Culture | Science Codex

Growth in military contracting blurs lines of accountability

WASHINGTON, DC — The thriving use of private military contractors in place of citizen-soldiers allows nations to externalize the costs of war and outsource accountability during wartime, according to sociologist Katherine McCoy, writing in the winter 2009 issue of Contexts magazine.

A trend that has increased steadily since the Gulf War, private military contracting is now a $100 billion global industry that is projected to be worth up to $200 billion by 2010. More private contractors work in the Iraq War than American soldiers.

Quantum doughnuts slow and freeze light at will: 'Fast computing and slow glass'

Research led by the University of Warwick has found a way to use doughnuts shaped by-products of quantum dots to slow and even freeze light, opening up a wide range of possibilities from reliable and effective light based computing to the possibility of "slow glass".

Novel electric signals in plants

Using ion-selective micro-electrodes electrical signals in plants moving from leaf to leaf could be measured. The speed of the signals spreading as voltage changes over cell membranes ranged from 5 to 10 cm per minute. The scientists discovered this new kind of electrical signal transmission system by applying a novel method: Filamentary electrodes were inserted through open stomata directly into the inner leaf tissue and then placed onto the cell walls (see picture).

Turn back, wayward axon

To a growing axon, the protein RGMa is a "Wrong Way" sign, alerting it to head in another direction. As Hata et al. demonstrate in the March 9, 2009 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology (www.jcb.org), translating that signal into cellular action requires teamwork from two receptors.

It's your funeral: The eco burial movement gathers ground

Natural burial is often thought of as a green option that takes place in the countryside for non-religious people, but according to researchers at the University of Sheffield, that is only part of the story. 'Lots of different approaches to natural burial have evolved since 1993 when the first site was opened,' explains Mr Andy Clayden, who is leading the research team, which includes Professor Jenny Hockey and Dr Trish Green, 'they cater for people who want a more informal setting in keeping with the person they want to remember.

Evidence of earliest known domestic horses found in Kazakhstan

The earliest known domesticated horses were both ridden and milked according to a new report published in the March 6, 2009 edition of the journal Science. The findings by an international team of archaeologists could point to the very beginnings of horse domestication and help explain its early impacts on society.

Debt relief leads to development in Zambia

Developing countries with extremely large debts have found it easier to obtain debt relief from the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the World Bank than countries with smaller debts. This is due, in part, to an established theoretical economic model which advises against debt relief in the case of smaller debts. A new economics thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, shows that, contrary to long-held assumptions, debt relief also leads to higher levels of own investment in the case of smaller debts.

Bristly spheres as capsules

Amphiphilic molecules, which have one water-friendly (hydrophilic) end and one water-repellant (hydrophobic) end, spontaneously aggregate in aqueous solutions to make superstructures like capsules or bilayers. This phenomenon is responsible for the effects of detergents and soaps. Dirt is enclosed in little capsules of surfactant, which makes it water-soluble.

New explanation for a puzzling biological divide along the Malay Peninsula

Ecologists at the University of California, San Diego, offer a new explanation for an apparently abrupt switch in the kinds in of mammals found along the Malay Peninsula in southeast Asia – from mainland species to island species – in the absence of any geographical barrier.

Statement by Sandy Andelman, co-author of 'Drought sensitivity of the Amazon Rainforest'

Here is a statement from Dr. Sandy Andelman, co-author of the study titled "Drought Sensitivity of the Amazon Rainforest" and Vice-President of the TEAM Network at Conservation International:

"With most of the climate change debate focusing on energy security and food security, this study emphasizes the fundamental importance of ecosystem security – in short, how nature keeps us healthy. It shows that a warming climate is not the only problem; drying climate is just as bad or worse for both nature and people.

Markets outperform patents in promoting intellectual discovery, say Caltech-led economists

PASADENA, Calif.--When it comes to intellectual curiosity and creativity, a market economy in which inventors can buy and sell shares of the key components of their discoveries actually beats out the winner-takes-all world of patent rights as a motivating force, according to a California Institute of Technology (Caltech)-led team of researchers.

Study finds that students benefit from depth, rather than breadth, in high school science courses

A recent study reports that high school students who study fewer science topics, but study them in greater depth, have an advantage in college science classes over their peers who study more topics and spend less time on each.

Robert Tai, associate professor at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education, worked with Marc S. Schwartz of the University of Texas at Arlington and Philip M. Sadler and Gerhard Sonnert of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics to conduct the study and produce the report.

What consumers want: MSU researchers pinpoint common threads

"The advantage for the business owner," she added, "is now that I know what is important to the customer I can allocate my resources, my strategy and the systems I put in place to enhance that total experience. And that's your competitive advantage."

Ecologists propose first prevention for white-nose syndrome death in bats

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a poorly understood condition that, in the two years since its discovery, has spread to at least seven northeastern states and killed as many as half a million bats. Now researchers have suggested the first step toward a measure that may help save the affected bats: providing localized heat sources to the hibernating animals.

Supply chain report reveals need to improve supplier awareness of climate change threats

The first ever global collaboration on climate change between major organisations and their suppliers demonstrates the need for increased supplier awareness of the regulatory, physical and general risks that climate change poses to their business. Of 634 suppliers surveyed globally by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), only 58% considered that climate change posed a risk to their operations, while one third said it posed no risk, showing there is still a lack of understanding from suppliers of the business threats from climate change.