en-ushttp://www.scientificamerican.com144http://www.scientificamerican.com/media/logo/SAlogo_144px.gif45http://www.scientificamerican.comCopyright 1996-2012 Scientific AmericanScience news and technology updates from Scientific American Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:30:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=homeless-project-residents-drink-less <p>This Sunday, millions of Americans will sit down in front of their television or computer, crack open a few beers, and watch the Super Bowl. But if those viewers live in a housing project for the homeless, that booze could get them booted back out to the street. Many homeless housing projects have strict abstinence policies, and require residents to be completely sober. Permitting alcohol, many community organizers reason, would enable addictions and promote a downward spiral into continued drinking and declining health.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=homeless-project-residents-drink-less>[More]</a> More Science,Addiction & Recovery,Society & Policy Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:44:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=schism-over-h5n1-avian-flu-research-leaks-out <p class="wp-caption-text">Caption: Electron micrograph of H5N1 virus (gold) Image: CDC/Courtesy of Cynthia Goldsmith; Jacqueline Katz; Sherif R. Zaki</p> <p>NEW YORK Sparks flew Thursday night at a New York Academy of Sciences panel discussion about whether or not certain recent research into the H5N1 avian flu virus has created a major biosecurity threat and what, if anything, to do about it.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=schism-over-h5n1-avian-flu-research-leaks-out>[More]</a> Health Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:43:08 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=close-super-bowl-boosts-ad-at-end-12-02-03 <p>Advertisers will drop $3.5 million for a 30-second spot during Sunday&rsquo;s Super Bowl. But to get the most bang for their buck, they might want to play their ad right after the game ends--not during it. Because if it&#39;s a close one, the time slot right after the final gun should have the most sway with viewers. So says a study in the Journal of Advertising . [ Colleen C. Bee and Robert Madrigal, It&rsquo;s Not Whether You Win Or Lose, It&rsquo;s How The Game Is Played: The Influence of Suspenseful Sports Programming on Advertising (forthcoming, no link yet)]</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=close-super-bowl-boosts-ad-at-end-12-02-03>[More]</a> More Science,Everyday Science,Communications,More Science,Psychology,Society & Policy Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=for-healthy-cities-government-and-business-need-to-reverse-roles <p>Okay, I have to be honest with you. I love a city, and a downtown with walkways and tunnels and bus stops that tell me where my buses are via GPS and everything else, but sometimes you can just have more connectivity than you need. Remember the internet-connected toaster, that singed the weather forecast into your morning toast? </p><p> Well, meet the Big Belly Solar Trash Compactor, a precocious trash can that lives in Raleigh, NC.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=for-healthy-cities-government-and-business-need-to-reverse-roles>[More]</a> Energy & Sustainability,Health,Technology Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:40:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=china-greenhouse-gas-emissions-rise-past-us <p>By 2015, China will emit nearly 50 percent more greenhouse gases than the United States, a top Chinese energy researcher said yesterday.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=china-greenhouse-gas-emissions-rise-past-us>[More]</a> Energy & Sustainability,Everyday Science,Climate,Energy & Sustainability,Society & Policy,More Science Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=isotopes-hint-at-north-korean-weapons <p style="text-align:left">By Geoff Brumfiel of Nature magazine</p><p style="text-align:left"></p><p style="text-align:left">North Korea may have conducted two covert nuclear weapons tests in 2010, according to a fresh analysis of radioisotope data.</p><p style="text-align:left"></p><p style="text-align:left">The claim has drawn scepticism from some nuclear-weapons experts. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=isotopes-hint-at-north-korean-weapons>[More]</a> Technology,More Science,Society & Policy,Physics Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:30:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=is-it-ethical-to-own-an-iphone <p>Recent media reports and ongoing protests over the reportedly abhorrent working conditions at factories where Apple&#39;s iPhones are produced have left socially conscious Americans with a dilemma: Is it ethical to own an iPhone?</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=is-it-ethical-to-own-an-iphone>[More]</a> Technology,Communications,Consumer Electronics,Society & Policy Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/report.cfm?id=brain-injury How medicine, sports and society are trying to heal and protect the brains of millions amidst the growing awareness of the long-lasting effects of traumatic head injury <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/report.cfm?id=brain-injury>[More]</a> Mind & Brain,Ethics,Mind & Brain,Physics,Society & Policy,Everyday Science,More Science,Science Education,Language & Linguistics,Addiction & Recovery,Neurological Disorders,Neuroscience,Psychiatry,Psychology,Thought & Cognition,Biology,Health Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=mind-reviews-the-righteous-mind <p> The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=mind-reviews-the-righteous-mind>[More]</a> Mind & Brain,Language & Linguistics,More Science,Language & Linguistics,Society & Policy,Everyday Science Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=just-a-click-away <p>Some Africans click, but English speakers don&rsquo;t. That&rsquo;s been the conventional wisdom about click sounds, which serve as regular consonants in Zulu and Xhosa and a few other African languages but which were presumed to just be used in English for encouraging a horse, imitating a kiss, or expressing emotions such as disapproval or amazement. But researchers have recently found that clicks are far more prevalent in the world&rsquo;s lingua franca than had been thought.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=just-a-click-away>[More]</a> