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Chimpanzees enter into "deals" whereby they exchange meat for sex, according to researchers. Male chimps that are willing to share the proceeds of their hunting expeditions mate twice as often as their more selfish counterparts. This is a long-term exchange, so males continue to share their catch with females when they are not fertile, copulating with them when they are. The team describe their findings in the journal PLoS One. Cristina Gomes and her colleagues, from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, studied chimps in the Tai Forest reserve in Ivory Coast. She and her team observed the animals as they hunted, and monitored the number of times they copulated. "By sharing, the males increase the number of times they mate, and the females increase their intake of calories," said Dr Gomes. "What's amazing is that if a male shares with a particular female, he doubles the number of times he copulates with her, which is likely to increase the probability of fertilising that female." Meat is important for the animals' diet because it is so high in protein. Since female chimps do not usually hunt, "they have a hard time getting it on their own," explained Dr Gomes. The "meat for sex hypothesis" had already been proposed to explain why male chimps might share with females. But previous attempts to record the phenomenon failed, because researchers looked for direct exchanges, where a male shared meat with a fertile female and copulated with her right away. Dr Gomes' team took a new approach. In a previous study, she had found that grooming exchange - where the animals take it in turns to groom each other - happens over long periods, she related. "So we thought, why not meat and sex? "We looked at chimps when they were not in oestrus, this means they don't have sexual swellings and aren't copulating." "The males still share with them - they might share meat with a female one day, and only copulate with her a day or two later." Dr Gomes thinks that her findings could even provide clues about human evolution. She suggests this study could lay the foundations for human studies exploring the link between "good hunting skills and reproductive success". "This has got me really interested in humans," she said. "I'm thinking of moving on to working with hunter-gatherers." Michael Gurven from the University of California in Santa Barbara studies human behaviour in communities of hunter-gatherers in South America. He told BBC News that the direct link between success in hunting and reproduction highlighted by this study could "help in our thinking about humans". Professor Gurven, who was not involved in this study, added that the nature of this exchange of meat for sex is "kind of like pair bonding in humans, because it's long-term. "This highlights something we haven't seen in chimps before." Source
A spray helping men to last six times longer during sex has been developed by British doctors. It was developed to help men with premature ejaculation. Three hundred men with clinically diagnosed PE from across Europe were split into two groups. Two hundred used the real spray, while 100 hundred were given a placebo. They were asked to apply it five minutes before sex and time how long they lasted with a stopwatch. Intercourse increased from an average of 0.6 minutes to 3.8 minutes in the medicated group and to just 1.1 minutes in the placebo group. This meant the treatment group were able to last 6.3 times longer when they used the spray. The placebo group lasted just 1.7 times longer. Our study shows that when the PSD502 spray was applied before intercourse it improved both sexual performance and sexual satisfaction,' said Professor Wallace Dinsmore from the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. The majority of the treatment group rated the spray 'excellent.' 'Premature ejaculation can be a very distressing condition for men and can cause distress, frustration and make them avoid sexual intimacy,' lead researcher Professor Dinsmore. 'Previous research suggests that as many as 40 per cent of men will experience premature ejaculation at some time in their lives.' A significantly higher percentage of the patients and partners in the treatment group reported improvements when it came to perceived control, personal distress, satisfaction with sexual intercourse and interpersonal difficulties. There were no serious adverse events reported during the study which was reported in the April issue of BJU International. Source
British scientists are on course to become the first to create synthetic human blood from embryonic stem cells, it emerged today. The ground-breaking project could provide an unlimited supply of blood for emergency transfusions free of the risk of infection. Because stem cells multiply indefinitely, it would be possible to enormous quantities, researchers said. The cells can be made from universal donor embryos – the O-negative type – and can be guaranteed to be free of infections because they have never been inside a human. The three-year project will be led by the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) and includes NHS Blood and Transplant and the Wellcome Trust, the world’s biggest medical research charity. SNBTS director Professor Marc Turner has been involved in studies investigating how to ensure donated blood is free of the infectious agent behind variant CJD, the human form of ‘mad cow’ disease, the report said. Several vCJD patients are thought to have contracted the disease by blood transfusions. Prof Turner, of Edinburgh University, was unavailable for comment. A spokeswoman for the National Blood Service for England and North Wales told the Independent that negotiations on the joint research project were at an advanced stage and that legal, rather than scientific, issues were holding up the announcement. A spokesman for the Wellcome Trust added that complicated legal issues were still being ironed out between all the parties involved but that an announcement was likely to be made in the coming week. Researchers will test human embryos left over from IVF treatment to find those that are genetically programmed to develop into the ‘O-negative’ blood group, which is the universal donor group whose blood can be transfused into anyone without fear of tissue rejection, the report said. The relatively rare blood group - it is applicable to about 7% of the population - could then be produced in unlimited quantities from embryonic stem cells because of their ability to multiply indefinitely in the laboratory. The idea of destroying embryos to create stem cells raises ethical issues, but in theory, just one embryo could meet the nation’s needs. Source
