Learning topics better when varied and spaced

Science 2.0 - How To Learn From Robert Bjork, Director of UCLA Learning and Forgetting lab

The brief recollection of the interview gives some strategies for learning, starting with "interleaving". Bits of skill or parts of a topic should be mixed between each other-- like overlaid leaves-- rather than intense study devoted to one part topic, then the next, and so on. The example is to forgo studying a tennis serve exclusively and then work on footwork exclusively, but to mix up the various skills continuously. The argument is that the continuous buildup of these varied skills will "sum" to greater mastery than focused, exclusive, turn-taking study. Another tip: study in a variety of places, to dissociate your learning from a specific location. Along the same line as the previous ones, Bjork talks about studying, then waiting, then studying again. If you are able to retrieve what you learned the first time during the second session, learning should be stronger. The hypothesis is that successful retrieval (of information) strengthens the process for the future. This is harder work, but the theme is that the harder the work, the greater the learning. For instance, try taking notes after class rather than during: more work, but using the retrieval should strengthen the command of what was learned.

Ants defend African savannah against hungry elephants

Science Daily - Ants take on Goliath role in protecting trees in the savannah from elephants

The East-African savannah houses a variety of herbivores and the elephant plays a significant role in its deforestation. As the drought-prone region becomes more so due to global warming, there is a risk the region will be converted to grassland from savannah as hungry elephants eat most of the trees. Researchers observed that elephants largely avoided one species of tree, the Acacia drepanolobium, though in a nursery with controlled conditions ate it as freely as other species. In the savannah, the tree houses colonies of ants, who use its cover and feed off its nectar. The ants aggressively swarm animals that get near the tree, and in the case of elephants, crawl up their trunks and bite the insides. Ants weren't able to affect the giraffe as easily, which uses its tongue to swipe away the ants. But the ant/tree defense against the elephant was shown to play a role in keeping trees in the savannah while other trees were eaten. It appears the elephants know to avoid the trees due to smelling the ants, which raises the possibility of using an ant-odor to repel elephants from human crops.

Better dance moves involve the head and torso

ScienceNOW - These dance moves are irresistible

In this study, researchers got avatars of real dancers using motion capture technology and video cameras. This allowed them to separate dance moves from the overall attractiveness of a man. This was necessary because in previous studies, asking a heterosexual woman who was a good dancer equated to asking her who was the attractive overall. Once the dance was removed from the dancers using computer generated dummies, women were asked to rate the dancing abilities of the avatars. Women preferred dances with varied moves, and movement of the head and torso, rather than just the feet and arms. There are numerous theories about why, but this is just a single-culture study so grand socio-biology might not be applicable. 

Milk suppresses garlic breath

The Telegraph - Milk takes garlic breath away

Garlic is good for us, but allyl methyl sulfide (AMS) is an indigestible compound that leaves smelly breath and also gets excreted through the skin and sweat. Researchers found that drinking milk (the more fat content in the milk, the better), reduced breath odor by as much as 50%. Results were better when drinking milk with the meal rather than after. The hypothesis is that the fat suppresses the sulphurous odor. Other garlic odor suppressants that milk beat: basil, prunes, eggplant, some mushrooms.

Mercury toxins reduced with vitamin intake

Nutra Ingredients - Vitamin E and selenium could reduce mercury toxicity

This gives a quick overview of a study done on laboratory rats that were given mercury in their food, but also given variations of vitamin E and selenium. Some rats just received mercury, others mercury & selenium, others mercury & vitamin E, others mercury & selenium & vitamin E, and finally some rats were given normal diet (control). The rats then gave birth and the lifespan and characteristics of the offspring was evaluated. The finding: vitamin E in conjunction with selenium contributed to lower toxicity in adult rats (compared to other groups, not to control), and the offspring grew better than other groups and lived longer. Since this is a rather simplistic article, not much more information is given. One thing to note is that the rats were given rather high levels of both mercury and vitamin E. The mechanism is unknown, but researchers hypothesize that vitamin E boosts the effects of selenium, which may have an effect on mercury on its own. 

