Sense | Common News Update

Dec302018 by adminNo Comments

Sound influences the way mice and rats sense touch

Dec. 28 (UPI) -- New research suggests the brain's main sensory centers -- the visual cortex, auditory cortex and somatosensory cortex -- are influenced by one another. Through a series of tests, researchers in Japan showed auditory inputs to the barrel cortex in mice and rats influences the rodents' responses to tactile stimulation. The barrel cortex is a type of somatosensory cortex found in rodents. The region oversees the brain's perception of and response to touch, pain and temperature. Scientists think the link between the barrel cortex and rodent whiskers is similar to the link between the human brain's somatosensory cortex and human fingertips. Researchers used patch clamps, an electric brain recording technology, to measure the influence of different sensory inputs on individual ...

Dec182018 by adminNo Comments

Salmon to lose sense of smell as CO2 levels rise

Science

Dec. 18 (UPI) -- As atmospheric CO2 levels continue to rise, increasing amounts of carbon dioxide will be absorbed into the ocean. New research suggests rising CO2 levels in the ocean could disrupt the olfactory abilities of coho salmon. Salmon rely on their sense of smell to track prey, find mates and navigate their way back upstream to spawn. According to the new study, published this week in the journal Global Change Biology, a compromised sense of smell would pose a serious threat to the health of salmon populations. Lab experiments showed rising acidity levels caused by elevated CO2 levels inhibits salmon's already vulnerable sensory-neural system. "Our studies and research from other groups have shown that exposure to pollutants can also interfere with sense of smell for salmon," Ev...

Oct292018 by adminNo Comments

The Scandi Sense Diet Is Supposed to Be the Simplest Diet in the World—Here’s What a Nutritionist Thinks

Health

The Scandi Sense Diet has been dubbed "the simplest diet in the world"—and as you might image, it's been generating lots of buzz. It was developed by a Scandinavian woman (hence the "Scandi") from Denmark named Suzy Wengel, who is the director of a biotech company and a nutritional advisor, according to her bio. Wengel says she lost 88 pounds in 9 months using her self-developed plan. Curious? I was too, so I did a little digging. Here are my thoughts on the Scandi Sense diet, including the pros, the cons, and how to determine if it might be a good fit for you. ...

Oct102018 by adminNo Comments

German satellites sense Earth's lumps and bumps

Science

The German space agency (DLR) has released a spectacular 3D map of Earth. Built from images acquired by two radar satellites, it traces the variations in height across all land surfaces - an area totalling more than 148 million sq km. DLR is making the map free and open, enabling any scientist to download and use it. There will be myriad applications, from forecasting where flood waters flow to planning big infrastructure projects. How was the map made?The two satellites involved are called TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X. Like all radar spacecraft, they send down microwave pulses to the surface of the planet and then time how long the signals take to bounce back. The shorter ...

Dec222017 by adminNo Comments

Making sense of the new cap on state tax deductions

Finance

The GOP tax bill explainedA lot of change is coming to taxes -- how much you'll pay and how you prepare them. Some people will pay more, some will pay less. It depends on many factors. One of the most controversial changes are those surrounding the deduction on state and local income taxes, a.k.a SALT. If you live in a state with high income and property taxes, you could lose out under the new tax plan. We tried to make sense of it for you. How does the SALT deduction work? Under the new plan, taxpayers who itemize will be able to deduct their state individual income, sales and property taxes up to a limit of $ 10,000 in total starting in 2018. Currently the deduction is unlimited. But filers have to choose to deduct either individual income taxes or sales taxes. For most people, deducti...