Amazing close up 3D photos of insects (19 Pics)

Soldier turtle ant

Check Out These Incredible macroscopic photos of insect. Steve Gschmeissner, 61, a retired scientist and photographer from Bedford, was able to increase the size of these insects by one million times using a scanning electron microscope. The results are Incredible close up photos of insect in 3D. see more pictures after jump

Dog flea

Common wasp

Wasp head

Human flea head

Bedbug head

Yellow dung fly head

Jumping Spider head

Fly

Tropical caterpillar head

Froghopper head

Honey bee head

Pictures: STEVE GSCHMEISSNER-SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY-BARCROFT MEDIA

20. HHV-6 Virus May Enter Brain via Nose 'Say Experts'

HHV-6 Virus May Enter Brain via Nose 'Say Experts': Human herpes virus-6 (HHV-6), a member of the family of viruses that includes genital herpes as well as oral herpes, has been observed as the culprit for causing cold sores and often linked with various brain disorders, including multiple sclerosis, encephalitis and a form of epilepsy as well as causing roseola, a disease common among infants that results in high fever along with skin rashes.

Recently, experts at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences have suggested that the common virus tends to slink into the brain through nose via nasal mucus and travels along olfactory cells right into the brain.

While explaining the findings of the study, Coauthor Steven Jacobson, of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, MD, claimed that everyone is exposed to this virus. In addition, Steven Jacobson also expressed disappointment that very little is known about the virus. Some studies have suggested that the virus may live in tonsils or in saliva. Further, other viruses such as herpes simplex, influenza A and rabies can invade the brain by shooting through the nose.

During the study course, researchers observed high levels of HHV-6 in the olfactory bulb, a smell-related part of the brain, in two of three autopsy brain samples. source

New: Spotted UFO in Vietnam July 2011 (Video)

Check Out this Video Clips of Spotted UFO in Vietnam July 2011, after jump

Facebook' Could Become Adults Only

Alarming ... according to cyber security expert Susan McLean, Facebook gossip sites have "exploded in the last two or three months".

Asher Moses

Facebook' Could Become Adults Only - Ways to force Facebook to give parents access to their kids' profiles will be discussed today by state and federal attorneys-general in a meeting that will also examine an 18+ Facebook age limit.

The idea was first proposed by a South Australian Family First MP, Dennis Hood, and is being championed by South Australian Attorney-General John Rau. Rau argued that giving parents assistance to supervise their children on Facebook would help protect against online predators and limit access to unsuitable material.

But Susan McLean, who was Victoria Police's first cyber safety officer and is now an online safety consultant, said the proposal was “ill informed and it shows a total lack of understanding of what the internet is”.

“It's not Facebook's fault that there are problems on Facebook. You can't legislate against stupidity or poor parenting or anything like that,” said McLean.

“It would be nice but it can't be done and it breaks down any level of trust that you should be trying to develop with your kids.”

Facebook's terms of use currently requires users to be aged at least 13 but there is no proof of age requirement and kids regularly lie to gain access.

At their meeting today, the country's top lawmakers will consider requiring proof of age checks and even raising the age limit to 18, federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland confirmed.

This would be at stark odds with recent comments from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who floated the idea of removing the 13 minimum sign-up age policy.

“Age verification is something that various platforms deal with and I can't see why it should be beyond the wit of Facebook to do the same thing, if that was the solution people wanted,” said Rau.

“I think people need to understand that just because they are operating in the virtual world, that is on the internet, it does not mean that there should not be boundaries or rules or standards of behaviour.

“Exactly how these boundaries and rules should be applied and enforced is a matter that we need to discuss.”

It is unclear how the attorneys-general could apply such regulations to Facebook given it is a US-based company. Rau said changing the rules on access to Facebook would require cooperation from operators and the federal government would need to use its communications powers.

McClelland said yesterday it would be Rau's task to come up with methods of implementing the restrictions.

He said Rau made a fair point as “there has been concern expressed by some parents that the images being put up by their own children are prejudicial to their future career prospects”.

“I think that all Attorneys recognise it as a legitimate issue to raise and … John having raised it, will be tasked … to come back with a few suggested solutions,” said McClelland.

“Having Australian jurisdiction extend off shore is the challenge. That's not to say a bit of discussion can't get some goodwill. Hopefully we will be able to look at a few options.”

