michigan State University and published in the current issue of The American Naturalist investigates the evolutionary reasons why organisms go through developmental stages that appear unnecessary.

“Many animals build tissues and structures they don’t appear to use, and then they disappear,” said Jeff Clune, lead author and former doctoral student at MSU’s BEACON Center of Evolution in Action. “It’s comparable to building a roller coaster, razing it and building a skyscraper on the same ground. Why not just skip ahead to building the skyscraper?” (more…)

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