Human sperm are able to swim faster and straighter when they are close to a surface by adopting a unique ‘slither’ according to new research. The research team believes this slither may have adapted to the confined space in the reproductive system. Researchers filmed human sperm swimming within a micron of a glass surface and […]
Category: Paper of Interest
Proving paleontology wrong
Researchers have found what they believe is definitive evidence that brains do fossilize. In 2012 Nicholas Strausfeld co-authored the first ever report of a fossilized brain in an edition of Nature, however the findings were widely doubted as only one sample was found. Strausfeld and his team have now found seven fossil of the same […]
As tough as tendons on bone: The new hydrogel
Researchers have developed a hydrogel which is more than 90 per cent water and able to adhere to slippery surfaces with the strength of tendon adhering to bone. They believe the gel will be ideal for protective coatings on underwater surfaces, such as boats, oil rigs, and submarines. The hydrogel is able to stick to glass, silicon, […]
The dangers of prescription painkillers for women
Women suffering from opioid addiction are more likely to become addicted from doctor-prescribed painkillers, such as OxyContin and codeine, than men according to a new study. Researchers believe more studies examining the development and effects of opioid addiction in women are needed to provide better treatment options. The study of 503 patients attending methadone […]
Research is too conservative
A pair of papers calls for researchers to take greater risks when choosing research problems to study in order to speed up scientific discovery and innovation. The two papers, one from PNAS and another from the American Sociological Review, used computer models to analyze millions of research papers. The study published by PNAS found that […]
Eating two homemade meals a day cuts diabetes risk
Eating two homemade meals per day lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes according to recent research from the American Heart Association. Researchers found that individuals who ate a homemade lunch and dinner everyday had a 13 per cent lower risk when compared to individuals who ate fewer than six homemade meals each week. […]
Measuring antimatter: How antiprotons interact
For the first time researchers have measured the interaction between two antiprotons, a subatomic particle with the same mass as a proton, but with a negative electrical charge and the antimatter equivalent of the proton. The measurement shows the interaction between antiprotons is attractive, similar to how two magnets can be attracted to each other. […]
Male songbirds aren’t colourful, females are just drab
The colour differences seen in the plumage of male and female songbirds is mostly from to the effects of sexual selection upon the female, not the male, according to a new analysis. This challenges the long-held view that males developed more colourful plumage because of sexual selection. Researchers quantified the colouration of nearly 6,000 species […]
Brain cancer cells form connected network
Microtubes connecting brain tumor cells allow a specific type of brain cancer, known as gliomas, to spread quickly and become resistant to radiation therapy, a new study shows. This knowledge will allow researchers to target for future treatment efforts. These microtubes allow cancerous cells to reach out and form connections, allowing them to grow as […]
De-ice de-ice baby
Water droplets resting on water-repellent surfaces spring away spontaneously in a low-pressure environment, according to a new study . This finding could be used to help develop more advanced anti-icing systems for ships, offshore drilling rigs, and airplanes. The researchers found that as the water evaporated, a difference in pressure caused the drops to spontaneously […]
Branching out of the family
Crows spend most of their social time with family members, but when they need a little extra help to get some food – they’re not averse to enlisting others, according to researchers. New Caledonian crows are a clever group – a species known to use tools to get hard to reach food. Analyzing the activity […]
What we can learn from jellyfish
Jellyfish and lamprey eels have some of the lowest energy costs for swimming of any animal, and now scientists have figured out how they do it. Fish, humans, and boats move forward by propelling water backwards thereby generating thrust. Jellyfish and eels however are able to generate low pressure regions that help pull them through the […]
APGAR scores provide clues about the mothers’ health
Researchers found a strong correlation between a newborn’s Apgar score and whether the mother will be admitted to the ICU after delivery. The researchers hope these findings will help doctors predict which mothers will become critically ill after giving birth, and may help predict which mothers need additional medical checks. The study analyzed data from […]
Stomach fat increases risk of diabetes during pregnancy
Women with a high level of abdominal fat during the first trimester of pregnancy have a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes later on during pregnancy, according to a new study. Researchers measured the abdominal fat of 485 women during the end of their first trimester (11 – 14 weeks), and later measured their oral […]
Quebec’s TB troubles
Québec’s unusually high rate of tuberculosis (TB) is most likely due to the local environment and cultural practices, rather than a particularly potent strain of TB, according to researchers. Québec has an incidence rate 50 times higher than the Canadian average. Researchers performed whole-genome sequencing on 163 TB samples from 11 geographically isolated villages in […]
Farming fungus: A new bee-haviour
An accident in the lab has lead to the discovery that a specific species of bee, native to Brazil, farms fungus for their larvae to eat. This finding raises concerns about the use of fungicides in agriculture. Researchers made the discovery while attempting to breed queen bees, but found white fungus growing out of control, […]
