Too Much of A Good Thing?The Internet gives researchers and scientists instant access to an astonishing number of academic journals. So what is the impact of having such a wealth of information at their fingertips? The answer, as per new research released recently in the journal Science, is surprising--scholars are actually citing fewer papers in their own work, and the papers they do cite tend to be more recent publications. This trend may be limiting the creation of........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 7/17/2008 9:27:23 PM)
Categories help us make happier choicesMost of us have stood in a supermarket aisle, overwhelmed with the array of choices. Making those choices is easier if the options are categorized, as per new research in the Journal of Consumer Research.
Authors Cassie Mogilner (Stanford University), Tamar Rudnick, and Sheena S. Iyengar (both Columbia University) demonstrate a surprising phenomenon called the "mere categorization effect," where consumers are happier with their choices if........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 7/16/2008 7:16:44 PM)
Sneak a peek under the veil of superconductivityHow does a magnet that cannot transport electricity transform into a superconductor that is a perfect conductor of electricity?
That question has baffled physics researchers for more than 20 years. Solving this mystery has become somewhat of a quest because the answer holds immense potential for power transmission with no energy loss, super-fast levitating trains, powerful supercomputers, and a host of other applications. Collaboration among........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 7/10/2008 9:30:13 PM)
Why musicians make us weep and computers don'tMusic can soothe the savage breast much better if played by musicians rather than clever computers, as per a new University of Sussex-led study reported in the online, open-access journal PLoS ONE
Neuroresearchers looked at the brain's response to piano sonatas played either by a computer or a musician and observed that, while the computerised music elicited an emotional response especially to unexpected chord changes - it was not as strong........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 7/8/2008 8:29:54 PM)
Founders at workMy last flight over the Pacific gave me ample time to read through Jessica Livingstons collection of interviews
It's good stuff and Jessica certainly got to the famous people. The interviews usually cover the founders insight on why and how they started their company. Most entrepreneurs give a humble account of their own success. Many recognize that thing could have turned out otherwise and each startup had their hard times and was........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 7/3/2008 9:58:18 PM)
Mimulus aurantiacusI''m at a conference this week, so I''m only posting abbreviated entries when I have the time........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 7/3/2008 9:50:22 PM)
Why Do People Vote?A groundbreaking new study finds that genes significantly affect variation in voter turnout, shedding new light on the reasons why people vote and participate in the political system.
This research, which was conducted by political researchers James H. Fowler, Christopher T. Dawes (of UC San Diego) and psychology expert Laura A. Baker (of University of Southern California), appears in the recent issue of the American Political Science........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 6/26/2008 9:20:27 PM)
Extreme Ultraviolet PhotoresistsScientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have confirmed that the photoresists used in next-generation semiconductor manufacturing processes now under development are twice as sensitive as previously believed. This finding, announced at a workshop last month,* has attracted considerable interest because of its implications for future manufacturing. If the photoresists are twice as sensitive as previously thought,........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 6/26/2008 8:27:54 PM)
Absinthe LollipopsThe US Government recently approved the sale of absinthe within certain guidelines, namely that there is less than 10ppm of thujone. Absinthe Lollipops contain an amount of thujone that is within the legal limits set by the US regulatory authorities and of the European Union.Our Absinthe Lollipops are really freaking awesome. And we say that without even an ounce of hubris. People go crazy (not like, cut-your-ear-off crazy, tho) for them.........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 6/23/2008 9:44:10 PM)
Tiny refrigerator taking shape to cool future computersScientists at Purdue University are in the process of developing a miniature refrigeration system small enough to fit inside laptops and personal computers, a cooling technology that would boost performance while shrinking the size of computers.
Unlike conventional cooling systems, which use a fan to circulate air through finned devices called heat sinks attached to computer chips, miniature refrigeration would dramatically increase how much........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 6/19/2008 9:13:41 PM)
DNA Knot KeepsViral Genes Tightly Corked Inside ShellA novel twist of DNA may keep viral genes tightly wound within a capsule, waiting for ejection into a host, a high-resolution analysis of its structure has revealed.
