Authors:Helena De Oliveira Souza, Rafaela dos Santos Costa, Gabrielle Rabelo Quadra, Marcos Antonio Fernandez Abstract: Medicines are useful for us humans, but could be harmful for many different forms of wildlife. The medicines we use have the potential to reach the environment, especially the water resources. Thus, they can be problematic for the organisms living there, but also come back to us, since we use this same water to produce our drinking water or in producing our foodstuff. It is important for us, to understand how to have all benefits from medicines, and how to avoid problems with improper use of these substances. You have an important role to help to reduce this problem, by taking some easy precautions when dealing with medicines. It is very important to learn about this issue, and to talk with your friends and relatives about what you learn here. Do you want to know simple attitudes to become a more aware citizen regarding medicines pollution, right' Let’s go, then' PubDate: 2019-06-13T00:00:00Z
Authors:Leonard F. Engels, Christian Cipriani Abstract: Some people have only one hand or no hands at all. They miss them either from birth or as a consequence of accidents or illnesses. Hand prostheses try to replace these missing hands. There are two broadly different kinds: passive and active prostheses. Passive hands generally serve an aesthetic purpose. They look realistic, are light, robust, and not too expensive. But to actively grasp things, one needs an active prosthesis. These can be simple, sturdy mechanical or complex and expensive robotic hands. All kinds of prostheses have up- and downsides, but research focuses mostly on electrical robotic hands. One big, unsolved challenge is how to enable prosthesis users to feel with their robotic hands. Many different methods have been tried, some requiring surgery, some not, but scientists still cannot restore fully natural sensation. PubDate: 2019-06-12T00:00:00Z
Authors:Mirjam S. Glessmer Abstract: We see ice all the time: as cubes in drinks, forming on pools of rainwater in winter, in movies like Frozen or The Blue Planet. But have you ever wondered how exactly ice forms and what determines what it looks like in the end' We here investigate how the formation of ice is influenced by movement of water while freezing, by the direction the cooling is coming from, and by salt dissolved in the water. PubDate: 2019-06-11T00:00:00Z
Authors:Jonathan Levy Abstract: Seeing someone in pain triggers a specific brain response, which some may call "pain empathy". In the present article, we examined this brain response in children, teenagers and adults. We found that children's brain response was of a certain type (labeled alpha power increase) whereas adults' brain response was of a different type (labeled alpha power decrease). What we found particularly interesting was that teenagers' brain response included both types: alpha power increase and alpha power decrease. This suggests that the brain's response to others' pain changes in the course of development. At this stage, this study is more intriguing than informative, and it brings up two fascinating questions for future studies: (1) How come that the brains of children, teenagers and adults respond in very different activation patterns to the pain of others' (2) What is the developmental purpose of this change' PubDate: 2019-06-11T00:00:00Z
Authors:Stephen R. Taylor Abstract: Until recently, the only way to observe the Universe was from light received by telescopes. But we are now able to measure gravitational waves, which are ripples in the fabric of the Universe predicted by Albert Einstein. If two very dense objects (like black holes) orbit each other closely, they warp space and send out gravitational waves. For black holes that are similar in mass to the Sun, scientists use the LIGO detector on Earth. But for the biggest black holes in the Universe (billions of times more massive than the Sun), scientists monitor a net of rapidly-spinning neutron stars (called pulsars) across the Milky Way. Any gravitational-wave passing by will change how long radio signals from these pulsars take to get to Earth. The NANOGrav Collaboration monitored 34 of these pulsars over 11 years, limiting the space-squeezing caused by these waves to approximately one part in a million billion. PubDate: 2019-06-07T00:00:00Z
Authors:Angela Chuang, Orlando Schwery Abstract: Many of us find it hard to relate to spiders or other types of invertebrates, including insects, snails, clams, jellyfish, and squid. With over a million species, invertebrates make up most of Earth's animals, and their behaviors are likewise diverse. It might be surprising to hear that some invertebrates take care of their offspring by feeding, protecting, and raising them. The type of care given, including which parent is involved, generally depends on the environment they live in, and the strategy that will encourage the most surviving offspring over the course of their lives. Since their time and energy is limited, some species prioritize making lots of children over providing care, while others do the opposite. We also describe special examples of parental care to illustrate the fascinating sacrifices some invertebrate parents make. These might not seem so different from what our own parents are willing to do for us! PubDate: 2019-06-05T00:00:00Z
Authors:Kathryn L. Hand, Claire Freeman, Philip Seddon, Mariano R. Recio, Aviva Stein, Yolanda van Heezik Abstract: More and more research is showing how spending time in nature is good for your health and development. Yet, children living in urban areas (towns and cities) may find it difficult to spend time in nature. Their neighbourhood may have little nearby nature to interact with. Or they may not be allowed travel on their own to reach natural spaces. Missing out on spending time in nature means children are becoming more disconnected from the natural world.We wanted to understand if children living in urban areas have access to nature in their neighbourhood. Then if they had access to nature, do they prefer to spend time in nature, or in other kinds of spaces' What reasons either prevent or encourage use of natural spaces' Our work revealed some new findings on how children interact with nature and how we can improve our urban areas to support nature connection. PubDate: 2019-06-03T00:00:00Z
