Новости за 03.11.2010

Two recent studies are refuting the claims of omega-3 enthusiasts that the fatty acid, which is produced mainly by algae and is found in the animals that eat them (like fish), is the ultimate "brain food." Anecdotal reports had suggested that these fatty acids, called omega-3 because they have a kink in their structure three bonds from the end of the carbon chain, could improve brain function for everyone from the elderly to the unborn. Vitamin supplements of fish oil have therefore been flying

In an exciting pilot study, blind people equipped with microchips in their retinas were able to see again--at least dimly--and were able to make out shapes. Ed Yong explains how the experiment helped a study participant named Miikka: In people like Miikka with retinitis pigmentosa, the light-detecting cells of the retina break down with age. Eberhart Zrenner and a team of German scientists have designed a chip that does the same job as these defunct cells. Just a few millimetres across, it cont

From "sexy" mugshots to a smiling arsonist, Crimesider presents a collection of the most outrageous mug shots

Kim Douglas updates the latest tennis twitter behavior from the top players- the best way they communicate with their fans. Caroline Wozniacki is excited about her year-end ranking, Gael Monfils loves Smallville, Andy Roddick delves into American Pie, Justin Gimelstob shares NBA thoughts, Serena Williams watches more tv, Janko Tipsarevic questions morning breath, Donald Young eats junk, and Sania Mirza send holiday wishes.
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A tiny fraction of vertebrate species have ever been seen reproducing through parthenogenesis, the fatherless birth of offspring in which the embryo develops without fertilization by a male. Now you can add boa constrictors to that short list: A study in Biology Letters documents the case of a boa that gave birth to 22 offspring over the last two years, all of whom are female and born this unusual way. "Only with the development and application of molecular tools have we truly begun to understan

Liftoff of the space shuttle Discovery--the next-to-last NASA shuttle launch ever--has been delayed until at least Thursday (November 4). But one of the shuttle's postponed passengers to the International Space Station claims to feel no anxiety about the upcoming trip:I'm not nervous--with my stomach full of brains, there's no room for butterflies. That's from the Twitter feed of Robonaut 2, also called R2. No relation to R2D2, except that both are cute and helpful space-bots.Once R2 makes it to

Recently, I wrote about diurnal mood variation: the way in which depression often waxes and wanes over the course of the day. Mornings are generally the worst.A related phenomenon is late insomnia, or "early morning waking".But this phrase is rather an understatement. Everyone's woken up early. Maybe you had a flight to catch. Or you were drunk and threw up. Or you just needed a pee. That's early morning waking, but not the depressive kind. When you're depressed, the waking up is the least of yo

Miikka is blind. He is one of over 15 million people across the world who suffers from genetic disorders that rob them of their sight as they grow older. At the age of 18, he became night blind, making it very difficult for him to see in low light although he could see well enough to pass his driving test. At 30, he started having problems recognising faces and reading. At 38, he could no longer read at all and by 44, he could only sense the direction of bright light, relying on a cane to get

Rosalind Franklin would probably not have appreciated her posthumous reputation. First there was the colossal insult of being denied due credit for her role in the discovery of DNA's double helix shape, a breakthrough that revealed not only the form of our genetic material, but also how it functioned. James Watson and Francis Crick received the lion's share of the glory for that finding, and for decades Franklin was a historical footnote. But it seems likely that this no-nonsense scientist woul