Featurette
Musicians who learn a new melody demonstrate enhanced skill after a night’s sleep
A new study that examined how the brain learns and retains motor skills provides insight into musical skill. Performance of a musical task improved among pianists whose practice of a new melody was followed by a night of sleep, says researcher Sarah E. Allen, Southern Methodist University, Dallas.
The study is among the first to look at whether sleep enhances the learning process for musicians practicing a new piano melody. Continue reading
Study finds that newlyweds who are satisfied with marriage are more likely to gain weight
On average, young newlyweds who are satisfied with their marriage gain weight in the early years after they exchange vows. That’s the finding of a new study on marital satisfaction and weight gain, according to psychologist Andrea L. Meltzer, lead researcher and assistant professor in the SMU Department of Psychology. Continue reading
NOvA neutrino detector in Minnesota records first 3-D particle tracks in search to understand universe
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The NOvA detector, currently under construction in Ash River, Minn., stands about 50 feet tall and 50 feet wide. The completed detector will weigh 14,000 tons. (Credit: Fermilab)[/caption]What will soon be the most powerful neutrino detector in the United States has recorded its first three-dimensional images of particles.
Using the first completed section of the NOvA neutrino detector under construction in Minnesota, scientists have begun collecting data from cosmic rays—particles produced by a constant rain of atomic nuclei falling on the Earth’s atmosphere from space. Scientists’ goal for the completed detector is to use it to discover properties of mysterious fundamental particles called neutrinos. Continue reading
Fruit flies fed organic diets are healthier than flies fed nonorganic diets, study finds
Fruit flies fed an organic diet recorded better health outcomes than flies fed a nonorganic diet, according to a new study from Southern Methodist University, Dallas. Researchers in the lab of SMU biologist Johannes Bauer found that fruit flies raised on organic foods performed better on a variety of health tests. The flies on organic diets showed improvements on the most significant measures of health, namely fertility and longevity. Continue reading
Scientists issue call to action for archaeological sites threatened by rising seas, urban development
Should global warming cause sea levels to rise as predicted in coming decades, thousands of archaeological sites in coastal areas around the world will be lost to erosion.
With no hope of saving all these sites, an SMU archaeologist and others call for scientists to assess the sites most at risk.
Photo: A site at Anacapa Island, southern California, is in danger of eroding into the ocean. (Credit: Reeder)
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Posted in Earth & Climate, Fossils & Ruins
Tagged Featurette, Leslie Reeder, SMU Department of Anthropology
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