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Study: Mormon polygamy reduces strength of sexual selection on males by 58%

Polygamy practiced by some 19th century Mormon men had the curious effect of suppressing the overall offspring numbers of Mormon women in plural marriages, say scientists from Indiana University Bloomington and three other institutions in the March 2011 issue of Evolution and Human Behavior.

23 Feb 2011

New analysis: Female scientists win fewer awards for research

Women scientists must confront sexism when competing for awards that recognize their research, according to a new analysis.

23 Feb 2011

Research: Tobacco outlets still concentrated around elementary and secondary schools

For years the tobacco industry has argued that efforts to ban tobacco advertising near schools would constitute a total ban on tobacco advertising in urban areas.

23 Feb 2011

Former U.N. Secretary-General Annan discusses Africa's agriculture potential at IFAD conference

Kofi Annan, the former U.N. secretary-general who now heads the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), discussed the possibilities for agriculture in Africa and called for reforms to improve farming on the continent in a speech given Saturday during the opening day of the U.N. International Fund for Agricultural Development's (IFAD) annual meeting in Rome, Italy, the Jakarta Post reports (Asrianti, 2/21).

23 Feb 2011

As G20 financial leaders discuss food prices, some push for fulfillment of G8 pledges

As G20 financial leaders met in Paris over the weekend, the Washington Post reports on the "debate over how to respond" to the recent increase in food prices. France, the G20 chair, spurred discussion about "whether new regulations on commodity trading might prevent speculators from pushing up prices by investing heavily in grains or other goods on the expectation that they will increase even further in value. Yet it is unclear how much of a role speculation plays in the movement of prices," the Washington Post writes.

23 Feb 2011

New study explores link between consumer behaviour and fear of death

Fear of death is a universal human emotion, but does it influence our behaviour as consumers? A new study, conducted by a graduate student at Concordia University's John Molson School of Business, has explored how fear of the Grim Reaper translates into Canadian buying patterns. The research has several implications for marketers in these uncertain times.

23 Feb 2011

New study shows strong link between climate and air pollution

Differences in air pressure over the North Atlantic have meant that the last two winters in Gothenburg, Sweden, have been extremely cold. This has led to the air in Gothenburg being more polluted with nitrogen oxides than ever before. A new study from the University of Gothenburg shows that there is a strong link between climate and air pollution.

23 Feb 2011

Research reveals men attend childbirth classes only for partner's sake

Although their involvement is very different, childbirth is an important shared experience for the first-time father and his partner, yet men generally attend childbirth classes only for their partner's sake, reveals research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

22 Feb 2011

EUFIC, University of Surrey publish European nutrition labelling consumer research results

The European Food Information Council, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Surrey, UK, has published the results of its latest European nutrition labelling consumer research - now focusing on portion information.

21 Feb 2011

Watershed management and its impact on health

For Margot Parkes, Canada Research Chair in Health, Ecosystems and Society at the University of Northern British Columbia, watersheds are living systems that are essential for healthy communities.

21 Feb 2011

NOAA, DOI plan to develop PEIS to advance ongoing natural resource restoration planning process

To advance the ongoing natural resource restoration planning process following the BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico, NOAA and the Department of the Interior today announced plans to develop a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement in cooperation with state co-trustees as part of the ongoing Natural Resource Damage Assessment.

21 Feb 2011

New York smoking ban gone too far? Health experts disagree

Now there is a faction that believes the soon-to-pass smoking ban on most parks and many beaches throughout New York City to be “going too far” and is questioning the bill.

20 Feb 2011

CDC maps least and most active Americans

A new government commissioned study has found that Colorado has one of the most active populations in the country and Kentucky has one of the least active. This study is the third in a series of county-focused reports by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The first two looked at diabetes and obesity rates, says Ann Albright, director of the CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation.

20 Feb 2011

Study: Women have greater empathetic capacity than men

A study by the University of the Basque Country has carried out the first Spanish study into the emotional differences between the sexes and generations in terms of forgiveness. According to the study, parents forgive more than children, while women are better at forgiving than men.

19 Feb 2011

G20 finance ministers kick off meeting in Paris after groups call for food price issues to be addressed

"G20 ministers gather in Paris Friday to hammer out common criteria for measuring global economic imbalances at a two-day session that host France hopes will lead to an overhaul of world finance," Agence France-Presse reports.

19 Feb 2011

Ban called for allegedly carcinogenic caramel component in sodas

A consumer advocacy group has urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this Wednesday to ban some chemically enhanced caramel food colorings used in widely consumed cola drinks as they could cause cancer.

16 Feb 2011

American Physical Society phases out Free-to-Read program in lieu of Creative Commons licensing

As of 15 February 2011, authors in most Physical Review journals have a new alternative: to pay an article-processing charge whereby their accepted manuscripts will be available barrier-free and open access on publication.

16 Feb 2011

Reuters examines Russia's efforts to position itself as a foreign donor

"A prominent aid recipient in the 1990s, Russia has quintupled its annual foreign aid budget in the past four years, from $100 million to $500 million, and created a $7.5 billion fund to help struggling neighbours. It is [also] considering setting up a national body to rival the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)," Reuters writes in an article that examines some of the country's motivations towards greater investment abroad.

16 Feb 2011

Research: Plants may assist in detecting environmental contaminants, explosives

Someday, that potted palm in your living room might go from green to white, alerting you to a variety of nasty contaminants in the air, perhaps even explosives.

16 Feb 2011

New review of anthrax case discussed by review committee vice chair, Stanford bioterrorism expert

In 2001, a mystery perpetrator mailed a series of anthrax-laced letters to several locations, killing five people. In 2008, shortly after emerging as the prime suspect in an exhaustive investigation by the FBI, an Army microbiologist, Bruce Ivins, PhD, committed suicide. This morning, a National Academy of Sciences committee, charged in September 2008 with reviewing the scientific approaches used by the FBI in that investigation, released its report.

15 Feb 2011

Miscellaneous News

Study: Mormon polygamy reduces strength of sexual selection on males by 58%

New analysis: Female scientists win fewer awards for research

Research: Tobacco outlets still concentrated around elementary and secondary schools

Former U.N. Secretary-General Annan discusses Africa's agriculture potential at IFAD conference

As G20 financial leaders discuss food prices, some push for fulfillment of G8 pledges

New study explores link between consumer behaviour and fear of death

New study shows strong link between climate and air pollution

Research reveals men attend childbirth classes only for partner's sake

EUFIC, University of Surrey publish European nutrition labelling consumer research results

Watershed management and its impact on health

NOAA, DOI plan to develop PEIS to advance ongoing natural resource restoration planning process

New York smoking ban gone too far? Health experts disagree

CDC maps least and most active Americans

Study: Women have greater empathetic capacity than men

G20 finance ministers kick off meeting in Paris after groups call for food price issues to be addressed

Ban called for allegedly carcinogenic caramel component in sodas

American Physical Society phases out Free-to-Read program in lieu of Creative Commons licensing

Reuters examines Russia's efforts to position itself as a foreign donor

Research: Plants may assist in detecting environmental contaminants, explosives

New review of anthrax case discussed by review committee vice chair, Stanford bioterrorism expert

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

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