Memristor Made
After nearly 40 years, scientists have constructed a new addition to the stable of circuit elements (inductors, capacitors and resistors). Called the memristor, or memory resistor, it is a nanometer-scale electric switch that “remembers” whether it is on or off after its power is turned off. It might become a useful tool for constructing nonvolatile computer memory or for packing transistors together more densely to make smaller chips. A Hewlett-Packard team crafted the device by inserting a layer of titanium dioxide as thin as three nanometers between a pair of platinum layers.

Concerte Math Learning
Abstract examples are more effective than practical problems for teaching math concepts. Researchers at the Ohio State University taught one group of students a new mathematical system using symbols, such as circles and diamonds, and another group using scenarios, such as combining liquids in measuring cups. Students who learned using symbols scored 80 percent on a test requiring them to apply their knowledge in a novel situation; the others scored between 40 and 50 percent.

Toasted Bugs
Although climate change will likely raise temperatures more in temperate and polar regions than in equatorial zones, tropical insects may suffer more than their counterparts in cooler climes. Used to thriving in a narrow temperature range, tropical insects may be more sensitive to shifts—they already live in conditions that verge on being too hot for them, a recent study finds. Insects in temperate areas, however, will probably thrive with an extra bit of warming.

Note: This story was originally published with the title, "News Scan Briefs".

This article was originally published with the title Cancerous Marriage.

2 Comments

1. 1. stevefrye 06:17 AM 7/24/08

   On A Milk-Diabetes Connection? In the early 1990's Readers' Digest posted an article positing the same theory as this article. As an ER RN on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, I've wondered if there is fact behind it, specifically in relation to lactose intolerance and diabetes. The Indian population there is permeated with diabetes, Types I and II, that became much more prevalent after the heavy introduction of milk products following World War II. Since most of the population receiving care at the local Indian Health Service hospital is serviced from birth to death, tracking a connection between lactose intolerance, milk-product use and the incidence of diabetes would not be difficult. (As a personal anecdote, my older sister and I are lactose intolerant and diabetes-free while my younger sister, my father, and his father who could process milk without difficulty all have or had diabetes.) Is anyone out there up to doing a study on milk and its impact on Native American populations?

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2. 2. Jofez 11:19 PM 8/3/08

   Cow's milk is not meant to be consumed as much as other foods such as fruits and vegetables. The old thought that dairy should be consumed more is the "old way of thinking" Other sources of calcium such as those found in celery and other sources of vegans are more efficient. In infants, milk should be consumed by the mother, the mother should watch what she is eating because whatever she eats, the baby is fed the same.

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