Are New England’s Iconic Maples at Risk?
Invasive Asian longhorned beetle has potential for wide reach in region’s forests
Are new England’s iconic maple trees at risk? If a beetle has its way, the answer may be yes. (more…)
Author Archives: Guest Post
Trust in Your Neighbors Could Benefit Your Health, MU Study Shows
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Here’s an easy way to improve your health: trust your neighbors. A new study from the University of Missouri shows that increasing trust in neighbors is associated with better self-reported health.
“I examined the idea of ‘relative position,’ or where one fits into the income distribution in their local community, as it applies to both trust of neighbors and self-rated health,” said Eileen Bjornstrom, an assistant professor of sociology in the MU College of Arts and Science. “Because human beings engage in interpersonal comparisons in order to gauge individual characteristics, it has been suggested that a low relative position, or feeling that you are below another person financially, leads to stress and negative emotions such as shame, hostility and distrust, and that health suffers as a consequence. While most people aren’t aware of how trust impacts them, results indicated that trust was a factor in a person’s overall health.” (more…)
Re-emergence of Salmon in The Thames ‘Not From Restocking’ Say Exeter Academics
*The recent returns of Atlantic salmon in the Thames are more likely to be a result of fish straying from nearby rivers rather than a consequence of expensive restocking efforts, according to new research by the University of Exeter.*
A team of University of Exeter bio-scientists, in collaboration with the Environment Agency, Westcountry Rivers Trust and Oviedo University, Spain, have been collecting genetic data from returning fish, which suggests that habitat restoration was more effective than re-introductions. The findings will be published in the journal ‘Biological Conservation’.
Lessons from the study could be applied to other rivers across the UK according to the co-author of the paper Dr Jamie Stevens, Associate Professor of Molecular Systematics at the University of Exeter. Dr Stevens says: “Traditionally, people – such as river owners and anglers – have wanted big fish swimming up their rivers. The easiest way to ensure this quickly has been to restock those rivers with exogenous fish (from outside the river system).” (more…)
Large Weight Gains Most Likely for Men After Divorce, Women After Marriage
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Both marriage and divorce can act as “weight shocks,” leading people to add a few extra pounds – especially among those over age 30 – according to a new study.
But when it comes to large weight gains, the effects of marital transitions are quite different for men than they are for women.
For men, the risk of a large weight gain increased most prominently after a divorce. But for women, the risk of a large weight gain was most likely after marriage. (more…)
UA Study: Financial Education Creates Positive ‘Snowball Effect’
*According to a UA study, cumulative education leads to more financial knowledge and more positive financial behaviors.*
New research from the University of Arizona shows that high school and college students who are exposed to cumulative financial education show an increase in financial knowledge, which in turn drives increasingly responsible financial behavior as they become young adults.
In fact, researchers at the UA Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences documented a “snowball effect” that these early efforts exponentially increase the likelihood that students will pursue more financial education as time goes on, including informal learning through books, magazines and seminars. (more…)
The Brittleness of Aging Bones – More than a Loss of Bone Mass
*Berkeley Lab Researchers Show How Loss of Bone Quality Also a Major Factor*
It is a well-established fact that as we grow older our bones become more brittle and prone to fracturing. It is also well established that loss of mass is a major reason for older bones fracturing more readily than younger bones, hence medical treatments have focused on slowing down this loss. However, new research from scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) shows that at microscopic dimensions, the age-related loss of bone quality can be every bit as important as the loss of quantity in the susceptibility of bone to fracturing. (more…)
NASA Gives Public New Internet Tool to Explore the Solar System
PASADENA, Calif. –– NASA is giving the public the power to journey through the solar system using a new interactive Web-based tool.
The “Eyes on the Solar System” interface combines video game technology and NASA data to create an environment for users to ride along with agency spacecraft and explore the cosmos. Screen graphics and information such as planet locations and spacecraft maneuvers use actual space mission data. (more…)
Testing the Water for Bioenergy Crops
*Water significant limiting factor in growing crops like switchgrass*
Energy researchers and environmental advocates are excited about the prospect of gaining more efficient large-scale biofuel production by using large grasses like miscanthus or switchgrass rather than corn.
They have investigated yields, land use, economics and more, but one key factor of agriculture has been overlooked: water.
“While we are looking for solutions for energy through bioenergy crops, dependence on water gets ignored, and water can be a significant limiting factor,” said Praveen Kumar, an environmental engineer and atmospheric scientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (more…)