Associate Professor of Radiology Yudong Zhu and two researchers, Xin Lang and Ye Li, allegedly shared research funded by a $4 million grant from the National Institute of Health with a Chinese company called United Imaging Healthcare and a Chinese government-sponsored research insititute, the Shenzen Institute of Advanced Technology. NIH research is sponsored by the U.S. government.

When he was confronted by university officials earlier this month, Zhu apparently told them he joined a United Imaging research team in 2011 and a co-lead investigator for a grant from a Chinese government agency to develop MRI technology innovations. Prosecutors allege he traveled to China at least six times to assist with research.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Feingold reportedly said that after he was arrested, Zhu told federal agents that he had been paid $400,000 by United Imaging.

The trio are charged with commercial bribery conspiracy and could serve up to five years in prison. Zhu is facing additional charges for falsifying records because he allegedly neglected to disclose a related patent he had when applying for the NIH grant.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

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In most cases, an interview subject suffering from a bad cough wouldn’t be an ideal situation. But it’s oddly appropriate when the subject is Mary Roach, who can excuse herself with, “Speaking of mucoid substances, I’m launching some of them into your ear right now.”

Roach has built her career on her delight in probing aspects of the science of the human body that most people would rather just ignore. In “Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers,” she followed the body through its many strange post-mortem pathways; in “Packing For Mars,” she uncovered the less glorified side of the space program through zero-gravity toilets and long-term bedrest.

In her latest, “Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal,” Roach trains her sardonic, steel-stomached curiosity on the science of eating and digestion, finding laboratories where pet food is taste-tested, windows are opened onto a human stomach (literally), and those aforementioned mucoid substances are gathered and examined.

“It was the last taboo that I haven’t covered,” Roach says of her latest endeavor. “Once you take food off the table and put it into your body, it becomes an object of revulsion. People get very flipped-out and disgusted, so it’s yet another topic that I thought it would be fun to pull apart and explore.”

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The 5 miles per second rock shooting through the Eastern sky Friday could unlock vast wealth, or spell destruction. The 150-foot wide asteroid 2012 DA14 is the largest to ever be detected passing this close and will provide lessons for space exploration.

“This is a unique opportunity,” Dwayne Brown, a spokesman for Nasa’s science department, told Metro. “This can tell us about asteroid trajectories, how the Sun affects them, and their origin in nature.”

2012 DA14 will pass just 17,000 miles away – within communication satellite orbit – and although it is not considered a threat, it will influence disaster preparation. “If we can better understand the approach, that helps us with an asteroid on collision course,” says Brown, adding that a strategy already exists based on deflection. “You can nudge it onto another course with even a light touch.”

Nasa have made asteroid study a top priority, and an army of robotic telescopes and sky surveyors helped to spot 2012 DA14 in February 2012. It is significant progress given that many asteroids are only seen as, or after, they pass.

Citizen astronomers have key to the advance, and thousands of enthusiasts will be watching the skies Friday. “Some amateur astronomers have observatories that would make a university jealous,” said David Dickinson, editor of the Astroguyz website. “Websites allow you to calculate co-ordinates for accurate location, how to watch and monitor events – and we’re constantly exchanging information live on Twitter.”

Civil society groups are increasingly partners in asteroid exploration and have been heavily involved in the 2016 launch of the OSIRIS-REx satellite, the first mission to mine samples from moving asteroids. 2012 DA14 has an estimated value of $200 billion in precious metals, hinting at a lucrative future in asteroid mining.

Yet over half of all Near-Earth Objects (NEO) remain undetected and a threat. “We need to find objects down to at least 100m, the vast majority of which we haven’t found yet,” Richard Crowther, chief engineer at the UK Space Agency, told Metro. A sudden, catastrophic event remains a possibility.

How to watch

2012 DA14 will be closest at 1924 GMT Friday and will be visible from parts of Europe and Africa. David Dickinson recommends being somewhere as dark as possible with telescope or binoculars and a wide field of vision. Calculate its route beforehand and focus on one position, the asteroid will resemble a shooting star and will be clearest when passing in front of the Moon. Check out Astroguyz.com or b612foundation.org to find out more, or http://www.nasa.gov/ntv to watch live.

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The Turritopsis Nutricula, or ‘Immortal Jellyfish’, is the only multi-celled creature that does not die after reaching maturity, instead returning to a youthful state. It can regenerate itself if it is violently killed, and reproduce by itself. Dr. Kubota believes he has isolated the key to the animal’s unique ability in its tentacle cells, and that in 10-20 years it will be fully understood, and transferable to people.