Robotic fish developed by scientists at the University of Essex in the U.K. are soon to evolve from engineering curio to actual tool when they go on a world-first mission off the coast of Spain. As part of the larger European SHOAL project, the fish will be sent to swim in the sea and monitor for pollutants coming from a busy port. It's going to cost around $3.6 million to get the project off the ground, with a portion of that sum covering the cost of each robo fish--apparently a steep $30,000. Though that sounds like a lot, you have to check out the video that demonstrates the prototype robots in development--the similarity to the way real fish propel themselves is nothing short of remarkable. It's a classic example of biomimicry. Fish, and dolphins and sharks, have evolved to the point where their swimming efficiency is extraordinarily high. It's a vital technique to conserve precious energy reserves in a harsh eco-system, of course, and it puts most human-designed underwater propulsion systems to shame. Hence the interest in developing robot fish, hat can have a higher battery lifespan as a result. The five-foot long fish in the SHOAL scheme will operate autonomously, swimming at will around selected areas of the ocean, only returning to their base stations every eight hours when they need a charge. They're going to be equipped with a sophisticated sensor suite that will monitor for ship-and-shore-based chemical spills and oil contamination of the surface and deeper waters off the town of Gijón in Asturias. Their data logs are downloaded wirelessly as they charge, and collated to form a picture of when and where pollution was sourced. As the Essex University press release has it: "The technology developed will enable a port authority to gain increased mobility and flexibility to monitor ship-source pollution, as well as other types of harmful contaminants and pollutants from underwater pipelines." And it's a neat justification for developing a five-foot robotic fish too. Source, Source
Article Submitted by computermexican . Mental powers start to dwindle at 27 after peaking at 22, marking the start of old age, US research suggests. Professor Timothy Salthouse of the University of Virginia found reasoning, spatial visualisation and speed of thought all decline in our late 20s. Therapies designed to stall or reverse the aging process may need to start much earlier, he said. His seven-year study of 2,000 healthy people aged 18-60 is published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging. To test mental agility, the study participants had to solve puzzles, recall words and story details and spot patterns in letters and symbols. The same tests are already used by doctors to spot signs of dementia. In nine out of 12 tests the average age at which the top performance was achieved was 22. The first age at which there was any marked decline was at 27 in tests of brain speed, reasoning and visual puzzle-solving ability. Things like memory stayed intact until the age of 37, on average, while abilities based on accumulated knowledge, such as performance on tests of vocabulary or general information, increased until the age of 60. Professor Salthouse said his findings suggested "some aspects of age-related cognitive decline begin in healthy, educated adults when they are in their 20s and 30s." Rebecca Wood of the Alzheimer's Research Trust agreed, saying: "This research suggests that the natural decline of some of our mental abilities as we age starts much earlier than some of us might expect - in our 20s and 30s. "Understanding more about how healthy brains decline could help us understand what goes wrong in serious diseases like Alzheimer's. "Alzheimer's is not a natural part of getting old; it is a physical disease that kills brain cells, affecting tens of thousands of under 65s too. "Much more research is urgently needed if we are to offer hope to the 700,000 people in the UK who live with dementia, a currently incurable condition." Source
LONDON, England -- Scientists in the U.S. are developing a laser gun that could kill millions of mosquitoes in minutes. The laser, which has been dubbed a "weapon of mosquito destruction" fires at mosquitoes once it detects the audio frequency created by the beating of its wings. The laser beam then destroys the mosquito, burning it on the spot. Developed by some of the astrophysicists involved in what was known as the "Star Wars" anti-missile programs during the Cold War, the project is meant to prevent the spread of malaria. Lead scientist on the project, Dr. Jordin Kare, told CNN that the laser would be able to sweep an area and "toast millions of mosquitoes in a few minutes." Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people from the bites of female mosquitoes. It is particularly prevalent in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world and kills an African child every 30 seconds, according to the World Health Organization. There are an estimated 300 million acute cases of malaria each year globally, resulting in more than one million deaths, the WHO reports. Responding to questions about any potential harm the laser could pose to the eco-system, Kare said: "There is no such thing as a good mosquito, there's nothing that feeds exclusively on them. No one would miss mosquitoes," he said. "In any case," he added. "The laser is able to distinguish between mosquitoes that go after people and those that aren't dangerous. What remains to be seen is how precise we can get." He added that other insects would not be affected by the laser's beam. Kare said the lasers could be mounted on lamp post-type poles and put around the circumference of villages, to create a kind of "fence" against mosquitoes. The research was commissioned by Intellectual Ventures, a Washington, U.S.-based company that was founded by Nathan Myhrvold, a former Microsoft Corporation executive. His previous boss, Bill Gates, who funded the research, asked Myhrvold to look into new ways of combating malaria. Source
