scientific study

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Finger Length Holds Key to Running Skill

Measure digits to predict aggression, math scores, arthritis

(Newser) - Boys with ring fingers longer than their middle fingers may be speedier than peers with more symmetrical hands, a study of Qatari adolescents suggests. The speed difference is associated with exposure to testosterone in the womb, LiveScience reports. Finger length can also predict men’s aggression and SAT math scores,...

Cut Calories for a Sharper Mind
 Cut Calories for a Sharper Mind 
Mar 4, 2009 12:19 PM CST

Cut Calories for a Sharper Mind

Study finds that restricted eating leads to better memory in older adults

(Newser) - It's been shown in rats and monkeys, and now the first human study looking at the effects of calorie restriction on memory also confirms that eating less can improve your brain. A German research team gave 50 older adults a diet with normal nutrients but 30% fewer calories, and found...

Why Your Belly Button Has Lint
 Why Your Belly Button Has Lint 
Feb 28, 2009 4:33 PM CST

Why Your Belly Button Has Lint

(Newser) - Just so you know: Navel lint is caused by a unique arrangement of abdominal hairs that are positioned in concentric circles around the belly button and “act like a kind of barbed hooks,” the Telegraph reports. The discovery comes from an Austrian doctor who conducted 3 years of...

Distracted Doodling Helps Us Focus, Study Shows

(Newser) - Doodling while listening actually increases retention of memory, LiveScience reports. A new study shows that subjects who “mindlessly” sketched while listening to a not-so-interesting phone message remembered key facts 29% more than others instructed to just listen. “It helps to keep us on track with a boring task,...

Fast Thinking Makes People Happy

Rapid thoughts can make people feel happier

(Newser) - Happy people think fast thoughts, say researchers at Princeton and Harvard. They asked two groups to perform the same tasks—problem-solving, reading, and watching TV—at different speeds. Those forced to move along briskly felt more elated, creative, even powerful, Scientific American reports. The findings suggest a crossword puzzle or...

Tears Lone Signal of Sadness: Study

(Newser) - Tears are more than just an indicator of sadness, Wired reports—they may be the indicator, as far as other people are concerned. People categorize identical images of a face totally differently if tears are present in one photo and digitally removed from the other, a new study found. “...

Alzheimer Patients' Kids Lose Memory Faster: Study

(Newser) - The children of Alzheimer’s sufferers can develop memory problems much earlier than previously believed, according to a large new study. Boston University researchers administered memory tests to a group of middle-aged people, all of whom carried a gene linked to Alzheimer’s, but only half of whom had parents...

Mean Trainers Make Mean Dogs

(Newser) - Dog owners who try to tame their pets by acting aggressive themselves will only make matters worse, LiveScience reports. A new study in Applied Animal Behavior Science presents sobering news for advocates of tough love. Those who hit, kick, growl at, or confront their dogs in similar ways are more...

Beta Blocker 'Erases' Bad Memories

(Newser) - A drug usually prescribed for high blood pressure can relieve people of painful memories, the Telegraph reports. Taking the beta blocker drug propranolol, subjects in a Dutch study experienced less fear when reminded of a shocking memory. Researchers said millions of people suffering from emotional disorders or "self-perpetuating memories"...

Songbirds Faster Than We Thought

(Newser) - Researchers have tracked the migratory paths of songbirds for the first time, using small data-gathering “backpacks,” the Washington Post reports. The avian wanderers, who are so small they cannot be tagged with transmitters, move about 3 times as a fast as previously thought. The recovered data shows that...

Color Me Productive: Red Boosts Focus, Study Finds

Blue, meanwhile, looks to enhance our creativity

(Newser) - The color red boosts performance on detail-oriented work, while blue enhances creativity, Wired reports. A new study primed subjects with the colors before assigning them different tasks, and the results appear to confirm previous research that links red to caution and attention. “Think about red, and what comes to...

Acidic Oceans Could Confuse Fish: Study

Global warming hiking up oceanic acidity levels

(Newser) - Climate change could be a disaster for marine life, a new study finds. As the atmosphere fills with CO2, the ocean absorbs it, and becomes more acidic, Wired reports, and clownfish, which navigate by scent, lose their ability to do so in water as acidic as the ocean is expected...

Dolphins: Chefs of the Sea
 Dolphins: Chefs of the Sea 
Jan 31, 2009 11:56 AM CST

Dolphins: Chefs of the Sea

(Newser) - A bottlenose dolphin that researchers have been tracking since 2003 follows a complex regimen when preparing a meal of cuttlefish, National Geographic reports. The female dolphin, caught on tape off the coast of Australia, first kills the squid-like creature, shakes it to remove indigestible ink, and then scrapes its catch...

Sticks, Stones Break Bones, But Odd Names May Jail You

Boys with uncommon monikers act out more

(Newser) - The more unusual a teenage boy’s name is, the more likely he is to run afoul of the law, a study finds. Irrespective of race, uncommon names like Ivan, Malcolm, and Alec—as opposed to Michael or David—more often belong to kids who act up, researchers say. It’...

Another Autopsy Links NFL Hits to Brain Damage

(Newser) - A sixth former NFL player has been diagnosed posthumously with a rare brain disease, lending credence to claims that concussions sustained playing football can have a cumulative, even deadly, effect, the Tampa Tribune reports. Tom McHale, who played for the Buccaneers, died from an overdose of painkillers and cocaine in...

Wallflower or Life of the Party? It's in Your Genes

Study of twins finds genetic link to social position

(Newser) - Whether a person becomes a wallflower or social butterfly and what group of friends they develop is apparently significantly affected by their genes, National Geographic reports. Scientists examined social groupings of more than 1,000 pairs of teenage twins and discovered that identical twins, who share the same genes, were...

Single Nerve Cell Can Hold a Memory: Study

New findings may shed light on addiction, memory disorders

(Newser) - Individual neurons in the brain can hang on to memories for a minute or longer, a new study finds. Something like a computer’s temporary random access memory (RAM), this working memory is what allows you to keep a phone number in your head for a few seconds, then forget...

High-Calorie Diet Makes Moms Have Boys: Study

(Newser) - In news that may affect diets in China, a recent study says women who down more calories—cereal especially—are more likely to give birth to boys, NPR reports. One statistician questions the survey of 740 moms, saying "the female has nothing to do with the gender of the...

Coffee Each Day May Keep Alzheimer's Away

3-5 cups per day seen to reduce chance of Alzheimer's by up to 65%: study

(Newser) - Researchers don’t quite know why, but a new study suggests that moderate coffee intake dramatically reduces the likelihood of Alzheimer’s disease, AFP reports. A 20-year Finnish study of 1,409 subjects shows middle-aged people who drink 3-5 cups a day are 60% to 65% less likely to contract...

Caffeine Linked to Hallucination

Drinking 3+ cups of strong joe triples chances of hearing or seeing things: study

(Newser) - People with high caffeine intake are three times more likely to experience hallucinations, including voices, visions, and ghosts, LiveScience reports. A study found that subjects who consumed three cups of brewed coffee, or seven of instant, were more prone to freaking out than their temperate brethren. Researchers think caffeine’s...

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