Category Archives: General

USGS Oil and Gas Resource Estimates Updated for the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA)

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates 896 million barrels of conventional, undiscovered oil and 53 trillion cubic feet of conventional, undiscovered non-associated gas within NPRA and adjacent state waters.  The estimated volume of undiscovered oil is significantly lower than in 2002, when the USGS estimated there was 10.6 billion barrels of oil.  The new estimate, roughly 10% of the 2002 estimate, is due primarily to the incorporation of new data from recent exploration drilling revealing gas occurrence rather than oil in much of NPRA. (more…)

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Urban Psychology: Is Your City Led by Heart or Head?

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Is your character shaped by where you live—or vice versa?

University of Michigan psychology researchers found that some cities lead with their heart—emotional and interpersonal strengths—while others lead with their head—intellectual and self-oriented strengths.

They also found such distinctions are also related to economic and political consequences. (more…)

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200,000 Malaria Deaths Preventable Annually, says U of T Researcher

*Deaths in India vastly underestimated*

Professor Prabhat Jha of medicine and an international team of researchers from India, Canada and the U.K. say their new studty shows the number of premature deaths from malaria in India has been vastly underestimated.

The new study is of a nationally representative sample of all deaths from any cause in India, asking family members to describe the fatal illness. Its results show that malaria accounts for about 200,000 (2 lakh) premature deaths before age 70 in India (including 80,000 children below age 15 and 120,000 adults). Previous estimates of malaria deaths were less than 10 per cent of this new figure. (more…)

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Up in Smoke: Quebec Prison Partial Smoking Ban is not Successful

The partial smoking ban in Quebec prisons is leading to a slew of new problems according to an investigative study involving the Université de Montréal. Their findings, part of a report conducted by the Institut National de Santé Publique, show that the courtyard-only policy for smoking has not led to quitting but rather to tension in the prison and cigarette-based economy. (more…)

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50 Years of the Peace Corps: U-M Students Helped JFK Change World

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— From John F. Kennedy to Barack Obama, presidents have challenged University of Michigan students to change the world. In Kennedy’s case, the transformation was rapid and enduring: The Peace Corps was born.

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Professor to Explain How Happiness Might be Increased

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Is it even possible to become happier? 

The possibilities of happiness, and how to achieve that elusive feeling, have dominated the thoughts of great intellectuals throughout time, including the hundreds of books one can find on the current market.

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