A new study suggests that reminding someone of their religious beliefs could help quell hostile urges. Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu participants were exposed to either threatening experiences (such as thinking about their own death or failing at an academic assignment) or not. They were then given a chance to judge and assign punishments for […]
Tag: Ontario
Gamers can be quick learners
A new study suggests that while people who play video games don’t necessarily have better sensorimotor skills than non-gamers, they are significantly faster at learning sensorimotor tasks. A group of 18 gamers and 18 non-gamers were asked to complete a task that involved keeping a cursor in the centre of a moving target. When the […]
Electric knifefish signal their intentions
Electric fields emitted by knifefish can be used to predict their movements a few seconds before they occur, making these creatures an ideal model organism to study voluntary decision-making. Electric knifefish are nocturnal and live in very murky water, so they feel their way by sensing distortions in an electric field that they emit using […]
Do STIs influence the evolution of monogamy?
One might think that the rate of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) could have an impact on whether an organism evolves monogamous behaviour, but a new study shows that it’s likely not as important as other factors. Researchers built a mathematical model to assess whether the benefit of reducing infection risk via monogamous behaviour outweighs the […]
Drug-carrying nanoparticles could relieve sore eyes
Those suffering from dry eyes have to use eye drops as often as three times a day; a new nanoparticle-based technique could reduce that to once a week. Because our eyes naturally try to flush out any foreign substance, most of the drugs in an eye drop never actually reach the eye. The new nanoparticles […]
Pitcher plant inspires non-stick surface for medical implants
Researchers have developed a non-stick coating that could make implanted devices – such as blood catheters to artificial hearts – safer to use. Currently, some patients using these devices must be treated with drugs to prevent clots from forming, but these drugs pose risks to elderly or injured patients, making them prone to uncontrolled bleeding. The […]
Electronic monitoring reveals poor handwashing among hospital patients
A new system for monitoring handwashing has revealed that patients in hospitals only wash their hands about 30 per cent of the time while using the washroom. The study used electronic transponders attached to hospital bracelets and soap and hand sanitizer dispensers; by picking up ultrasonic signals from these devices, researchers could track who was […]
Need a stress-buster? Try exercise
Exercise has a proven track record for relieving stress, yet less than half of Canadians use it this way, according to a recent study. A survey of 40,000 Canadians 15 or older found that exercise ranked 8th out of 13 coping strategies, below “talking to others”, “looking on the bright side”, “ignoring stress” and even […]
Vibration is key to wind pollination
If you’re a plant, and the animals or insects that pollinate you are disappearing or gone, your next best option might be wind pollination, and a new study sheds light on what adaptations are needed to make this transition. Researchers looked at flowers of English plantain, which like most wind-pollinated plants evolved from an animal-pollinated […]
A litmus test for bacteria
Researchers have developed a way to use litmus paper – which changes colour to indicate high or low pH – to provide a simple and effective test for bacteria like E. coli. The team used tiny strands of DNA to create probes that are activated in the presence of bacteria. The activated probes then catalyse […]
The highs and lows of marijuana use
A new study helps explain why the same drug can have opposite effects at different doses. Using a drug that binds to cannabinoid receptors in the brain – the same ones that are activated by cannabis – researchers showed the precise pathway by which low doses stimulate the brain’s dopamine system, which can lead to […]
David vs. Goliath: How small birds compete
One might think that larger birds invariably win fights with smaller ones, but a new study explains why that is not always the case. Researchers studied vultures at carcasses, hummingbirds at nectar sources, as well as antbirds and woodcreepers at army ant swarms to discover that some small birds have evolved ways to beat their opponents. […]
Old drug may be key to new antibiotics
Researchers screening old drugs for new uses have found one that offers a previously untapped strategy for preventing the growth of harmful bacteria. Many antibiotics work by interfering with the bacterial ribosome, a kind of biochemical workshop where proteins and enzymes needed for the growth of the bacterium are produced. In this case, the team […]
South Asians in Canada have higher risk of heart disease
Canadians of South Asian background are more at risk of heart disease and diabetes than white Canadians, a new review of literature reports. However, they are less likely to smoke and are less obese. More than one million Canadians whose ethnicity hails from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh live in Canada, comprising about […]
‘Upside-down’ water flows keep the Fraser Canyon steep
A new study shows water in certain stretches of the 542-kilometre Fraser Canyon in British Columbia is flowing ‘upside-down’, a discovery that helps explain why the canyon walls remain so steep. Researchers discovered that high velocity water flows down into deep pools and then upwells along the canyon walls, such that the water along the bottom flowing […]
Lab-grown cells could help combat heart diseases
For the first time, researchers have grown a type of heart cell called an epicardial cell from stem cells in the lab, an accomplishment that could help in developing new treatments for heart disease. Epciardial cells form a protective membrane around the adult heart, and during fetal life provide a source of specialized structural cells […]
