Early adolescent males gain friends when they have sex while females lose them, a new study has found. Not only that, males who make out without having sex lose popularity, while females who do the same gain. The findings of the study will be presented at the 110th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association … Read more
Quasicrystals in the act of growing have for the first time been recorded by Japanese researchers using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, answering a mechanical dilemma of chemistry with an “error-and-correction” observation. “For the first time, we succeeded in observing the quasicrystal growth directly,” University of Tokyo’s Dr. Keiichi Edagawa told The Speaker. “By the direct … Read more
Scientists in Virginia used light-sheet microscopy to video the goings-on of the larva’s nervous system ASHBURN, Va. – Scientists at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have imaged motor neuron activity in a millimetre-long larva. Their paper was published today in the open-access journal Nature Communications. Photographs were taken of the neurons of the larva, Drosophila … Read more
According to new research, selfies are linked to narcissism in men, but not in women. The research, undertaken by Polish psychologist, went further, providing an understanding about which aspects of narcissism were associated with selfie-taking for each gender. Research, though still scant, is emerging about who posts selfies and why. According to the new Polish study, which … Read more
Nature and nurture in music has now been mapped by McGill neurologists who have recorded the activity and changes in the brains of young adults over the course of a six-week piano training session. Among the results of the research is a greater understanding of how natural disposition factors into skills like music. “I would venture … Read more
In the US, 72 people were sentenced to death last year, and according to new research the faces of those tried in court may have had something to do with their sentence. An “alarming bias” in the criminal justice system, U of T researchers found, results from the prejudice attached to people’s appearance. The researchers … Read more
Warmer waters in the north mean less overwinter death and increased growth for cold-blooded fish, so they will benefit from global warming… or so the theory went. New research says that these species may actually suffer more than they benefit, and global warming will end up reducing their populations. “Even if summer conditions are better … Read more
Are your rugrats babysat by the TV? Dr. Linda Pagani of the University of Montreal, who just completed an extensive study of the long-term effects of toddler TV viewing, says they might suffer for it later. “Basically, too much time in front of the telly creates a time-debt for other enriching activities,” Pagani told The Speaker. “In early childhood … Read more
New rheological research has created fluid viscosity in which the viscous resistance to shear disappears. Researchers at University Paris-Sud in France employed swimming bacteria and organized them to push past the dissipative effects of viscous loss to create a “superfluidlike” suspension. The collectively organized “pusher swimmers” may be harvested to power tiny mechanical devices such … Read more
Large amounts of antimatter have been detected in the midst of thunderclouds, according to University of New Hampshire physicists who have been working on the problem for several years. The original observation of positron signatures — six years ago when Dr. Joseph Dwyer accidentally flew through several thunderclouds in a research plane – caused the … Read more
Disturbance is a condition depended on by the species indigenous to coastal dunes, according to Washington University researchers who just completed a study putting numbers to claims that the restoration of such conditions is necessary for the variety and vibrancy of the West Coast’s dune life. “Disturbance is actually a good thing in many ecosystems … Read more
Some microbe species produce nutrients that are consumed by neighboring species, which in turn share nutrients that they produce, but a mystery of this relationship has puzzled scientists: Why do some of the shared molecules have chemical units that seemingly have the sole function of slowing the diffusion of nutrients to neighboring microbes? A team of … Read more