Culture | Science Codex

CDU research finds street gang activity is a predictor of homicide in LA neighborhoods

Los Angeles, CA — Neighborhoods saddled with gangs fighting over the same turf suffer higher homicide rates and greater instability than areas where the gangs are scarce, according to a recent study by researchers at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science.

The study—featured online this week in the Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine—examined how the presence of neighborhood street gangs influences homicides rates in communities throughout Los Angeles County.

Juvenile justice study: Minority youths of single parents more likely detained

As a teenager in the juvenile justice system, living in a single-parent household or having a family with criminal history doesn't help your case -- at least if you're a minority.

A study by social work researchers at Kansas State University found that circumstances like school truancy, living in a single-parent household or having family members with criminal records were more likely to land minority teens in detention than their white peers.

Families are feeling the stress of economic crisis, researcher finds

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- There is no question that the recent economic crisis has wreaked havoc on companies and on families across the country. Now, a recent study of 300 married, working couples conducted by Wayne Hochwarter, the Jim Moran Professor of Management at Florida State University's College of Business, is revealing just how deeply the crunch is being felt.

Why should Iowa remain the first presidential primary?

Washington, DC—A new study finds that Iowa reflects the diversity of America more than most other U.S. states and is well-placed to deserve its status as the first presidential nomination primary. In particular, Iowa is particularly typical of the U.S. in economic and social terms.

Researchers progress toward AIDS vaccine

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Rutgers AIDS researchers Gail Ferstandig Arnold and Eddy Arnold may have turned a corner in their search for a HIV vaccine. In a paper just published in the Journal of Virology, the husband and wife duo and their colleagues report on their research progress.

Fighting global warming offers growth and development opportunities

Combating climate change may not be a question of who will carry the burden but could instead be a rush for the benefits, according to new economic modeling presented today at "Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges & Decisions" hosted by the University of Copenhagen.

Contrary to current cost models for lowering greenhouse gas emissions and fighting climate change, a group of researchers from the University of Cambridge conclude that even very stringent reductions of can create a macroeconomic benefit, if governments go about it the right way.

Options for a new Britain: A report card for Britain

The most ambitious independent policy review in the UK for over a decade is published this week and makes challenging reading for both Government and Opposition.

How has Britain progressed over the last decade? What are the next big choices that face us in the coming one?

Student-designed device provides new way to track calorie burning

Counting calories that burn through activity is a constant quandary.

One can only run on a treadmill so long, watching intently as the pedometer reads out the number of calories melted during a session of exercise. Not to mention the question of how many calories are burned through basic daily movements and even during sleep.

But technology – and youthful ambition – is presenting a round-the-clock solution for those consumed with this calculation.

Wishful betting can contaminate financial markets, study shows

AUSTIN, Texas—Wishful bettors, those who make overly optimistic investments, will ultimately harm themselves financially, but they can harm entire markets as well, new research shows.

Los Alamos researchers create 'map of science'

LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, March 11, 2009—Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists have produced the world's first Map of Science—a high-resolution graphic depiction of the virtual trails scientists leave behind when they retrieve information from online services. The research, led by Johan Bollen, appears this week in PLoS ONE (the Public Library of Science).

"This research will be a crucial component of future efforts to study and predict scientific innovation, as well novel methods to determine the true impact of articles and journals," Bollen said.

NOAA: Atmospheric 'sunshade' could reduce solar power generation

The concept of delaying global warming by adding particles into the upper atmosphere to cool the climate could unintentionally reduce peak electricity generated by large solar power plants by as much as one-fifth, according to a new NOAA study. The findings appear in this week's issue of Environmental Science and Technology.

Polarizers may enhance remote chemical detection

Chemists can analyze the composition of a suspected bomb -- without actually touching and possibly detonating it -- using a technique called laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, or LIBS. The tool is also commonly used for "stand-off" detection in such harsh or potentially dangerous environments as blast furnaces, nuclear reactors and biohazard sites and on unmanned planetary probes like the Mars rovers.

Does humor on the Internet mold political thinking?

Humor is a powerful communications tool with potential political implications at various levels of society, as the recent Danish political cartoon representations of the Prophet Mohammad and the political repercussions and resulting economic boycotts demonstrated. Purcell and colleagues' paper looks at humor as an important form of popular culture in the creation of geopolitical worldviews.

The ideal measurements of a pre-Roman model

Noor van Krimpen has added a new weapon to the archaeologist's arsenal; the metrological analysis. This was already used to find out more about the design aspects of historical constructions. Van Krimpen, however, has now also used the method to add to our knowledge of the social significance of the houses of Pompeii's elite. The main advantage of using metrological analysis is that it does not require further excavations and so the remains are kept intact.

The ideal measurements

Turning sunlight into liquid fuels

Berkeley, CA - For millions of years, green plants have employed photosynthesis to capture energy from sunlight and convert it into electrochemical energy. A goal of scientists has been to develop an artificial version of photosynthesis that can be used to produce liquid fuels from carbon dioxide and water. Researchers with the U.S.