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Invasive Crazy Ants Are Displacing Fire Ants, Researchers Find

By Guest PostMay 18, 2013Nature, Science300 pound gorilla, ant species, argentine ant, arthropod species, austin, brackenridge field laboratory, college, crazy ants, ecologically dominant, ecosystem, ed lebrun, florida, Houston, invasive crazy ants, natural control, natural sciences, new orleans, northern argentina, nylanderia fulva, omnivorous, rasberry crazy ants, southern brazil, southern hemisphere, southern louisiana, southern mississippi, tawny crazy ants, united states, university of texas, videos on youtube

AUSTIN, Texas — Invasive “crazy ants” are displacing fire ants in areas across the southeastern United States, according to researchers at The University of Texas at Austin. It’s the latest in a history of ant invasions from the southern hemisphere and may prove to have dramatic effects on the ecosystem of the region.

The “ecologically dominant” crazy ants are reducing diversity and abundance across a range of ant and arthropod species — but their spread can be limited if people are careful not to transport them inadvertently, according to Ed LeBrun, a research associate with the Texas invasive species research program at the Brackenridge Field Laboratory in the College of Natural Sciences (more…)

Tablets: An ideal vacation companion

By Guest PostMay 17, 2013Technologyarray of apps, gb, gps, hd displays, office 2013, skydrive, storage, tablet pcs, tablets, ultrathin, vizio, vizio tablet, windows 8 tablets, windows phone

Sleek, light, long-lasting and with a dazzling array of apps, today’s tablets have become an indispensable tool for travelers.

REDMOND, Wash. — Packing for summer vacation used to be quite a chore, but today a new travel companion is removing a lot of the guesswork and lightening the load. Travel guides? Check. Books? A whole library. Movies, music and games for the kids? Got ‘em. Map, compass, calculator, and even Office 2013 so you can get a little work done? Of course.

The best part is that it all comes in one small package. Sleeker, lighter and with more battery life, today’s tablet PCs are the perfect way to navigate new cities, stay entertained on the train, and keep connected to the office while you’re on the road. A tablet paired with a keyboard (or a convertible with a keyboard built in) can help travelers both work and play while away from home. (more…)

Do you obsess over your appearance? Your brain might be wired abnormally

By Guest PostMay 17, 2013Healthbody dysmorphic disorder, psychiatric condition, visual information

Body dysmorphic disorder is a disabling but often misunderstood psychiatric condition in which people perceive themselves to be disfigured and ugly, even though they look normal to others. New research at UCLA shows that these individuals have abnormalities in the underlying connections in their brains.
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Brick by brick

By Guest PostMay 17, 2013General, Sciencebionicles toy, blue hen, blue ocean, brick by brick, bruce weber, carpenter, chaplin tyler, China, copenhagen, danish toy company, darwin award winner, david robertson, Europe, evolution, Germany, godtfred, greek tragedy, guinness world record, harry potter, innovation, innovation matrix, leg godt, lego, lego education centers, lego like toys, lego story, legoland theme park, milan, newark campus, North America, ole kirk christiansen, plastic bricks, plastic toy production, rebuilding lego, red clay students, ryan maguire, san francisco, star wars, the uk, tokyo, toy, toys, university of delaware, university of pennsylvania, US, video games, wharton school, wild west

Professor, author Robertson discusses innovation evolution at Lego

When you hear Lego, if all you think about are shiny, plastic bricks and toys, think again. From a toy concept brought to life by a carpenter to tales of failed innovation truths that mirrored a Greek tragedy, the Lego story is about innovation and evolution, David Robertson told attendees at last week’s Chaplin Tyler Executive Leadership series lecture.

Robertson, professor of practice at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, presented “Rebuilding Lego” to 80 students, faculty, staff and community members on the University of Delaware’s Newark campus. (more…)

Mother’s Day Online Shopping Up 15 Percent. Reports IBM

By Guest PostMay 16, 2013Technologyanonymous data, apple iphone, chief marketing officers, cloud based, cloud based analysis, cmos, digital analytics benchmark, ecommerce, ibm, ipad, mobile commerce, mobile percentage, mobile traffic, mothers day, national retail federation, nrf, sales, smartphones, tablets, web analytics

Mobile Percentage of Sales Reaches 17 percent, as On-the-Go Consumers Shop for Mom

ARMONK, N.Y. – 16 May 2013: Mother’s Day online shopping grew 15 percent in the week leading up to Mother’s Day, compared to the same time period last year. Spurred by mobile commerce, mobile percentage of sales reached 17 percent, according to IBM’s Digital Analytics Benchmark, a cloud-based analysis of the online retail market.

With the National Retail Federation (NRF) estimating Mother’s Day sales reached $20 billion this year, retailers made it easier for consumers to buy for mom through their smartphones and tablets. (more…)

Study of the machinery of cells reveals clues to neurological disorder

By Guest PostMay 16, 2013Sciencedisease causing mutations, machinery of cells, mitochondria, neurological disorder, peroxisome number, touch sensation

Investigation by researchers from the University of Exeter and ETH Zurich has shed new light on a protein which is linked to a common neurological disorder called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

The team has discovered that a protein previously identified on mitochondria – the energy factories of the cell – is also found on the fat-metabolising organelles peroxisomes, suggesting a closer link between the two organelles. (more…)

Study of microcredit finds generally positive, but not transformative, impacts

By Guest PostMay 16, 2013Economyanti poverty initiatives, bank, bill, central mexico, compartamos banco, credito mujer, dartmouth college, dean karlan, economist, grameen bank, jonathan zinman, manuela angelucci, market capitalization, melinda gates foundation, Mexico, microcredit, microcredit program, muhammad yunus, nobel peace prize, poverty, poverty action, sonora state, ultra poor, university of michigan, yale university

Microcredit generally benefits borrowers, according to new research focused on Mexico’s biggest for-profit microlender — but it’s not lifting people out of poverty.

In a multi-year, randomized evaluation of microloans provided by Compartamos Banco, Yale University economist Dean Karlan, with collaborators Manuela Angelucci of the University of Michigan and Jonathan Zinman of Dartmouth College, show there are generally positive effects on average and find little evidence that some borrowers end up worse off while others end up better off. However, the canonical story that microcredit leads to higher enterprise income did not bear fruit. (more…)

Development in Brazil: Double cropping helps Brazil’s development

By Guest PostMay 16, 2013Environmentagricultural revolution, amazon region, brazilian government, brown university, dan mahr, deforestation, development in brazil, double cropping, economic data, final product, gdp, geological sciences, land use changes, leah vanwey, mato grosso, money, NASA, per capita income, public sanitation, rebecca de sa, research, rural brazilians, stephanie spera, terra satellite

It’s not just about agriculture. Growing two crops a year in the same field improves schools, helps advance public sanitation, raises median income, and creates jobs.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — New research finds that double cropping — planting two crops in a field in the same year — is associated with positive signs of economic development for rural Brazilians.

The research focused the state of Mato Grosso, the epicenter of an agricultural revolution that has made Brazil one of the world’s top producers of soybeans, corn, cotton, and other staple crops. That Brazil has become an agricultural powerhouse over the last decade or so is clear. What has been less clear is who is reaping the economic rewards of that agricultural intensification — average Brazilians or wealthy landowners and outside investors. (more…)

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