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Science News Archive April 2011 - Page 2


Page 2 of 26

Our own status affects the way our brains respond to others

A new study found that people with higher social status respond more strongly to information about others of higher status, while those with lower status respond more strongly to information about others of lower status. This effect is linked to the brain's value system and has important implications for social behavior and interactions.

SourceCell Press·JournalCurrent Biology·DateApr 28, 2011

Nanotechnologists must take lessons from nature

Researchers Peter Cummings and Michael Simpson propose that mimicking natural processes can lead to more efficient and reliable devices. By exploiting contrarian behavior and 'noise,' scientists can develop technology that outperforms traditional methods, as seen in the humble bacterial cell's ability to withstand modern medicines.

SourceVanderbilt University·JournalACS Nano·DateApr 28, 2011

Animals have personalities, too

A new study found that animal personalities are reflected in their oxidative stress profiles, with timid birds experiencing higher levels of damaging oxygen toxins and weaker defenses. In contrast, curious birds had better defences against oxidative damage.

SourceUniversity of York·JournalJournal of Experimental Biology·DateApr 28, 2011

Prejudice and the President

A University of Delaware doctoral student conducted a study on how racial prejudice affects perceptions of President Barack Obama's 'Americanism' and performance. The results show that white Americans who hold prejudiced views against black people are more likely to rate Obama as performing poorly in office.

SourceUniversity of Delaware·JournalJournal of Experimental Social Psychology·DateApr 28, 2011

1 drug, many targets: Is this the future?

Researchers have identified multiple molecular targets of the anti-HIV drug nelfinavir, which may explain its effectiveness as a cancer therapy. The study, published in PLOS Computational Biology, suggests that the collective effect of these weak interactions leads to the clinical efficacy of nelfinavir.

SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS Computational Biology·DateApr 28, 2011

Monkeys, too, can recollect what they've seen

Rhesus monkeys demonstrated flexible recall of simple shapes from memory, similar to humans, and showed ability to transfer memory skill to novel shapes. This finding suggests that the ability to recollect may have been present in our common ancestor 30 million years ago.

SourceCell Press·JournalCurrent Biology·DateApr 28, 2011