Asked whether the issue could be solved simply by parents sitting down with their children, rather than with new regulations, McClelland agreed that this would be a preferable approach.

“Having said that, I have four kids, not in every situation can we reach an accommodation so I can understand some parents have raised the issue,” he said.

But McLean said implementing the proposals would be impossible.

“Say we get this law that says parents are allowed to access their kids facebook accounts, how am I going to prove that I'm your mother?,” she said.

“It's totally unworkable because there is nothing on the internet that allows anyone to age and identity verify anyone, so that's where it's going to fall down in the first place.

“Secondly, American companies aren't necessarily obliged to obey Australian law. Thirdly, tech savvy kids will set up two accounts – here's the one mum can see and here's the one where I do whatever it is I wanna do on it.”

Stephen Collins, spokesman for the online users' lobby group Electronic Frontiers Australia, agreed with McLean that any restrictions would be difficult to enforce.

"We'd very much prefer a social and educational approach - teach people good privacy practice, make it easy for them, educate about acceptable behaviors (e.g. why should online behaviors be different in terms of what we accept from those in the physical world?)," he said.

"So too, a parental right to access that is any greater than exists in law now (such as access to medical details for 16-18 year olds) seems heavy-handed."

Comment is being sought from Facebook. The site counts about 10 million Australian users, or almost half the population.

At the meeting today the attorneys-general will also discuss whether to allow an R18+ rating for video games. The federal government is a vocal supporter of the change but has had difficulty convincing some states that it won't result in a stream of ultra-violent and sexualised games flooding the market.

Privacy is also on the agenda after the government raised the idea of a statutory right to privacy following the hacking scandal that has engulfed News Corporation.

Ways to deal with the online publication of suppressed legal material will also be discussed. Rau said it was clear that suppression orders – which prevent media from reporting details of court cases - were being undermined by social networking sites. ( Sydney Morning Herald/KOMPAS.com)

A 120-million-year-old fossil of a pregnant lizard has been found in China

A 120-million-year-old fossil of a pregnant lizard has been found in China: BBC reported Thursday. The fossil is a complete 30 cm lizard with over a dozen embryos in its body.

Researchers from University College London, who studied the fossil, say it was just days from giving birth when it died and was buried during the Cretaceous period. The findings were published in the journal Naturwissenschaften. The fossil is interesting to scientists because it is a reptile that produced live young rather than laying eggs.

Only 20 percent of living lizards and snakes produce live young, and this shows it is an ancient, if unusual, trait. “I didn’t think much of the fossil when I first saw it,” BBC quoted Susan Evans, joint lead author of the paper, as saying.

But when her colleague, Yuan Wang, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, examined the fossil he spotted the tiny remains of at least 15 almost fully developed embryos inside it, it said. The fossil is so well preserved that the minuscule teeth of the developing young are visible on very close inspection.

Scientists thought that, in extinct reptiles, live birth was restricted to aquatic species, such as marine ichthyosaurs. These creatures would have been able to move through water with relative ease, even when heavily pregnant. The fossilized mother lizard, found in northeastern China, has been identified as a specimen of Yabeinosaurus, a large, slow-growing and relatively primitive lizard. (IANS) link.1, Link2

Caffeine Consumption' Can Drive Female Infertility!

Caffeine Consumption' Can Drive Female Infertility! :

Caffeine reduces muscle activity in the fallopian tubes that carry eggs from a woman’s ovaries to her womb, which can reduce a woman’s chance of becoming pregnant. “This finding goes a long way towards explaining why drinking caffeinated drinks can reduce a woman’s chance of becoming pregnant,” says Sean Ward, who led the study.

Ward is professor of physiology and cell biology at the University of Nevada School of Medicine who conducted these experiments on mice. Human eggs are microscopically small, but need to travel to a woman’s womb if she is going to have a successful pregnancy, according to a Nevada statement.

Although the process is essential for a successful pregnancy, scientists know little about how eggs move through the muscular Fallopian tubes, reports the British Journal of Pharmacology. It was generally assumed that tiny hair-like projections, called cilia, in the lining of the tubes, waft eggs along assisted by muscle contractions in the tube walls.

