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Study Shows Black Youth are Politically Involved, Critical of Rap Music and Skeptical of a Post–Racial Society

By Guest PostOctober 24, 2010Culture, Politics21st century, american politics, Barack Obama, black youth, black youth project, cathy cohen, ford foundation, knowledge networks, latinos, mary winton, politically involved, post racial era, rap music, robert wood johnson foundation, same-sex marriage, stereotypes, videos

Image credit: University of Chicago

Many of the assumptions people have about black youth — that they are politically detached and negatively influenced by rap music and videos—are false stereotypes, according to a new University of Chicago study by

Prof. Cathy Cohen, based on surveys and conversations with the youth themselves.

Black youth say they are politically involved, critical of many messages in rap and skeptical of the idea that the country has entered a post–racial era. They also are socially conservative on political issues such same–sex marriage, said Cohen, the David and Mary Winton Green Professor of Political Science and lead researcher of the study. (more…)

200,000 Malaria Deaths Preventable Annually, says U of T Researcher

By Guest PostOctober 24, 2010Generalaids, assam, canada, cancer, cghr, chhattisgarh, eastern india, healthcare facilities, India, jharkhand, kenneth arrow, malaria, malaria atlas project, malaria parasite, orissa, prabhat jha, premature deaths, simon hay, symptoms, uk, v m katoch

*Deaths in India vastly underestimated*

Professor Prabhat Jha of medicine and an international team of researchers from India, Canada and the U.K. say their new studty shows the number of premature deaths from malaria in India has been vastly underestimated.

The new study is of a nationally representative sample of all deaths from any cause in India, asking family members to describe the fatal illness. Its results show that malaria accounts for about 200,000 (2 lakh) premature deaths before age 70 in India (including 80,000 children below age 15 and 120,000 adults). Previous estimates of malaria deaths were less than 10 per cent of this new figure. (more…)

Soot From Space Tourism Rockets Could Spur Climate Change

By Guest PostOctober 24, 2010Environmentaerospace corporation, carbon dioxide emissions, climate impact, complex global pattern, darin toohey, global climate change, michael mills, NASA, solar energy, space tourism rockets, stratospheric layer, university of colorado

WASHINGTON—Rocket exhaust could become a significant contributor to global climate change in coming decades, according to a new study. The research finds that soot emitted by rockets — not their carbon dioxide emissions — has the greater potential to contribute to global climate change in coming decades. (more…)

Plants Play Larger Role Than Thought in Cleaning up Air Pollution

By Guest PostOctober 24, 2010Environment, Natureair-polluting chemicals, anne-marie schmoltner, aspens, atmospheric chemistry, chemicals, ecosystem services, Environment, human health, infection, metabolic cycle, ovocs, oxygenated volatile organic compounds, poplars, thomas karl, toxic substances, trees, white blood cells

*Chemicals known as oxygenated volatile organic compounds (oVOCs) affect environment, human health*

About the image: Poplars, aspens, other trees provide extensive “ecosystem services.” Image credit: USDA

Vegetation plays an unexpectedly large role in cleansing the atmosphere, a new study finds. (more…)

Climate Change May Create Tipping Points for Populations, Not Just Species

By Guest PostOctober 23, 2010Environmentalpine, Arctic, biological effects of climate change, climate change, climate warms, daniel doak, duke university, earth, ecological challenges, ecologist, mountains of colorado, national science foundation, new mexico, nsf, plants, plants and animals, saran twombly, william morris

*Researchers measure survival, reproduction of thousands of arctic and alpine plants over six years*

As Earth’s climate warms, species are expected to shift their geographical ranges away from the equator or to higher elevations.

While scientists have documented such shifts for many plants and animals, the ranges of others seem stable. (more…)

Subprimes Were Not The Culprit In Most Mortgage Meltdowns

By Guest PostOctober 23, 2010Economyelena gouskova, foreclosure, frank stafford, national bank of granddad, panel study of income dynamics (psid), subprime, u s economy, underwater, university of michigan

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Subprime mortgages were not the main reason behind the housing crisis that started in 2009 and continues to bedevil the faltering U.S. economy, according to a University of Michigan study.

“Our analysis shows that the major underlying driver of the continuing foreclosure crisis was aggressive refinancing using adjustable rate mortgage loans that looked safe at the time because of increasing housing prices,” said Frank Stafford, an economist at the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR). (more…)

The Promise of Ion Beam Cancer Therapy

By Guest PostOctober 23, 20101 commentHealth, Scienceatoms, beams of ions, berkeley lab, bragg peak, cancer, carbon, cyclotron, ernest lawrence, gamma rays, heavy ion linear accelerator, heidelberg ion beam therapy center, hilac, hit, hydrogen ions, ion-beam therapy, john lawrence, neon, protons, robert wilson, therapy, x-rays

For certain kinds of cancer, the most effective therapy does not use x-rays or gamma rays but beams of ions, the electrically charged cores of atoms, including hydrogen ions (protons) and heavier ions such as carbon and neon.

About the image: Beams of heavy ions can target hard-to-reach tumors with great accuracy and with minimal damage to surrounding tissues. Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Center. Image credit: Berkeley Lab (more…)

Computer Modeling of Swimming Fish Could Lead To New Robots and Prosthetics

By Guest PostOctober 23, 2010Scienceavis cohen, barracuda, body, body stiffness, chia yu hsu, computational model, eric d tytell, lamprey, lisa fauci, locomotion, medical prosthetics, muscles contract, natural mechanics, simulation, swimming fish, tulane university, turbulent water, university of maryland

Image credit: University of Maryland

COLLEGE PARK, Md — Scientists at the University of Maryland and Tulane University have developed a computational model of a swimming fish that is the first to address the interaction of both internal and external forces on locomotion. The interdisciplinary research team simulated how the fish’s flexible body bends, depending on both the forces from the fluid moving around it as well as the muscles inside. Understanding these interactions, even in fish, will help design medical prosthetics for humans that work with the body’s natural mechanics, rather than against them. This research is published in the October 18, 2010 online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (more…)

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