What have we learned throughout 2011 in the scientific field? Many things, among them these 25 that we have selected in Very Interesting to conclude the year.
· The ex-planet Pluto has an almost perfect twin called Eris , with almost identical size. Eris appears to have a highly reflective surface, suggesting that it is covered in a thin, even layer of ice, with an atmosphere likely frozen.
An experiment published in the magazineJournal of Experimental Psychologyhas shown that lpigeons can solve simple math tests. Until now it was thought that only primates were capable of reasoning numerically.
· Neanderthals and hominidsThey were not as far apart as thought, butfrequently intersected, and this could mean the end of the Neanderthal species, as published in the magazineJournal Human Ecologyscientists from the universities of Arizona and Colorado.
· Thewhisker movements of mice and ratsbackwards and forwards, at high speed and in different ways, allow them to actively perceive the environment around them, determining the position, shape and texture of objects, as demonstrated by researchers from the University of Sheffield (United Kingdom).
· Theearly solar system drove out a giant planetsimilar to Jupiter to “save” the Earth, according to a new study published in the journalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters.
· Theworld’s largest virusis heMegavirus chilensis and it measures about 0.7 microns in diameter, which implies that it is 10 to 20 times larger than the average virus.
· Thepeople with less academic qualifications age faster. The key is in the telomeres that cover the end of the chromosomes of your DNA, which are shorter in people with less education.
· Thethaw in the Himalayas is accelerating. According to experts from the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), between the periods 1980-2000 and 1996-2005, the rate of melting of glaciers has doubled. In the last thirty years, the area covered by glaciers in Bhutan decreased by 22% and by 21% in Nepal.
· Australopithecus sediba It is an ancestor of the human being that lived 1.98 million years ago in present-day South Africa, around the same time that the first Homo species began to appear on Earth. The new findings on Au. sediba reveal that this remote relative of modern man not only used his hands to move through trees, but was also capable of grasping objects.
· Thedecisions we make in our love relationships are the main cause of regret (18.1%), followed by those related to the family (15.9%), education (13.1%), professional career (12.2%) and finances (9.9%). The data was published inSocial Psychological and Personality Science.
· Themosquitoes choose their victims based on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO 2 )that they emit when they breathe and not, as popular belief affirms, because of the “sweetness” of the blood.
· Thehappy orangutans live longer, according to an article published in the journal Biology Letters.
· 22,000 years ago, several kilometers of ice covered most of the northern hemisphere, but as this frozen layer has been melting the planet has also changed its shape, so thatEarth is now more spherical than ever. In fact, since the 1990s the Earth has tended to “get fat.”
· Researchers from the University of Murcia and Harvard University (USA) have carried out a study that shows thatMediterranean diet-characterized by the consumption of abundant fruits, vegetables, legumes and fish-, may be related to a higher percentage of motile spermin men.
· Theday lasts 46 hours for the blind fish of Somalia (Phreatichthys andruzzii) as published by the magazinePLoS Biology.
· With a full bladder we make better decisions, as suggested by a study carried out by researchers at the University of Twente (Holland) and published in the journalPsychological Science. According to Mirjam Tuk, co-author of the study, while we control the urgent need to go to the bathroom, it improves the brain’s self-control mechanism globally, helping us to better choose between several options.
· An investigation published in the journalCurrent Biologyreveals thatbees, like humans, also have a pessimistic view of realityafter being subjected to a stressful situation.
· Makephysical exercise is as effective in preventing migraines as certain medications, according to a study carried out by researchers from the Sahlgrenska Academy, at the University of Gothenburg (Sweden).
When the team is losing and it is time for penalties,soccer goalkeepers tend to move to the right, as revealed by a curious study published in the magazinePsychological Science.
Women who have abig waistpresent aincreased risk of developing some types of cancer.
· Theclimate change is bringing spring forward two days every decade, according to an international study published in the journalScience.
· Habituallya person has twice as many friends in cyberspace as in reality, according to research conducted by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
· Crossing armsafter being burned or hitalleviate the pain. As British researchers explained in the magazinePainAs the upper extremities cross over the body, the brain becomes confused about the origin of the pain. The strategy is especially effective when pain is felt in the hands.
· Thegames already existed 4,000 years ago, as revealed by remains found in the ruins of the ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro, in present-day Pakistan, including different forms of dice and pieces.
When humanswe perceive the color redourmuscles react faster and with more force, according to research released in the magazineEmotion.
