Shift in threat to tropical forests - biofuels

A shift from poverty-driven to industry-driven deforestation threatens the world's tropical forests but offers new opportunities for conservation, according to an article coauthored by William Laurance of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.

Consumption of beer drops in the US

According to a new study published in the August 2008 issue of The American Journal of Medicine Americans are drinking significantly less beer and more wine, while hard liquor use has remained fairly constant.

17-year-old Dane beats 15 million Chinese in science competition

Submitted by Lennart Kiil on Tue, 08/05/2008 - 23:19

Young Dane Michael Schantz Klausen - from a high school in Lyngby, near Copenhagen, Denmark - has received a prestigious price at the Open Chinese Championship for Young Researchers.

Antarctic fossils hints much warmer past

National Science Foundation-funded scientists working in an ice-free region of Antarctica have discovered the last traces of tundra--in the form of fossilized plants and insects--on the interior of the southernmost continent before temperatures began a relentless drop millions of years ago.

Adults who eat eggs for breakfast lose 65 percent more weight

A study published online today in the International Journal of Obesity shows that eating two eggs for breakfast, as part of a reduced-calorie diet, helps overweight adults lose more weight and feel more energetic than those who eat a bagel breakfast of equal calories.

Robots popular with military

The military goal is to have approximately 30% of the army be robotic forces by somewhere around 2020.

Schizophrenia may be by-product of human brain evolution

Metabolic changes responsible for the evolution of our unique cognitive abilities indicate that the brain may have been pushed to the limit of its capabilities.

Extinction threat growing for monkeys, apes and other primates

Monkeys and other primates dying off due to habitat loss and hunting.

Quantitative methods for evaluating scientists are too one-dimensional

Submitted by Thomas Hesselberg on Sat, 08/02/2008 - 21:45

I have earlier written about the increasing use of metric methods to evaluate the quality of scientists (see Is it possible to measure the quality of a scientist? ), where I discussed the consequences of more and more relying on these methods exclusively for evaluating scientists applying for funding or tenure.

Sun allergy? Why some of us sneeze at the sun

Submitted by Thomas Hesselberg on Fri, 07/11/2008 - 09:18

Some of you probably know it. It is a lovely day, warm with the sun shining from a blue sky, but then suddenly out of blue you sneeze violently for one or two times. I have experienced it often when going out in the sun or sitting in the bus when it turns and exposes me to direct sunlight. I wondered if I suffered from some kind of sun allergy, but on the other hand I only sneezed a couple of times max and was then fine. What could possibly be the reason?

Syndicate content