News tagged with region

Involuntary maybe, but certainly not random

Feb 12, 2009 | 4.8 / 5 (6) | 0

Our eyes are in constant motion. Even when we attempt to stare straight at a stationary target, our eyes jump and jiggle imperceptibly. Although these unconscious flicks, also known as microsaccades, had long ...

Born to be wild? Thrill-seeking behavior may be based in the brain

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Feb 11, 2009 | 4.4 / 5 (5) | 0

Sky diving and base jumping are not for everyone. However, for certain people, the more risk and adrenaline involved in an activity, the better! What draws some people to daredevil behavior while others shy away from it? ...

Sociability traced to particular region of brain

Medicine & Health / Research

Jan 27, 2009 | 3.7 / 5 (3) | 0

People with a genetic condition called Williams syndrome are famously gregarious. Scientists, looking carefully at brain function in individuals with Williams syndrome, think they may know why this is so. The researchers ...

Big cats, wild pigs and short-eared dogs -- oh, my!

Biology /

Jan 27, 2009 | 4 / 5 (5) | 0

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) released photos today from the first large-scale census of jaguars in the Amazon region of Ecuador—one of the most biologically rich regions on the planet.

Switchboard in the brain helps us learn and remember at the same time

Biology /

Jan 13, 2009 | 4.3 / 5 (3) | 0

The healthy brain is in a constant struggle between learning new experiences and remembering old experiences, a new study in this week's PLoS Biology reports. Virtually all social interactions require the rapid exchange of new ...

Smart Lighting: New LED Drops the 'Droop'

Physics / General Physics

Jan 12, 2009 | 4.7 / 5 (22) | 14

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed and demonstrated a new type of light emitting diode (LED) with significantly improved lighting performance and energy efficiency.

Scientists spend a white Christmas in Antarctica

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

Dec 22, 2008 | 4 / 5 (1) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- The idea of a white Christmas may seem magical for many of us, but spare a thought for a team of scientists forgoing the festive season to take part in a novel campaign being carried out in ...

Reward-stress link points to new targets for treating addiction

Medicine & Health / Research

Dec 16, 2008 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

Rewarding and stressful signals don't seem to have much in common. But researchers studying diseases ranging from drug addiction to anxiety disorders are finding that the brain's reward and stress signaling circuits are intertwined ...

Aging brains allow negative memories to fade

Medicine & Health / Research

Dec 16, 2008 | 4 / 5 (2) | 0

It turns out there's a scientific reason why older people tend to see the past through rose-coloured glasses.

Sweet molecule could lead us to alien life

Space & Earth / Astronomy

Nov 25, 2008 | 4.6 / 5 (46) | 5

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have detected an organic sugar molecule that is directly linked to the origin of life, in a region of our galaxy where habitable planets could exist. The discovery, part funded ...

Scientists find blocking a neuropeptide receptor decreases nicotine addiction

Medicine & Health / Research

Nov 24, 2008 | 4.6 / 5 (5) | 0

The study was published in an online Early Edition issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the week of November 24. Scripps Florida is a division of The Scripps Research Institute.

Researchers identify new target in brain for treating schizophrenia

Medicine & Health / Research

Nov 05, 2008 | 5 / 5 (5) | 0

Research from the University of Pittsburgh could expand the options for controlling schizophrenia by identifying a brain region that responds to more than one type of antipsychotic drug. The findings illustrate for the first ...

Brain stimulation improves dexterity

Medicine & Health / Research

Oct 27, 2008 | 5 / 5 (3) | 0

Applying electrical stimulation to the scalp and the underlying motor regions of the brain could make you more skilled at delicate tasks. Research published today in the open access journal BMC Neuroscience shows that a non- ...