Culture | Page 2821 | Science Codex

New working-class task force faces broad challenges, labor expert says

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A task force launched by President Obama to boost America's middle class will have to help retool beleaguered U.S. workplaces facing their most sweeping changes since World War II, a University of Illinois labor expert says.

Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, the dean of the School of Labor and Employment Relations, says working-class fortunes are tethered to jobs now squeezed by recession and fraught with lingering problems ranging from stagnant wages and waning benefits to fundamental changes in the nature of work and markets.

Grape shapes

FAYETTEVILLE, AR—Round, oblong, and in-between: the shapes of the fruits we eat are not always coincidental or, for that matter, thanks to nature. Before fruit arrives in local groceries, a lot of time and effort may have gone into creating the varieties found in the produce section.

Ethanol plants no panacea for local economies, study finds

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Just over a year ago, the U.S. ethanol industry was still in overdrive, fueling a wave of new factories to keep pace with surging demand for the corn-based gasoline additive.

But the boom has since stalled amid a deep economic downturn that has stifled demand, one of many threats to the fledgling industry that were forecast in a 2007 study by two University of Illinois researchers.

Asian elephants under increasing threat as illegal ivory prices soar

WASHINGTON, DC, February 16, 2009 – Southeast Asia's few surviving elephants are under increasing threat from booming illegal ivory prices in Vietnam, according to a new market analysis released by TRAFFIC – the world's largest wildlife trade monitoring network and a joint program of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and IUCN.

The survey reports that Vietnamese illegal ivory prices could be the highest in the world, with tusks selling for up to $1,500 per kilogram (1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds) and small, cut pieces selling for up to $1,863 per kilogram.

Nanoparticles double their chances of getting into sticky situations

Chemistry researchers at the University of Warwick have found that tiny nanoparticles could be twice as likely to stick to the interface of two non mixing liquids than previously believed. This opens up a range of new possibilities for the uses of nanoparticles in living cells, polymer composites, and high-tech foams, gels, and paints. The researchers are also working on ways of further artificially enhancing this new found sticking power.

Case Western Reserve researchers looking at light-induced toxins in air and water

Is the air we breathe on a daily basis slowly killing us?

It may not be that severe, but the air we breathe and water we drink may be more harmful than we realize.

What is a virus? Research suggests a broader definition may be needed

The strange interaction of a parasitic wasp, the caterpillar in which it lays its eggs and a virus that helps it overcome the caterpillar's immune defenses has some scientists rethinking the definition of a virus.

Cosmological simulations key to understanding the universe

CHICAGO—Tiziana Di Matteo, associate professor of physics at Carnegie Mellon University is harnessing the power of supercomputing to recreate how galaxies are born, how they develop over time and, ultimately, how they collapse. Di Matteo will present an overview of her cosmological simulations as part of the "Big, Small, and Everything in Between: Simulating Our World Using Scientific Computing" session at the 2009 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in Chicago. Her session will be held at 1:30 p.m., Sunday, Feb.

Good bacteria can be EZ Pass for oral vaccine against anthrax

Researchers at North Carolina State University have discovered that the good bacteria found in dairy products and linked to positive health benefits in the human body might also be an effective vehicle for an oral vaccine that can provide immunity to anthrax exposure. The approach could possibly be used to deliver any number of specific vaccines that could block other types of viruses and pathogens.

Sun-safe pool policies appear related to sun safety behaviors among pool staff

The social environment at swimming pools appears to be related to sun safety behaviors of outdoor pool staff, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Arizona State's Lawrence Krauss predicts a 'miserable future' for our universe

CHICAGO – How did the universe begin? How will it end? Do other universes exist? Everyone at some time or another ponders these questions. Generations of researchers have brought us to our current point of understanding, but our picture of the universe has changed more in the past decade or so than it did in the past century. The changes have had a significant effect upon our understanding of the future of the universe and life within it.

Accelerating urbanization presents daunting engineering challenge

The stability and livability of the world's growing urban regions is going to depend more than ever on advances in public-infrastructure engineering, says Brad Allenby.

"The accelerating urbanization of the species is rapidly increasing the complexity of the urban environment for humanity as a whole," he says. "This makes urban-system infrastructure a critical component in maintaining stable, functioning societies and ensuring quality of life."

Carbon accounting from atmospheric measurements -- the aircraft perspective

Carbon dioxide (CO2) distinguishes itself as the fastest growing greenhouse gas in the atmosphere today. Policy decisions and regulation of CO2 emissions depends on our ability to measure the increase in the atmosphere and determine the source of the increase.

Past trends in hurricane activity and inferences for the future

Research so far on global warming and Atlantic hurricanes indicates:

Study finds recession associated with increases in minority victims of crime

The victimization of both female and male blacks and Latinos increases during or after periods of economic recession, according to a study by researchers Karen Heimer of the University of Iowa and Janet Lauritsen of the University of Missouri-St. Louis.