How a simple mathematic formula is starting to explain the bizarre prevalence of altruism in society
Jul 18, 2008 |
3.7 / 5 (59) |
13
Why do humans cooperate in things as diverse as environment conservation or the creation of fairer societies, even when they don’t receive anything in exchange or, worst, they might even be penalized?
Deep Impact Films Earth as an Alien World
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Jul 18, 2008 |
4.5 / 5 (33) |
20
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft has created a video of the moon transiting (passing in front of) Earth as seen from the spacecraft's point of view 31 million miles away. Scientists are using ...
Natural selection may not produce the best organisms
Biology /
Jul 18, 2008 |
3.6 / 5 (40) |
17
"Survival of the fittest" is the catch phrase of evolution by natural selection. While natural selection favors the most fit organisms around, evolutionary biologists have long wondered whether this leads to the best possible ...
Study identifies cells for spinal-cord repair
Biology /
Jul 18, 2008 |
4.9 / 5 (22) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- A researcher at MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory has pinpointed stem cells within the spinal cord that, if persuaded to differentiate into more healing cells and fewer scarring cells following ...
Could arthritis wonder drugs provide clues for all disease?
Medicine & Health / Medications
Jul 18, 2008 |
4.5 / 5 (19) |
1
Drugs that have helped treat millions of rheumatoid arthritis sufferers may hold the key to many more medical conditions, including atherosclerosis – a leading cause of heart disease – says the researcher who jointly invented ...
The sun could be having a 15% or 20% effect on climate change
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jul 18, 2008 |
2.9 / 5 (27) |
11
Global warming is mainly caused by greenhouse gas emissions resulting from human activities; however, current climatic variations may be affected “around 15% or 20%” by solar activity, according to the researcher Manuel Vázquez ...
Saharan dust storms sustain life in Atlantic Ocean
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jul 18, 2008 |
4.4 / 5 (16) |
0
Research at the University of Liverpool has found how Saharan dust storms help sustain life over extensive regions of the North Atlantic Ocean.
Shimmering ferroelectric domains
Jul 18, 2008 |
4.6 / 5 (14) |
2
Ferroelectric materials are named after ferromagnetic ones because they behave in a similar way. The main difference: these materials are not magnetic, but permanently electrically polarized. They have great ...
Early study reveals promising Alzheimer's disease treatment
Jul 18, 2008 |
4.7 / 5 (12) |
0
A drug once approved as an antihistamine in Russia improved thinking processes and ability to function in patients with Alzheimer's disease in a study conducted there, said an expert at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. ...
Giving learning a personal touch
Jul 18, 2008 |
4.9 / 5 (11) |
0
A learning system that adapts to the abilities and needs of students opens the way to a more personalised approach in delivering education electronically.
A Viral Cloaking Device: Biologists show how Human Cytomegalovirus hides from the immune system
Biology /
Jul 18, 2008 |
5 / 5 (10) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- Viruses achieve their definition of success when they can thrive without killing their host. Now, biologists Pamela Bjorkman and Zhiru Yang of the California Institute of Technology have uncovered how one ...
Phoenix Mars Lander Continues Tests With Rasp
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Jul 18, 2008 |
3.9 / 5 (11) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- The team operating NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander plans to tell the lander today to do a second, larger test of using a motorized rasp to produce and gather shavings of frozen ground.
Tulane University Anthropologist Helps Unravel Mummy Mystery
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Jul 18, 2008 |
4.1 / 5 (8) |
0
Tulane University anthropologist Kit Nelson is the co-director of a National Geographic-sponsored team that is in the process of unraveling a mummy bundle found in Peru's historic Huaura Valley. The mummy is believed to have ...
Regular walking protects the Masai against cardiovascular disease
Jul 18, 2008 |
3.8 / 5 (8) |
1
Scientists have long been puzzled by how the Masai can avoid cardiovascular disease despite having a diet rich in animal fats. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet believe that their secret is in their regular walking.
Researchers Help U.S. Military Thwart Explosive Threats
Jul 18, 2008 |
4.3 / 5 (7) |
0
Researchers at UC San Diego are using statistical pattern recognition and image processing to help the U.S. military better detect hidden roadside explosives.