By studying tubes from mice, Ward and his team discovered that caffeine stops the actions of specialised cells in the wall of the tubes. These cells coordinate tube contractions so that when they are inhibited, eggs can’t move down the tubes. In fact, these muscle contractions play a bigger role than the beating cilia in moving the egg towards the womb.

“This provides an intriguing explanation as to why women with high caffeine consumption often take longer to conceive than women who do not consume caffeine,” said Ward. “As well as potentially helping women who are finding it difficult to get pregnant, a better understanding of the way Fallopian tubes work will help doctors treat pelvic inflammation and sexually-transmitted disease more successfully,” said Ward.(IANS) via

Tags: Caffeine for woman, caffeine consumption, infertility, study with caffeine, about caffeine, science of caffeine,

Discussion with adults can decrease teens’ marijuana use

Discussion with adults can decrease teens’ marijuana use : A brief, voluntary conversation with adults leads to up to a 20 percent decrease in marijuana use for teenagers who frequently use the drug, according to a new research. To many people, smoking pot is no big deal. They cite reasons such as: "it isn't dangerous or addictive" and "everybody is doing it."

Denise Walker, co-director of the University of Washington's Innovative Programs Research Group, disagrees. "It's not a risk-free drug," she said.

"Lots of people who use it do so without problems. But there are others who use it regularly - almost daily - and want to stop but aren't sure how." "Many teens also have concerns about their use, even if they're not sharing them with family or friends," she added.

The participants in the motivational interviewing group-in which the health educator and student discussed the student's marijuana use and how it might be interfering with the student's life, goals and personal values, and about social norms of how much others use the drug-started the study using marijuana 40 out of the previous 60 days. Three months after counseling they had decreased their use 20 percent, to 32 out of 60 days. After a year they still showed a 15 percent decrease, 34 days out of 60. The study was published in the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. (ANI)

Scary Looking Mummy of the World (14 Photos)

Scary Looking The Mummies of the World: The Franklin Institute from Philadelphia invites visitors to an unusual exhibition called “Mummies of the world.” Every exhibit in this exhibition is unique. Here you can see the dog who’s remains were buried in peat bogs in Germany about five hundred years, and embalmed child, who lived 6420 years ago in Peru.

The exhibition features forty-five mummies and ninety-five items related to mummification and embalming. The exhibition “Mummies of the World” was prepared with the participation of experts from fifteen European institutions under the auspices of the German Museum Reiss Engelhorn-Mannheim. The exhibition has visited many major U.S. cities.

Health Benefits of Eating Strawberries

Revealed that eating strawberries could help stave off ageing and even prevent cancer, diabetes!: It's often called the wonder fruit. Now, a new research has revealed that eating strawberries could help stave off ageing and even prevent cancer.

It said eating the fruit helps boost antioxidant levels in the blood, reports the Daily Mail. Higher levels of antioxidants have been found to combat the effects of oxidative stress, lessening the effects of ageing and even the chances of contracting diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease. To cone to the conclusion, Spanish and Italian researchers fed 12 healthy volunteers half a kilo of strawberries over two weeks. Results showed that eating strawberries regularly can boost levels of antioxidants in the blood and also help prevent red blood cells undergoing haemolysis, a process which sees them fragmenting.

Scientists from Marche Polytechnic University in Italy and the University of Granada in Spain say that the power of strawberries lies in the high levels of phenolic compounds they contain, which have antioxidant properties. Oxidative stress can also occur as we age, when we exercise or even give birth, highlighting the potential of the humble soft fruit.

"We have shown that some varieties of strawberries make erythrocytes more resistant to oxidative stress. This could be of great significance if you take into account that this phenomenon can lead to serious diseases," said study author Maurizio Battino, from Marche Polytechnic Univesity. The finding was published in journal Chemistry.(ANI)

Simple way to stay slim 'Eat quality food to lose weight'

Simple way to stay slim 'Eat quality food to lose weight': There is a simple way to stay slim. Eat quality food instead of worrying about the amount of food you eat, say experts.

Consuming bigger amounts of healthier food rather than smaller amounts of poor quality produce is the key, the express.co.uk reported quoting experts Thursday. Experts at the Harvard School of Public Health in America revealed that small lifestyle changes can make all the difference to ­staying in shape. They said focusing on calories alone would not keep you slim. Instead, the best way to stay at a healthy weight is to eat nutritious and filling foods of good quality.