Authors:Sophie E. Carter, Sophie M. Holder, Dick H. J. Thijssen, Nicola D. Hopkins Abstract: Supplying the brain with enough blood flow is essential to keep us alive and maintain our brain health. Reductions in brain blood flow can negatively affect our ability to think. It can also lead to brain diseases such as dementia; a condition that causes permanent memory loss and confusion. It is suggested that sitting may be bad for our brain blood flow. Understanding how sitting affects the brain is therefore very important. We conducted a study where participants either sat down without any breaks for four hours, or sat down but took a short walking break every thirty-minutes, or a longer walking break every two hours. After sitting without any breaks brain blood flow decreased. However, when participants took a walking break every thirty-minutes, it prevented the decrease in brain blood flow. These results suggest we should encourage people to take regular breaks from sitting to maintain their brain health. PubDate: 2019-05-31T00:00:00Z
Authors:Johnathan J. Dalzell Abstract: Plants must compete with each other for access to resources like water, nutrients and light, which allow them to grow and reproduce. Competition for these resources takes place both above and below the soil. Plant roots absorb water and nutrients from the soil, and physically anchor the plant so that it can grow tall. The plant must then try to outgrow other competitors to gain better access to sunlight, which it uses to generate energy. Rather than compete, some plants will instead steal these resources from other plants. Plants that cheat in this way are called parasites. Many parasitic plants have become such specialist cheats that they don’t develop their own roots, leaves, or use photosynthesis to make their own energy. Cuscuta plants are parasites that are commonly known as ‘dodders’. Scientists are trying to understand these parasites, and develop new ways to prevent them stealing from other crop plants. PubDate: 2019-05-29T00:00:00Z
Authors:Sébastien Duperron, Sylvie M. Gaudron, Sven R. Laming Abstract: The discovery of an abundance of life around deep-sea hydrothermal chimneys emitting hot and toxic fluids demonstrated that animals could thrive in the dark, cold and high-pressure deep oceans. Owing to their conspicuously large sizes, mussels are among the most studied animals found there. Scientists discovered that mussels rely on bacterial symbiosis for their nutrition, wherein bacteria use chemicals from the hydrothermal fluid and seawater to produce organic compounds, while hosts facilitate access to food sources and provide protection. The mussel life cycle, encompassing reproduction, development, dispersal and growth to adulthood, is uniquely adapted to finding and colonizing their unusual habitat and securing symbionts in rapid succession. Despite its remoteness, the deep sea is already under threat. Research into mussels and other animals that have evolved similar symbioses, though still fragmented, has revealed not only their beauty, but their fragility also. PubDate: 2019-05-29T00:00:00Z
Authors:César Aguilar Abstract: Evolution is the process that originates changes in living beings over time, which allows them to adapt to different environments. This has created the big diversity of living being on earth. Scientists are investigating how evolution works using bacteria by studying its DNA and their mutations, which are the primary explanation for the change. Why did we choose bacteria' Well, because they are probably the most well-adapted living organisms on earth. They can survive in the most varied and extreme conditions, from underwater volcanoes to Alaskan frozen grounds. To conduct this research a bacterium called Escherichia coli was chosen as a test subject for a wide variety of experiments. Here we show you the most fascinating ones. PubDate: 2019-05-29T00:00:00Z
Authors:Maria-Cecília Costa Abstract: Imagine that you have a little pot plant at home. But you forgot to water it for a few weeks and it looks dry and brown. Now imagine how great it would be if this little plant would become green again when you give it some water. This is not only an imagination game. It happens for real in nature. These plants are called resurrection plants. Some of them can stay dry for a few months and some others for even longer periods. Resurrection plants protect themselves from the damage caused by the loss of too much water and come back to life when water is available again. We are learning from the mechanisms that they use to stay alive while dry and applying them in different areas of research. PubDate: 2019-05-28T00:00:00Z
Authors:Peck Bryan D., Jim Lagopoulos Abstract: When we are mentally or physically unwell we can take medication to improve it. When we are mentally unwell we can also talk to someone about what is going on. Sometimes the medication and talking work, and sometimes not. What if we could also do an activity that improves both mental and physical effects of a mental illness' What about an activity that you would jump out of bed to go do because it is that much fun, while simultaneously improving the areas of the brain that seem to be linked with many mental illnesses' Surfing as a therapy has shown positive effects on psychological factors, but what impact might it have on the brain of someone with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder' PubDate: 2019-05-24T00:00:00Z
Authors:Katie L. Birchard, Deborah M. Leigh Abstract: Have you ever noticed that you feel awake when it’s light outside, but sleepy when it’s dark' Our bodies know to get-up in the morning and go to sleep at night because of our circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms, also known as internal clocks, control important bodily processes to help you know when you’re hungry, thirsty, and sleepy. These clocks are present in every living organism (even bacteria!). They can cycle over a day, or on a longer time scale. Circannual rhythms, for example, keep a schedule that stretches over 365 days. These longer rhythms are most visible in spring and winter, when you see tulips flowering, bears hibernating, or birds migrating. Our genes (units of information passed down from your parents) and cues from the environment like light, temperature, food, or stress all affect our internal clocks. PubDate: 2019-05-21T00:00:00Z
