Culture | Page 2840 | Science Codex

For nano, religion in US dictates a wary view

MADISON — When it comes to the world of the very, very small — nanotechnology — Americans have a big problem: Nano and its capacity to alter the fundamentals of nature, it seems, are failing the moral litmus test of religion.

In a report published today (Dec. 7) in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, survey results from the United States and Europe reveal a sharp contrast in the perception that nanotechnology is morally acceptable. Those views, according to the report, correlate directly with aggregate levels of religious views in each country surveyed.

Scientists design a technique to differentiate between original and bootleg CDs

A group of scientists of the University of Granada has developed a new optical technique which permits to know if a Compact Disc (CD) is original or a copy. This new technique is economical, fast and effective, and allows to detect illegal CD copies.

Optical CDs are at present the most extended physical means of distribution of digital information around the world. However, bootlegging in this sector is a serious problem which involves important economic losses and which has not been solved up to now.

Report offers options for negotiators seeking to craft critical accord on forests and climate change

POZNAN (5 December 2008)—The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) today released a comprehensive analysis clarifying major challenges and offering an assortment of options that could help negotiators reach a global agreement on reducing carbon emissions tied to forest destruction and degradation.

Happiness is a collective -- not just individual -- phenomenon

BOSTON, Mass. (Dec. 4, 2008) —If you're happy and you know it, thank your friends—and their friends. And while you're at it, their friends' friends. But if you're sad, hold the blame. Researchers from Harvard Medical School and the University of California, San Diego have found that "happiness" is not the result solely of a cloistered journey filled with individually tailored self-help techniques. Happiness is also a collective phenomenon that spreads through social networks like an emotional contagion.

The importance of science and technology at the White House

Washington, DC – Science, technology and innovation are key elements in addressing the economy, health care, energy and a host of other challenges our nation will face in the coming years.

Bonefish census reveals population holding steady

VIRGINIA KEY, Fla. -- If you're looking for bonefish from Miami down to the Marquesas Islands, you have about 321,000 to choose from, and that is down slightly from the average of previous censuses—mostly due to increased participation among those who are counting, researchers speculate.

Expert: Long-term care health coverage a hidden casualty of economic slide

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Many Americans have lost more than just retirement savings amid a year-long economic meltdown that has sliced the U.S. stock market's value by nearly half in a little over a year, a University of Illinois elder law expert says.

Law professor Richard L. Kaplan says many older investors also may now be short of funds for costly long-term medical care such as nursing homes if their health fails during their golden years.

Mysteries of Venus revealed at wavelengths invisible to human eyes

New images taken by instruments on board ESA's Venus Express provide a unique insight into the windy atmosphere of our neighbouring planet and reveal that global patterns at the Venus cloud tops are the result of variable temperatures and cloud heights.

New bone implant technology using techniques normally used to make catalytic converters

A method of producing synthetic bone, using techniques normally used to make catalytic converters for cars, is being developed by researchers at WMG at the University of Warwick.

The team is now working closely with Warwick Ventures, the University's technology transfer office, to find a suitable partner to help commercialise the technology, and will be presenting their work on 9 December at the national university technology showcase event, Bioversity.

Monolity.

September 2007 Sumatran earthquakes research findings

Three great earthquakes and destructive tsunamis over the past four years is not enough to spare the region of another large earthquake, warns an international group of earthquake researchers in their paper published in the Dec. 4 issue of the journal Nature.

Scientists film inner workings of the immune system

Forget what's number one at the box office this week. The most exciting new film features the intricate workings of the body, filmed by scientists using ground-breaking technology.

For the first time in Australia, scientists at Sydney's Centenary Institute have filmed an immune cell becoming infected by a parasite and followed the infection as it begins to spread throughout the body.

Uncovering the real dirt on granular flow

MADISON - A handful of sand contains countless grains, which interact with each other via friction and impact forces as they slip through your fingers. When a handful becomes a load in an excavator bucket, those interactions multiply exponentially.

Forest inventories in Oregon include more than trees

PORTLAND, Ore. December 3, 2008. The first 5-year forest inventory report for Oregon's private and public lands is now available to the public: Oregon's Forest Resources, 2001-2005: Five-Year Forest Inventory and Analysis Report.

Here are some key findings from the report:

Understanding the daily variation in atmospheric pressure

For over two centuries, meteorologists were puzzled by the observation that atmospheric pressure in the tropics peaks at 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. nearly every day. In the late 1960s, a theory was proposed that these surface pressure variations result from waves that are generated by the sun's heating of the upper atmosphere. The waves, called solar tides, propagate to the ground as they travel around the globe.

Venus comes to life at wavelengths invisible to human eyes

A pale yellow-green dot to the human eye, Earth's twin planet comes to life in the ultraviolet and the infrared. New images taken by instruments on board ESA's Venus Express provide insight into the turbulent atmosphere of our neighbouring planet.

Using Venus Express, it is possible to compare what the planet looks like in different wavelengths, giving scientists a powerful tool to study the physical conditions and dynamics of the planet's atmosphere.