Using text message language – the OMGs, m8s and 2mros – does not harm children’s spelling abilities, new research suggests, and may even be a good sign.  The study, carried out by Canadian researchers at the University of Alberta, suggested that children who are good at spelling “real” words are also good at spelling in text [...]

Do infants only start to crawl once they are physically able to see danger coming? Or is it that because they are more mobile, they develop the ability to sense looming danger? According to Ruud van der Weel and Audrey van der Meer, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, infants’ ability [...]

scientists have developed a pair of glasses that receive visual data from a camera mounted on a them and send the images to a chip attatched on the side of the eyeball.

Inspired by the success of cochlear implants that can restore hearing to some deaf people, researchers at MIT are working on a retinal implant [...]

Scientists say they have found a link between toxic fumes on planes and brain damage in pilots
Poisons in the air pumped into plane cabins and cockpits have been linked to brain damage.  Cabin crew and pilots have long blamed exposure to jet engine fumes for memory loss, tremors, lethargy and other symptoms of so-called [...]

Spy toy gadget maker Brando has this “Magic GIANT 12-Surface IQ Pentagon – Fantastic Edition” for $49.90.

The FANTASTIC SIZE and COMPLEX IQ Cube!! The GIANT 12 surfaces IQ Pentagon! You may never face this complicated one! Your home cannot miss this one. You may not solve it, you can just disassemble it and try it [...]

For the first time, researchers have pinpointed the mechanism that takes place during sleep that causes learning and memory formation to occur.

A Rutgers University, Newark and Collége de France, Paris research team has pinpointed for the first time the mechanism that takes place during sleep that causes learning and memory formation to occur.

A skeleton, found at one of the most important, but least understood, Roman sites in Britain is puzzling experts from The University of Nottingham.
A skeleton, found at one of the most important, but least understood, Roman sites in Britain is puzzling experts from The University of Nottingham.

Wine tastes different to those who are given information on the product before a wine tasting, tests where the test people received information on the wine before and after the tasting have shown.
Wine tastes different to those who are given information on the product before a wine tasting, tests where the test people received information [...]

A blueberry smoothie at breakfast can stop your powers of concentration waning in the afternoon – and even help fight dementia in the long term, new research suggests.  Scientists have found that the food can increase your attention span in the short term and can maintain a healthy mind in the long term.
 

They are thought of as the mischief-makers of the animal kingdom.  But baby chimps are less of a handful than their human cousins.  If a young chimp is in tears, it is quickly calmed by a cuddle, research shows.
 

Six Millon Dollar Man here we come
A MONKEY sits on a bench, wires running from its head and wrist into a small box of electronics. At first the wrist lies limp, but within 10 minutes the monkey begins to flex its muscles and move its hand from side to side. The movements are clumsy, but [...]

Winners wear red
IMAGINE you are an experienced martial arts referee. You are asked to score a number of taekwondo bouts, shown to you on video. In each bout, one combatant is wearing red, the other blue. Would clothing colour make any difference to your impartial, expert judgement? Of course it wouldn’t.
 

Times may be tough, but anthropologist and Chemistry.com founder Helen Fisher has found a bright side: Work on your sex life, and you may improve your career prospects.
 

A leading expert on chemical and biological arms control called on Wednesday for urgent efforts to stop new mind-altering drugs developed for medical purposes from being adopted by the military for use in warfare.
 

Scientists have good and bad news for hard-driving people who boast they need only six hours of sleep a night. The good news is a few may be right: Researchers at the University of California-San Francisco have identified a family with a genetic mutation that causes members to require only six hours sleep a night. [...]

Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, is now concerned that the net has become more powerful than even he believed possible
An interview with Tim Berners-Lee recently highlighted his belief that the web needs to be studied scientifically as a source of potential emergent behaviours. Emergence is usually considered a threat, where a complex [...]

Its alive its alive…oh wait…no its not
Scientists say they have discovered a horrific flesh-eating fungus which is able to infect living creatures and turn them into “zombies”.

Are you a Seeking addict?
Seeking. You can’t stop doing it. Sometimes it feels as if the basic drives for food, sex, and sleep have been overridden by a new need for endless nuggets of electronic information. We are so insatiably curious that we gather data even if it gets us in trouble. Google searches are [...]

High fat diet can lead to memory loss
Eating hotdogs and French fries might be a great treat. However, these high fat diets can significantly reduce our exercising ability and lead to short term memory loss, reveals a new study. The research conducted using a mouse model, showed that in less than 10 days of eating a [...]

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder could start from a sore throat
David Beckham is one of the most high-profile sufferers of the condition Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  He has spoken of his compulsion to count clothes and place magazines in straight lines and symmetrical patterns.  He may be surprised to learn that it could be due to nothing more [...]

Is Einstein’s rival a girl?
The life of Promethea Pythaitha has the makings of a Greek myth.
Sean sperry/chronicle Promethea Pythaitha, 18, holds one of her chickens at her Livingston home. Promethea was the youngest student ever to graduate from Montana State University at age 14. Born with incredible intellectual gifts, Promethea started reading at age 1, [...]

Forgetful people fear not here is your salvation
Always losing stuff? If you carry an assortment of expensive gear around, here’s a great idea that will assure you you’ll never again leave anything behind. DeWalt teamed up with Ford Trucks to create Tool Link, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag reader that electronically accounts for each item [...]

Human nature vs. the power to resist
Whether it’s highlighted in major news headlines about Argentinean affairs and Ponzi schemes, or in personal battles with obesity and drug addiction, individuals regularly succumb to greed, lust and self-destructive behaviors. New research from the Kellogg School of Management examines why this is the case, and demonstrates that individuals [...]

Diets high in fructose — a type of sugar found in most processed foods and beverages — impaired the spatial memory of adult rats.
Researchers at Georgia State University have found that diets high in fructose — a type of sugar found in most processed foods and beverages — impaired the spatial memory of adult rats.

Women are better at short-range focusing, says a study
If your husband accuses you of missing the bigger picture or your wife says you have no eye for detail, there may be more than an element of truth to it.