Using electron microscopy and three-dimensional computer reconstruction, UC San Diego biologists and chemists have produced the most detailed image yet of the protein envelope of an asymmetrical virus and the viral DNA packed within, they report this week in the journal........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 6/17/2008 9:53:31 PM)
Plant Flavonoid Luteolin Reduce Inflammatory Response© Harris Grabe
Scientists have found that luteolin, a plant flavonoid found in celery and green peppers can disrupt a key component of the inflammatory response in the brain typical of aging and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and multiple sclerosis
Graduate research assistant Saebyeol Jang studied the inflammatory response in microglial cells. She spurred inflammation by exposing the cells to lipopolysaccharide........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 5/24/2008 4:19:51 PM)
Sinatra"Comes a report that Martin Scorsese might be doing a film about Frank Sinatra - and not a documentary but an honest-to-God biopic," notes Shawn Levy. "I''ve written a book about Sinatra, so I know that there''s more than a ton of material there for a movie.
"The life and work of Frank Sinatra, who passed away 10 years ago tomorrow, will be celebrated in film, television, radio, and even a commemorative 42-cent Sinatra postage stamp, which........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 5/18/2008 6:09:35 PM)
Cannes: Four Nights with AnnaFour Nights with Anna is "the first film in 17 years from the great Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski, who mostly has spent his time recently acting (he was Naomi Watts''s racist Russian uncle in Eastern Promises)," writes Ty Burr........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 5/16/2008 8:20:27 PM)
Climate is changing life on global scaleA vast array of physical and biological systems across the earth are being affected by warming temperatures caused by humans, says a new analysis of information not previously assembled all in one spot. The effects on living things include earlier leafing of trees and plants over a number of regions; movements of species to higher latitudes and altitudes in the northern hemisphere; changes in bird migrations in Europe, North America and........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 5/14/2008 9:29:43 PM)
Atriplex hortensisSorry about the errant entry notification sent earlier today. I made some updates to that entry and the upgraded software decided that was enough to send out a new notification, so I''ll have to figure out how to suppress that in the future
Here''s today''s entry, written by Connor
Also known as orache and mountain-spinach, Atriplex hortensis can be found in cultivation worldwide. It is possibly native to central Asia, but the........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 5/8/2008 8:11:51 PM)
Cells Communicate To Activate The Cell Division MachineryA study performed by scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) on the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, unveils how distinct signaling pathways operate between neighboring cells in order to activate the cell proliferation machinery that results in the organized growth of the fly wing. The signaling pathways involved in this process are also conserved in humans, and when altered in diverse tissues give rise to the........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 5/5/2008 8:09:19 PM)
Zebrafish may help solve ringing in vets' earsErnest Moore, an audiologist and cell biologist at Northwestern University, developed tinnitus -- a chronic ringing and whooshing sound in his ears -- twenty years ago after serving in the U.S. Army reserves medical corps. His hearing was damaged by the crack of too a number of M16 rifles and artillery explosions. He suspects his hearing also suffered from hunting opossum with rifles as a kid on his grandmother's farm in Tennessee.
Ever........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 4/30/2008 5:49:17 PM)
Decision making, is it all 'me, me, me'?People act in their own best interests, as per traditional views of how and why we make the decisions that we do.
However, psychology experts at the Universities of Leicester and Exeter have recently found evidence that this assumption is not necessarily true. In fact the research, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, shows that most of us will act in the best interest of our team often at our own expense.
Psychology........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 4/28/2008 8:53:44 PM)
Ozone hole recovery may reshape southern hemisphere climate changeA full recovery of the stratospheric ozone hole could modify climate change in the Southern Hemisphere and even amplify Antarctic warming, as per researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA.
While Earth's average surface temperatures have been increasing, the interior of Antarctica has exhibited a unique cooling trend during the austral summer and fall caused by ozone........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 4/24/2008 10:20:21 PM)
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Antarctica and North America Were Once Connected?A lone granite boulder found against all odds high atop a glacier in Antarctica may provide additional key evidence to support a theory that parts of the southernmost continent once were connected to North America hundreds of millions of years ago.
