Monday, October 03, 2005

Behavior: Stopping for a Smoke on the Road to Popularity. Popular students appear to be more likely to take up smoking than their less popular peers, a new study of sixth and seventh graders in Southern California shows. By NICHOLAS BAKALAR. [NYT > Education] 11:07:57 PM      Google It!.

An On-Screen Alternative to Hands-On Dissection. Nearly a dozen states have laws or regulations requiring public schools to offer students the option of dissection software. By FRED A. BERNSTEIN. [NYT > Technology] 9:35:50 PM      Google It!.

'Underground' tunnels help immune cells chat. Immune system cells are connected to each other by an extensive network of tiny tunnels that, like a building's hidden pneumatic tube system, are used to shoot signals to distant cells. This surprising discovery, being reported by two University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers in the September issue of the journal Immunity, may explain how an immune response can be so exquisitely swift. The research not only proves cells other than neurons are capable of long-distance communication, but it reveals a hereto-unknown mechanism cells use for exchanging information. [Science Blog -] 1:55:08 PM      Google It!.

Nobel for stomach ulcer discovery. Australian scientists are honoured for their discovery that stomach inflammation can be caused by bacterial infection. [BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition] 9:18:08 AM      .

Cerebellum found to be important in cognition and behavior. Higher cognitive functions, like language and visual processing, have long been thought to reside primarily in the brain's cerebrum. But a body of research in premature infants at Children's Hospital Boston is documenting an important role for the cerebellum – previously thought to be principally involved in motor coordination – and shows that cerebellar injury can have far-reaching developmental consequences. [Science Blog -] 9:16:46 AM      Google It!.

MIT tackles autism. With the help of a $7.5 million grant, MIT brain researchers are undertaking an ambitious multi-faceted approach to understanding the genetic, molecular and behavioral aspects of autism. Autism, which affects as many as 1.5 million people, is considered the fastest growing developmental disability in America. Typically appearing during the first three years of life, autism is characterized by impairment in social interaction and communication abilities and by repetitive behaviors. Services for autistic adults cost $90 billion a year. Early diagnosis and intervention can cut the cost of lifelong care by two-thirds. [Science Blog -] 9:15:54 AM      Google It!.