Genetic Variability Helps Sea Urchins Cope with Environmental Changes

The current rising acidity in the ocean is supposed to have dire consequences for organisms like coral, but there are some sea urchins that have the genetic tools to adapt to inhospitable conditions.

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Extinct Animals from the Pleistocene Discovered in Mexico

More than a hundred bones of animals, some which could be of human origin from the final stages of the Pleistocene period, were found in the Atontonilco de Tula, Hidalgo scattered within an area of 100 acres, between 7 and 10 meters in depth.

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Short-Period Binary Stars Tend to Merge into Single Star

A computer simulation suggests that there are many single stars that were born as two separate suns, which eventually merged into a single star during the first million years of their existence.

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Alternatives to Apple’s New Earpods: Better Sound For Less Than $100

Amidst the hullabaloo of Apple’s recent iPhone event, perceptive people noticed the redesign of Apple’s venerable earpod. Everyone that has had an iPod or iPhone has used one of these, and they were among the worst earphones I’ve had, since they constantly kept popping out of my ears. Here are some alternatives to the new Apple earpods, which will guarantee better sound without costing too much. More

Reinventing the X-Ray Machine

There have been portable X-ray machines for about a century, but most are heavy and large and require as much power as an electric-fired home water heater.

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Amazon Fire Analysis Might Close Gaps in Climate Models

Brazilian and British scientists have been examining the heavy smoke plumes from wildfires in the Amazon, gathering data, to understand how the burning of biomass in South America is affecting the local weather and air quality. This might help close crucial gaps in climate models about how the process changes the Earth’s radiation balance.

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Microscopic Parasite Toxoplasma Gondii Linked to Personality Changes

Toxoplasmosis, an infection caused by the microscopic parasite Toxoplasma gondii, infects about 22.5% of Americans, aged 12 and older. Researchers tested participants for T. gondii and had them complete a personality questionnaire. Both men and women infected with T. gondii were more extroverted and less conscientious than non-infected participants.

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Study of Korean Eunuchs Shows Castration Led to a Longer Life

There are many instances in the animal world where males have shorter lifespans than females, which scientists attribute to the deleterious effects of testosterone. However, historical scientists that have been looking at records of Korean eunuch castrated during boyhood have now discovered that they lived considerably longer.

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Optimism Bias Disrupted with a Small Magnetic Field

Humans will embrace good news and attenuate bad news. People tend to overestimate their odds in a number of different things, while underplaying the risks of cancer, divorce or unemployment. Researchers from the University of College London (UCL) have found a way of removing the optimism bias that humans suffer from by using a magnetic field on a small region of the brain called the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG).

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Blokket Signal Jammer Pouch for Your Phone: Do Not Disturb V3.0

While I rarely switch my phone off, (i.e. never) I do like to make it shut up when I’m busy. That means that I had to adjust all my push notifications, because I don’t want an update whenever you like a cat on Facebook. That being said, with iOS 6′s Do Not Disturb, do you still need a pouch to block signals?

Read more @ Technabob