Since the 1950s, Topps has sold baseball trading cards filled with photos and stats, bringing the game to life. Now the company is bringing its cards to life. Beginning Monday, collectors who hold a special Topps 3D Live baseball card in front of a webcam will see a three-dimensional avatar of the player on the computer screen. Rotate the card, and the figure rotates in full perspective. It’s called “augmented reality,” a combination of a real image with a virtual one. “This is the ‘Beam me up, Scotty’ version of a baseball card that will get kids to buy more. We see this baseball season as a redefining moment for us,” said Steve Grimes, chief digital officer at Topps. Source
A wink, a smile or a raised eyebrow could soon change the music on your iPod or start up the washing machine, thanks to a new Japanese gadget. The device looks like a normal set of headphones but is fitted with a set of infrared sensors that measure tiny movements inside the ear that result from different facial expressions. The gizmo -- called the "Mimi Switch" or "Ear Switch" -- is connected to a micro-computer that can control electronic devices, essentially making it a hands-free remote control for anything. "You will be able to turn on room lights or swing your washing machine into action with a quick twitch of your mouth," said its inventor, Kazuhiro Taniguchi of Osaka University. "An iPod can start or stop music when the wearer sticks his tongue out, like in the famous Einstein picture. If he opens his eyes wide, the machine skips to the next tune. A wink with the right eye makes it go back. "The machine can be programmed to run with various other facial expressions, such as a wriggle of the nose or a smile." The Mimi Switch could also store and interpret data and get to know its user, said Taniguchi, chief researcher at Osaka University's Graduate School of Engineering Science in western Japan. "It monitors natural movements of the face in everyday life and accumulates data," Taniguchi told AFP in an interview. "If it judges that you aren't smiling enough, it may play a cheerful song." Some may use the device for relaxation -- perhaps by changing music hands-free while reading a book -- but Taniguchi said it could also have more serious applications to make people's lives safer and easier. "If the system is mounted on a hearing aid for elderly people, it could tell how often they sneeze or whether they are eating regularly," he said. "If it believes they are not well, it could send a warning message to relatives." The device could also serve as a remote control for appliances for physically disabled people, from cameras and computers to air conditioners, or alert medical services if a person has a fit, he said. The Ear Switch follows on from an earlier device called the Temple Switch that was small enough to fit inside a pair of eyeglasses and also read the flick of an eyelid. "As the ear switch is put in the ears, its optical sensors are unaffected by sunlight," Taniguchi said. He said he was planning to patent his new device in Japan and abroad, work on a wireless version, and seek corporate funding to market it for practical uses -- something he expected might take two or three years. Source
For humans, 30 isn’t too old — not even middle age these days; but for technology, any age measured in decades denotes something downright ancient. Enter the CD, first demonstrated on March 8, 1979. To date, over 3.5 billion audio CD players have been sold along with 240 billion Compact Discs. Sales are in steep decline, however, as the age of physical delivery systems for music ends, with the MP3 now king. The CD hasn’t nearly the passionate fanbase of Vinyl records or even cassettes, an probably never will, but many music fans, when blowing out the candles on the CD, will continue to lament the demise of cover art and the idea of the album as a cohesive artistic statement. Source, Source Have any interesting articles you'd like to share? Article Request Thread.
Article Submitted by master911. THE term "lighting up" a smoke could take on a whole new meaning with the development of an electronic cigarette. The latest craze in the UK, the battery-powered cigarette may be the answer to indoor smoking bans. Smokers still get their nicotine kick through an atomiser, which creates puffs of vapour to resemble cigarette smoke. Yet to hit Australian shelves, the e-cigarette can be bought over the internet and is widely available throughout Europe. Chinese exporter Ruyan claims it is not only a nicotine replacement - it is a smoking alternative. "The e-cigarette is a hi-tech product developed by Ruyan to provide smokers with a clean alternative to smoking," the company's website says. "It has no tar, no carbon monoxide and no cancer-causing chemicals." The cigarette can last up to 350 drags - the equivalent of 30 smokes - and lights up red at the tip. It comes in varying strengths - from 16mg to 0mg - for smokers trying to kick the habit. But the device isn't cheap - a starter pack costs $358. NSW Health has confirmed smokers could use the device inside pubs and clubs as it technically does not breach the indoor smoking ban. "The Smoke Free Environment Act 2000 deals with products capable of being ignited and smoked in the traditional sense. As such, use of this product is unlikely to be in breach of the Act," a spokeswoman said. The company plans to market the e-cigarette it in Australia. Social smoker Kusum Normoyle, 23, road tested the pseudo cigarette yesterday but was unconvinced it would take off. "I don't think too many smokers would use it - it's fairly awkward and heavy," she said. "Then again, smokers who are really looking to cut down might, because a lot of people smoke because they like to hold a cigarette." The Therapeutic Goods Association - which licenses medicinal products - has not received an application to sell e-cigarettes in Australia. "The TGA is aware of the existence of these products," a spokesman said. Source
