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The Bright Side of Death: Awareness of Mortality Can Result in Positive Behaviors, Say MU Researchers

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Contemplating death doesn’t necessarily lead to morose despondency, fear, aggression or other negative behaviors, as previous research has suggested. Following a review of dozens of studies, University of Missouri researchers found that thoughts of mortality can lead to decreased militaristic attitudes, better health decisions, increased altruism and helpfulness, and reduced divorce rates.

“According to terror management theory, people deal with their awareness of mortality by upholding cultural beliefs and seeking to become part of something larger and more enduring than themselves, such as nations or religions,” said Jamie Arndt, study co-author and professor of psychological sciences. “Depending on how that manifests itself, positive outcomes can be the result.” (more…)

Yahoo! Goes Beyond Gold with Global Programming Coverage of Summer Olympics

Sports

Olympians Shannon Miller, Dan O’Brien and Summer Sanders Join Editorial Team as Analysts

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Yahoo!, the premier digital media company, today announced its Summer Games programming efforts bringing Yahoo!’s over 700 million global users closer to the events than ever before, in dozens of languages and regions, across multiple screens and digital platforms. Yahoo!’s coverage will include original video programs, breaking news, expert analysis from Gold Medal Olympians Dan O’Brien (Track and Field), Summer Sanders (Olympics), Shannon Miller (Gymnastics), and the award-winning team of writers from Yahoo! Sports, as well as social integration programs, and for the first time Yahoo! will reveal its “Memorable Moments” editorial series to build excitement for the Games. (more…)

Brand Loyalty Increases When Other Customers Look, Act Like Us

Economy

EAST LANSING, Mich. — The more other customers look and act like us, the more likely we are to stay loyal to a particular store or product, according to a groundbreaking study co-authored by a Michigan State University marketing expert.

Surprisingly, the presence and behavior of other customers is just as important to brand loyalty as customer service, said Clay Voorhees. As a real-world example, he noted the fact that Abercrombie & Fitch offered to pay troublemaking cast members of the MTV reality show “The Jersey Shore” to stop wearing its clothes. (more…)

Global Warming Refuge Discovered Near At-Risk Pacific Island Nation of Kiribati

Environment

Ocean currents may mitigate warming near handful of equatorial islands

Scientists predict ocean temperatures will rise in the equatorial Pacific by the end of the century, wreaking havoc on coral reef ecosystems. (more…)

Compound from Wild Tomatoes is Natural, Effective Herbicide

Environment

A naturally occurring compound derived from wild tomato plants is also a fast-acting, nontoxic herbicide, according to researchers at North Carolina State University. (more…)

Substance Abuse Struggle

Health, Sports

Former NBA player Herren recounts struggle with substance abuse

Former college basketball and NBA player Chris Herren spoke on the University of Delaware campus Thursday, April 19, about the struggle with substance abuse that eventually ended his career. (more…)

UA Researchers Hunt Bomb-Eating Bugs

Environment, Weapons

UA researchers are investigating bacterial eating habits as part of a $1 million study to determine the environmental fate of newly developed munitions

University of Arizona researchers are studying the environmental effects of insensitive munitions compounds, or IMCs, which are new, more stable explosives that won’t detonate in response to heat or shock. (more…)

Golden Potential for Gold Thin Films

Science

Berkeley Lab Researchers Direct the Self-Assembly of Gold Nanoparticles into Device-Ready Thin films

Scientists with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley have directed the first self-assembly of nanoparticles into device-ready materials. Through a relatively easy and inexpensive technique based on blending nanoparticles with block co-polymer supramolecules, the researchers produced multiple-layers of thin films from highly ordered one-, two- and three-dimensional arrays of gold nanoparticles. Thin films such as these have potential applications for a wide range of fields, including computer memory storage, energy harvesting, energy storage, remote-sensing, catalysis, light management and the emerging new field of plasmonics.

“We’ve demonstrated a simple yet versatile supramolecular approach to control the 3-D spatial organization of nanoparticles with single particle precision over macroscopic distances in thin films,” says polymer scientist Ting Xu, who led this research. “While the thin gold films we made were wafer-sized, the technique can easily produce much larger films, and it can be used on nanoparticles of many other materials besides gold.” (more…)