Gene may contribute to improved rice yield A team of scientists, including Penn State University Distinguished Professor of Biology Hong Ma, has identified a gene in rice that controls the size and weight of rice grains.
Study finds young children can develop full-blown OCD A new study by researchers at the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center has found that children as young as four can develop full-blown obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and often exhibit many of the same OCD characteristics typically seen in older kids.
MIT scientists move closer to artificial noses Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) scientists said today they have moved closer to creating artificial noses, after finding a way to mass-produce smell receptors in a laboratory.
Scientists find why bad memories stay with us Scientists may have found the glue that keeps fearful memories stuck in the brain, a discovery that could be useful in new treatments for Alzheimer's disease.
Pakistan's Ayub Agricultural Research Institute develops UG99 resistant wheat variety The scientists of Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Faisalabad has successfully developed a new variety of wheat 'UG99' which is resistant to stem rust disease of wheat.
Robotic Surgery Lowers Risk The use of a robot to assist with the most commonly performed weight-loss surgery appears to significantly lower a patient's risk of developing a rare but serious complication, according to a study published in the Journal of Robotic Surgery.
Compound May Detect Chemical, Biological Weapons A light-transmitting compound that could one day be used in high-efficiency fiber optics and in sensors to detect biological and chemical weapons at long distance almost went undiscovered by scientists because its structure was too difficult to examine.
Florida Scientists Say Algae Can Solve Fuel Cost Problem Scientists in Florida have found their own solution to the fuel problem in pond scum. Special strains of super charged pond scum are being grown fast and fat algae engineered to over-produce oil molecules that will ultimately be refined into biodiesel.
Scientists make speech breakthrough Scientists on Sunday said intelligible speech is learned in part through nerve signals from the vocal tract, a discovery that could open up an ambitious avenue of therapy for the deaf.
Environmentally Friendly Gold Nanoparticles Until recently, scientists couldn't create gold nanoparticles without producing synthetic chemicals that had negative impacts on the environment. A new method eliminates any negative environmental impact.
Chinese scientists develop reagent to find out chemical blamed for milk contamination Chinese scientists on Saturday said they have developed a reagent that could indicate melamine, a hazardous chemical blamed for milk contamination, fast and at low cost. A dose of the reagent will disclose melamine within 20 minutes at a cost of 20 yuan (2.9 U.S. dollars), compared with a week and 2,000 yuan by the traditional way using liquid chromatography.
Experts review latest nuclear research The latest nuclear detonation and detection research was showcased at a technical meeting in Virginia Thursday in a move to advance the technology.
Scientists Find Way to Regress Adult Cells to Embryonic State Scientists are reporting today that they have overcome a major obstacle to using a promising alternative to embryonic stem cells, bolstering the prospects for bypassing the political and ethical tempest that has embroiled hopes for a new generation of medical treatments.
Canadian scientists discover oldest rocks on Earth The oldest rocks on Earth have been discovered in Canada, offering scientists a glimpse at the origins of the planet, announced scientists in a study to be published Friday.
Scientists identify novel inhibitor of human microRNA Scientists at The Wistar Institute and their colleagues have identified, for the first time, a molecule that can regulate microRNAs -- short strands of RNA that play a vital role in gene expression and are closely associated with cancer. The discovery points the way to the development of a new generation of cancer drugs.
Evidence of colliding planets observed Two planets about 300 light years from Earth have slammed into each other recently, US astronomers say, the first time evidence of such a catastrophic collision has been seen by scientists.
New research shows why metal alloys degrade Metal alloys can fail unexpectedly in a wide range of applications -- from jet engines to satellites to cell phones -- and new research from the University of Michigan helps to explain why.
Study shows magnetic field can reduce swelling Use of magnetic fields for healing is not entirely new age hype -- though it took magnets with about 10 times the strength of the common refrigerator variety...
Northern Lights flow on celestial magnetic ropes NASA satellites have uncovered giant magnetic 'ropes' linking the Earth's atmosphere to the Sun and channeling solar energy cause the Northern Lights.
Fear a Better Motivator than Positive Thinking When a group of students were divided into to groups and started on an exercise program, 85 percent stuck to the program through visualizing becoming fat and ugly if they quit, while only 65 percent succeeded by visualizing success.
Loss of large game accompanied Mayan decline The data suggests the game decline was caused primarily by hunting pressure and was most noticeable at regional capitals and large cities.
Coral spawn on full moon Coral on Australia's Great Barrier Reef all spawn at one time because their genes allow them to sense moonlight -- even though they have no eyes, a study found.
Mammoth hair yields DNA Mammoth hair seems to be an excellent source of well-preserved DNA, because it less prone to contamination from bacteria.
Ancient saber-toothed cat had weak jaws Ancient saber-toothed cat had some pretty scary dentures, but only about one-third the biting power of a modern lion.
Why humans differ Individual differences between humans may be due to rearranged chunks of DNA, rather than gene mutations, according to recent research.
Velociraptor had Feathers A close study of a velociraptor forearm found in Mongolia shows the presence of quill knobs, showing it had feathers.
Accidentally mummified bodies from Guanajuato, Mexico Scientists are looking at the remains of over 100 bodies from the 1800s that dried out while stored in above ground crypts and now occupy the city's Museum of the Mummies. Researchers are finding lots of arthritis and evidence of infectious diseases.
Birth month and near-sightedness correlated Astrology? No, although babies born in June or July had a 24% greater chance of being severely myopic than those born in December or January, the researchers suggest it is an effect of early-life exposure to natural light. [Based on Israeli youth, the investigators claim it is likely applicable to babies born anywhere in the world. I doubt it applies near the equator. Duh...]
Girls experience stress at a higher rate than guys Fully 85 percent of young people said they feel stressed at times, typically by school for 13-17 year olds, and work for 18-24 year olds. 45 percent of girls and young women reported experiencing stress frequently, compared with 32 percent of boys and young men.
Galactic Collision Challenges Dark Matter Theories A collision between giant galactic clusters seems to have separated the galaxies from their dark matter cores.
Contagious yawning shows you have empathy People who identify better with others are more prone to contagious yawning, Japanese researchers say.
Girls really do prefer pink Evolution may have honed women's preference for pink because it helped them to find ripe fruit and healthy men.
Enceladus has a warm, shifting interior similar to Earth According to Gustavo Gioia of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, geysers on Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, can be explained without the need for assuming there is liquid water there.