Battery technology stuck in a plateau

Physorg - What holds energy tech back? The infernal battery

In a popular press article, the humble battery is given as the major barrier to the mass-production of clean and efficient technology. The first battery was invented in 1800 and in the 200 years since, there have been approximately 5 different kinds of rechargeable batteries developed. The problems are legion: understanding and manipulating the complex chemistry involved in making a new kind of battery, being able to manufacture it, and, finally (or perhaps fundamentally) having to make a decision about which two traits to emphasize, since they are considered to be in tension: make a batter that contains a lot of storage, or make one that discharges a lot of energy quickly? Extra storage means slower discharges, at least under the current rubric. The lithium-ion battery is considered the state-of-the-art in a mass-producible battery, but it has downsides. It contains flammable materials, and it can't hold enough energy to give enough fuel to the kinds of cars we're used to. It seems some engineers believe the lithium-ion battery can be tinkered with to give it even more storage, while others believe there needs to be another breakthrough. The Obama administration has funded a "mini-Manhattan" project and put $2Bl toward it in an effort to make the next wave of batteries.

Music lessons before age 8 improve motor skills

Science Daily - Early music lessons boost brain development

Scientists tested multiple groups of adult subjects: those with musical training that began before age 7, those whose musical training began after age 7, and those with no musical training. Each were given a non-musical "movement task", and it was found that those who took up musical training before the age of 7 were more proficient than both of the other groups. Those with musical training after age 7 were the same as those with none. Brain scans revealed that the pre-age-7 musicians had more "white matter" in the corpus callosum, which connects supposed motor regions in the brain.

BPAs might alter traditional mating behavior

Science Daily - Bisphenol A affects sex-specific reproductive behaviors in monogamous animal species

This study involved prenatal exposure to BPAs on a genus of monogamous mouse (the California mouse). The result: when the mice reached maturity, the behaviors typically associated with attracting a mate were reduced or altered. The hypothesis is that BPAs reduce or disrupt the development of behaviors that are associated with reproduction, as shown by differences in behavior between the female and male mice. In the males, there was less territory marking, while in the female, less exploration. Exploration in females is important in providing food for offspring, while territory marking in males is a behavior usually necessary to defend a home territory and mate from intruders. If this is translatable to humans, BPAs might affect men/boys and women/girls differently, with a possible lens for the differences being genetic dispositions relating to reproduction.

Gene and more friendships correlate with social liberalism

Science Daily - Researchers find a 'liberal gene'

This was a study that collected data from a longitudinal project. Scientists found that socially liberal political views correlated with a specific gene variant DRD4 and an "active social life" during adolescence. The gene has shown correlations with human behavior that seeks or accepts novelty, which supposedly is a behavior that has been correlated with social liberalism. The hypothesis is that having a more-than-average number of friends in conjunction with this gene creates a propensity to explore a diversity of experience and gain variegated interpersonal knowledge during adolescence that leads people to be more accepting of others and their lives. The results were found to hold regardless of sex, age, race, or "culture".

Exercise reduces a cold's symptoms and severity

LiveScience - Exercise makes the common cold less common

In this study, researchers asked people to report on how fit they felt, how often they exercised, and how long their sicknesses (e.g. colds) lasted. Those who exercised more often (or at all) had shorter durations for cold symptoms, and they were less severe. Interestingly older people got sick less, as did married people. The theory is that exercise helps distribute immune cells throughout the body.

Genetics affect how drunk you feel

e!Science News - Scientists find gene linked to alcoholism

Researchers gave college-age adults and their siblings a concoction that was the equivalent to 3 servings of alcohol. They subsequently did genetic testing on the same subjects to try to narrow down a difference in genes that related to one specific trait: the feeling of drunkenness. One gene "neighborhood" was found as potential difference: a gene (CYP2E1) that encodes an enzyme that metabolizes alcohol not in the liver but in the brain. The hypothesis is that the enzyme this gene encodes creates free radicals in the brain and affect its functioning as a response to alcohol. Thus a higher sensitivity to alcohol compared to those without the gene. No matter how the mechanism works, the current picture is that individuals with this gene are more sensitive to smaller quantities of alcohol and are thus probably less likely to develop health problems associated with heavy drinking.