They recommend that people watching their weight need to cut out fizzy, sugar-sweetened drinks, potatoes and refined grain foods like white rice and low-fibre breakfast cereals. And they should eat a lot more “natural” foods, like fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and yoghurt, while avoiding anything processed.

“Small dietary and other lifestyle changes can together make a big difference - for bad or good. This makes it easy to gain weight unintentionally, but also demonstrates the tremendous opportunity for prevention,” the report quoted Dariush Mozaffaria, study co-author as saying. Nutritionist Angela Dowden said: “This research singles out once again the benefits of minimally processed foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and yoghurt.

“As well as being nutrient-dense they are satiating and their fibrous nature also require slightly more energy to digest. “It is not so much that calories don’t count - they definitely do - it’s more that a healthy pattern of eating makes it easier for you to feel full on fewer of them.” The findings, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, also showed the right amount of sleep helped people maintain a healthy weight.(IANS)

Health: 3 or More cups of Coffee a day 'Doubles Hepatitis C Treatment Response'

3 or More cups of Coffee a day 'Doubles Hepatitis CTreatment Response': A new study has found that advanced hepatitis C patients with chronic liver disease may benefit from drinking coffee during treatment. Patients who received peginterferon plus ribavirin treatment and who drank three or more cups of coffee per day were two times more likely to respond to treatment than non-drinkers.

"Coffee intake has been associated with a lower level of liver enzymes, reduced progression of chronic liver disease and reduced incidence of liver cancer," said Neal Freedman, of the National Cancer Institute and the study's lead author. "Although we observed an independent association between coffee intake and virologic response to treatment, this association needs replication in other studies," he said.

Among the non-drinkers studied, 46 percent had an early virologic response; 26 percent had no detectable serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) ribonucleic acid at week 20; 22 percent had no detectable serum at week 48; and 11 percent had a sustained virologic response.

In contrast, the corresponding proportions for those who drank three or more cups of coffee per day were 73 percent, 52 percent, 49 percent and 26 percent, respectively. The study appeared in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute. (ANI)

Testosterone therapy 'Boosts Memory' in postmenopausal women

Testosterone therapy 'Boosts Memory' in postmenopausal women: A new study has revealed that testosterone could hold the key to a healthy memory in later years for women. It found that postmenopausal women have better memory after daily treatment with a testosterone spray for six months.

"Women have a higher risk of developing dementia compared to men," said Sonia Davison, MD, PhD, the study''s lead investigator and a postdoctoral research fellow at Monash University, Melbourne. "These results offer a potential therapy, where none currently exists, to slow cognitive decline in women," she added.

The researchers compared a control group of 30 women who received no treatment with a group of nine healthy women in early menopause (ages 47 to 60) who knowingly received the testosterone spray on their skin.

The spray dose returned testosterone levels in the blood to those typical of young women of childbearing age, according to Davison. All of the treated women were receiving a stable dose of non-oral hormone replacement therapy.

All women underwent testing of cognitive function with a battery of computerized tests that can detect even small changes in cognitive performance, Davison said.

The researchers tested subjects'' memory through their ability to recall items from a grocery list read aloud to them-a test of verbal learning and memory-and through their performance on tests of visual learning and memory. Cognitive testing occurred at the beginning and end (week 26) of the study.

At the start of the study the two groups did not differ significantly in their cognitive test results. After 26 weeks the untreated controls showed no significant differences between their initial and final test results, the authors found. The testosterone-treated group, however, improved their verbal learning and memory, as found on the shopping list test, Davison said.

"This is exciting in that the testosterone-treated women were all healthy, with no cognitive impairment, and there was a definite treatment effect of the testosterone spray," she said. "Testosterone may play a protective role against dementia," she added.

She said their results need confirmation in a randomized, controlled clinical trial. The results were presented recently at The Endocrine Society''s 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston. (ANI)

Transparent Sea Creatures | 11 Photos

Transparent Sea Creatures: These are transparent specimens of Sea creatures. Iori Tomita is an artist and an undergrad who studies ichthyology. His work is the New World Transparent Specimens created through a lengthy process that uses dyes, enzymes, and preservatives. He is trying to show people the hidden side of natural beauty that they might miss normally. see more pictures after jump...

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