On Sites Like eBay, Strangers No Longer Seen as ‘Just Like You’
COLUMBUS, Ohio – An anonymous stranger you encounter on websites like Yelp or Amazon may seem to be just like you, and a potential friend. But a stranger on a site like eBay is a whole different story.
A new study finds that on websites where people compete against each other, assumptions about strangers change.
Previous research has shown that people have a bias toward thinking that strangers they encounter online are probably just like them. (more…)
Researchers track nocturnal snail activity for the first time, using LED lights and time-lapse photography. Snails were tracked over 72 hours, with researchers measuring their speed, distance travelled and exploration habits. Snail numbers have risen in recent years due to favourable breeding conditions. Slugs and snails can carry the lungworm parasite, Angiostrongylus vasorum, which is potentially fatal to dogs.
A ground-breaking study of UK snail behaviour using LED and UV light tracking has found that the nocturnal creatures can explore the length of an average British garden in just one night, reaching a top speed of one metre per hour. (more…)
WWF-Studie zeigt wirtschaftliche Bedeutung von Afrikas ältestem Nationalparks und Risiken geplanter illegaler Ölerschließung
Der älteste Nationalpark Afrikas ist bis zu 1,1 Milliarden US-Dollar jährlich wert, wenn er nachhaltig bewirtschaftet würde – so das Ergebnis einer neuen WWF-Studie zum wirtschaftlichen Potenzial des Virunga Nationalparks. Stattdessen ist die Zukunft des UNESCO Weltnaturerbes durch Pläne zur Erkundung und Förderung von Ölvorkommen massiv bedroht. Der britische Öl-Konzern Soco müsse seine gefährlichen Planspiele daher unverzüglich beenden, so die WWF-Forderung.
Bis zu 45.000 sichere Arbeitsplätze in den Bereichen Wasserkraft, Fischerei, Öko-Tourismus, Medizin sowie Forschung und Bildung könnten in Virunga entwickelt werden, so die Studie. Virunga gilt als der Nationalpark mit der größten Artenvielfalt Afrikas und ist Heimat für 200 vom Aussterben bedrohten Berggorillas. Derzeit jedoch wird die ökonomische Gesamtwertschöpfung lediglich auf 48,9 Millionen US-Dollar jährlich veranschlagt. Grund dafür ist die Instabilität der Region durch andauernde Armee- und Rebellengefechte. (more…)
Scientists develop new way to detect threatening nanoparticles in food
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Over the last few years, the use of nanomaterials for water treatment, food packaging, pesticides, cosmetics and other industries has increased. For example, farmers have used silver nanoparticles as a pesticide because of their capability to suppress the growth of harmful organisms. However, a growing concern is that these particles could pose a potential health risk to humans and the environment. In a new study, researchers at the University of Missouri have developed a reliable method for detecting silver nanoparticles in fresh produce and other food products.(more…)
A culturally tailored HIV prevention program developed and tested by investigators at UCLA and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science has been shown to significantly reduce unprotected sex among bisexual black men.
The innovative approach, called Men of African American Legacy Empowering Self, or MAALES, is described in an article in the peer-reviewed journal AIDS. (more…)
AMHERST, Mass. – When microbiologist James Holden of the University of Massachusetts Amherst launches new studies next month of the microbes living deep in the cracks and thermal vents around an undersea volcano, for the first time in his 25-year career his deep-sea research will not be funded by a government source.
Instead, Holden will be funded by philanthropists committed to supporting oceanographic research: The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation started by the co-founder of Intel and his wife, and the Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI), started by Eric Schmidt of Google and his wife, Wendy. The Moores’ foundation is dedicated to advancing environmental conservation and scientific research, while the SOI supports oceanographic research projects that “help expand the understanding of the world’s oceans through technological advancements, intelligent observation and analysis, and open sharing of information.” (more…)
ANN ARBOR — In a long-buried Italian city, archaeologists have found a massive monument that dates back 300 years before the Colosseum and 100 years before the invention of mortar, revealing that the Romans had grand architectural ambitions much earlier than previously thought.
The structure, unearthed at the site known as Gabii, just east of Rome, is built with giant stone blocks in a Lego-like fashion. It’s about half the size of a football field and dates back 350-250 years BCE. It’s possibly the earliest public building ever found, said Nicola Terrenato, a University of Michigan classics professor who leads the project—the largest American dig in Italy in the past 50 years. (more…)
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have designed a new material to make smart windows even smarter. The material is a thin coating of nanocrystals embedded in glass that can dynamically modify sunlight as it passes through a window. Unlike existing technologies, the coating provides selective control over visible light and heat-producing near-infrared (NIR) light, so windows can maximize both energy savings and occupant comfort in a wide range of climates.(more…)
