scientific study

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Study: It's Not McDonald's Fault Our Kids Are Fat

It's the fatty, sugary foods they're eating the rest of the time that's to blame: study

(Newser) - Fast food isn't making your kids fat—not really. What's truly behind the trend of childhood obesity are the sodas, frozen pizzas, and cookies consumed at home, school, and whenever kids aren't in a McDonald's or Burger King booth—a "Western diet" high in saturated...

Not So Funny? Comedians Have Psychotic Traits

Score higher compared to those in 'non-creative' jobs

(Newser) - Plenty of people would agree comedians are a bit crazy—but are they psychotic? Not quite, but they measure as having higher levels of psychotic personality traits than those in "non-creative" professions, a new study finds. Researchers had 523 comedians, 364 actors, and 831 people in the "non-creative...

Migraine Drug Benefits Are Half in Your Head

Study demonstrates power of suggestion

(Newser) - How effective a drug is has a lot to do with how effective you think it'll be, a new study suggests. Researchers gave 66 migraine sufferers a set of pills, some in envelopes labeled "Maxalt," a common migraine medicine, and others in envelopes labeled "placebo."...

90% of Old Scientific Data May Be Lost
 90% of Old Scientific 
 Data May Be Lost 
STUDY SAYS
Dec 29, 2013 2:30 PM CST

90% of Old Scientific Data May Be Lost

Thanks in part to outdated devices, email addresses

(Newser) - Scientists rely on raw data to reproduce studies and power new research—it's a foundation of the scientific method. But as much as 90% of data is lost within 20 years, according to a new study that puts at least some of the blame on old technology. Researchers emailed...

&#39;Youth&#39; Chemical Reverses Muscle Aging in Mice
'Youth' Chemical Reverses 
 Muscle Aging in Mice 
STUDY SAYS
Dec 20, 2013 1:41 PM CST

'Youth' Chemical Reverses Muscle Aging in Mice

Research team wants to begin clinical trials in 2015

(Newser) - If you have a few unwanted wrinkles, this study may pique your interest: Harvard scientists reversed a part of the aging process in mice with a muscle-rejuvenating chemical the BBC dubs "youth-medication." The chemical, NAD, decreases in cells as the body ages, but when mice were given boosted...

No, Music Doesn&#39;t Make You Smarter

 No, Music Doesn't 
 Make You Smarter 
STUDY SAYS
Dec 13, 2013 9:23 AM CST

No, Music Doesn't Make You Smarter

Samuel Mehr crashes the 'Mozart effect' myth in two new studies

(Newser) - Sorry to burst your bubble, parents, but all those piano lessons aren't helping to make your child the smartest kid on the block. Learning to play a musical instrument comes with a lot of good: It can bolster creativity, focus, discipline, and even self-esteem. But there's just no...

90 Companies to Blame for 63% of Global Emissions

Chevron, BP, Exxon racked up 9% alone

(Newser) - Want to personally thank those largely responsible for putting greenhouse gases into the air? Fewer than 100 phone calls will do the trick. According to new research, 90 companies have produced 63% of the emissions of carbon dioxide and methane since the dawn of the industrial age. Chevron, BP, and...

Secrets of Mysterious Black Hole Jets Revealed
Secrets of Mysterious
Black Hole Jets Revealed
NEW STUDY
Nov 14, 2013 12:54 PM CST

Secrets of Mysterious Black Hole Jets Revealed

Jets have power to spew iron and nickel, study finds

(Newser) - For years, astronomers have wondered what exactly black holes spew into our universe—and now they know. Iron and nickel have been found shooting from the relativistic jets of a black hole several times larger than our sun, but the finding is more surprising than it may seem. It shows...

Big Meteor Strikes Way More Common Than Thought

Chelyabinsk-size strike happens every 30 years or so

(Newser) - A meteor strike like the one in Chelyabinsk, Russia , earlier this year might seem like a once in a lifetime event, but a new study in Nature says that isn't the case. Using data from sensors around the world, researchers found that big asteroids have hit Earth's atmosphere...

Insects Caught in the Act —in 165M-Year-Old Fossil

Offers rare look at froghoppers' mating evolution

(Newser) - Meet the world's longest-lasting couple: Two insects who've been doing the deed for 165 million years. Yep, Chinese scientists have uncovered an ancient fossil of the love birds, er, froghoppers—the oldest instance of insects caught in the act in rock form, Popular Science reports. "This one...

