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The article explores how the enteric nervous system (ENS) in the gut, or second brain, affects people's mood and behavior. The ENS, which comprises about 500 million neurons, aids people sense environmental threats, and then influences their responses. Another reason the ENS needs numerous neurons is that fact that eating is filled with danger. The gut must stop potentially dangerous invaders, such as bacteria and viruses, from getting into the body.

The article discusses fasting, commonly associated with religious observance in Islam, Buddishm and Christiany. It mentions that fasting could improve ones health and brain functioning and could help in longevity. The article also details an experiment by Valter Longo at the University of Southern California that indicated that short-term complete fasts maximise the benefits in cancer treatment and a study by Michelle Harvie at the University of Manchester in England on fasting and diabetes.

The article traces the origin of charisma. It is believed that people are not born with charisma, but that it can be developed. Nathan Fox, University of Maryland in College Park's social development researcher, states that charisma is partly genetic as some children found to be socially outgoing as early as four months old are found to be more likely to grow up charismatic. Experts claim that it can be cultivated, with eloquence, responsiveness and unconventionality being some of its elements.

The article reports on the conducted studies about animal intelligence as of July 2011. It cites the study led by Joanna Wimpenny at the University of Oxford in Great Britain on the New Caledonian crow to determine if animals could think. The opinion of Clive Wynne of the University of Florida on the works on animal intelligence by American zoologist Donald Griffin in the 1970s is also cited.

The author discusses the existence of advanced techniques for dream interpretation. She talks about the existence of sleep laboratories and the use by dream researchers of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanners and electroencephalography (EEG) to record and interpret dreams. She also offers information on the relationship of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep on visual perception tasks.

The article focuses on the biodiversity of species and plants in the tropic areas specially in the Yasuni National Park in Ecuador. David Jablonski and colleagues found no evidence on the relationship between habitable area and marine diversity gradients. According to Shane Wright of the University of Auckland, the reason why the tropics are the engine of biodiversity is that tropical species had more than twice the rate of molecular evolution compared to other species.

The article analyzes the association between poor sleeping habits and psychiatric disorder. Results of a psychological research conducted support the proposal that lack of sleep or sleeping abnormalities may lead to psychiatric disorders. The information alerts psychiatrists and the medical industry to encourage people to get enough sleep and develop initiatives to prevent these problems. INSETS: Feeling emotional? Take a nap;When is asleep not asleep?.

The article on the increasing attention given to the theory that environmental factors, such as diet or stress, can have biological consequences that are transmitted to offsprings without a single change to gene sequences taking place. According to the author, accepting this theory would mean a radical rewrite of modern evolutionary theory. The implications of the theory on public health are also discussed.

The article offers some insights into the degradation and protection of ocean biodiversity. Boris Worm at Dalhousie University in Canada and colleagues identified five distinct subtropical hotspots for species such as tuna, marlin and sharks off the eastern coast of the U.S. and Australia, Hawaii and Sri Lanka among other areas. Suggestions for conservation and environmental protection are cited.

The article investigates the importance of sleep. Researcher Robert Stickgold has reported that people were better at recalling lists of related words after a night's sleep than after the same time awake during the day. The article discusses the importance of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep for brain development. It highlights the results of several research that emphasizes the importance of sleep.

The article focuses on the discovery of two shards of pottery by Carlo Bergmann in the desert west of the river Nile that tells the origins of ancient Egyptian civilization. According to Egyptologists, the site is known as Abu Ballas, or the "father of the pots." Bergmann followed the Abu Ballas trail and found that civilization came from the desert into the valley. Bergmann also discovered hieroglyphic inscriptions and rock art that point to Djedefre's water mountain and wells.

The article focuses on the effort of several mining and technology companies in Australia to develop new technologies that can locate reserves of oil and gas in shallow seas only 500 meters deep. Among the new Australian technologies on use are OceanMag sensor from CSIRO Mining and Exploration, and Alphacron from McInnes. Industry experts believe that more and more research effort will be committed to develop technologies for the mining and exploration sector.

The article discusses alternative ways to avoid obesity. Vaccination for cold virus is recommended as adenovirus-36 (Ad-36), a common cold virus, has been found to play a role in obesity. Avoiding stress is also recommended considering the finding of studies by Yale Stress Center director Rajita Sinha that stress increases craving for high-calorie foods. Other alternative ways include high-protein diets, avoiding packaging that contain endocrine disrupter chemicals and getting enough sleep.

The article examines whether animals do have a memory. It states that while the skill called mental time travel, was thought to be unique to humans, there are signs that some species have the same skill. Researchers Nicola Clayton and Sergio Correia from the University of Cambridge, found that western scrub jays can learn from their experiences to anticipate the actions of other birds.

