February 2013 – Page 7

02.15.2013

crowd-funding science

The NPR points out a new trend in science – turning to the internet to raise funds for research. Scientist are starting to turn to sites like Kickstarter to look for funding for some of their projects:

People’s fascination with their inner workings may provide a new way for scientists to raise money for basic research. Just ask the folks at uBiome and American Gut.

Both are basic science projects aimed at understanding how microbiomes influence health. And in return for funding from individuals, both will provide donors with an analysis of the bacteria in their very own digestive track.

Using the Internet to crowd fund, the uBiome and American Gut projects have together raised more than $600,000.

Researchers are saying that it allows them to engage more with the public, which may lead to questions that they had never thought of.

“There’s something magical that happens with crowd funding where you start getting 500 emails from people telling you, ‘well, does it do this?’ Or, ‘what about that?’ Or, ‘why doesn’t it do that?’ And that really helps you refine what you’re doing and understand better what people’s questions and needs are,” Richman says.

More here.

02.14.2013

the chemistry of love

Oxytocin

Oxytocin seems to play a big role in fostering the bonds of love and empathy. From Scientific American:

One way to clarify that question is to give individuals oxytocin rather than just measure naturally occurring levels. In experiments by couple therapist and researcher Beate Ditzen at the University of Zurich, couples each sprayed a liquid containing oxytocin up their noses (which ensures that the hormone reaches the brain). Ditzen then got them to talk with each other about an issue that both partners said often lead to disagreement or fighting, such as who did the housework or how they spent their free time. She observed how they communicated with each other during the discussion compared with couples who didn’t get the hormone.

The first time Ditzen and her colleagues did this experiment they found that for both men and women oxytocin improved communication and lowered cortisol, a stress hormone. But in a recent study published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Ditzen and her colleagues measured salivary alpha-amylase (sAA)—an enzyme tied specifically to social stress—and found that men and women responded differently. Women who got oxytocin showed a decrease in sAA whereas men showed an increase and reported feeling more intense emotions. Counterintuitively, these men were also better at communication during conflict: they smiled more, had more eye-contact and were more open about their feelings. These behaviors are essential for peaceful conflict resolution.

Much much more at the link. Happy Valentine’s Day!

02.13.2013

drunk on diet soda

Some people may get drunker when mixing alcohol with diet sodas compared to regular soda

A new (and small) research study suggests that mixing diet soda with alcoholic beverages can lead to greater intoxication than having alcohol with a sugared mixer. NPR’s Allison Aubrey spoke with the researcher about the findings:

So what was the motivation for the new study? “I wanted to know if the choice of a mixer could be the factor that puts a person above or below the legal limit,” writes Marczinski, who’s a professor at Northern Kentucky University.

And it turns out, diet soda might just push you past that tipping point. Marczinski’s study found that the average BrAC was .091 (at its peak) when subjects drank alcohol mixed with a diet drink. By comparison, BrAC was .077 when the same subjects consumed the same amount of alcohol but with a sugary soda.

“I was a little surprised by the findings, since the 18% increase in BrAC was a fairly large difference,” Marczinski tells The Salt via email.

Marczinski says she also wanted to determine if the volunteers in her study (eight women, eight men) would notice any differences between the two mixers. Not so much, it turns out.

The subjects didn’t report feeling more impaired or intoxicated after drinking the diet soda mixer, compared to the sugary soda. Experts say this may put them at an increased risk of drinking and driving.

GOLLYGEE!

Month: February 2013 (page 7 of 13)

crowd-funding science

the chemistry of love

drunk on diet soda