Writing in the July 11 edition of the journal Science, an international team of U.S. and Australian researchers describe their findings, which were made in the Transantarctic Mountains, and their........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 7/19/2008 10:11:11 AM)
Virtual world is sign of futurePurdue University is operating a virtual environment that enables researchers and engineers to interpret raw data collected with powerful instruments called dynamic atomic force microscopes.
The online tools, thought to bethe first of their kind for the instruments, represent a research trend, with tools for other applications also being developed, said Arvind Raman, a Purdue professor of mechanical engineering.
"We will see more and more........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 7/16/2008 7:22:59 PM)
On Energy-efficient LightingThe latest bright idea in energy-efficient lighting for homes and offices uses big science in nano-small packages to dim the future Edison's light bulb.
In the recent issue of Nature Photonics, available online, researchers at the University of Michigan and Princeton University announce a discovery that pushes more appealing white light from organic light-emitting devices.
More white light is the holy grail of the next generation of........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 7/15/2008 10:12:57 PM)
SimplyNoiseWhite noise is a random signal with a flat power spectral density. In other words, the signal''s power spectral density has equal power in any band, at any centre frequency, having a given bandwidth. White noise is considered analogous to white light which contains all frequencies.At SimplyNoise you can use a slider to find a comfort zone and enjoy the auditory zen. The site claims you can use it for aid sleep, to block distractions, mask........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 7/8/2008 4:07:38 PM)
Smithsonian coral biodiversity survey of Panama's Pearl IslandsA comprehensive survey of coral biodiversity in Panama's Las Perlas Archipelago, reported in the journal Environmental Conservation by scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and their colleagues, has resulted in clear conservation recommendations for a new coastal management plan.
"To evaluate strategies for the protection of natural resources in the Las Perlas archipelago, we gathered basic information about coral........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 7/7/2008 10:10:21 PM)
Computing is Bigger in VegasLas Vegas is Everyman's cut-rate Babylon. - Alistair Cooke© guspi
The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas has brought six Microsoft Surface tabletop computers into its iBar ultra-lounge for use and play by bar patrons. Cool. I cannot wait to get out there and try it out.Microsoft Surface is a thirty inch tabletop computer that features an interface that allows several users to move data around with their hands on the tabletop.........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 7/2/2008 8:33:09 PM)
How older adults function in daily lifeAs more adults age into the high-risk period for cognitive impairment, clinicians need simple and reliable methods to identify where they may have problems in everyday life that reveal underlying changes in the brain. A new, carefully validated questionnaire called Everyday Cognition (ECog), when filled out by someone who knows an older adult well, can sensitively evaluate the performance of everyday activities that reflect basic mental........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 7/1/2008 9:46:35 PM)
Physicists Produce Quantum-Entangled ImagesUsing a convenient and flexible method for creating twin light beams, scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland (UM) have produced "quantum images," pairs of information-rich visual patterns whose features are "entangled," or inextricably linked by the laws of quantum physics.
In addition to promising better detection of faint objects and improved amplification and positioning of........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 6/26/2008 8:32:51 PM)
What Makes Diamonds SlipperyThey call diamonds "ice," and not just because they sparkle. Engineers and physicists have long studied diamond because even though the material is as hard as an ice ball to the head, diamond slips and slides with remarkably low friction, making it an ideal material or coating for seals, high performance tools and high-tech moving parts.
Robert Carpick, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 6/23/2008 8:07:09 PM)
A look into the nanoscaleLawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers have captured time-series snapshots of a solid as it evolves on the ultra-fast timescale.
Using femtosecond X-ray free electron laser (FEL) pulses, the team, led by Anton Barty, is able to observe condensed phase dynamics such as crack formation, phase separation, rapid fluctuations in the liquid state or in biologically relevant environments.
Other Livermore scientists include Michael........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 6/23/2008 8:03:43 PM)
Secrets of Newest Form of CarbonUsing one of the world's most powerful sources of man-made radiation, physicists from UC San Diego, Columbia University and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have uncovered new secrets about the properties of graphene-a form of pure carbon that may one day replace the silicon in computers, televisions, mobile phones and other common electronic devices.