Steroids&#39; Benefits Could Ripple for Months, Years
Steroids' Benefits Could Ripple for Months, Years
Study Says
Oct 30, 2013 9:50 AM CDT

Steroids' Benefits Could Ripple for Months, Years

Current bans on athletes who test positive might not be enough

(Newser) - Steroids may give athletes a competitive edge way longer than previously thought—as long as their entire professional careers. A new study from Norway found that mice given steroids were able to regrow muscle mass more rapidly months after the drug was withdrawn. After three months "clean," the...

Breast Milk Protein May Ward Off HIV
Breast Milk Protein
May Ward Off HIV
study says
Oct 23, 2013 12:54 PM CDT

Breast Milk Protein May Ward Off HIV

That's why babies breastfed by infected moms usually don't catch it

(Newser) - Scientists think they've found a promising new avenue for an HIV treatment in an unlikely place: the breasts of moms. Public health officials have long noticed that infants breastfed by HIV-positive moms rarely contract the virus themselves—even though the virus is definitely inside the milk. Now, Duke scientists...

Scientists Find Gold in Eucalyptus Trees

Discovery could be used by miners searching for the metal

(Newser) - Money may not grow on trees, but gold might grow in them. Such is the fascinating conclusion of a group of Australian researchers who studied eucalyptus trees in two groves in the country's west and south. The specific locations were chosen because the scientists knew there was gold in...

Kids With Set Bedtimes Are Better Behaved

Not having a fixed bedtime is like having jetlag, say researchers

(Newser) - New research has uncovered one secret behind well-behaved kids: they have regular bedtimes. The study, published today in Pediatrics, asked parents and teachers to rank the behavior of more than 10,000 7-year-olds, finding those without a consistent bedtime were reported as more hyperactive and with more social and emotional...

Surprise: Strange Iceland Pillars Formed by Lava
Surprise: Iceland's Strange Pillars Formed by Lava
STUDY SAYS
Oct 13, 2013 6:10 AM CDT

Surprise: Iceland's Strange Pillars Formed by Lava

They're common in ocean, but these are first seen on land: Study

(Newser) - A new study has finally spelled out how some weird-looking land forms in Iceland came to be. Sadly, the local legend that they were tossed there by warring trolls turns out to be wrong—but the real reason is pretty interesting in its own right. They're lava pillars,...

Instagram Could Help You Lose Weight

Or ruin your meal

(Newser) - The next new big diet fad could be Instagram and Pinterest, thanks to a new study that found just looking at photos of food can make eating less appealing. Researchers at Brigham Young University showed 232 people photos of food—half salty, and half sweet—and asked them to rate...

Bogus Study Fools 157 Science Journals

Author says it shows huge flaws in 'open-access' system

(Newser) - An investigation into the world of so-called "open-access" scientific journals has turned up, well, not much scientific credibility. Inspired by colleagues who'd come across some dodgy-looking journals, John Bohannon made up a study describing the anticancer properties of a chemical, then shipped it to 304 open-access journals. (These...

Ballet Alters Dancers&#39; Brains to Spin Without Dizziness
 Ballet Alters Dancers' Brains 
Study Says
Sep 29, 2013 4:50 PM CDT

Ballet Alters Dancers' Brains

Could help people who suffer chronic dizziness

(Newser) - Ballet dancers aren't like the rest of us. And it's not just their tiny waistlines and ability to stand on the tips of their toes—the dancing alters their brains. A new study has found years of ballet training changes dancers' brain structure, so they can spin around...

X Chromosome Actually Looks Nothing Like an X
X Chromosome Actually Looks Nothing Like an X
new report
Sep 28, 2013 6:57 AM CDT

X Chromosome Actually Looks Nothing Like an X

It's more like a lumpy blob of spaghetti

(Newser) - Here's your fun fact for the day: Contrary to popular belief, the X chromosome isn't shaped like an X at all—something that scientists have actually long been aware of. What they haven't known, however, is what that shape is ... until now. Per a paper published in...

Moon Maybe Not as Old as Previously Thought

New research suggests it's 100M years younger

(Newser) - No wonder the moon has such a youthful complexion (well, it vaguely resembles a teenager's spotty face)—new research suggests it isn't quite as old as previously thought. The standard theory was that the moon formed some 4.56 billion years ago, after another planet slammed into Earth....

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