Introducing the Modified Paranormal Belief Scale: Distinguishing Between Classic Paranormal Beliefs, Religious Paranormal Beliefs and Conventional Religiosity Among Undergraduates in Northern Ireland and Wales

Previous empirical studies concerned with the association between paranormal beliefs and conventional religiosity have produced conflicting evidence. Drawing on Rice’s (2003) distinction between classic paranormal beliefs and religious paranormal beliefs, the present study proposed a modified form of the Tobacyk Revised Paranormal Belief Scale to produce separate scores for these two forms of paranormal belief, styled ‘religious paranormal beliefs’ and ‘classic paranormal beliefs’. Data provided by a sample of 143 undergraduate students in Northern Ireland and Wales, who completed the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity alongside the Tobacyk Revised Paranormal Belief Scale, demonstrated that conventional religiosity is positively correlated with religious paranormal beliefs, but independent of classic paranormal beliefs. These findings provide a clear framework within which previous conflicting evidence can be interpreted. It is recommended that future research should distinguish clearly between these two forms of paranormal beliefs and that the Tobacyk Revised Paranormal Beliefs Scale should be routinely modified to detach the four religious paranormal belief items from the total scale score

Vascular and neuronal development: Intersecting parallelisms and rossroads

Two key events during evolution allowed vertebrates to develop specialized tissues able to perform complex tasks: the formation of a highly branched vascular system ensuring that all tissues receive adequate blood supply, and the development of a nervous system in which nerves branches to transmit electrical signal to peripheral organs. Both networks are laid down in a complex and stereotyped manner, which is tightly controlled by a series of shared developmental cues. Vessels and nerves use similar signals and principles to grow, differentiate and navigate toward their final targets. Moreover, the vascular and the nervous system cross-talk and, when deregulated, they contribute to medically relevant diseases. The emerging evidence that both systems share several molecular pathways not only provides an important link between vascular biology and neuroscience, but also promises to accelerate the discovery of new pathogenetic insights and therapeutic strategies