Brain

The guys were all stressed out. There were new infants in the community, and the guys knew from experience that that's when invaders were likely to come and kill the babies, particularly the male infants. This annual threat was a defining moment in their lives -- it had more impact on everyone than the daily social struggle to be on top, or than any other community crisis, like defending the group against hostile neighbors. Nothing was more stress-inducing than having helpless infants around to protect from marauders.

LAWRENCE — A researcher from the University of Kansas has spearheaded a new investigation into the link between emotions and health. The research proves that positive emotions are critical for upkeep of physical health for people worldwide, above all for those who are deeply impoverished.

The study, a joint undertaking between KU and Gallup, will be presented today at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society in Chicago.

HOUSTON -- (March 4, 2009) -- Understanding what a friend is saying in the hubbub of a noisy party can present a challenge – unless you can see the friend's face.

New research from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and the City College of New York shows that the visual information you absorb when you see can improve your understanding of the spoken words by as much as sixfold.

(Boston)-- Researchers from Boston University found that multiple types of child maltreatment are robust risk factors for underage binge drinking based on a national multi-year study that explored the influence of social environment on the health of adolescents.

With assistance from the classic book character Where's Waldo?, researchers at Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center have recently made a major advance in understanding how the brain searches for objects of interest.

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Looking for a mate who in everyday conversation can pick up even your most subtle emotional cues? Find a musician, Northwestern University researchers suggest.

In a study in the latest issue of European Journal of Neuroscience, an interdisciplinary Northwestern research team for the first time provides biological evidence that musical training enhances an individual's ability to recognize emotion in sound.

A report in the March issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, has found that a signal known to play a role during fasting also switches on early in the fat tissue of obese mice as they progress toward type 2 diabetes. Moreover, treatments that block that "fasting signal" in fat prevent the animals' resistance to insulin, according to the researchers.

La Jolla, CA—A molecular switch found in the fat tissue of obese mice is a critical factor in the development of insulin resistance, report scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Previously found to increase glucose production by the liver during fasting, the culprit—a protein known as CREB—is also activated in fat tissue of obese mice where it promotes insulin resistance.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Warm, cooperative co-parenting between mothers and fathers may help protect children who are at risk for some types of behavior problems, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that supportive co-parenting helped children who have difficulty regulating their behavior and attention levels – what researchers call effortful control.

The study looked at changes in children's level of aggressive behavior and other forms of "acting out" as they went from 4 years old to 5 years old.

Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. – Most of the DNA in the nucleus of each of our cells is converted into RNA, but only a small fraction of these RNA molecules serve as coding templates for the synthesis of proteins. Of the remaining RNAs, known as "non-coding" RNAs (ncRNA), the functions of a scant few are known: they inhibit the activity of genes or modify them by altering the way in which DNA is packaged within cells. What the rest of them do within cells is largely a mystery.

FAIRFAX, Va., March 3, 2009—When the economy worsens, what happens to diversity programs and affirmative action policies in the workplace?

Bringing more technology into the classroom might strike fear into the hearts of traditional educationalists, but one academic believes it may just hold the key to solving a worldwide problem.

Encouraging words from friends and family can pave the way to sporting victory, according to research by the University of Exeter, released today. Dame Kelly Holmes and Sir Chris Hoy have both cited the ongoing support of their families and friends as a major factor in their Olympic success. Now, for the first time, this study quantifies the benefit of this kind of support on sports performance.

Schizophrenia could be caused by faulty signalling in the brain, according to new research published today in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. In the biggest study of its kind, scientists looking in detail at brain samples donated by people with the condition have identified 49 genes that work differently in the brains of schizophrenia patients compared to controls.

WASHINGTON – Women don't choose careers in math-intensive fields, such as computer science, physics, technology, engineering, chemistry, and higher mathematics, because they want the flexibility to raise children, or because they prefer other fields of science that are less math-intensive--not because they lack mathematical ability, according to a new study.