Sponges are usually considered to be the oldest living animals, having evolved before all other groups. The simplicity of their body structure and tissue organization has for many years made them candidates for the ancestral group of animals, and they have long been regarded as our best illustration of what the earliest animals would have looked like. This has been supported by genetic analyses, which suggest that sponges branched from other animals a very long time ago, deep in the Precambrian. Until recently, most zoologists believed that sponges were little more advanced ...

A new KU Leuven study shows for the first time that the dampening or suppression of positive emotions plays an important role in the development of postpartum depression. This has implications for the treatment of depressed mothers. We often forget that depression is characterised by both negative feelings and a lack of positive feelings. Researchers suspect that this may have to do with the way depression-prone individuals deal with positive or happy feelings. These individuals downplay or suppress positive feelings through a cognitive response style called dampening. ...

FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. – It seems that coral reefs are experiencing something their human counterparts have been for years – a shrinking "empty nest" syndrome. That's right – researchers have found that increasing ocean temperatures due to climate change will soon see reefs retaining and nurturing more of their own coral larvae, leaving large reef systems less interconnected. The study brought together an international group of researchers from NSU's Oceanographic Center; the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and the School ...

So-called animal-assisted therapy is being used increasingly often to treat physical and mental diseases in man. "For stressed persons, animals may serve as "social ice-breakers" and thus motivate them to enroll in therapy in the first place," says Lisa Maria Glenk, the lead author of the study. Scientific investigations on animal-assisted therapy do exist, but these have been largely confined to studying the effects of such therapy on man. Lisa Maria Glenk conducts research at the Department of Comparative Medicine at Messerli Research Institute. She is a pioneer in ...

PITTSBURGH—Most people want to take mediations as prescribed, even if they sometimes need a little help remembering. For them, an automated system that monitors drug taking and provides feedback after the fact may be more useful than one that nags people when it is time to take a pill, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University say. In a 10-month study of such a system in the homes of older adults with chronic health problems, the researchers found that adherence to a medication regimen improved when people had ready access to a digital display of their medication-taking ...

Philadelphia, April 29, 2014 – Clinical Therapeutics features a special report in its April issue focusing primarily on the behavioral issues associated with patients' self-management of type 2 diabetes. "Diabetes, perhaps more so than any other chronic disease, requires people to significantly modify their behaviors—sometimes in ways that are contrary to their cultural norms and backgrounds—even when they don't 'feel' sick or experience symptoms of the disease," said John G. Ryan, Dr.PH., Topic Editor for Endocrinology and Diabetes, and guest editor for the April 2014 ...

Plastic and reconstructive surgeons leading the first retrospective study of all known facial transplants worldwide conclude that the procedure is relatively safe, increasingly feasible, and a clear life-changer that can and should be offered to far more carefully selected patients. Reporting in The Lancet online April 27, NYU Langone plastic and reconstructive surgeon and senior author Eduardo Rodriguez, MD, DDS, says results after nearly a decade of experience with what he calls the "Mount Everest" of medical-surgical treatments are "highly encouraging." The review ...

Treating patients who suffer from a common condition that affects blood vessels in the brain increases their risk of stroke, a study has found. People with a condition known as arteriovenous malformation (AVM) – which causes blood vessels in the brain to tangle – have a better outcome if doctors treat their symptoms only and not the AVM. A team of doctors looked at the long-term outcome of patients with the condition, which is caused by abnormal connections between the arteries and veins in the brain. They found that, over a 12 year period, patients who chose not ...

It is a requirement of the touchscreens for all our everyday gadgets that they are transparent and at the same time electrically conductive. Solar cells are also unable to operate without such a film, which allows sunlight to pass through it, but can also conduct the current generated. Conventional "transparent conductive oxide" (TCO) films consist of a mixture of indium and tin oxide. Indium in very much in demand in the electronics industry, but is rare, and therefore expensive. A cheaper option (at least in terms of the materials used) employs zinc oxide mixed with ...

A new study from North Carolina State University and the University of Texas finds that children pay close attention to issues related to money, and that parents should make an effort to talk with their children to ensure that kids don't develop misconceptions about finance. "We wanted to know what kids are learning, or not learning, about money from their parents," says Dr. Lynsey Romo, an assistant professor of communication at NC State and lead author of a paper on the research. "This is one of the first studies to look at what young school-age children know about ...

VIDEO: Four centuries before its colonization by the Portuguese, man may have landed on Madeira Island. This can be deduced from a study led by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC),... Click here for more information. According to the results, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B journal, house mice may have landed on the island before 1036, most likely transported by a ship. The article suggests that the introduction of this species would result in an ...

A University of Manchester professor says scientific jargon could be making the science of the human immune system a turn-off for the general public. Professor Daniel Davis says that scientists are using a number of innovative ways to generate public discussion on immunology and the time is right for people to get to grips with the subject. His paper, published today in Nature Reviews Immunology, coincides with the International Day of Immunology, argues that now is the right time for immunology to become the next big trend in popular science – to inform new discussions ...

(San Diego, CA) April 25, 2014 – More research is needed to better understand the important role that dietary fats play in optimal health, said a panel of leading food and nutrition scientists Friday at an American Society for Nutrition (ASN) pre-annual meeting session. More than 130 academic and industry food and nutrition scientists and registered dietitians attended the half-day ASN Satellite Symposium: Let's Chew the Fat: Current Thinking on Dietary Fats and the Food We Eat, held from 1-5 pm at the San Diego Bayfront Hilton in conjunction with the ASN's 78th Scientific ...

