ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


New test scans all genes simultaneously to identify single mutation causing child's rare genetic disease

Posted: 18 Oct 2014 09:26 AM PDT

Sequencing the DNA of children with mystery genetic disorders produced a definitive diagnosis in 40 percent of one hospital's most complex cases -- a quantum leap from the field's 5-percent success rate 20 years ago.

Women driven by status, wealth rather than wanting babies, study suggests

Posted: 17 Oct 2014 05:54 PM PDT

Women are more driven to seek wealth and status than they are to reproduce, a new study suggests. The research says although low fertility may seem to go against traditional ideas about evolutionary success, a woman will delay and reduce her fertility if it brings her opportunities for higher status. The findings are based on interviews with 9,000 women in Mongolia, a country that underwent a sudden transition from a Soviet-style state to mass privatization.

Scale of declines of UK migratory birds wintering in Africa revealed

Posted: 17 Oct 2014 05:51 PM PDT

The migration of millions of birds across the face of the planet is one of nature's greatest annual events. Every spring some species move in one direction, while every autumn those same species move in the opposite one, very often linking continents. Although these migration patterns are as regular as the seasons, monitoring is revealing that, for some species, fewer birds are making the journey each season as the populations of these birds, including species nesting in the UK, are declining rapidly.

YouTube as peer support for severe mental illness

Posted: 17 Oct 2014 03:37 PM PDT

People with severe mental illness such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder use a popular social media website like YouTube to provide and receive naturally occurring peer support, researchers report.

Australian volcanic mystery explained

Posted: 17 Oct 2014 03:37 PM PDT

Scientists have solved a long-standing mystery surrounding Australia's only active volcanic area. The volcanism springs from a unique interaction between the continent's movement north and local variations in its thickness.

Climate change alters cast of winter birds

Posted: 17 Oct 2014 03:34 PM PDT

Over the past two decades, the resident communities of birds that attend eastern North America's backyard bird feeders in winter have quietly been remade, most likely as a result of a warming climate.

Using feminist theory to understand male rape

Posted: 17 Oct 2014 08:11 AM PDT

Decades of feminist research have framed rape and sexual assault as a 'women's issue', leaving little room for the experiences of male victims. But a new study suggests that feminist theory, with its focus on the gendered nature of rape, can also help us understand the stigmas, social constructions and realities associated with male rape.