Culture

In a breakthrough new study, scientists and engineers at the University of Minnesota have electrically transformed the abundant and low-cost non-magnetic material iron sulfide, also known as "fool's gold" or pyrite, into a magnetic material.

This is the first time scientists have ever electrically transformed an entirely non-magnetic material into a magnetic one, and it could be the first step in creating valuable new magnetic materials for more energy-efficient computer memory devices.

In medicine, men generally earn more than women for similar work, but a new study published July 30 in BMJ finds that the income gap between genders shrinks substantially in practices with more equal gender distributions of staff physicians.

The analysis showed that in nonsurgical specialty practices with at least as many women as men, men earn 12 percent more than women. However, that gap nearly doubles--to 20 percent--for practices with more than 90 percent male physicians on staff.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The list of companies that have filed for bankruptcy during the first half of 2020 reads like a "who's who" of major retailers and recognized brands. Consumers may know J.C. Penney, Hertz, Neiman Marcus, J. Crew and Pier 1, but the carnage also includes tech firms previously seen to have much potential.

What The Study Did: Researchers identified surgical specialties with the lowest percentage of female resident physicians and looked at the changes over a decade in the percentage of women in different specialties.

Authors: Christopher L. Bennett, M.D., M.A., of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, is the corresponding author.

To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/

MINNEAPOLIS - Even after all of their symptoms are gone, people who have had a concussion take longer to regain complex reaction times, the kind you need in most real-life driving situations on the road, according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's Sports Concussion Virtual Conference from July 31 to August 1, 2020. The preliminary results could have implications for how quickly experts recommend drivers get back behind the wheel after a concussion.

Scientists around the world have access to a rich trove of information through the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE)--annotated versions of the human and mouse genomes that are vital for interpreting their genetic codes. In the July 29, 2020 issue of the journal Nature, an international consortium of approximately 500 scientists reports on the completion of Phase 3 of an ongoing project, an achievement 20 years in the making that will help reveal how genetic variation shapes human health and disease.