Authors:Alice Halliday, Mica Roan Tolosa-Wright, Aime Afua Boakye, John S. Tregoning Abstract: Vaccines are a safe and effective way to protect people from infections. Vaccines train a system in your body -the immune system- to recognise the microbes which cause disease, so that they can respond quickly when you encounter the real thing. There are many different types of vaccines available, and some include live microbes which have been weakened (attenuated) so that they cannot cause disease. In this article we focus on live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) which is given to children to prevent flu. Flu is a lung infection caused by the influenza virus. LAIV is given as a nasal spray, and this trains the immune system to protect you in the place that matters – the nose. As well as protecting children who get vaccinated, LAIV can reduce the likelihood of infection in others – this is called herd immunity. Learn why kids who get LAIV are flu fighters! PubDate: 2019-05-21T00:00:00Z
Authors:Kristen Marie Gillespie-Lynch, Emily Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, Heidi Lyn, Patricia M. Greenfield Abstract: We wanted to know if language grew from gestures, or movements of the body to communicate. We studied gestures and words used by a chimpanzee, a bonobo and a human child who were all taught to use words. The apes were taught visual words, known as lexigrams. The gestures of the chimpanzee, bonobo, and human child were very similar. The apes and the human child all started out using gestures and later began to use words more and more. The human child combined different ways of showing that she wanted to communicate (or her eyes and voice) more than the apes did. Our study shows that gestures were a tool the ancestor of humans, chimpanzees and bonobos could use to make language. Our study also shows that putting sounds and gestures together was an important skill that early humans could build on to make language. PubDate: 2019-05-16T00:00:00Z
Authors:Mahasweta Saha Abstract: Our oceans host more than 230,000 species of marine life. Did you ever wonder how these organisms communicate' What you saw in “Finding Nemo” is clearly not the way it works in the real world! Marine plants and animals, even those that can see and hear like Nemo and Dory mostly ‘talk’ using special signalling compounds collectively called infochemicals. Infochemicals are the ‘language’ of our oceans. However, this language is under threat from climate change, which is changing the production and characteristics of infochemicals. In this article, I will provide an overview of the diverse use of marine infochemicals, how climate change can disrupt the language of our oceans and what you can do to help save the language of our marine friends. PubDate: 2019-05-15T00:00:00Z
Authors:Didone Frigerio, Francesca Hemetsberger, Claudia A. F. Wascher Abstract: Among humans, having friends might be exciting but it can also be demanding sometimes. Animal societies are not much different: social interactions are known to cause some sort of troubles to the body. This is what we call stress. Among birds, graylag geese are highly social and can be used as model when investigating why so many species became gregarious. Currently, we studied variation in blood parameters, such as hematocrit and leucocyte counts because they can be considered good indicators of stress. We looked at these parameters in 105 birds of a free roaming flock of individually marked graylag geese. We found that blood parameters vary in different seasons and depend on pair-bond status. In conclusion, our results indicate that having a social partner helps individuals to cope with stress in certain seasons. PubDate: 2019-05-15T00:00:00Z
Authors:Mary A. Berg, Audrey M. Morrow, Michael C. Hout Abstract: Did you know that while reading this your brain is sending off chemical and electrical signals to help you understand the words and their meaning' Your brain is made up of networks of small cells called neurons that communicate electrochemically to help you think, feel, and interact with the world around you. Because electrical charges are responsible for brain activity, electrical stimulation can be used to alter the emotional, and cognitive components of daily functioning. Brain stimulation has been used therapeutically for mood disorders and stress, and can even help you solve problems, memorize information, and pay attention more effectively. The brain has different regions that regulate all of those functions, and luckily many of these regulatory areas are located in the cortex. The cortex is the outer edge of the brain, closest to the skull, which is an area that can be reached by Transcranial (into the skull) Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS for short). In this article, we discuss how tDCS can be used to help you think and feel differently. PubDate: 2019-05-15T00:00:00Z
Authors:Henry Sutanto, Jordi Heijman Abstract: The heart is a pump that brings blood to every part of our body. Calcium plays important roles in the electrical activity and pumping function of the heart. Calcium particles enter the heart muscle cells during each heartbeat and contribute to the electrical signal that coordinates the heart’s function. Calcium particles also bind to machinery within the cell that makes that cell squeeze together (‘contract’), which makes the heart pump blood. In some diseases, the doors controlling the movement of calcium malfunction, leading to abnormal electrical signals, which may induce a group of heart diseases called heart rhythm disorders. In addition, abnormal calcium handling may directly impair pumping function or relaxation of the heart. Scientists have identified that calcium-handling abnormalities play major roles in many heart rhythm disorders. However, despite the advancements in (bio)medical technologies, several important questions about the mechanisms and treatment of calcium-related problems remain. PubDate: 2019-05-10T00:00:00Z
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