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R.I. nitrogen cycle differs in bay and sound

A new study reports that anammox, a key process in the nitrogen cycle, is barely present in Narragansett Bay even though it’s a major factor just a little farther out into Rhode Island Sound. Scientists traced that to differences between bay and sound sediments, but that raises new questions about what’s going on in the Bay to account for those. (more…)

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What Finding out a Child’s Sex before Birth Says about a Mother

Women who choose not to find out are more egalitarian, conscientious

COLUMBUS, Ohio – An expectant mother who chooses to find out her child’s sex before birth may be giving subtle clues about her views on proper gender roles, new research suggests.

The study found that women who choose not to learn their child’s sex may be more open to new experiences, and combine egalitarian views about the roles of men and women in society with conscientiousness. (more…)

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Exotisches Teilchen bestätigt

Tübinger Forscher: Bei Experimenten mit dem COSY-Beschleuniger Quarks im Sechserpack nachgewiesen

Über Jahrzehnte haben Physiker vergeblich nach exotischen Bindungszuständen gefahndet, die aus mehr als drei Quarks bestehen. Wissenschaftler der Universität Tübingen waren an einem Experiment am Jülicher Beschleuniger COSY beteiligt, das nun zeigt: In der Natur kommen tatsächlich derartige komplexe Teilchen vor. Ihre Erkenntnisse hat die WASA-at-COSY Kollaboration in der Fachzeitschrift „Physical Review Letters“ veröffentlicht.   (more…)

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Growing inequalities make science more of a ‘winner takes all’ field

ANN ARBOR — As new research documents growing inequalities in health and wealth, the gap between “haves” and “have-nots” is growing in the field of scientific research itself, says University of Michigan sociologist Yu Xie.

“It’s surprising that more attention has not been paid to the large, changing inequalities in the world of scientific research, given the preoccupation with rising social and economic inequality in many countries,” said Xie, research professor at the U-M Institute for Social Research and professor of sociology, statistics and public policy. (more…)

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Leptin also influences brain cells that control appetite, Yale researchers find

Twenty years after the hormone leptin was found to regulate metabolism, appetite, and weight through brain cells called neurons, Yale School of Medicine researchers have found that the hormone also acts on other types of cells to control appetite.

Published in the June 1 issue of Nature Neuroscience, the findings could lead to development of treatments for metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes. (more…)

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