Brain

Millions of years from now, will the geological record of Earth's history display evidence of a "human" epoch? Colin Waters and colleagues have accumulated a massive body of data that suggests the Anthropocene epoch is a geological phenomenon that can be identified in the stratigraphic record. Until now, the Anthropocene as a period distinct from the previous Holocene epoch has been more of an idea used to demonstrate the massive impact that humans have had on the planet's atmosphere and species.

Scientists at VIB and KU Leuven have identified the oxygen sensor PHD1 as a potential target for the treatment of brain infarction (ischemic stroke). Despite (minor) improvements in stroke treatment, stroke remains the fourth leading cause of death and the most common reason of severe disability. The impact of stroke is overwhelming for the patient, family and society -representing one of the largest unmet medical needs. Research led by prof. Peter Carmeliet and dr.

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University researchers have figured out how a developmental disease called microcephaly produces a much smaller brain than normal: Some cells are simply too slow as they proceed through the neuron production process.

Published online Jan. 7 in the journal Neuron, the findings provide not only a new mechanistic explanation for microcephaly, but they could also aid understanding of autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders that are thought to arise from disruptions in the proper balance of neurons in the brain.

Miniature glasses have proved that mantises use 3D vision - providing a new model to improve visual perception in robots.

Most knowledge about 3D vision has come from vertebrates, however, a team from Newcastle University, UK publishing today in Scientific Reports, confirm that the praying mantis, an invertebrate, does indeed use stereopsis or 3D perception for hunting.

From the Christian Crusades to the Paris attacks, countless conflicts and acts of violence have been claimed to be the result of differing religious beliefs. These faith-based opinions are thought to motivate aggressive behavior because of how they encourage group loyalty or spin ideologies that devalue the lives of non-believers.

Everyone has at least a few non-negotiable values. These are the things that, no matter what the circumstance, you'd never compromise for any reason - such as "I'd never hurt a child," or "I'm against the death penalty."

Real-time brain scans show that when people read stories that deal with these core, protected values, the "default mode network" in their brains activates.

So far fluorescent stains have been used to assign cells to their cell cycle phase. These chemicals damage the cells and may distort the results. Scientists of the Helmholtz Zentrum München in collaboration with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Swansea University, Newcastle University and The Francis Crick Institute have now found an alternative.

Valuing your time more than the pursuit of money is linked to greater happiness, according to new research published by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.

In six studies with more than 4,600 participants, researchers found an almost even split between people who tended to value their time or money, and that choice was a fairly consistent trait both for daily interactions and major life events.

Try this on for size: The Happy Meal could be the answer to our nation's obesity epidemic. Not the actual contents of a McDonald's kid's meal, but the concept of it. Researchers from the University of Arizona's Eller College of Management as well as the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business and Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences have found that offering a small incentive with a meal consistently motivates kids and adults to choose smaller portions.

Factors in the blood from calorie-restricted rats can modify energy-producing mitochondria within the insulin-producing cells that regulate blood sugar levels, new research shows. This has a positive impact on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and protects cells from fatty acid and glucose toxicity.

New York, NY, January 6, 2015--Scientists at Columbia University's Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), and the Université Paris Descartes have found that deficits in social memory--a crucial yet poorly understood feature of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia--may be due to a decrease in the number of a particular class of brain cells, called inhibitory neurons, in a little-explored region within the brain's memory center.

New research published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, shows that the development of white matter in the mouse brains is delayed when they are exposed to chronic low oxygen levels shortly after birth. If true in humans, this may help explain why infants born with cyanotic heart disease, prematurity and/or severe lung disease often exhibit developmental disabilities that effect learning during childhood, years after the low-oxygen exposure.

From a critical international climate pact to corporate mega mergers, 2015 was packed with history-making events in the chemistry world sure to have an impact far into the future. Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, highlights the year's biggest moments in chemistry research, policy and business

Even before they can read, children as young as 3 years of age are beginning to understand how a written word is different than a simple drawing -- a nuance that could provide an important early indicator for children who may need extra help with reading lessons, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis.

Men in typically female-dominated occupations tend to value the social aspects of their career over financial rewards.

These are the findings of a study by Dr Kazia Solowiej, Dr Catharine Ross, and Professor Jan Francis-Smythe of the University of Worcester and Dr Catherine Steele of the University of Leicester. The study is presented today, Wednesday 6 January 2016, at the British Psychological Society's Division of Occupational Psychology annual conference in East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham.