Culture | Science Codex

Second, more realistic estimate can reduce planning and purchasing errors

DURHAM, N.C. –- The next time a contractor tells you the kitchen remodeling will be done in six weeks, you might ask him to get real and reconsider his estimate.

People often fail to remember that the world is not ideal when they predict when they will complete a project, how frequently they will exercise, or how much money they will save. However, a subtle reminder of the difference between ideal and realistic predictions can yield a more accurate estimate, according to new research from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and the Wisconsin School of Business.

Investors who 'gamble' in the stock market have same characteristics as lottery players

AUSTIN, Texas—The socioeconomic characteristics of people who play state lotteries are similar to investors who pick stocks with a lottery quality—high risk with a small potential for high return, and just like the lottery, returns on average are lower for those who invest this way in the stock market, research from The University of Texas at Austin shows.

An impossible alloy now possible

What has been impossible has now been shown to be possible – an alloy between two incompatible elements. The findings are being published in this week's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA.

A research team led by Professor H.K. Mao from Carnegie Institution of Washington and Professor Rajeev Ahuja from UU have used high pressure experiments and theoretical calculations to study the behaviour of Ce3Al under high pressure.

The colors of quasars reveal a dusty universe

The vast expanses of intergalactic space appear to be filled with ahaze of tiny, smoke-like "dust" particles that dim the light fromdistant objects and subtly change their colors, according to a team ofastronomers from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-II).

"Galaxies contain lots of dust, most of it formed in the outer regionsof dying stars," said team leader Brice Menard of the CanadianInstitute for Theoretical Astrophysics. "The surprise is that we are seeingdust hundreds of thousands of light-years outside of the galaxies, inintergalactic space."

Random antenna arrays boost emergency communications

First responders could boost their radio communications quickly at a disaster site by setting out just four extra transmitters in a random arrangement to significantly increase the signal power at the receiver, according to theoretical analyses, simulations and proof-of-concept experiments performed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Researchers show small robots can prepare lunar surface for NASA outpost

PITTSBURGH—Small robots the size of riding mowers could prepare a safe landing site for NASA's Moon outpost, according to a NASA-sponsored study prepared by Astrobotic Technology Inc. with technical assistance from Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute.

Astrobotic Technology and Carnegie Mellon researchers analyzed mission requirements and developed the design for an innovative new type of small lunar robot under contract from NASA's Lunar Surface Systems group.

13,000 Clovis-era tool cache unearthed in Colorado shows evidence of camel, horse butchering

A biochemical analysis of a rare Clovis-era stone tool cache recently unearthed in the city limits of Boulder, Colo., indicates some of the implements were used to butcher ice-age camels and horses that roamed North America until their extinction about 13,000 years ago, according to a University of Colorado at Boulder study.

Political rhetoric divides Danes and immigrants

Over the last thirty years politicians have grouped Danes and Muslim immigrants into "us" and "them," according to a new research project which concludes that such rhetoric has been central to political change and had negative consequences for public opinion of the "new Danes." The research results have been made public in Ph.D. fellow Brian Arly Jacobsen's dissertation "Religion as Foreignness in Danish Politics."

Jews and Muslims

Media coverage affects perceptions of climate change

Climate change will not be taken seriously until the media highlights its significance, say researchers at the University of Liverpool.

Dr Neil Gavin, from the School of Politics and Communication Studies, believes the way the media handles issues like climate change shapes the public's perception of its importance. Limited coverage is unlikely to convince readers that climate change is a serious problem that warrants immediate and decisive action.

Discovering the secret code behind photosynthesis

Scientists from Queen Mary, University of London have discovered that an ancient system of communication found in primitive bacteria, may also explain how plants and algae control the process of photosynthesis.

Two-component signal transduction systems (TCSTs) have long been recognised as the main way in which bacteria coordinate their responses to changes in their environment. But recent research has shown that these 'bacterial' two-component systems have also survived in plants and algae, as a way of sending signals within their cells.

Lovely 'snowfakes' mimic nature, advance science

MADISON — Exquisitely detailed and beautifully symmetrical, the snowflakes that David Griffeath makes are icy jewels of art.

But don't be fooled; there is some serious science behind the University of Wisconsin-Madison mathematician's charming creations. Although they look as if they tumbled straight from the clouds, these "snowfakes" are actually the product of an elaborate computer model designed to replicate the wildly complex growth of snow crystals.

In-store video ads a boon to retailers, a peril for traditional media

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Video advertising in stores is a moneymaker for retailers, but a growing threat to already cash-strapped print and broadcast media, according to a new study co-written by a University of Illinois business professor.

Yunchuan "Frank" Liu says in-store marketing has surged in the last decade, fueled by on-the-spot commercials that have proven persuasive with shoppers and lower advertising rates that are popular with manufacturers.

ESC reaffirms advice on cardiovascular risks associated with long-haul flights

Following a review by The Lancet of the medical issues associated with commercial air travel, the European Society of Cardiology has reaffirmed its advice about the risks of venous thromboembolism (VTE), whose risk, according to The Lancet, is increased "up to four-fold" by long-haul flight.

New tool improves productivity, quality when translating software

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a software tool that will make it faster and easier to translate video games and other software into different languages for use in various international markets – addressing a hurdle to internationalization that has traditionally been time-consuming and subject to error.

Sexual lyrics in popular songs linked to early sexual experiences

San Diego, CA, February, 24, 2009 – With sexual activity among adolescents in the United States resulting in over 750,000 teenage pregnancies each year and reports of up to 25 percent of all female adolescents in the US having sexually transmitted infections, researchers and public health officials are looking for those factors that might increase sexual activity in teens.