Brain

Research scientists in Bonn have succeeded in deriving so-called brain stem cells from human embryonic stem cells. These can not only be conserved almost indefinitely in culture, but can also serve as an inexhaustible source of diverse types of neural cell. The scientists have also shown that these neural cells are capable of synaptic integration in the brain. Their results have been published in the latest edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Elderly adults tend to live longer if their homes are near a park or other green space, regardless of their social or economic status. College students do better on cognitive tests when their dorm windows view natural settings. Children with ADHD have fewer symptoms after outdoor activities in lush environments. Residents of public housing complexes report better family interactions when they live near trees.

DURHAM, N.C. -- The resources doctors use to get important information about indications and reimbursement for use of cancer drugs off-label may be out-of-date and incomplete, according to a study led by researchers in the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Reducing the frequency and severity of disabling migraines is crucial for quality of life. A new study, published in the February 2009 issue of JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, finds significant improvement of migraine following catheter-based closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO)—a slight opening in the wall between the right and left atria.

A video imaging technique demonstrates that the soft palate, the tissue at the back of the roof of the mouth, is more elongated and angled in patients with obstructive sleep apnea both when they sleep and when they are awake, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspects less than 2 percent of the food coming into the country, while 13 percent of America's food is imported, Todd said.

"It's a worldwide trend. First of all, transportation is easier, trade is easier," he said, while consumers are increasingly well traveled and have higher expectations. "We want stuff in the winter when we can't grow it."

In Alzheimer's disease the brain accumulates a molecule called A-beta that can be quite toxic to brain cells. Many researchers believe that finding ways to clear A-beta may be a key to treatment or prevention of Alzheimer's disease.

Queen Mary scientists have, for the first time, used computer artificial intelligence to create previously unseen types of pictures to explore the abilities of the human visual system.

Writing in the journal Vision Research, Professor Peter McOwan, and Milan Verma from Queen Mary's School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science report the first published use of an artificial intelligence computer program to create pictures and stimuli to use in visual search experiments.

KALAMAZOO--Western Michigan University researchers have discovered that in the academic debate over whether young science students learn more through experimenting or direct instruction, there's little difference.

Neither teaching approach provides a significant advantage for middle school science students, according to research by three Western Michigan University faculty who will present their findings at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting Feb. 12-16 in Chicago.

CLEMSON — Clemson University researchers want to strengthen chemistry skills starting at the molecular level and are introducing revolutionary ways for high school- and college-level educators to do that for students.

Clemson chemistry professors Melanie Cooper and Gautam Bhattacharyya, along with Michael W. Klymkowsky, a professor in the department of molecular, cellular and developmental biology at the University of Colorado-Boulder, will introduce their research at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Chicago on Sunday, Feb. 15.

CHICAGO, Illinois--How game theory and insights from cognitive psychology can shed light on the economic choices people and corporations make will be the focus of a topical lecture presented by California Institute of Technology (Caltech) behavioral economist Colin Camerer at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Camerer's lecture, entitled "Interface Between Cognitive Psychology and Economics," will be held on Sunday, February 15, from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m., in the Hyatt Regency Chicago, Crystal Ballroom A.

About 150 million years ago, an evolutionarily hybrid creature, a dinosaur on its way to becoming a bird, died in what is now Germany, and become fossilized in limestone.

About 150 years ago, the fossil of this "dinobird" was discovered and celebrated as proof of Charles Darwin's new theory of evolution.

AMES, Iowa – Two Iowa State chemists recently offered their views for improving science education during the 2009 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

This year's AAAS meeting is Feb. 12-16 in Chicago. It carries the theme "Our Planet and its Life: Origins and Futures." Its 175 symposia, seminars and workshops are expected to attract as many as 10,000 people.

Presentations by Iowa State researchers were part of the meeting's "Learning and Literacy" section:

Social isolation affects how people behave as well as how their brains operate, a study at the University of Chicago shows.

Westchester, Ill. –A study in the Feb. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows that the use of sleep or napping to relieve chronic pain caused by tension-type headaches could have the unwanted effect of decreasing the homeostatic drive for sleep, leading to reduced ability to initiate and maintain sleep at night. Use of sleep as a coping mechanism for pain over time could lead to the development of poor sleep hygiene and serve as a perpetuating factor for chronic insomnia.