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Drug That Improves Brain’s “Garbage Disposal” Provides Insight Into Alzheimer’s

The Brain





Photo credit:

sfam_photo/Shutterstock.

A new study provides a glimmer of insight into how a certain drug combats the buildup of toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease. The researchers identified the mechanism by which the drug rolipram boosts the brain’s "garbage disposal" system and improves cognition in mice models of neurodegeneration. The findings are published in Nature Medicine.

NASA’s Mars Mission Delayed For Two Years

Space





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NASA's InSight mission has been suspended due to an instrument fault. NASA/JPL-Caltech

Just two days after a historic achievement in space travel was made, with SpaceX successfully returning part of its launched rocket safely to the ground, a huge blow to the field has become apparent. NASA’s eagerly anticipated Mars venture, due to commence next March, has been suspended for more than two years due to an instrument fault.

How Temperature Determines Baby Alligator Sex

Plants and Animals





Photo credit:

Newborn baby American alligator and eggs. National Institute for Basic Biology (NIBB)

American alligators incubating their eggs at 33oC (91.4oF) will produce mostly male babies, while incubation temperatures below 30oC (86oF) result in mostly females. In Scientific Reports this week, researchers report that this so-called temperature-dependent sex determination is linked to a thermosensitive protein called TRPV4. 

Do Parasitic Cuckoos Evolve Faster Than Non-Parasitic Ones?

Plants and Animals





Photo credit:

Cuckoo chick. francesco de marco/shutterstock

Brood parasites like cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other birds – a costly interaction that has led to the evolution of host defenses, followed by reciprocal counter-adaptations in parasites. This rapidly evolving arms race has resulted in noticeable changes in just a few decades. According to new findings published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, parasitic cuckoos have faster rates of plumage and egg evolution than non-parasitic cuckoos.

Cool Roofs Work Best When Needed Most

Environment





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The people of Santorini, Greece, know something about building for hot climates the rest of the world should learn. Credit: pavant/Shutterstock

White roofs cool cities more when it matters most, during heat waves, a new study has found, making them more effective than previously recognized.

Man And Bear Have The Same Hilarious Reaction When They Spot Each Other

Plants and Animals





Photo credit:

Screenshot from YouTube/iksnyrk

What would you do if you unwittingly bumped into a bear? Keep cool, calm, and collected and react rationally? For most of us, probably not. Jumping out of your skin and legging it faster than you can squeal seems more likely. But it seems such a kneejerk reaction isn’t always one-sided. As demonstrated in this video below, the unsuspecting bear is just as terrified as the human.

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEgeh...]

 

Why Do We Have A Little Groove Under Our Nose?

Health and Medicine





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The little groove is actually known as the "philtrum" and is a product of the way the human face develops. Andrey Mischchenko/Shutterstock

We all have them, though it’s puzzled biologists for a long time as to why we do. I’m talking about that odd little groove found below your nose that runs to your top lip. Technically, it’s known as your philtrum and it’s as ubiquitous to the human face as the nose or eyes. But what is it, and why the hell do we have it? Well fascinatingly enough, it all relates to how faces are formed within the womb during development.

This Week in Science (Dec. 20 – 27)

This is a collection of the 10 best and most popular stories from science and technology over the past 7 days. Click the individual images below to read the stories and follow the This Week in Science on wakelet (here) to get these weekly updates straight to your inbox every Sunday.

Can You Spot The Cat In This Picture?

The Brain





Photo credit:

Can you find the carefully disguised cat in this image? Facebook/Dudolf

Hungarian artist Gergely Dudás – or Dudolf, as he is also known – has really put the cat amongst the pigeons by, ironically, putting a cat amongst owls. The question is, though, can you spot the furry feline masquerading as a feathered critter?

How scientists may save Darwin’s Galápagos finches from extinction

by Eva Botwin-Kowacki

Small birds played an important role in Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. Darwin’s study of finches he had collected in the Galápagos Islands helped him identify speciation, or how new biological species appear.

Today, Darwin’s finches are in danger. A parasitic fly that appeared on the islands just a couple decades ago could drive the finch populations to extinction, say researchers.

But “it’s not all gloom and doom,” University of Utah parasitologist Dale Clayton tells The Christian Science Monitor in an interview. A reduction of nests infested by the fly by just 40 percent should alleviate the risk of extinction, he says.

Read more by clicking on the name of the source below.