Culture

MAGNESIA, GREECE—To grow the high-quality potted plants preferred by consumers, many growers use chemical "regulators" designed to affect plant growth and development. The use of chemical growth retardants is standard practice in the production of compact gardenia plants; the chemicals are used to reduce plants' internode length, and encourage the production of lateral shoots that create aesthetically pleasing, spherical plants with plentiful flower buds.

BALTIMORE, MD – A new study confirms what most people already know: sending text messages and driving are a potentially lethal combination.

Twenty-one teens using a driving simulator while sending text messages or searching their MP3s slowed down, wove in an out of their lanes, and, in some cases, ran over pedestrians, according to a study presented to the Pediatric Academic Societies on Saturday, May 2.

(COLUMBUS, Ohio)- Although most parents do not consider furniture and televisions to be dangerous, children are often injured when these items tip over. A recent study conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital found that from 1990-2007 an average of nearly 15,000 children younger than 18 years of age visited emergency departments annually for injuries received from furniture tip-overs.

Cold Spring Harbor, NY – During infancy, each of us emerges from a delightful but largely incoherent babble of syllables and learns to speak – normally, in the language of those who care for us. But imagine what would happen if we were somehow raised in utter isolation from other people, not only our parents but also from surrogates such as nurses and nannies. What sort of culture might we evolve if reared in isolation? Would we learn to speak? Would such a language evolve over multiple generations? If so, would it eventually resemble existing ones?

The vast majority of the world's glaciers are retreating as the planet gets warmer. But a few, including glaciers south of the equator in South America and New Zealand, are inching forward.

A paper in this week's issue of the journal Science puts this enigma in perspective; for the last 7,000 years, New Zealand's largest glaciers have often moved out of step with glaciers in the Northern Hemisphere, pointing to strong regional variations in climate.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Researchers have developed a technique that uses sensors and computational software to constantly monitor forces exerted on wind turbine blades, a step toward improving efficiency by adjusting for rapidly changing wind conditions.

The research by engineers at Purdue University and Sandia National Laboratories is part of an effort to develop a smarter wind turbine structure

Boston, Mass. - A new paper published in the latest issue of the open access publication Journal of Medical Internet Research evaluates consumers' experiences with the Indivo personally controlled health record (PCHR) system - a system developed by researchers in the Children's Hospital Informatics Program (CHIP) more than a decade ago that has been adapted by PCHR providers including Dossia, Microsoft and Google. This is the first report to be published that investigates consumers' response to a platform PCHR and subsequent implications for policy and design.

Westchester, Ill. — A study in the May 1 issue of the journal SLEEP shows thatadolescents with a childhood diagnosis of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are more likely to have current and lifetime sleep problems and disorders, regardless of the severity of current ADHD symptoms. Authors suggest that findings indicate that mental health professionals should screen for sleep problems and psychiatric comorbidities among all adolescents with a childhood diagnosis of ADHD.

St. Louis, MO, May 1, 2009 – As people become more educated, studies have demonstrated that they tend to choose foods that are lower in calories but higher in nutrients. They also pay more. In a study published in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers from the University of Washington compared the eating habits and food costs of a sample of 164 adults in the Seattle, Washington area.

The six major factors that affect how happy a woman feels with the outcome of her breast surgery have been uncovered. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Women's Health have determined that, as well as final breast appearance, there are five other major concerns that influence surgical satisfaction.

The May 2009 issue of Genome Research (www.genome.org) is a special issue celebrating the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species. Published online today, the issue features a collection of perspective reviews and primary research in comparative genomics, genome evolution, and population genomics.

The vast majority of the world’s glaciers are retreating as the planet gets warmer. But a few, including ones south of the equator, in South America and New Zealand, are inching forward.

A new study in the journal Science puts this enigma in perspective; for the last 7,000 years New Zealand’s largest glaciers have often moved out of step with glaciers in the northern hemisphere, pointing to strong regional variations in climate.

The mysterious disappearance of Everett Ruess, a 20-year-old artist, writer and footloose explorer who wandered the Southwest in the early 1930s on a burro and who has become a folk hero to many, has been solved with the help of University of Colorado at Boulder researchers and the National Geographic Society.

In 1918 a human influenza virus known as the Spanish flu spread through the central United States while a swine respiratory disease occurred concurrently. A Kansas State University researcher has found that the virus causing the pandemic was able to infect and replicate in pigs, but did not kill them, unlike in other mammalian hosts like monkeys, mice and ferrets where the infection has been lethal.

Evanston, Ill. (April 30, 2009) – As President Barack Obama commemorates his 100th day as the country's first black commander-in-chief, a new study by Kellogg School of Management researchers examines the intersection of race and power in corporate America. While many traits of successful leaders transcend racial or ethnic bounds, this study sought to focus on one particular facet of blacks' ascensions to power: the physical characteristics of so-called "babyfaces," and their influence on perception and achievement.