EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science

Perfect pitch study offers window into influences of nature and nurture

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of California - San Francisco) Practice, practice, practice might get you to Carnegie Hall, but for aspiring musicians, there's new evidence that genes may influence one's ability to get there, as well.

Second Life data offers window into how trends spread

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Michigan) Do friends wear the same style of shoe or see the same movies because they have similar tastes, which is why they became friends in the first place? Or once a friendship is established, do individuals influence each other to adopt like behaviors?

Brain malformations significantly associated with preterm birth, Wake Forest research shows

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center) New research out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine provides for the first time a solid scientific answer for the long-standing question of whether there is an association between preterm birth and brain malformations.

Overweight kids experience more loneliness, anxiety, MU study finds

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Missouri-Columbia) As childhood obesity rates continue to increase, experts agree that more information is needed about the implications of being overweight as a step toward reversing current trends. Now, a new University of Missouri study has found that overweight children, especially girls, show signs of the negative consequences of being overweight as early as kindergarten.

Ben-Gurion U. researchers reveal connection between cancer and human evolution

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev) Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have discovered that gene mutations that once helped humans survive may increase the possibility for diseases, including cancer. The findings were recently the cover story in the journal Genome Research.

Sexist jokes favor the mental mechanisms that justify violence against women

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Granada) These are the conclusions of research work carried out at the University of Granada in a sample of 109 18-26 year old university male students. The results of this work will be released July 2 in the framework of the International Summer School and Symposium on Humor and Laughter.

Report calls for new initiative to improve math education for preschoolers

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(National Academy of Sciences) To ensure that all children enter elementary school with the foundation they need for success, a major national initiative is needed to improve early childhood mathematics education, says a new report from the National Research Council.

Graduate students win prestigious prizes for their work

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics) Each year, the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics awards SIAM Student Paper Prizes to the most outstanding papers submitted to the SIAM Student Paper Prize Competition. SIAM is pleased to announce the winners of the 2009 SIAM Student Paper Prizes who will present their papers during the SIAM Annual Meeting in Denver, Colo., July 6-10.

Poor health among indigenous peoples a question of cultural loss as well as poverty

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Canadian Institutes of Health Research) Health problems of Indigenous peoples around the world are intimately tied to a number of unique factors, such as colonization, globalization, migration, and loss of land, language and culture. These factors remain even after the "typical" social problems facing the poor, such as inadequate housing, unemployment, and low education levels are addressed, according to Dr. Malcolm King, lead author of a paper to be published tomorrow in The Lancet,.

The problem with self-help books: Study shows the negative side to positive self-statements

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Association for Psychological Science) In times of doubt and uncertainty, many Americans turn to self-help books in search of encouragement, guidance and self-affirmation. The positive self-statements suggested in these books, such as "I am a lovable person" or "I will succeed," are designed to lift a person's low self-esteem and push them into positive action. According to a recent study in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science; however, these statements can actually have the opposite effect.

In the eye of the storm: Why some people stayed behind

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Association for Psychological Science) Hurricane Katrina was the largest natural disaster in US history, claiming the lives of more than 1,800 victims and causing well over $100 billion in damage along the Gulf Coast. The 2005 storm breached every levee in New Orleans, flooding almost the entire city as well as the neighboring parishes. Yet a surprising number of people stayed behind and rode out the storm.

UT scientist receives hemophilia research award

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston) Keri Smith, Ph.D., an assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, has received a Career Development Award from the National Hemophilia Foundation.

Children with autism need to be taught in smaller groups, pilot study confirms

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(City College of New York) Since the 1970s, there has been much debate surrounding the fact that individuals with autism have difficulty in understanding speech in situations where there is background speech or noise. Today, at the annual meeting of the International Multisensory Research Forum being held at the City College of New York, neuroscientists announced conclusive evidence to verify this fact.

Research output in developing countries reveals 194 percent increase in five years

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Elsevier) The partners of Research4Life announced today at the World Conference of Science Journalists 2009 that a new research impact analysis has demonstrated a dramatic rise in research output by scientists in the developing world since 2002. By comparing absolute growth in published research before (1996 - 2002) and after (2002 - 2008) the advent of the Research4Life programs, the analysis has revealed a 194 percent or 6.4-fold increase in articles published in peer reviewed journals.

Stanford bioethicist and colleagues call for federal regulation of genetic ancestry testing

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Stanford University Medical Center) The lack of federal regulation in instances of DNA use will be addressed in the Policy Forum section in the July 3 issue of Science by Sandra Soo-Jin Lee, Ph.D., of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, and colleagues from four other universities. The need for a clear set of rules governing genetic ancestry testing is becoming more urgent, Lee said, given the proliferation of private corporations that promise consumers insight into their genetic origins.

Mexican wives' mental health dives when husbands work in US

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Brigham Young University) A new study finds that Mexican wives who stay home when their husbands immigrate to the United States for work have poorer mental health than a comparison group.

UCLA collaboration identifies immune system link to schizophrenia

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of California - Los Angeles) Researchers at UCLA and colleagues from around the world have, for the first time, identified additional genes that confirm what scientists have long suspected -- that the immune system may play a role in the development of schizophrenia. Further, they have also identified genetic anomalies that disrupt the cellular pathways involved in brain development, memory and cognition, all markers of schizophrenia.

Both good/bad movie characters who smoke influence teens to do the same

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Dartmouth College) Dartmouth researchers have determined that movie characters who smoke, regardless of whether they are "good guys" or "bad guys," influence teens to try smoking.

Research network wins approximately £5.7 million to target human and animal diseases in Africa

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine) Deadly diseases including plague, Ebola and Rift Valley Fever are being targeted as part of a new multi-million pound international partnership involving African researchers and the London International Development Center. The Southern African Center for Infectious Disease Surveillance links medical and veterinary institutions from five African countries and the UK to improve the capacity of African institutions to detect, identify and monitor infectious diseases affecting humans and animals, including new infectious human diseases of animal origin.

VYVANSE CII provided significant efficacy at 14 hours in adults with ADHD

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Porter Novelli) Shire announced results from a Phase 3b study that found VYVANSE (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) CII demonstrated significant efficacy at 14 hours after administration during a simulated workplace environment in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. VYVANSE is the first approved stimulant for adults with ADHD to be evaluated in this setting, and these data were presented at the New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit meeting. VYVANSE is approved by the FDA for ADHD in children aged 6 to 12 years and adults with ADHD.

Siblings target of intervention program

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Penn State) "Siblings are Special," a pilot prevention program targeting fifth graders and their younger siblings, recently received $1.45 million from the National Institute on Drug Abuse as part of the National Institutes of Health's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding. The award is for two years.

Study shows that a combination of common genetic variations can lead to schizophrenia

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of North Carolina School of Medicine) The finding suggests that schizophrenia is much more complex than previously thought, and can arise not only from both rare genetic variants but also from a significant number of common ones.

Chromosomal problems affect nearly all human embryos

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology) For the first time, scientists have shown that chromosomal abnormalities are present in more than 90 percent of IVF embryos, even those produced by young, fertile couples

Cancer survivors at greater risk of birth complications; special monitoring needed

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology) Survivors of childhood cancer run particular risks when pregnant and should be closely monitored, say Dutch researchers. Although such women may have conceived spontaneously and considered themselves to be perfectly healthy, their deliveries should always take place in a hospital.

Will IVF work for a particular patient? The answer may be found in her blood

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology) For the first time, researchers have been able to identify genetic predictors of the potential success or failure of IVF treatment in blood. Dr. Cathy Allen, from the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, told the 25th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology on Wednesday, July 1, that her research would help understand why IVF works for some patients but not for others.