The Korea Herald

Expert says boredom can aid imagination for children

Mar 25, 2013

Boredom can aid child’s imagination, says expertParents often expect their children to be constantly occupied and believe activities will spur their imagination. However, an expert says parents should “allow them to get bored” to let them develop creativity and innate ability. Dr. Teresa Belton, a senior researcher at the University of East Anglia’s School of Education and Lifelong Learning, interviewed figures in the creative industry including science and art to analyze the effect of their chi
Vial containing rare virus goes missing

Mar 25, 2013

A vial containing a rare Venezuelan virus has gone missing from a Texas biotech laboratory, the laboratory's president said.The vial was noted missing during a routine inventory, Dr. David L. Callender, University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, said. The virus, guanarito, is only found naturally in a small section of Venezuela and because it is not known to transmit between humans it poses "no appreciable public health risk," Callender said.It's believed the vial was mistakenly destroyed
‘Spiked dinosaurs copulated in unusual ways’

Mar 25, 2013

Dinosaurs with spikes may have copulated in unorthodox positions to avoid injuries, researchers suggested.Heinrich Mallison at the Museum of Natural History in Berlin used computer models of kentrosaurus to figure out how the spiked dinosaur would have mated, according to a report on Livescience.com.The model suggested that a male dinosaur would have risked serious injury to its reproductive organs if they tried to mount a female from behind, which is prevalent among most animals. Mallison sugge
World‘s lightest material created

Mar 24, 2013

Chinese scientists say they have developed the world‘s lightest material, lighter than air, which could play an important role in tackling pollution.The material -- dubbed graphene aerogel or carbon aerogel, and developed at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou -- weighs 0.16 milligrams per cubic centimeter, a sixth the weight of air, China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.The material, derived from a gel with the liquid component replaced by a gas, is easy to manufacture and has strong
Hospital to display 'mystery skeleton'

Mar 22, 2013

A skeleton stored away for decades in a closet at an Iowa hospital set to be demolished will be sent to the University of Iowa Medical Museum, officials said.Suzie Wood, executive director of development at Ottumwa (Iowa) Regional Health Center, said crews discovered the skeleton in a basement closet while cleaning out the 88-year-old facility last year in preparation for its upcoming demolition. The skeleton -- dubbed "Mr. Bones" -- is believed to have been stored there for 70 to 80 years, the
Lightest material on Earth created: scientists

Mar 22, 2013

Scientists at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, claimed they have developed the lightest solid material on Earth that can balance on top of a flower.　The material, called "graphene aerogel," is a combination of freeze-dried carbon and graphene oxide, weighing only 0.16 mg per 1 cubic centimeter.　The graphene, hailed as a "wonder material," was first developed by Russian-born physicists working at the University of Manchester, who managed a 1-atom-thick graphene flake by continuously peelin
Sugary drinks linked to 180,000 deaths

Mar 20, 2013

Harvard researchers say they've linked sugary drinks to 180,000 deaths a year worldwide, 25,000 in the United States."We know that sugar-sweetened beverages are linked to obesity, and that a large number of deaths are caused by obesity-related diseases. But until now, nobody had really put these pieces together," lead author Gitanjali Singh, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, told ABC-TV News. Singh and colleagues used data from national health surve
Globe's giant squids may be single species

Mar 20, 2013

A finding of exceptionally low genetic diversity suggests all giant squid worldwide are members of a single species, Danish researchers say.A study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B reported on DNA studies of the globe-trotting giant squid, which can grow as big as 43 feet long."These observations are consistent with the hypotheses that there is only one global species of giant squid, Architeuthis dux," researcher Inger Winkelmann and colleagues wrote, suggesting the squid coul
Insufficient sleep causes weight gain: study

Mar 19, 2013

A recent study suggests that people tend to gain weight when they are deprived of sleep for just a few days in a row, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. Sleep experts at the University of Colorado recruited 16 healthy grown-ups and adjusted their sleeping hours to see the changes in their sleep patterns, metabolism and eating habits. According to the research, participants who had their sleeping hours cut from nine to five gained two pounds (0.9 kg) on average at the end of the experiment a
Roosters ‘tell time’ in to begin crowing

Mar 19, 2013

NAGOYA, Japan -- Roosters crowing at dawn aren‘t just reacting to the external stimulus of light, Japanese researchers say; they actually know what time of day it is.In a study reported in the journal Current Biology, scientists at Nagoya University say there is indeed a clock in “cock-a-doodle-doo” -- a biological one.“’Cock-a-doodle-doo‘ symbolizes the break of dawn in many countries,” researcher Takashi Yoshimura said. “But it wasn’t clear whether crowing is under the control of a biological
Should doctors listen to music while operating?

Mar 18, 2013

In last year’s smash hit TV series “Best Love,” the lead actor confirmed his love for a woman by recalling the melody he had heard during his surgery. A very romantic scene to watch, for sure. However, if it were your operation, would you allow your surgeon to enjoy listening to music while doing a very delicate operation?It’d be better to let them enjoy the music, as one recent study revealed that listening or humming to one’s favorite music helps doctors to work more effectively. The study, pu
Doctors challenged by patient discussions

Mar 18, 2013

The U.S. doctor-patient conversation is tougher for physicians with today‘s more informed, more proactive and more in-control patients, researchers say.Al Topin, president of Topin & Associates, who conducted the study, said he found the age-old, doctor-patient relationship has been changing dramatically.“Specialists find themselves answering more questions, countering misleading information patients find online and even justifying their treatment recommendations,” Topin said in a statement.“The
Chinese zoo shows pandas ‘porn’ to get them mating

Mar 15, 2013

A Chinese zoo recently tried an unusual method to encourage its giant pandas to mate: showing them a panda version of a porn video.The zoo -- which is located in Chengdu -- managed to get the pandas to mate after showing them a video of other panda’s copulating, according to the English edition of Chinese daily Global Times.Zoo officials said every time male panda Yongyong tried to mate with his companion KeLin, she would fight him off. Since the mating period for a panda is relatively short, Ke
Study: Early birds possibly had four wings

Mar 15, 2013

Early birds evolved from feathered dinosaurs with four wings but soon ditched "training wheels" for more efficient two-winged flight, Chinese scientists say.In 2003, a group of Chinese researchers excavated six fossils of flying dinosaurs with wings on their hind legs, dubbing them Microraptors."When we published that ten years ago there was some suspicion whether the fossil was faked," Xing Xu from Linyi University in Shandong province said.Now Xu and colleagues have described another find supp
Answering messages while driving like DUI

Mar 15, 2013

Using a hands-free kit on a cellphone or texting affected driving as much as being above the legal alcohol limit, Australian and Spanish researchers say.　　Several Australian universities and the University of Barcelona measured the reaction capacity of 12 healthy volunteers who participated in a driving simulation test lasting two days, each a week apart.　　Study co-author Sumie Leung Shuk Man of the University of Barcelona said the drivers took the test having consumed alcohol, and then usin