Ohio State University
Children who grow up with one or more siblings get along better with their classmates in kindergarten than do only children, new research shows. In a national study of more than 20,000 children, teachers rated students who had at least one sibling as better able to form and maintain friendships, get along with people who are different, comfort and help other children, express feelings in a positive way, and show sensitivity to the feelings of others.
Believe it or not, a 5-year-old could beat most adults on a recognition memory test, at least under specific conditions, according to a new study. These findings run counter to what has been known for years from memory research -- namely, that memory develops from early childhood to young adulthood, with young adults having much better memory than children. In one study, children were accurate 31 percent of the time in identifying pictures of animals they had seen earlier, while adults were accurate only 7 percent of the time.
Women are at least twice as likely as men to develop some musculoskeletal disorders of the upper body. That's the finding of scientists at Ohio State University who re-analyzed data from 56 previous studies on the subject. This new work, though it did not yield specific incidence rates for different disorders, gives researchers a critical baseline for comparing gender differences in the prevalence of disorders of the neck, shoulders, arms, and hands.
A faint star nearly 2,000 light-years away now has something in common with our sun that no other single star has. An Ohio State University astronomer and his colleagues have directly measured the mass of that star -- the first time such a feat has been accomplished for any single star other than our own sun. Until now, scientists could only measure the mass of other stars that were part of binary (two-star) systems, so this new research may better answer questions about singular stars like the sun.
High levels of church attendance in the ninth grade may protect some African-American teenagers from getting involved in risky behaviors throughout the rest of their high school career, a new study suggests. After talking with some 700 African-American teens every year for four years, the researchers found that more religious activity in the ninth grade predicted smaller increases in marijuana use among boys and cigarette use among girls.
Scientists have found that a formaldehyde-based chemical is 100 times more common in parts of our galaxy than can be explained. The finding could change ideas about how organic molecules form in the universe, and how those molecules' critical interaction with dust causes stars and planets to form.
Jet engines may run quieter in the future.
Researchers have developed a silencer technology that creates electrical arcs to control turbulence in engine exhaust airflow -- the chief cause of engine noise. The university has applied for a patent on the design.
With the flip of a switch, pilots could turn the silencers -- called plasma actuators -- on and off, reducing noise around commercial airports or military airstrips.
Public opinion about stem-cell research appears to be very volatile, and could be swayed in either direction, according to a researcher who recently studied poll results on the issue.
''Polls show that the public doesn't know much about the science or the policy surrounding stem-cell research, and that means they really haven't solidified their opinions,'' said Matthew Nisbet, an assistant professor of journalism and communication at Ohio State University.
A small Ohio study has offered the first published evidence that aggressively treating brain blood clots at their source soon after symptoms start can produce a good outcome for many stroke patients.
In the study, published in a recent issue of the journal Neurosurgery, 50 percent of stroke patients had little or no neurological disability one to three months after clot-dissolving medication was delivered directly to the site of the blockages, compared to 39 percent of patients with similarly good outcomes documented in a large national trial of intravenous (IV) drug treatment for stroke. In all cases, time was an issue: The drugs in both trials were administered within three hours of the onset of symptoms.
Just being unhappy with their bodies is not enough to lead most women into eating disorders -- it takes additional factors, according to a new study.
Women are more likely to have eating disorders when their body dissatisfaction is accompanied by other issues -- most importantly, a tendency to obsessively examine their bodies and think about how they appear to others. The results showed ''body surveillance'' was the strongest factor that predicted which women with body dissatisfaction were likely to report symptoms of eating disorders.
Medical implants -- from catheters that deliver long-term life support to joint replacements -- may work better when their surfaces are on the rough side, new research suggests. Implants often have surfaces that soft tissue, such as skin and connective tissue, cannot attach to, said Andreas von Recum, the study's lead author and a professor of biomedical engineering at Ohio State University. So the body in turn forms a tissue capsule around the implant, sealing it off from the rest of the body.
Parents of Puerto Rican children are more likely than parents in other ethnic groups to report asthma among their children, and researchers wonder if the relationship between asthma symptoms and psychological problems may explain why. The connections between asthma and psychological symptoms are complex, and it is difficult to disentangle what's really causing the various symptoms suffered by Puerto Rican children in this study, said Alexander Ortega, the study's lead author and associate professor of public health at Ohio State University.
People are not drawn to religion just because of a fear of death or any other single reason, according to a new comprehensive, psychological theory of religion.
There are actually 16 basic human psychological needs that motivate people to seek meaning through religion, said Steven Reiss, author of the new theory and professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University.
Smokers who pride themselves on successfully cutting back as a step toward quitting tobacco altogether may be caught in a haze of self-deception. New research shows smokers who slash their cigarette use by half quickly change the way they smoke to compensate for less exposure ? ironically, in the process, often boosting their consumption of smoke, carbon monoxide, nicotine and other cancer-causing agents.
If you want to turn your workout routine up a notch with the explosive, muscle-building exercises called plyometrics, take your regimen to a swimming pool, researchers suggest. But do so cautiously. During plyometric exercise, a muscle lengthens while it is contracting and producing force. This type of exercise program ? a mainstay of many athletic team weight-training programs during the off-season ? can increase muscle strength in less time than traditional resistance training.
