ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

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• Brain imaging shows brain differences in risk-taking teens
• Scientists study 'talking' turtles in Brazilian Amazon
• Dark bands in starlight: New Milky Way maps help solve stubborn interstellar material mystery
• Parenting from before conception: Babies' health doesn't 'start from scratch'
• Is empathy in humans and apes actually different? 'Yawn contagion' effect studied

Brain imaging shows brain differences in risk-taking teens Posted: 15 Aug 2014 07:23 AM PDT Brain differences associated with risk-taking teens have been investigated by researchers who found that connections between certain brain regions are amplified in teens more prone to risk. "Our brains have an emotional-regulation network that exists to govern emotions and influence decision-making," explained the study's lead author. "Antisocial or risk-seeking behavior may be associated with an imbalance in this network."

Scientists study 'talking' turtles in Brazilian Amazon Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:15 PM PDT Turtles are well known for their longevity and protective shells, but it turns out these reptiles use sound to stick together and care for young. Scientists working in the Brazilian Amazon have found that Giant South American river turtles actually use several different kinds of vocal communication to coordinate their social behaviors, including one used by female turtles to call to their newly hatched offspring in what is the first instance of recorded parental care in turtles.

Dark bands in starlight: New Milky Way maps help solve stubborn interstellar material mystery Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:13 PM PDT An international team of sky scholars has produced new maps of the material located between the stars in the Milky Way. The results should move astronomers closer to cracking a stardust puzzle that has vexed them for nearly a century.

Parenting from before conception: Babies' health doesn't 'start from scratch' Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:13 PM PDT There's now overwhelming evidence that a child's future health is influenced by more than just their parents' genetic material, and that children born of unhealthy parents will already be pre-programmed for greater risk of poor health, according to researchers. "The reality is, the child doesn't quite start from scratch -- they already carry over a legacy of factors from their parents' experiences that can shape development in the fetus and after birth. Depending on the situation, we can give our children a burden before they've even started life," experts say.

Is empathy in humans and apes actually different? 'Yawn contagion' effect studied Posted: 12 Aug 2014 09:22 AM PDT Whether or not humans are the only empathic beings is still under debate. In a new study, researchers directly compared the 'yawn contagion' effect between humans and bonobos -- our closest evolutionary cousins. By doing so they were able to directly compare the empathic abilities of ourselves with another species, and found that a close relationship between individuals is more important to their empathic response than the fact that individuals might be from the same species.

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