Fish sprouted fingers before they ventured onto land, fossil shows
Posted on November 10, 2022
| 6 minutes
| 1125 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
A 380-million-year-old fossil of a fish has revealed that fingers evolved in vertebrates before the creatures wriggled out of the sea and evolved into land-dwelling creatures, as a new study describes.
The fossil of the 5.1-foot-long (1.6 meters) fish, known by the scientific name Elpistostege watsoni, suggests that human hands likely evolved, eventually, from the fins of this fish, said study lead researcher Richard Cloutier, a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Quebec in Rimouski.
[Read More]Flower Photos: Beautiful Begonias
Posted on November 10, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 580 words
| Fernande Dalal
Beautiful begoniasWith so much of the Northern Hemisphere being engulfed with the cold of winter, a look at what the promise of nature holds in just a few short months might help in surviving another wintry day. A perfect symbol of the summer to come must surely be the marvelous blooms of begonias.
Spectacular bloomsThe blooms of tuberous begonias produce some of the most spectacular floral displays during the summer and early fall months.
[Read More]How Many Licks Does It Take to Get to the Center of a Lollipop?
Posted on November 10, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 627 words
| Fernande Dalal
How many licks does it take to get to the center of a lollipop? Science now has an answer to the famous question asked in the iconic Tootsie Roll Pop commercial: about 1,000. And you can take that number to the bank — it's based on a sophisticated mathematical model of how flowing fluid dissolves solids.
Researchers at New York University arrived at the number by custom-making their own candy spheres and cylinders to test how materials dissolve in a flow.
[Read More]Newfound 'Kraken merger' may have been the biggest collision in Milky Way's history
Posted on November 10, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 764 words
| Patria Henriques
The Milky Way contains more than 100 billion stars, but it didn't come by them all honestly. At least a dozen times over the last 12 billion years, the Milky Way collided with a neighboring galaxy and devoured it, swallowing up that neighbor's stars and mixing them into an ever-growing stew of pilfered suns.
With each galactic merger, the shape, size and motion of our galaxy changed forever, ultimately becoming the iconic spiral we recognize today.
[Read More]Pooping in a Spacesuit Is As Complicated As It Sounds
Posted on November 10, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 516 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
"Get me a napkin quick," said Apollo 10 commander Tom Stafford with some urgency. "There's a turd floating through the air."
"I didn't do it. It ain't one of mine," replied command module pilot John Young.
"I don't think it's one of mine," added lunar module pilot Gene Cernan.
"Mine was a little more sticky than that. Throw that away," said Stafford.
Young then uttered "God Almighty," before the trio broke into laughter.
[Read More]Sasers: Sound-based Lasers Invented
Posted on November 10, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 476 words
| Trudie Dory
You've heard of lasers. They're focused beams of light used in everything from supermarket scanners to DVD players and futuristic weapons.
Now scientists have created what they call a "saser," the sound-based equivalent.
A saser produces an intense beam of uniform sound waves on a nano scale, scientists say. The new device could have significant and useful applications in the worlds of computing, imaging and even anti-terrorist security screening.
"While our work on sasers is driven mostly by pure scientific curiosity, we feel that the technology has the potential to transform the area of acoustics, much as the laser has transformed optics in the 50 years since its invention,"
[Read More]Seniors Have Rewarding Sex Lives
Posted on November 10, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 649 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
Senior citizens often have rewarding sex lives, according to new research aimed at revealing the nuances of sexuality in the elderly.
The findings from a set of studies showed that older men between the ages of 57 and 85 are more likely than older women to be sexually active and open. The intimacy of sex, however, was found to be important to both men and women across all ages.
And just as in younger adults, healthy sex means healthy senior citizens.
[Read More]Social Anxiety Disorder: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
Posted on November 10, 2022
| 6 minutes
| 1076 words
| Fernande Dalal
Being uneasy in situations like a first date or a job interview is quite normal and happens to everyone. But when that nervousness escalates into a feeling of extreme discomfort, dread or apprehension about normal social interactions, it can result in a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder.
Also known as social phobia, social anxiety disorder involves significant anxiety and discomfort about being embarrassed or looked down upon in social or performance situations, according to the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
[Read More]Stomach Botox Injections Don't Help Weight Loss
Posted on November 10, 2022
| 2 minutes
| 281 words
| Patria Henriques
Botox injected into the stomach doesn't help overweight people shed pounds, researchers say.
A previous study suggested the substance, commonly used as a wrinkle-eraser, could also be used as a weight-loss fix, prolonging feelings of fullness when injected into the stomach. But new research shows that while Botox slows movement of food in the gut, it ultimately doesn't help people lose pounds.
Botox, short for Botulinum toxin, is a neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.
[Read More]Sugary Drinks May Slow Down Sperm
Posted on November 10, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 513 words
| Trudie Dory
Men might want to think twice before grabbing another soda out of the fridge.
Scientists have already shown sugary drinks can add unwanted inches to waistlines, but a new study shows sugar-sweetened drinks such as soda may also lower semen quality.
The researchers found that high consumption of sugary drinks was associated with low sperm motility, or sperm movement — but surprisingly, this was true only for healthy, lean men. The researchers found no relationship between sugary drink consumption and sperm motility in overweight or obese men.
[Read More]