Scientists agree the jellyfish can have great benefits for humanity. “These cells are in our body but dormant when we need them,” Dr. Matthias Obst, a biological scientist at Gothenburg University who studied the species, told Metro. “The toolkit is the same, it’s a case of finding the gene that switches on the protein that regenerates.”

This would make human organs stronger and resistant to cancer. “It has a lot of potential to extend the lifespan of tissue, if not make it immortal,” Obst claims, suggesting a difference of “hundreds of years.”

The implications of such extended lifespans are already being studied at the British Future of Humanity Institute. “I don’t think overpopulation will be a serious challenge,” researcher Dr. Stuart Armstrong told Metro, anticipating a limit on new children. “If we solve ageing by improving cell performance there will be little adjustment – it will be similar people in a similar society. The only problem could be that immortality is less exciting when we actually have it.”

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Music psychologist Dr. Daniel Müllensiefen, from Goldsmiths, University of London, discovered that music was a key element of the seduction game and consequently, how successful you are in the bedroom. The playlist you listen to in the moments leading to and during sex is crucial. A staggering 40 percent of people admitted that the music they listened to during sex was more arousing than the touch or feel of their partner.

TIME OF YOUR LIFE

Although both sexes favored songs that were happy and tender, men tend to make more of an effort to adjust to the taste of their date in order to ensure success in the bedroom. This could explain why the soundtrack from the iconic ’80s romantic movie, “Dirty Dancing,” was voted as best for sex. This is because it’s not just the music that’s important, but what it is that we associate the songs. 

Dr. Müllensiefen observed: “Music activates emotional pleasure centers in the brain—the same areas that are activated when we have sex or take drugs. If you have a sound track to a film that as a whole is associated with romance, flirt and sex that might work for the entire sexual episode. Listening to the soundtrack unconsciously re-ignites the feelings we experienced whilst watching the film.”

“So just put the CD in and let it play,” he adds. “The passionate emotions we feel when we see the love scenes in a film get encoded together with the music, almost like a conditioned experience.”

The vocals

But it’s not just what we associate the song with that’s important in the bedroom- individual vocals are too: “People have a sort of emotional intelligence with music,” explains Dr. Müllensiefen. “When it comes to getting in the mood for sex, people tend to go for relaxed songs with little use of vocal vibrato and with a greater dynamic range, a high chest voice, a raspiness in the voice, such as Marvin Gaye’s ‘Sexual Healing’ (the number one track to get in the mood for sex) and Barry White’s ‘Anything’ (third best),” says Dr. Müllensiefen.

So fire up that Spotify playlist, doc. Let’s get it on.

A good rhythm and hot body
 
Although Dr. Müllensiefen’s study found music to be more important than physique in the bedroom, never don’t dismiss the motivational power a song when it comes to exercise, fitness guru and Madonna’s personal trainer Nicole Winhoffer tells Metro:  “Music is a way for the mind to escape,” she says. “When people are out dancing with their friends, they’re so enthusiastic. But when they get to the gym it’s the complete opposite, and it shouldn’t be like that. You’re working out for your body and you should always dedicate the same amount of energy.

“Without music,” she adds, “you’ll need to find your internal motivation from moving, but most people don’t have the power to do that. It can also help you dig out emotions such as anger, frustration or anxiety.”

Once you tune your mind to the beat, your body will follow says Winhoffer:  “Fast music with a heavy base and a repetitive rhythm helps the body flow and go along with the beat. If you’re doing cardio and want to get your heart rate going, choose a song- preferably electro, techno, hip hop or RnB- that’s between 125-130 bpm (beats per minute).” 

TOP 3 MUSIC PLAYLISTS

Top 10 tracks for the Gym (128-140bpm)

1.Rihanna: Umbrella
2.Push It: Salt n Peppa
3.Kylie Minogue: Red Blooded Woman
4.Britney Spears: Womanizer
5.PSY: Gangnam Style
6.Kanye West & Jay-Z: H.A.M.
7.Mariah Carey: We Belong Together
8.Madonna: Turn Up The Radio
9.Missy Elliot: Work it
10.The Police: Roxanne
SOURCE: Personal trainer Nicole Winhoffer

