Weird Science

The last ice age 13,000 years ago took hold in just one year, more than ten times quicker than previously believed, scientists have warned. Rather than a gradual cooling over a decade, the ice age plunged Europe into the deep freeze, German Research Centre for Geosciences at Potsdam said. Cold, stormy conditions causedby an abrupt shift in atmospheric circulation froze the continent almost instantly during the Younger Dryas less than 13,000 years ago – a very recent period on a geological scale.

The new findings will add to fears of a serious risk of this happening again in the UK and western Europe – and soon.Dr Achim Brauer, of the GFZ (GeoForschungs Zentrum) German Research Centre for Geosciences at Potsdam, and colleagues analysed annuallayers of sediments, called "varves", from a German crater lake. Each varve records a single year, allowing annual climate records from the region to be reconstructed.

View: Full Article | Source: Scotsman

Could magnets make the mind grow stronger? In mice at least, stimulating the brain with a magnetic coil appears to promote the growth of new neurons in areas associated with learning and memory. If the effect is confirmed in humans, it might open up new ways of treating age-related memory decline and diseases like Alzheimer's.Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been used experimentally to treat a range of brain disorders, including depression and schizophrenia, and torehabilitate people after a stroke.

TMS uses a magnetic coil to induce electric fields in the brain tissue - activating or deactivating groups of neurons, although the exact mechanism has remained unknown. One theory was that it aided learning and memory by strengthening brain circuits through a process called long-term potentiation (LTP).To investigate, Fortunato Battaglia at the City University of New York and his colleagues gave mice TMS for five days, then analysed their brains for evidence of LTP or cell proliferation.They confirmed that TMS enhanced LTP in all areas of the braintested, by modifying key glutamate receptors so that they stayed active for longer. The team also saw large increases in the proliferation of stem cells in the dentate gyrus hippocampus. These cells divide throughout life and are now believed to play a crucial role in memory and mood regulation.

View: Full Article | Source: New Scientist

Dark matter is thought to account for three-quarters of the matter in the universe but to date has never been directly observed. Now scientists are claiming a breakthrough discovery ofactual dark matter in a mine half a mile underground."For 80 years, it has eluded the finest minds in science.

But tonight it appeared that the hunt may be over for dark matter, the mysterious and invisible substance that accounts for three-quarters ofthe matter in the universe."

View: Full Article | Source: GuardianUnlimited

A run down of seven futuristic weapons that have passed squarely in to the realms of reality.From rail guns to automated robots, these weapon systems were once seen only in science fiction but are now very much a reality. This article takes a look at seven of the most interesting futuristic weapons of today. Lifehas been imitating art with a vengeance lately in the field of weaponry.

A number of weapons and weapons systems now on active duty or in the prototype stage seem to have been ripped straight out of the overwrought imagination of a sci-fi writer.

View: Full article | Source: Tech NewsDaily