The article reports on the results of a research led by Stephen Wroe from the University of New South Wales, Sydney on human and animal skull and the finite element analysis (FES). FES was used to reveal a series of gaps between the facial bones of a Tyrannosaurus rex, which allowed tyrannosaurs to take powerful, bone-crushing bites without overstraining their craniums.

The article reports on the implications of garbage dumping in Antarctica. Makeshift rubbish tips in Antarctica revealed batteries, diesel, oil drums and dead dogs and these were dumped in more than seventy waste sites. Serious technical difficulties are faced by clean up drives pushed by the 1991 Madrid protocol.

The article offers a brief account on the result of the study by Szabolcs Kéri of the Semmelweis University in Hungary on the relationship between mental illness and creativity. It reveals that people with two copies of the mutation in the gene that codes for the protein are more creative than people with one or no copy. Keri states that this mutation can weaken activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain which can enhance creativity in some people and psychotic delusions in others.

The article highlights various studies regarding memory formation associated with the strengthening of synaptic connections between nerves cells, such as the study by Kelsey Martin and colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles which uses sea slugs to explain that memories are created in the form of new proteins which appear in the synapses.

The article focuses on the first worldwide analysis on the significance of different regions to maintain global biodiversity. In the evaluation of the endemism richness of plants as well as vertebrate land animals, it is discovered that values for island were 9.5 times higher for plants while 8.1 for vertebrates. Researchers suggest the importance of making investments in islands because of their capacity to lose more habitat from human impact compared with mainland regions.

The article provides information on the analyses of archaeological remains to find evidences concerning ancient Greek taverns. Clare Kelly Blazeby at the University of Leeds in England studied the artefacts from several houses spotted around ancient Greece from 475 to 323 BC. Blazeby's analysis suggests that most of the houses had hundreds of drinking cups, which she assumed to be from wealthy residences and from residents regularly selling wines.

The article presents findings on a study conducted by Phil Byrne and Scott Keogh concerning Bibron toadlets living in a coastal region of New South Wales. Results reveal that female tadpoles that mated with the most males had significantly more toadlets hatch. Byrne and Keogh's study found that the most successful females hedge its bets by laying eggs in as many nest as possible.

The article focuses on the discovery of the oldest embryo and the first fossilised umbilical cord in the world that were found inside a 380-million-year-old fish fossil in Australia. The specimen was named Masterpiscis attenbroughi by team of John Long of the Museum Victoria in Melbourne, who led the work. According to the article, M. attenbroughi belongs to an extinct group of armoured shark-like fish called placoderms.

The article reports on the results of a study by Stephen Wroe at the University of New South Walse, Sydney, Australia and colleagues on the similarities of the marsupial lion Thylacoleo carnifex and Smilodon fatalis, the ice age saber-tooth cat from North America. Details about characteristics of both species are cited.

The article offers information on the relation of varying brain structures to the behaviors of teenagers. A study was conducted to determine the effect of differences in brain structures that control emotions in adults. It is inferred that the structure of the three regions of the brain, which include the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex and the orbitofrontal cortex, has direct relation to the behavior of adults.

The article discusses the study conducted by Liz Hawkins of the Whale Research Centre at Southern Cross University in New South Wales which examines dolphin communication. It cites that bottlenose dolphins living in Byron Bay have been studied. It is noted that Hawkins has found 1,647 whistles with 186 whistle types from 51 different dolphins. Moreover, it also reveals that individual whistles correspond with different behaviors.

The article presents information on the object-carrying behavior of Amazon River dolphins. A recent study by researchers Tony Martin and Vera da Silva found that the male dolphins carry weeds to attract females. The study further states that the weed-carrying behavior of male dolphins is a kind of sexual display. Several genetic analyses of Amazon River dolphins have validated the study results.

The article reports on drugs scheduled to be approved by the European Commission of the European Union for the treatment of HIV. Two types of drugs are seeking approval that include entry inhibitors that stop HIV from invading T-cells and drugs that prevent HIV from making use of the integrase enzyme for inserting its DNA into healthy cells.

The article focuses on the use of robotic devices in physical therapy. It comments on paralysis caused by strokes and other accidents, and the use of physical therapy to restore mobility. Standard therapy can be inconsistent and expensive. Robotic devices can assist movement by repeating the same precise movement over and over. This action teaches the sensory cortex what the movement feels like and instructs the motor cortex on the motion.

The article presents information about a study on the sexual behavior of Antechinus stuartii, a small Australian marsupial. In this study, researchers allowed females to mate either once with three males, or three times with just one male, they found females with multiple mates had three times as many offspring that survived till weaning. Follow-up experiments revealed that some males sired far more surviving offspring than others.

This article reports on the conservation efforts undertaken to safeguard the world's largest herd of Indonesian cattle in Australia. The success in raising them in Australia proves that population of an endangered species can be established outside their native ranges. The cattle sprang from 20 banteng introduced in 1849 and is estimated to be about 6000.