Graphene-a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycombed lattice-has many........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 6/10/2008 8:32:31 PM)
Carbon emissions trading in EuropeFor the past three years, the European Union has been operating the world's largest emissions trading system and the first system to limit and to trade carbon dioxide emissions. An MIT analysis of this initial "trial" phase finds that-despite its hasty adoption and somewhat rocky beginning-the European Union cap-and-trade system has operated well and has had little or no negative impact on the overall EU economy.
The MIT results provide both........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 6/10/2008 8:26:57 PM)
Garcia's First Win in 3 YearsCourtesy: img.timeinc.ne
There is one thing that professional golfers want to do more than anything else: win tournaments
And since there can only be one winner each week, the finale of the Tournament Players Championship was made even more dramatic
Sergio Garcia, who hadn't won anything in 3 years, edged out Paul Goydos who has only won twice in 11 years........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 5/18/2008 5:56:27 PM)
Sunday sighsSunday already? Seems like this happens every week! With luck we’re down at Roundrock today, watching spring emerge and maybe grilling some meat over a fire. The redbuds and dogwoods are mostly finished with their bloom up in Kansas City. I’m pretty sure that means Libby won’t get to see the redbuds at Roundrock. And since we don’t have dogwoods there, she won’t get to see those either
We will have to get back........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 5/16/2008 8:11:48 PM)
High Gas Prices, Taking It In The Shorts© Stoker Studio
It's getting close. I'm about 50 or 60 cents away from either another vehicle purchase or to stilling my own bio-diesel in the back yard. It's not just affecting my normal driving either. It's affecting my off road and ATV fun too
According to a couple of sources including AAA and the chairman of Houston-based Dune Energy, Alan Gaines, predictions are being made that the price for a gallon of gasoline........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 5/8/2008 8:12:00 PM)
Shorts, fests, books, etc"The premise of Jesus, the Spirit of God is that Jesus was compassionate and performed miracles, but was not crucified or resurrected from the dead. The message implies that Christianity, a faith of 2 billion people and the core of much Western philosophy, is based on a falsehood." Jeffrey Fleishman talks with Iranian director Nader Talebzadeh, whose "new film is based on the Islamic version of the life of Jesus, depicting the man Christians........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 5/8/2008 7:49:15 PM)
Fixing up 'this old house' may increase youngRipping out and tearing down to create a divinely designed home, a la HGTV, is all the rage today and the economic downturn may be leading more families to renovate rather than relocate. But a new study has observed that parents need to be aware that all this interior renovation can put their children's health at risk due to exposure to lead.
The study conducted by scientists at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center observed that........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 5/3/2008 7:39:17 PM)
Injecting Sulfate Particles into StratosphereA much-discussed idea to offset global warming by injecting sulfate particles into the stratosphere would have a drastic impact on Earth's protective ozone layer, new research concludes.
The study, led by Simone Tilmes of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., warns that such an approach would delay the recovery of the Antarctic ozone hole by decades and cause significant ozone loss over the Arctic.
The........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 4/30/2008 6:39:04 PM)
Leaving our markWhether you live in a cardboard box or a luxurious mansion, whether you subsist on homegrown vegetables or wolf down imported steaks, whether you're a jet-setter or a sedentary retiree, anyone who lives in the U.S. contributes more than twice as much greenhouse gas to the atmosphere as the global average, an MIT class has estimated.
The class studied the carbon emissions of Americans in a wide variety of lifestyles--from the homeless to........Go to the Science-blog (Added on 4/28/2008 5:35:50 PM)
Siemens shenanigans roll onThe Siemens saga rolls on and if Siemens management thought things would settle down, they need to have a long think. This case is getting messier and messier by the day.First, the company's former chief executive Heinrich von Pierer has been forced to come out and deny reports that he arranged bribes after he had been fingered by witnesses. Still, that hasn't stopped him being interviewed by prosecutors. Significantly, the prosecutors........Go to the My-media-blog (Added on 4/23/2008 5:26:37 PM)
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