(AP) -- Military binoculars may soon get information directly from the brains of the soldiers using them. With the idea that that the brain absorbs and assesses more visual information than it lets on - and that it could make more sense out of what's visible through high-power binoculars if it stopped filtering that information - the Pentagon has awarded contracts to two defense firms to develop brainwave-aided binoculars.
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Pain is in the eyes of the beholder
By manipulating the appearance of a chronically achy hand, researchers have found they could increase or decrease the pain and swelling in patients moving their symptomatic limbs. The findings—reported in the November 25th issue of
Current Biology, a Cell Press publication—reveal a profound top-down effect of body image on body tissues, according to the researchers.
Internet promoting pseudo-epidemics?
You see the signs promoting cancer screening nearly everywhere you go these days -- airports, bus stations and online. The ads promote cancer screening as a form of preventive medicine, and almost always refer you to an Internet site, where you can learn more about screening, and even register for screening for brain, heart or lung cancer -- and other dreaded maladies -- online. No doctor's appointment needed. Just sign-up and get the test results yourself from the lab.
Scientists unravel the secret world of elephant communication
It's a cloudless July afternoon in Etosha National Park in northern Namibia, and ecologist Caitlin O'Connell-Rodwell is scanning the horizon for elephants. "It's so fantastic here," she says. "We're constantly seeing elephants, rhinos, zebras, ostriches - it's the Garden of Eden."
A research associate in the Stanford University School of Medicine, O'Connell-Rodwell has come to one of Africa's premiere wildlife sanctuaries to explore the mysterious and complex world of elephant communication. She and her colleagues are part of a scientific revolution that began nearly two decades ago with the stunning revelation that elephants communicate over long distances using low-pitched sounds that are barely audible to humans.
December: Ursid meteor shower out-performs the Geminids
The annual Geminid meteor shower, which will reach its maximum on the night of Dec. 13-14, usually offers the best show of the year, outperforming even the Perseid shower of August.
Computer Simulations Reveal Exotic Weather on Distant Worlds
(PhysOrg.com) -- Computer simulations of the atmospheric circulation on Jupiter-like planets around other stars can explain temperature observations of these planets and shed light on the exotic weather experienced by these far-away worlds.
August brings the Perseid meteors and a cluster of planets
(PhysOrg.com) -- The annual Perseid meteor shower will peak before dawn on Aug. 12. This year the Perseids will be competing with the nearly full moon at first, but after the moon sets there will be many bright streaks in the sky.
Study shows parasites outweigh predators
In a study of free-living and parasitic species in three estuaries on the Pacific coast of California and Baja California, a team of researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara, the United States Geological Survey, and Princeton University has determined that parasite biomass in those habitats exceeds that of top predators, in some cases by a factor of 20. Their findings, which could have significant biomedical and ecological implications, appear in the July 24 issue of the science journal
Nature.
Context is everything: New research uncovers key to consumer preferences
When consumers shop for televisions or cereal, what makes them prefer one option to another? Which brand will they purchase again and tell their friends about?