Philadelphia, PA, April 28, 2014 – The adhesion molecule CD146 plays a vital role in inflammation and offers a promising therapeutic target for treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as well as preventing colitis-associated colorectal cancer, say scientists. Targeting CD146 with anti-CD146 antibody AA98, especially in combination with an anti-TNF-alpha antibody, showed promising results in mice. Their report is published in The American Journal of Pathology. Enhanced CD146 expression has been reported on endothelial cells in intestinal biopsies from patients with inflammatory ...

While Disney's Frozen Academy Award-winning diva anthem "Let It Go" has dominated the Billboard 200, sales records and parents' eardrums with its message of all-out emotional display, that approach probably won't always resonate in the boardroom, according to a recent study from Marshall and USC faculty. "A business person in a negotiation," said Peter Carnevale, professor of management and organization at USC's Marshall School of Business, "should be careful about managing his or her emotions because the person across the table is making inferences based on facial expressions. ...

HOUSTON – (April 29, 2014) – There is no disputing graphene is strong. But new research by Rice University and the Georgia Institute of Technology should prompt manufacturers to look a little deeper as they consider the miracle material for applications. The atom-thick sheet of carbon discovered this century is touted not just for its electrical properties but also for its physical strength and flexibility. The bonds between carbon atoms are well known as the strongest in nature, so a perfect sheet of graphene should withstand just about anything. Reinforcing composite ...

New research indicates that hormone disrupting pollutants are affecting the health and development of wild birds nesting along the urban rivers of South Wales. Findings published today in the Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry journal reveal that chicks of the Eurasian Dipper – a river bird that feeds exclusively on insects and fish in upland streams – are underweight compared to their rural counterparts. Also of concern is that birds nesting in urban rivers have altered hormone levels, and are hatching fewer female chicks than those nesting along rural rivers, ...

Scientists from The University of Manchester have discovered that 'lonely' microbes are more likely to mutate, resulting in higher rates of antibiotic resistance. The study, published today in Nature Communications and jointly funded by The Wellcome Trust and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, explored the mutation rates of E. coli. Researchers found out that the rate of mutation varied according to how many of the bacteria there were. Surprisingly, they discovered that more bacteria gave fewer mutations. Meanwhile more 'lonely' bacteria developed ...

Dublin, Ireland and Cold Spring Harbor, NY – In research published today in Molecular Psychiatry, a multinational team of scientists presents new evidence supporting the theory that in at least some cases of schizophrenia, autism and intellectual disability (ID), malfunctions in some of the same genes are contributing to pathology. The team, the product of an ongoing collaboration between Professors W. Richard McCombie of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) and Aiden Corvin of Trinity College, Dublin, studied a type of gene aberration called de novo mutation, in a ...

Novelist S DeGiorgio announced the launch of Orion Connection, the first installment in the Legends Trilogy, a sci-fi adventure series that begins on the eve of NASA's first manned mission to Mars. "NASA's decision to name Earth's first Mars-bound spacecraft 'Orion' is a happy coincidence," said the author. "Shows like Ancient Aliens and Cosmos have focused interest in the Orion constellation as humanity continues to search for intelligent life in our galaxy. The first draft of Orion Connection was written in 2000 and started as a personal dare. Could I as a fiction ...

The president and founder of Affirmations in Action and one of Ebony Magazine's Most Influential Black Americans between 2003 and 2005, Steven T. Birdine said, "Neil Williams is an incredible man with an extraordinary journey. He is an impeccable man of honor, courage, dignity and valor." Retired Captain/Author Neil Diamond Williams will discuss this title and his novels via the Dark Mantis Talk Show. Neil Diamond Williams is also a college recruiter, student adviser and college administrator. Neil also served as an assistant of institutional advancement at Edward Waters ...

May 11th is Mother's Day ...a time to celebrate mothers around the world. They love, they nurture, carry out selfless acts and still find time to give to others. With child abuse and neglect on the rise, this is an especially important time to recognize loving moms in our country. Love Our Children USA takes pride in announcing the recipient of the Ninth Annual Mothers Who Make A Difference Awards, recognizing celebrity mothers for balancing motherhood, work and causes. This year's winner is celebrity mom Kristen Bell who is a mom, actress and advocate against paparazzi ...

Oz Pearlman of New York successfully defended his men's title and Rachel Clattenburg of Washington, D.C., claimed victory in the women's competition at the 18th Annual Novo Nordisk New Jersey Marathon, presented by Life Time - The Healthy Way of Life Company (NYSE: LTM), today on a sunny, breezy morning at the Jersey Shore. The win marked the fourth in four tries in this race for Pearlman, who also won in 2008, 2011 and 2012. Pearlman, 31, completed the course in 2:29, outpacing the field by more than five minutes. Clattenburg, 30, was even more dominant on the women's ...

As a student at Sycamore High School, Rajat Bhageria founded a website--CafeMocha.org--that allows students to publish their creative essays, stories, poems, and research to a social-network where they will not only be able to share their work with the world, but also inspire others to follow their creative interests. "Schools are killing creativity. Honestly, high schools force students to memorize random factoids rather than inspiring them to do something that they will intrinsically put effort and innovative thinking into, such as creative writing. That's where CafeMocha.org ...

The discount entitles the client an outright $25 off on any kind of repairs done with a final bill of $125 or more. Owner Tom Rivicci says that the discount would be a welcome helping hand to the residents of New Jersey and Staten Island, New York. "We rely on our home appliances more than we realize. Time, money, and effort goes down the drain whenever our appliances break down. For example, if your refrigerator quits working, your food can spoil, then you'll have to throw it away. If your dryer breaks down, you might not have have fresh clothes for work. We recognize ...