News Articles

News Account

News Account

News Releases From All Over The World, Right To You
RSS Feed
Would A Science Barbie Hurt Female Participation In Science?

Would A Science Barbie Hurt Female Participation In Science?

While Barbie was once as stereotypical as G.I. Joe, in modern years she can 'be anything.' Ken is still kind of annoying, however.
Yet to some it is not enough. Barbie must go. You won't be surprised to find that an article in Sex Roles, which touts itself as "an interdisciplinary behavioral science journal offering a feminist perspective", finds that Barbie is still holding girls back. You can save yourself all the heteronormative jargon about objectification theory and just read this overview.

Sulfur And Iron Haunt The Ghost Wreck

Sulfur And Iron Haunt The Ghost Wreck

Analysis of the wood from three 17th century shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea, the Ghost wreck, the Crown and the Sword, showed high concentrations of sulfur and iron using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) scanning.
Scientists from the same team have previously reported large amounts of sulfur and iron accumulation in the warship Vasa. In that study, the scientists found an outbreak of acidity and sulphate salts on the surface of the hull and other wooden objects.

Moving Boys Out Of High-Poverty Neighborhoods Leads To PTSD Symptoms

Moving Boys Out Of High-Poverty Neighborhoods Leads To PTSD Symptoms

There is a naive belief among some advocates that if people just had more money, their problems would be solved. Yet the saying 'money does not solve everything' exists as a truism for good reason.
Less worry about basic needs is obviously good for society - in developing nations, farmers that were able to use science and technology to be competitive with Europe and America showed dramatic improvements for their own families and their communities - and once basic needs are met there is more time to focus on education and culture. In America, this was accomplished in the last century by providing cheap electricity for all.

Fast And Furious 200,000,000: Ram Pressure Stripping In Spiral Galaxy ESO 137-001

Fast And Furious 200,000,000: Ram Pressure Stripping In Spiral Galaxy ESO 137-001

In a new Hubble telescope image, spiral galaxy ESO 137-001 is zooming toward the upper right, in between other galaxies in the Norma cluster located over 200 million light-years away.
The road is perilous: intergalactic gas in the Norma cluster is sparse, but so hot at 180 million degrees Fahrenheit that it glows in X-rays.
The spiral plows through the seething intra-cluster gas so rapidly, at nearly 4.5 million miles per hour, that much of its own gas is caught and torn away. Astronomers call this "ram pressure stripping." The galaxy's stars remain intact due to the binding force of their gravity.

Whooping Cough: Vaccinating New Mothers Reduces Risks For Infants

Whooping Cough: Vaccinating New Mothers Reduces Risks For Infants

A comparison of two hospitals and pertussis, one of which followed standard procedures and another that implemented a physician opt-in order initially and then a standing order for new mothers to receive the tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) before discharge, found that there was a 69% increase in the new mothers' pertussis vaccination rate, providing protection for themselves and their newborns against the disease, commonly known as whooping cough.

Meat And Cheese Scare: Protein May Be As Bad For You As Smoking

Meat And Cheese Scare: Protein May Be As Bad For You As Smoking

There is good news for smokers; a cigarette is apparently no more harmful for us than a chicken wing.
Or it's bad news for those Paleo diet people - they might as well be smoking cigarettes.
Or if you have seen scare journalism and miracle vegetable claims based on population statistics for more than a few years, you just take the whole thing with a grain of salt (but not too much salt!) and keep doing what you are doing.

Does Palliative Chemotherapy Palliate?

Does Palliative Chemotherapy Palliate?

NEW YORK (March 4, 2014) -- Terminal cancer patients who receive chemotherapy in the last months of their lives are less likely to die where they want and are more likely to undergo invasive medical procedures than those who do not receive chemotherapy, according to research in this week's BMJ. The findings underscore a disconnect between the type of care many cancer patients say they want and the kind they receive, and highlight the need for clearer and more balanced discussion of the harms and benefits of palliative chemotherapy at the end of life by doctors, patients and families, the study authors say.

Not Even Freezing Cold Stops Alien Species In High Altitudes

Not Even Freezing Cold Stops Alien Species In High Altitudes

They hitchhike with us under the soles of our shoes and muddy car tires. Harsh and cold climates do not seem to stop alien plants from establishing themselves in high altitudes, where they now successfully penetrate the alpine vegetation, according to a study at Umeå University in Sweden and the University of Antwerp, Netherlands.
"Alien plants often gain advantages in their new environment because they lack natural enemies, and in this case the lack of strong competitors amongst alpine plants may be the key to success for generalist native species," says ecologist Ann Milbau, assistant professor at the research station Climate Impacts Research Centre in Abisko, Sweden.

Social Media Underwhelms: Armchair Activists Aren't Doing All That Much

Social Media Underwhelms: Armchair Activists Aren't Doing All That Much

It may seem like social media is a great way to engage people, but outside creating a flash mob of dancers or overthrowing an African dictatorship and replacing it with another one, armchair activists aren't accomplishing much.
'Talk is cheap', the saying goes, and retweets and likes are even cheaper. 

New Bioplastic Even Encourages Plant Growth In The Environment

New Bioplastic Even Encourages Plant Growth In The Environment

A number of people are concerned about BPA in plastics but that is far less warranted than concern about plastics themselves. 
In 1967's "The Graduate", the following conversation took place between an older man and the young protagonist:
McGuire: I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. Benjamin: Yes, sir. McGuire: Are you listening? Benjamin: Yes, I am. McGuire: Plastics.

Nearby Casinos Associated With Lower Obesity In Kids

Nearby Casinos Associated With Lower Obesity In Kids

Lower incomes are associated with higher obesity, though lower income in America is very much a relative term. Poor and minority kids lead the country in bedroom television ownership, so being poor in the US is not the same as in other countries.