Heavens | Page 221 | Science Codex

NASA sees system 91B making landfall in southwestern India

A tropical low was affecting southern India and Sri Lanka on May 6 at 0809 UTC when the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite called TRMM flew above it. By May 7, System 91B moved over southwestern India and became less organized.

TRMM's Precipitation Radar revealed that rain was falling at a rate of 66 mm (2.6 inches) per hour in the stormy area south of India (5.2 north latitude and 77.1 east longitude). TRMM PR saw the tallest thunderstorm towers over Sri Lanka where heights were pushing to altitudes above 13 km (8 miles).

Breastfeeding promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut

A number of studies have shown that breastfed babies grow slightly slower and are slightly slimmer than children who are fed with infant formula. Children who are breastfed also have a slightly lower incidence of obesity, allergies, diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease later in life. According to a new study by the National Food Institute and the University of Copenhagen this may be due to the fact that breastfeeding promotes the development of beneficial bacteria in the baby's gut.

Arctic study sheds light on tree-ring divergence problem

SAN FRANCISCO -- Changes in tree-ring density in the Arctic may be evidence of changes in light intensity during the trees' growth, according to a new study by San Francisco State University researcher Alexander Stine.

The finding has direct implications for the tree-ring "divergence problem," a phenomenon that has received considerable media attention but has been widely misinterpreted, said Stine, an assistant professor of Earth & climate sciences.

Nearest bright 'hypervelocity star' found

SALT LAKE CITY, May 7, 2014 – A University of Utah-led team discovered a "hypervelocity star" that is the closest, second-brightest and among the largest of 20 found so far. Speeding at more than 1 million mph, the star may provide clues about the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way and the halo of mysterious "dark matter" surrounding the galaxy, astronomers say.

When newlyweds believe in sharing household chores, follow-through is everything

URBANA, Ill. – Of all the starry-eyed just-married couples you know, which couples are likely to stay the happiest? A University of Illinois study says chances for bliss are highest when husband and wife both believe in divvying up the household labor equally. But that happiness won't last long if one partner is perceived as not carrying their fair share of the load.

NeuroStar TMS therapy shows favorable outcomes compared to antidepressants for depression

NEW YORK, May 6, 2014 – Neuronetics, Inc. announced today a new analysis of data at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association that shows Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) administered with the NeuroStar TMS Therapy System resulted in greater symptom improvement than next-choice conventional antidepressant medication among patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) who failed to benefit from prior antidepressant medication.

Neutron star magnetic fields: Not so turbulent, after all?

Neutron stars, the extraordinarily dense stellar bodies created when massive stars collapse, are known to host the strongest magnetic fields in the universe -- as much as a billion times more powerful than any man-made electromagnet. But some neutron stars are much more strongly magnetized than others, and this disparity has long puzzled astrophysicists.

Planck reveals magnetic fingerprint of our galaxy

The team—which includes researchers from the University of British Columbia and the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) at the University of Toronto—created the map using data from the Planck Space Telescope. Since 2009, Planck has charted the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), the light from the Universe a mere 380,000 years after the Big Bang.

Are we ready for contact with extraterrestrial intelligence?

The SETI project scientists are known for tracking possible extraterrestrial signals, but now they are also considering sending messages from Earth telling of our position. A researcher from the University of Cádiz (Spain) questions this idea in view of the results from a survey taken by students, revealing the general level of ignorance about the cosmos and the influence of religion when tackling these matters.

Simulated model of eye's 3D structure facilitates stem cells transplant

Orlando, Fla. — Scientists have developed a model that mimics the complex structure of the cornea to enable the transplant of healthy corneal stem cells. The research is being presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Orlando Fla.

Astronomers harness the galaxy's biggest telescope

An international team of astronomers has made a measurement of a distant neutron star that is one million times more precise than the previous world's best.

The researchers were able to use the interstellar medium, the 'empty' space between stars and galaxies that is made up of sparsely spread charged particles, as a giant lens to magnify and look closely at the radio wave emission from a small rotating neutron star.

UCLA's 'Laughter Guy' dissects features of counterfeit chortling

Ever wonder how often you fool your boss or in-laws by pretending to laugh at their dumb jokes?

The answer is probably just over one-third of the time, according to new research by a UCLA communication expert who has conducted research on fake laughs.

When your fake laughs fall short of convincing, tiny subtleties of your breathing are probably giving you away, suggests Greg Bryant, an associate professor of communication studies at UCLA.

Rising treatment costs drive up health care spending

It's a well-known fact that spending on health care has consistently grown faster than the rest of the U.S. economy. What's behind this trend is less certain. Economists point to two causes: the prevalence of diseases and conditions afflicting the U.S. population, or the rising costs of treating diseases. New research from American University Associate Professor Martha Starr and Virginia Tech Research Professor Ana Aizcorbe shows it is the latter, with higher prices for treatment accounting for 70 percent of growth in health care spending.

Active seniors can lower heart attack risk by doing more, not less

Maintaining or boosting your physical activity after age 65 can improve your heart's electrical well-being and lower your risk of heart attack, according to a study in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

In heart monitor recordings taken over five years, researchers found that people who walked more and faster and had more physically active leisure time had fewer irregular heart rhythms and greater heart rate variability than those who were less active.

Terahertz imaging on the cheap

Terahertz imaging, which is already familiar from airport security checkpoints, has a number of other promising applications — from explosives detection to collision avoidance in cars. Like sonar or radar, terahertz imaging produces an image by comparing measurements across an array of sensors. Those arrays have to be very dense, since the distance between sensors is proportional to wavelength.