Technology

NASA Radar to Study Hawaii’s Most Active Volcano

An airborne radar developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., has returned to Hawaii to continue its study of Kilauea volcano, Hawaii’s current most active volcano.

The Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar, or UAVSAR, mounted in a pod under NASA’s G-III research aircraft from NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., returned to Hawaii’s Big Island on Jan. 7. The one-week airborne campaign will help scientists better understand processes occurring under Earth’s surface at Kilauea. (more…)

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Evolution is Written All Over Your Face

Why are the faces of primates so dramatically different from one another?

UCLA biologists working as “evolutionary detectives” studied the faces of 129 adult male primates from Central and South America, and they offer some answers in research published today, Jan. 11, in the early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The faces they studied evolved over at least 24 million years, they report. (more…)

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Tom Hanks and Yahoo! Are ‘Electric’ at CES

Yahoo! to be the First Online Broadcast Partner for Hanks’ Groundbreaking Futuristic Series ‘Electric City’ from Playtone and Reliance Entertainment

LAS VEGAS — Yahoo! the premier digital media company, and Reliance Entertainment, announced this evening that they have joined forces to bring Playtone’s multi-dimensional animated series “Electric City” to Yahoo! in 2012. “Electric City” was created by and stars Tom Hanks. (more…)

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‘Tiger Mothers’ Should Tame Parenting Approach

EAST LANSING, Mich. — The Eastern view of parenting, as defined by best-selling author and self-described “tiger mother” Amy Chua, is that children should be pushed to excel at all costs. Parents needn’t worry about their happiness, she argues, only their success.

But now a Michigan State University scholar is refuting that theory. (more…)

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Cosmetic Chemical Hinders Brain Development in Tadpoles

A new study finds that low concentrations of the chemical methylisothiazolinone has subtle but measurable negative effects on the neural development of tadpoles. The chemical is found in some cosmetics, although the study does not provide any evidence that cosmetics are unsafe for humans. (more…)

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Microsoft at CES 2012: Windows, Windows Phone and Xbox Take Center Stage

*“Metro will drive the magic,” says Steve Ballmer as Microsoft shows off Windows 8, announces Kinect for Windows and more.*

LAS VEGAS – From ultra-thin Windows PCs to the latest Windows Phones from Nokia, there’s a sense of anticipation for the latest Microsoft tech, and nowhere is that excitement more palpable than at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show. (more…)

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At UChicago, Many Have Dreams and Many Voiced Them in Honor of MLK’s Legacy

New York teacher Geoffrey Canada’s dream is for a stronger Harlem, with better educational opportunities for its children. Marianna Manzanares hopes that more of her fellow college students pay attention to issues affecting their communities and the world at large. Marcus Board dreams of a world where fear and doubt don’t hold people back from achieving their potential.

Hundreds of people from the UChicago community have voiced such dreams over the past two months as part of the preparations for the University’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Celebration on Thursday, Jan. 12. Community members and campus visitors were invited to share their dreams for a better life or a better world, by writing them on sticky notes and placing them on a mobile “Dream Wall” that traveled across campus. (more…)

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