Science & Society

Hosting The Olympics Can Actually Be Bad For A Country's Reputation

If you watched television broadcasts of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, you likely got a bad impression of the Italian people, shows a new research study from BI Norwegian School of Management. The Olympics is a venue that creates conflict in a ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 25 2008 - 9:33am

No Degree Needed- Consumers Predict Inflation As Well As Economists

When it comes to predicting the rate of inflation, consumers know what they spend and that helps them be as accurate as professional economists, according to research by a Kansas State University professor. Lloyd B. Thomas, head of the department of econom ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 25 2008 - 3:33pm

Men Defy Stereotypes, Rate Honor Above Sexual Prowess

Contrary to stereotypes about masculinity, men interviewed in a large international study reported that being seen as honorable, self-reliant and respected was more important to their idea of masculinity than being seen as attractive, sexually active or su ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 26 2008 - 4:38pm

Pregnancy-Blocking Molecules And The New Wave Of Contraception

The latest research into dual-purpose contraceptives and non-hormonal contraception will be presented at the annual scientific conference of the Society for Reproductive Biology (SRB) conference in Melbourne. University of Newcastle Laureate professor John ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 27 2008 - 9:58am

Why Is It Possible To Throw Out My Back Just By Picking Up A Pencil?

Muscles are capable of providing an amazing amount of stability to the spine; a normal human spine can experience compressive loads of up to about 1,350 pounds during more demanding everyday tasks (9), and almost 4,000 pounds during something like Olympic ...

Article - Matthew Brown - Aug 27 2008 - 6:45pm

Kids With Pimples Keep It Simple

If the "Book of Science" were written by a kid it would start by answering some basic questions: 1) How was the universe started? 2) Why do girls put on make-up? 3) Where and when was science first used in the world? Just as the world keeps spin ...

Article - Audrey Amara - Aug 27 2008 - 10:33pm

Suit Alleges CERN In Violation Of Human Rights

On August 26th, a group of LHC critics filed a suit against CERN in the European Court of Human Rights, in Strasbourg. The authors of the suit are physicists, professors and students largely from Germany and Austria, who feel that the operation of the $10 ...

Article - Alan Gillis - Sep 15 2011 - 7:01pm

What Dogs And Chewing Gum Have In Common

It’s been known for quite some time that Fido and Spot can lower levels of stress in their owners. Studies by Karen Allen, a professor in neurology at the University of Buffalo, have shown that “the presence of a pet dog can diminish stress responses to re ...

Article - Matthew Brown - Aug 30 2008 - 12:00am

List your favorite science books

Via Cosmic Variance I see that it's blogger book-list time again. Cocktail Party Physics gets us started with a list of the best popular science books. Great science books are always neglected in lists of the world's best books, so browse these l ...

Blog Post - Michael White - Oct 22 2008 - 11:04pm

Why Is Strawberry Jam More Regulated Than Cigarettes?

Tobacco companies have no restrictions or mandatory levels for some of the major carcinogens and toxicants in cigarettes. Tobacco manufacturers can, and do, add anything they want into their goods. But other consumer products, even something like strawberr ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 31 2008 - 5:02pm