Study: Circumcision Removes Most Sensitive Parts

 Posted on September 6, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  441 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

How much does circumcision alter what a man ultimately feels? Scientific studies aiming to answer this question have been inconclusive. Now researchers prodding dozens of male penises with a fine-tipped tool have found that the five areas most receptive to fine-touch are routinely removed by the surgery. The finding, announced today, was detailed in the April issue of the British Journal of Urology (BJU) International. Circumcision surgery involves the removal of the skin that covers the tip of the penis, called the foreskin. [Read More]

This Dinosaur Fossil Was So Bizarre, Scientists Thought It Was Fake

 Posted on September 6, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  808 words  |  Patria Henriques

An enigmatic dinosaur — which sported a swan-like neck, amphibious flippers and Velociraptor-esque claws — could walk like a duck and swim like a penguin during its heyday on Earth, scientists have found after examining its fossilized remains. In fact, the remains, which were on the black market for years, painted such a wacky image of a dinosaur that paleontologists thought it was a sophisticated fake at first. [See images of the swan-necked, amphibious dinosaur] [Read More]

When Tsunami Warning System Works, And When It Doesn't

 Posted on September 6, 2022  |  5 minutes  |  859 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

SAN FRANCISCO – Dozens of people stood atop a string of dunes overlooking the Pacific Ocean here this morning (March 11), watching for larger-than-average waves spawned by the huge 8.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Japan earlier today. The folks here at the city's Ocean Beach knew that high water would start rolling in around 8:08 a.m. local time (11:08 a.m. EST; 1608 GMT). And they had an idea that the waves would be at most 2 feet (0. [Read More]

Your Dreams May Come from These Two Genes

 Posted on September 6, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  667 words  |  Trudie Dory

Enjoy dreaming? Two key genes may be to thank. A new study in mice finds that these "dream genes" are essential to that phase of slumber that brings people bizarro-world visions of taking high school math tests naked, losing teeth and soaring through the air. Without the genes, called Chrm 1 and Chrm 3, mammals would not experience rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, during which the brain is as active as it is during wakefulness but the body is paralyzed. [Read More]

'Killer Shrimp' Leaves Wake of Devastation

 Posted on September 5, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  670 words  |  Patria Henriques

A "killer shrimp" that slaughters many creatures without eating them is invading the British Isles, and researchers fear it could wipe out native species. Scientists in the United Kingdom are deeply concerned about what impact this alien invader from western Asia might have should it gain a foothold in the U.K. or beyond. The creature classified as Dikerogammarus villosus is actually not a shrimp but another type of crustacean known as an amphipod. [Read More]

Alcoholics' Brains Recover Quickly After Detox

 Posted on September 5, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  529 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Alcohol abuse can literally shrink the brain, but recovery begins soon after alcoholics sober up, according to new research. Within 14 days of detoxification, the brain bounces back, replacing much of the volume lost to alcohol, said study researcher Gabriele Ende, a professor of medical physics at the Central Institute of Mental Health in Germany. The cerebellum, the region of the brain devoted to movement and fine motor skills, is among the fastest to respond, Ende added. [Read More]

Altitude Sickness: Genetics May Explain Why Only Some Fall Ill

 Posted on September 5, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  443 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Some people who live at high altitudes suffer breathlessness, palpitations and dizziness, while others have no health problems, and now a new study reveals which genes may explain the difference. The genetic changes, described today (Aug. 15) in the American Journal of Human Genetics, allow people to take in enough oxygen from the thin mountain air without developing the heart attacks and strokes of chronic mountain sickness. "We have ascertained there is a major genetic component that allows populations at high altitude to live better," [Read More]

Ancient Miniature Buffalo Discovered

 Posted on September 5, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  659 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

The bones of an extinct dwarf species of buffalo were recently unearthed on the Philippine island of Cebu. Dubbed Bubalus cebuensis (BOO-buh-luhs seh-boo-EN-sis), the miniature buffalo [image] stood at just more than two feet, three times smaller than today's domestic buffalo, and weighed a mere 350 pounds. It probably lived during the Pleistocene (Ice Age) or Holocene Epochs, between 10,000 and 100,000 years ago. "Natural selection can produce dramatic body-size changes. [Read More]

Coronavirus hijacks cells, forces them to grow tentacles, then invades others

 Posted on September 5, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  834 words  |  Patria Henriques

Cells infected with the new coronavirus grow stringy, tentacle-like arms that allow the virus to invade other cells, according to a new study. The novel coronavirus, known as SARS-CoV-2, has now infected more than 12.2 million people worldwide and killed more than 555,500, according to the Johns Hopkins dashboard(opens in new tab). To defeat the virus, researchers around the world are taking part in an unprecedented effort to find new drugs and repurpose old ones. [Read More]

Cougar's Record-Breaking Trek Reveals Larger Trend

 Posted on September 5, 2022  |  5 minutes  |  913 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

A cougar hit and killed by a car in Connecticut set a record this week when it was found to hail from the Black Hills of South Dakota. While the 140-pound cat is unprecedented in its wanderings, wildlife biologists say that many wild animals have started recolonizing old habitats — or establishing new ones. From the reappearance of wolves in Wisconsin to the southern march of moose across the Northeast, the spread of wildlife is a result of reforestation and conservation efforts, such as the Endangered Species Act of 1973, biologists said. [Read More]