openscience

Why do babies smile when they interact with their parents? Could their smiles have a purpose? A team of computer scientists, roboticists and developmental psychologists confirm what most parents already suspect: when babies smile, they do so with a purpose -- to make the person they interact with smile in return. To verify their findings, researchers programmed a toddler-like robot to behave like the babies they studied and had the robot interact with undergraduate students.

Scientists have successfully defeated a dangerous intestinal pathogen, Clostridium difficile, with a drug targeting its toxins rather than its life. C. difficile is responsible for more than 250,000 hospitalizations and 15,000 deaths per year in the United States, costing the country more than $4 billion in health-care expenses, said the study's senior author.

Researchers used a brain-to-brain interface they developed to allow pairs of participants to play a '20 question' style game by transmitting signals from one brain to another over the Internet. Their experiment is thought to be the first to demonstrate that two brains can be directly linked to allow someone to accurately guess what is on another person's mind.

A 9,000-year-old case of human decapitation has been found in the rock shelter of Lapa do Santo in Brazil.

Can women with low platelet counts safely undergo epidural/spinal anesthesia during labor? Available evidence suggests a low rate of complications related to abnormal blood clotting for this large group of patients.

A low-cost method of removing phosphates from tile drainage water has been developed, and may help protect lakes and streams. Using steel byproducts to trap phosphates in simulated tile drainage water, the researchers envision installing a steel-containing cartridge as an add-on to nitrate-capturing bioreactors.

Agricultural inputs such as nitrogen and phosphorous alter soil microbial communities, which may have unintended environmental consequences, new research from an ecologist shows.

Most recreational anglers who target deep-water reef fish in Florida recognize barotrauma symptoms, and researchers think they can teach the other 30 percent to help save the fish. By doing so, anglers would play a key role in sustaining the state’s valuable fisheries.

When faced with a change to our environment, we have to make appropriate decisions, which usually involves the orbitofrontal cortex. Yet unexpectedly, scientists have discovered that a brain region located in the thalamus also plays a crucial role in using these evolved skills.

The majority of patients who undergo routine, uncomplicated operations prefer online postoperative consultations to in-person visits, according to results from a new study.

Physiologists trying to understand the genetic code have found a previously unknown code that helps explain which protein should be created to form a particular type of cell.

The world's oceans have seen significant declines in certain types of microscopic plant-life at the base of the marine food chain, according to a new NASA study. The research is the first to look at global, long-term phytoplankton community trends based on a model driven by NASA satellite data.

Cells that express neurogenin 3 may one day be harnessed to create a plentiful supply of insulin-producing beta cells for the treatment of diabetes, a study suggests.

Low-energy, ultrafast laser technology is able to make high-resolution, 3-D structures in transparent silk protein hydrogels to support cell growth and allow cells to penetrate deep within the material. The work represents a new approach to customized engineering of tissue and biomedical implants. Its efficacy was shown in vivo and in vitro.

In cancer patients nearing the end of life, certain subtypes of delirium -- specifically, hypoactive and 'mixed' delirium -- are a strong indicator that death will come soon, reports a new study.

Games used for exercising can improve physical and mental fitness in children with autism spectrum disorders, a new study concludes. As a way to combat a lack of physical activity, researchers investigated the use of the Makoto arena, a triangular shaped arena with pillars at each point, each with lights and sounds at various levels of the pillars. Those playing the game must hit the correct spots as they light up on different pillars.

American researchers in a new study found that rather being treated as an effective public safety tool that can prevent deaths, ignition interlock laws are typically viewed like normal regulatory policies or seen as too lenient a form of criminal punishment.

As if life wasn't hard enough during the last Ice Age, a new study has found Australia's first human inhabitants had to contend with giant killer lizards. Researchers working in Central Queensland were amazed when they unearthed the first evidence that Australia's early human inhabitants and giant apex predator lizards had overlapped.

Neuroscientists have now identified a brain circuit that processes the 'when' and 'where' components of memory. Previous models of memory had suggested that the hippocampus, a brain structure critical for memory formation, separates timing and context information. However, the new study shows that this information is split even before it reaches the hippocampus.

Biological engineers have devised a new mix-and-match system to genetically engineer viruses that target specific bacteria. The approach could generate new weapons against bacteria for which there are no effective antibiotics.