Culture | Page 2748 | Science Codex

Weeding out marijuana: researchers close in on drug-free Cannabis plant

In a first step toward engineering a drug-free Cannabis plant for hemp fiber and oil, University of Minnesota researchers have identified genes producing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive substance in marijuana. Studying the genes could also lead to new and better drugs for pain, nausea and other conditions.

The finding is published in the September issue of the Journal of Experimental Botany. Lead author is David Marks, a professor of plant biology in the College of Biological Sciences.

Adapting education to society's needs should be primary focus, experts believe

Successfully introducing Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) into classrooms is one of the biggest challenges proposed by new educational plans. A research group from the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU) has studied substituting the current way in which education is structured for a new one that takes full advantage of the potential of new technologies.

Archaeologists uncover rare engraving of Alexander the Great at Tel Dor

Haifa, Israel – September 15, 2009 – A rare and surprising archaeological discovery at Tel Dor: A gemstone engraved with the portrait of Alexander the Great was uncovered during excavations by an archaeological team directed by Dr. Ayelet Gilboa of the University of Haifa and Dr. Ilan Sharon of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. "Despite its miniature dimensions – the stone is less than a centimeter high and its width is less than half a centimeter – the engraver was able to depict the bust of Alexander on the gem without omitting any of the ruler's characteristics" notes Dr.

Spanking found to have negative effects on toddlers of low-income families

A new longitudinal study that looks at how low-income parents discipline their young children has found that spanking 1-year-olds leads to more aggressive behaviors and less sophisticated cognitive development in the next two years. Verbal punishment is not associated with such effects, especially when it is accompanied by emotional support from moms. In addition, 1-year-olds' fussiness predicted spanking and verbal punishment at ages 1, 2, and 3.

Toddlers can't learn from educational TV without adult support

American infants and toddlers watch TV an average of two hours a day, and much of the programming is billed as educational. A new study finds that children under age 3 learn less from these videos that we might think—unless there's an adult present to interact with them and support their learning.

The study, by researchers at Temple University and the University of Delaware, can be found in the September/October 2009 issue of the journal Child Development.

Chronic TV exposure found to hinder parent-child interactions

More than a third of American infants and toddlers live in homes where the television is on most or all the time, even if no one's watching. A new study looks for the first time at the effect of background TV on interactions between parents and young children—and finds that the effect is negative.

The study, in the September/October 2009 issue of the journal Child Development, was done by researchers at the University of Massachusetts.

Parental physical discipline through childhood linked to behavior problems in teens

Two new studies explore how discipline changes during childhood and adolescence, and what family factors affect those changes. They conclude that when parents use physical discipline through childhood, their children experience more behavior problems in adolescence.

The studies were conducted by researchers at Duke University, Oklahoma State University, the University of Pittsburgh, Auburn University, and Indiana University. They appear in the September/October 2009 issue of Child Development.

High-quality child care could be best anti-poverty tool available

Chestnut Hill, Mass. (September 15, 2009) – For low income parents, finding high-quality child care not only boosts the performance of their children in school, but actually combats the effects of poverty, according to a new study in the journal Child Development.

Children who spent more time in high-quality child care in the first five years of their lives had better reading and math scores in middle school, according to researchers from Boston College, the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Samford University, who studied 1,300 middle school students.

Is the GRADE framework evidence based?

Is the GRADE framework evidence based?

In this week's open access journal PLoS Medicine, Brian Kavanagh (Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada) critiques the GRADE system of grading guidelines, arguing that even though it has evolved through the Evidence-Based Medicine movement, there is no evidence that GRADE itself is reliable. This paper is debated in a related Perspective by Mohammed Ansari and colleagues from the University of Ottawa.

Controlling parasitic worm infections crucial to economic development in Rwanda

Northern Rwandan inhabitants infected with more than two species of parasitic worm are more likely to be underweight than those with just one or with no infection, according to new research published September 15 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. The researchers, from the Rwanda Access Project, Imperial College London, and Columbia University, say this highlights the value of regular deworming for children.

Upset over California's classifying invasive moths as 'pests'? Too bad

A new report from the National Research Council finds that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is within its broad regulatory authority to classify California's invasive Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM) as an "actionable" pest, which the agency asserted in a draft response document to two petitions questioning the classification.

Heart disease trends are back on the rise

After two decades of improvement, the percentage of Americans without major heart disease risk factors is dropping, according to a report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Combat exposure may hypertension and high blood pressure

A survey of American servicemen and women who reported experiencing multiple combat exposures were more likely to self-report high blood pressure than military members not exposed to combat, according to research reported in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

In a new population-based prospective study, researchers analyzed 36,061 service members, including a sub-group of 8,829 deployed in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2001 and 2003. After a three-year follow-up, researchers found that:

Intersex fish found in US Rivers

Intersex in smallmouth and largemouth basses is widespread in numerous river basins throughout the United States, according to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research published in Aquatic Toxicology.

New research analyzes the corporate attorney-client privilege

Due to the evolutionary legal landscape, corporate lawyers now find themselves relying on information and guidance from non-legal advisers like accountants, investment bankers, and public relations professionals. This aids the lawyer in providing well-rounded legal advice to their clients. In response to this trend, federal courts currently disagree on the appropriate measurement to analyze the attorney-client privilege when communications involve outside consultants.