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Brainwaves reflect ability to beat built-in bias

By Guest PostJune 13, 2013Scienceactivity, behavior, brain science, brainwaves, brown institute, brown university, cognitive control, eeg scalp monitors, genetic, humans, ian eisenberg, james cavanagh, marc guitart masip, michael frank, neurological roots, obsessive compulsive disorder, pavlovian bias, prefrontal cortex, psychological factors, quentin huys, situational factors, specific brain activity, symbols, university college london, university of zurich, vertebrates

Many animals, including humans, harbor ingrained biases to act when they can obtain rewards and to remain inactive to avoid punishment. Sometimes, however those biases can steer us wrong. A new study finds that theta brainwave activity in the prefrontal cortex predicts how well people can overcome these biases when a better choice are available.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Vertebrates are predisposed to act to gain rewards and to lie low to avoid punishment. Try to teach chickens to back away from food in order to obtain it, and you’ll fail, as researchers did in 1986. But humans are better thinkers than chickens. In the May 8 edition of the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers show that the level of theta brainwave activity in the prefrontal cortex predicts whether people will be able to overcome these ingrained biases when doing so is required to achieve a goal. (more…)

Designing a culturally enlightened experience for the car of the future

By Guest PostJune 13, 2013Technologyair canada, americans, asia, automotive team, bangkok, Beijing, big data, brazil, car, carmakers, david walker, design technology, disney, future, Germany, gridlock traffic, john hendricks, machine learning, mega cities, melissa quintanilha, Microsoft, paramount, seoul, technology patterns, user experience, windows embedded, wood car

Microsoft’s Windows Embedded Automotive team is creating automotive solutions that meet the needs of drivers and passengers in Brazil, Beijing and points in between.

REDMOND, Wash. — June 12, 2013 — Nothing epitomizes the American car experience like the road trip. For many Americans, the image of a two-lane highway stretching toward the horizon evokes a certain sense of adventure and longing for the open road, to pack your bags and head out with no itinerary or timeline. The opposite is true in Asia, where the adventure stems more from the perpetual traffic jams and unpredictable driver behavior in mega-cities like Bangkok, Beijing and Seoul. (more…)

Marks on Martian Dunes May Be Tracks of Dry-Ice Sleds

By Guest PostJune 13, 2013Sciencecalifornia, carbon dioxide frost, downhill flow features, dry ice sleds, earth, hirise camera, linear gullies, marks, mars, mars reconnaissance orbiter, martian conditions, martian dunes, martian gullies, martian sand dune, martian slope, martian spring, martian winter, mro, NASA, serina diniega, utah

PASADENA, Calif. — NASA research indicates hunks of frozen carbon dioxide — dry ice — may glide down some Martian sand dunes on cushions of gas similar to miniature hovercraft, plowing furrows as they go.

Researchers deduced this process could explain one enigmatic class of gullies seen on Martian sand dunes by examining images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and performing experiments on sand dunes in Utah and California. (more…)

Evolutionary study shows bridge species drive tropical engine of biodiversity

By Guest PostJune 12, 2013Environment19th century, biodiversity, biodiversity on earth, biological patterns, christina l belanger, david jablonski, dynamic, equator, evolutionary analysis, evolutionary study, fossil record, fossil species, hurricanes, living organisms, overexploitation, pattern, poles, pollution, present day patterns, sarah k berke, shan huang, temperate zones, temperature differences, tropical cradle, tropical engine, tropical species, university of chicago

Although scientists have known since the middle of the 19th century that the tropics are teeming with species while the poles harbor relatively few, the origin of the most dramatic and pervasive biodiversity on Earth has never been clear.

New research sheds light on how that pattern came about. Furthermore, it confirms that the tropics have been and continue to be the Earth’s engine of biodiversity. (more…)

An efficient nectar mop: Bats use blood to reshape tongue for feeding

By Guest PostJune 12, 2013Natureaxis of tongue, bat tongues, blood flow, cylindrical tongue, hemodynamic nectar mop, hummingbird tongues, nectar feeding bats, tongue tip

Brown University scientists have found that a species of bat uses blood flow to reshape its tongue while feeding. The quick dynamic action makes the tongue an effective “mop” for nectar and could even inspire new industrial designs. Findings are reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (more…)

Living in Poor Area as Teen Could Increase Risk for Chlamydia in Young Adulthood

By Guest PostJune 12, 2013Healthaccessed data, bacterial infection, behavioral issues, census data, christopher browning, depression, jodi ford, multiple sex partners, ohio state university, poor area, risk for chlamydia, risky sexual behaviors, sexual activity, sexual risk, sexually transmitted infection, sti, sti risk factors, teen, young adulthood

Study Points to Need for Interventions That Address Neighborhood Poverty

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Living in a poor neighborhood as an adolescent is linked to an increased risk of getting the sexually transmitted infection (STI) chlamydia in young adulthood, according to new research.

Ohio State University researchers analyzed data from a large national study that tracked youths over time. The analysis suggested that children who lived in poor neighborhoods during their teenage years had an almost 25 percent greater risk of having chlamydia in their early 20s – even if they themselves weren’t poor – than did teenagers living in wealthier settings. (more…)

Small and midsize companies in the cloud reap security, privacy and reliability benefits

By Guest PostJune 11, 2013Technologycloud adoption, cloud security, cloud services, cost savings, financial services industry, microsoft office, midsize business

Microsoft study shows 94 percent of small and midsize companies gain security advantages — contradicting perceptions that hold others back from adoption.

REDMOND, Wash. — June 11, 2013 — A study released today reveals that, in addition to time and cost savings, small and midsize businesses (SMBs) in the U.S. that use a cloud service gain significant security, privacy and reliability advantages compared with companies that have not adopted the cloud. The study, commissioned by Microsoft Corp., shows that perceptions of the cloud held by nonusers directly contrast with the real experiences of cloud adopters. (more…)

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