Monday is here again. It is time for a science break from all the politics of the day. Pull up that comfy chair for some exciting and tantalizing news in the realm of science. New discoveries. New takes on old knowledge. The base of information and knowledge grows at a rate much too fast to keep up with all that is available.
Over the fold are some of my favorite selections from a few of the many excellent science news sites around the world. Today's tidbits include falling water levels in many rivers, self-healing concrete, grapes may aid in prevention of heart disease, nicotine and anger management, ancient wetlands likely source of methane increase 12,000 years ago, and disparity in U.S. health care supported by statistics. Follow down the yellow brick road for one more session of science education and entertainment.
More bad news in the climate issues of the day comes with news of falling water levels in many world rivers.
Several of the rivers channeling less water serve large populations, including the Yellow River in northern China, the Ganges in India, the Niger in West Africa, and the Colorado in the southwestern United States. In contrast, the scientists reported greater stream flow over sparsely populated areas near the Arctic Ocean, where snow and ice are rapidly melting.
The full impact of this change remains to be seen with effects on both water and food supplies for humans around the world.
A new concrete substance has the property of being self-healing according to researchers.
...extra dry cement in the concrete exposed on the crack surfaces can react with water and carbon dioxide to heal and form a thin white scar of calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is a strong compound found naturally in seashells. In the lab, the material requires between one and five cycles of wetting and drying to heal.
The nature of the substance allows concrete structures to be built without steel reinforcement. Overall the new concrete should allow longer lasting bridges and roads in addition to other structures in our future.
Animal studies including diets with vegetables and fruits show new evidence grapes may have more value to the heart than just reducing blood pressure.
After 18 weeks, the rats that received the grape-enriched diet powder had lower blood pressure, better heart function, and fewer signs of heart muscle damage than the rats that ate the same salty diet but didn't receive grapes.
So we have one more reason to supp
Many people claim smoking relieves their stress. Now a study shows the effects of nicotine on two parts of the brain.
Turns out that the nicotine targets a system of the brain focused on regulating emotion, known as the limbic cortex. PET scans showed increased brain activity in those brain regions for people on the patch.
This calming effect may act as an anger management crutch for people in need.
The unusual rise in atmospheric methane levels 12,000 years ago was not the effect of release from the ocean floor as many suggest.
It now appears almost certain that the major methane increases that occurred near the end of the last Ice Age were due to the growth of wetlands and the methane releases associated with that, which occurred shortly after some significant warming in the Northern Hemisphere.
A new study of healthcare in the U.S. looked at the disparity between racial groups.
Two-thirds of the difference between death rates among African Americans and Caucasians are now due to causes that could be prevented or cured.
For more science news see these and other websites:
General Science Collectors:
Eureka Science News
New Scientist
LiveScience
PhysOrg.com
Space Daily
Blogs:
ScienceBlogs
Tetrapod Zoologyvertebrate paleontology
Laelaps more vertebrate paleontology
Cantauri Dreams space exploration
Deep Sea News marine biology
A Few Things Ill Considered Techie and Science News:
Wired News
Techonology Review
Space Review
List of Geoscience Blogs
Science RSS Feed: Medworm
Check out Daily Kos University, a regular series by plf515 on Saturday mornings for a roundup of the week's educational diaries.
And here at Daily Kos see This Week in Science by DarkSyde.
Also here at Daily Kos watch for Overnight News Digest:Science Saturday by Neon Vincent.
NASA picture of the day. For more see the NASA website. These pictures are evidence of your tax dollars hard at work.
Uvs Nuur Basin, Mongolia, NASA, Public Domain
Peace.