Top 10 tracks to get ‘in the mood’ for sex

1.    Marvin Gaye: Sexual Healing
2.    Marvin Gaye: Let’s Get It On
3.    Barry White: Anything
4.    Serge Gainsbourg: Je T’aime
5.    Kings of Leon: Sex on Fire
6.    Hot Chocolate: You Sexy Thing
7.    Ravel: Bolero
8.    Boyz To Men: I’ll Make Love To You
9.    Chris De Burgh: Lady in Red
10.  R Kelly: Bump & Grind
SOURCE: SPOTIFY

Top 10 tracks to play during sex

1.    Dirty Dancing: Anything from the soundtrack
2.    Marvin Gaye: Sexual Healing
3.    Ravel: Bolero
4.    Berlin: Take My Breath Away
5.    Barry White: Anything from his collection
6.    Marvin Gaye: Let’s Get It On
7.    Righteous Brothers: Unchained Melody
8.    Celine Dion: Titanic Soundtrack / My Heart Will Go On
9.    Serge Gainsbourg: Je T`aime
10.  Whitney Houston: I Will Always Love you

SOURCE: SPOTIFY

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The study, which was funded by a popcorn company, was conducted at the University of Scranton. Researchers found that popcorn is actually packed with antioxidants, which can boost the immune system. Popcorn specifically contains polyphenols, which can prevent damage to cells and fend off diseases.

“The hull is where the most nutritional goodies (polyphenols) are — not the white fluffy part,” chemistry professor and study author Joe Vinson told USA Today.

Popcorn can retain its nutritious properties in part because it doesn’t contain a lot of water and it is 100 percent whole grain, while some polyphenol-rich fruits and vegetables do contain a lot of water. Popcorn also undergoes minimal processing when it is cooked.

However, before you switch out your celery sticks for a bag of popcorn, researchers warn that it shouldn’t be used as a substitute for other healthy choices.

“I don’t want people to think they can just eat popcorn to get all the polyphenols they need,” said Vison. “I don’t want them to think of popcorn as an alternative to fruits and vegetables.”

Pop on!

More adventures in psuedoscience:

• While your favorite movie snack is good for you, sitting down for too long while you’re watching a movie, or for any other reason, can apparently kill you, according to a new study. Researchers found that people who sit for 11 or more hours per day have a 40 percent greater risk of dying. 
• But if you do eat more popcorn and boost your immunity, you might have a better chance at fighting off the common cold which, research shows, is the cause of coughing and wheezing. Yes, there was research conducted to prove this.
• And in other shocking snack news, people who ate more chocolate tended to have lower BMIs in one study. Get the skinny on this fantastic research. Chocolate-covered popcorn, anyone?

The post A Study Has Found: Is popcorn better for you than fruits and vegetables? (No.) appeared first on Metro.us.

A pill a day could keep the racist thoughts away.

Researchers at Oxford University have found an unintended, and unexpected, benefit from a prescription drug used to reduce high blood pressure, according to Yahoo. 

The study, conducted on 36 white males, found that Propranolol, which is also used to combat migraines and anxiety, can affect the same part of the central nervous system that controls subconscious thoughts regarding race.

However, researchers can’t be sure that the effect of quelling racism was the only change to occur as a result of the drug — it might also change implicit brain systems. The decrease is racist thoughts might also directly correlate with lower blood pressure.

“Given the key role that such implicit attitudes appear to play in discrimination against other ethnic groups, and the widespread use of Propranolol for medical purposes, our findings are also of considerable ethical interest,” said researcher Sylvia Terbeck.

The findings, published in Psychopharmacology, are sure to spark debate over the use of drugs to regulate behavior.

More adventures in psuedoscience:

• Could dropping acid cure alcoholism?
• Does typing with the right side of the keyboard make you happier?
• Is taking Ecstasy while pregnant bad for your baby?

The answer to all of these is, as always, maybe!

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Yes, that’s right– by scanning your brain, an image of every second of what you are viewing can be seen just by using your brain activity.

The video depicts two images– the one on the left is what the participant is viewing and the image on the right is the reconstruction of the brain activity. Scientists say it can be used for reading imagery and even dreams. So soon enough, all those dream interpretation books and old wives tales will prove redundant and just a quick scan of the old noodle will show you what goes on while you sleep.

This recent development was published yesterday and made reference to previous studies back in 2010, which showed that it was only possible to reconstruct static visual content. But now this breakthrough is said to be a game changer in reconstructing dynamic representations, which has never been done before.  

Dynamic representations is a scary phrase when you consider what this technology could do if it got into the wrong hands. A little dramatic there, we know, but the frightening implication of people being able to read minds is a scary thought.

