The purpose of this study was to clarify the genetic contribution to finger-sucking and nail-biting in childhood using the largest databases available on Japanese twins. The subjects were 1131 pairs of 12-year-old twin children, consisting of 1057 males and 1205 females. All data were gathered by maternal questionnaire, and responses to the questionnaire were checked [...]
Entries from February 8th, 2009
Dinos of a Feather
February 8th, 2009 · No Comments · Biology
Back in the years of 1970 and 1980, people thought that all dinosaurs had regular skin like the rest of today’s reptiles, like the alligator. Recent fossil finding in 1990 and early 2000 have said a different story. Over a dozen fossils have been found with DNA or fossilization of feathers. The feather fossils were [...]
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Spitting Cobras Hit Their Mark
February 8th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Biology
Spitting cobras have the ability to spray venom into the eyes of potential attackers. They don’t actually spit the venom, but muscle contractions squeeze the cobra’s venom gland, forcing venom to stream out of the snake’s fangs. The muscles can produce enough pressure to spray venom up to six feet. In order for the venom to [...]
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Superb Polymer Accident
February 8th, 2009 · No Comments · Chemistry
While trying to discover a better polymer to block the transport of bad gases, Scientists mistakenly Discovered a different polymer that can be used effectively to help keep food and medicine safely packaged. It may slightly reduce costs of packaging and storing of medication and other food products that require this polymer for packaging Read [...]
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What happens when a stone impacts on water
February 8th, 2009 · No Comments · Physics
Researchers at the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM), the University of Twente in the Netherlands and the University of Seville in Spain have explained the formation and behaviour of the very fast water jet that is formed when an object impacts on a water surface. They have observed precisely what happens using a [...]
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“SUPER EARTH”
February 5th, 2009 · No Comments · Other Science, Physics
Astronomers have found the smallest extrasolar planet by using the CoRoT space telescope. It is about less than twice the size of the Earth. Its surface temperature is over one thousand degrees!!! This exoplanet circles a star about four hundred from earth. It was detected by measuring the slight dimming of a star each time [...]
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Plant Power Plants
February 5th, 2009 · 2 Comments · Biology, Chemistry, Physics
Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday arrives on February 12, 2009, and while his theory of evolution has stood the test of two centuries, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, are now are working to circumvent evolution, at least a bit, by introducing some non-accidental changes into the tiniest of all plants. The scientists want to [...]
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Plastic Made to Conduct Electricity
February 5th, 2009 · No Comments · Chemistry
Plastic is light and inexpensive, it also holds an electric current. Since Metal is heavy and expensive it has been impossible to combine both plastic and metal. The IFAM in Bremen has come up with a solution to combine this two components without needing any new machinary.The researchers faced many challenges including getting plastic to [...]
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Newborns Feel the Beat
February 4th, 2009 · No Comments · Biology, Physics
In Hungary, researchers have found that newborn babies-as young as three days old- can identify the downbeat in music. They detect the electrical activity in the brain using electrodes affixed to the head. These electrodes pick up strong responses when the downbeat is omitted, but when other random beats are left out the responses are much weaker. [...]
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