Some recent science news on Science Island. Read more details here: https://scienceisland.org 1 - NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover Arrives at Martian Mountain “Curiosity now will begin a new chapter from an already outstanding introduction to the world,” said Jim Green, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “After a historic and innovative landing along with its successful science discoveries, the scientific sequel is upon us.” 2 - How Evolutionary Principles Can Help Save Our World The age of the Anthropocene — the scientific name given to our current geologic age — is dominated by human impacts on our environment. A warming climate. Increased resistance of pathogens and pests. A swelling population. Coping with these modern global challenges requires application of what one might call a more-ancient principle: evolution. 3 - Neurons Found That Control Social Behavior May Have Implications for Autism Humans with autism often show a reduced frequency of social interactions and an increased tendency to engage in repetitive solitary behaviors. Autism has also been linked to dysfunction of the amygdala, a brain structure involved in processing emotions. Now Caltech researchers have discovered antagonistic neuron populations in the mouse amygdala that control whether the animal engages in social behaviors or asocial repetitive self-grooming. This discovery may have implications for understanding neural circuit dysfunctions that underlie autism in humans.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 00:29:00 +0000
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