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In a study published in the journal Nature yesterday, researchers said the newly-found links point to the idea that T-cells and chemicals called interleukins play a key role in the development of the debilitating disease.

“It is now clear that multiple sclerosis is primarily an immunological disease,” said Alastair Compston of Cambridge University, who co-led the study.

Most people who develop MS experience their first symptoms in their 20s and 30s, but Compston and colleagues say the trigger for the disease could happen in early childhood when genetic risk factors coincide with some as yet unknown environmental factor.

The post Gene links could help in MS cures appeared first on Metro.us.

A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation has linked fatty foods to enhancing mood. And get this: flavor doesn’t matter. It’s just the “fattiness” that counts, apparently.

At the University of Leuven in Belgium, 12 non-obese people endured quite the day to get these findings. The published study says, “a gastric feeding tube was positioned with its tip in the stomach 60 cm from the incisors and fixed with adhesive tape to the subject’s face; this was tolerated well by all subjects.”

Then participants were given either a fatty-acid solution or a saline solution. The next step was sitting through “sad or neutral” music and images before the participants were asked how they were feeling. Those who were given the fatty-acid solution reportedly felt happier than those who had the saline solution.

The study says, “the difference in hunger ratings between the emotions was much smaller in fat compared with that in saline vehicle conditions, indicating that the effect of sad mood on hunger is attenuated by fatty acid.”

So don’t spend too much time debating which flavor of Ben & Jerry’s to get. Just pick one! In the name of science, just pick one!  

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According to the National Science Foundation, the amount of women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, has grown significantly since the 1970’s.  Just under 78,000 women were enrolled as graduate students in science and engineering in 1977. Compared with nearly 232,000 in 2008, it’s obvious that women are finding a place for themselves on those career paths.

Still, men overwhelmingly dominate the fields. In a press release from the Association for Women in Science, Executive Director Janet Bandows Koster says, “Our nation must acknowledge that while women make up almost half of the U.S. workforce, they continue to be underrepresented in STEM professions, particularly in the higher academic faculty ranks and leadership positions.”

So what is preventing women from fully taking the field by storm? It could be a lack of equality in the workplace.

“In order to alleviate this problem, action must be taken at the federal and institutional level to alleviate the challenges impeding women’s access to these positions, including gender biases in the workplace and outmoded institutional practices,” says Koster.

It could also be the fact that young girls have traditionally been taught that math and science are for boys, while they should focus more on literature and writing.

Organizations like AWIS and the Society of Women Engineers work to promote the educational advancement of girls and women in those fields, and they’re making their mark. Carol Greider, an AWIS member, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2009 for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase. In other words, she’s one smart lady who is shining star in the world of science, but she is also a rarity. That’s why organizations like AWIS regularly appeal the Congress in an effort to breakdown barriers that women in STEM professions face in the workplace.

Many women in STEM professions say more women need to pursue careers in the fields. History is probably a good indicator that it’s just a matter of time.  After all, it wasn’t long ago that you wouldn’t see a woman’s name on a ballot for a major election, or as a CEO of a Fortune 500 company. It might not be long before they become front and center in the world of math and science, too.

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As numerous media outlets reported yesterday, scientists in the Czech Republic recently found a caveman whom they think may have been the first recorded prehistoric homosexual. As the Daily Mail put it:

During that period, men were traditionally buried lying on their right side with the head pointing towards the west; women on their left side with the head facing east.

In this case, the man was on his left side with his head facing west. Another clue is that men tended to be interred with weapons, hammers and flint knives as well as several portions of food and drink to accompany them to the other side.

[...] The ‘gay caveman’ was buried with household jugs, and no weapons.

However, today new scientists are casting aspersions on the story, as if it was not rigorously researched and fact-checked by every outlet that printed it. As anthropologist Kristina Killgrove wrote on her blog:

Just because all the burials you’ve found to date are coded male and female based on grave goods doesn’t mean there aren’t alternate forms you haven’t found and doesn’t mean that the alternate form you have found has a lot of significance.

In addition, archaeologists point out that the "caveman" skeleton actually came from the Bronze Age, tens of thousands of years after what we traditionally think of as "cavemen" ruled the earth.

So these scientists say that facts show that the "gay caveman" was not gay, and was not a caveman. However! There’s nothing we’ve seen that proves he wasn’t gay. And, since that’s the case, maybe he happened to like to dress up as a caveman — you know, a retro look! So basically, what we’re going to take away from this experience is that the gay caveman story was a true thing with no holes in it at all. Go Internet!

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