The strong-jawed human relative nicknamed "Nutcracker Man" likely didn't crack nuts at all, preferring to graze on grass like a cow instead, scientists find.These findings could dramatically alter conventional wisdom regarding what the earliest members of the human lineage and their relatives ate.The extinct hominid, officially called Paranthropus boisei, ranged across East Africa 1.2 million to 2.3 million years ago, living side-by-side with the direct ancestors of humanity. It earned its nickname because of its massive jaw and huge molars."Nutcracker Man never has been used in the scientific literature, but that's the common name," said researcher Thure Cerling, a geochemist at the University of Utah.It was long assumed that because of its powerful jaw, P.boisei lived up to its nickname and ate nuts, seeds and other hard items. Still, a recent study of its teeth did not turn up the kind of pitting one would expect from hard meals, hinting that it actually dined on softer fare.Now scientists investigating carbon isotope ratios in Nutcracker Man's teeth found "it most likely was eating grass, and most definitely was not cracking nuts," Cerling said.Read Morehttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42865408/ns/technology_and_science-science/
It runs counter to all the received wisdom about revision. But now scientists say cramming at the last minute could actually be better than spending months swotting up for exams.According to the latest research, hormones produced under stress cause changes to our brain cells that can help memories to be stored more efficiently.Stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline alter the way genes inside neurons function, researchers have discovered, enhancing their learning ability.Professor Hans Reul, a neuroscientist at the University of Bristol, said that the findings suggest students' learning could actually be improved by studying when feeling the pressure of a deadline.Cortisol and adrenaline appear to boost a mechanism known as epigenetic modification that 'reprograms' neural DNA, he said, increasing or decreasing the expression of certain genes.Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1382936/Last-minute-exam-stress-actually-help-students-form-stronger-memories.html#ixzz1LGIzVdDj
It’s one of the latest trends in drinking: mixing alcoholic beverages with energy drinks. Though research on the effects of combining the two is not extensive, a new study shows that choosing vodka and Red Bull over rum and Coke may lead to riskier behavior.In the study, 56 college students between the ages of 21 and 33 were randomly assigned to one of four groups: one group drank alcohol, one group drank an energy drink, one group drank alcohol mixed with an energy drink, and the last group received a placebo drink. Researchers then observed the participants’ behavior using a task that measures how quickly a person can execute and suppress actions after drinking. The participants also reported their feelings of stimulation, sedation, impairment, and level of intoxication.Cecile A. Marczinski, assistant professor of psychology at Northern Kentucky University and first author of the study, was quoted as saying, "Our study was designed to demonstrate that alcohol/energy drinks are pharmacologically distinct from alcohol alone and are adding to the risks of drinking."While the study showed no difference in the level of impairment of people who drank alcohol/energy drinks compared to those who drank just alcohol, the study did demonstrate an enhanced feeling of stimulation in participants who drank mixed alcohol/energy drink beverages. This suggests drinking alcohol and energy drinks together may heighten the risks associated with drinking."We found that an energy drink alters the reaction of alcohol that a drinker experiences when compared to a drinker that consumed alcohol alone…," Marczinski said. "The consumer of the alcohol/energy drink felt more stimulated compared to an alcohol-alone consumer. Therefore, consumption of an energy drink combined with alcohol sets up a risky scenario for the drinker due to this enhanced feeling of stimulation and high impulsivity levels."Read Morehttp://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=26786
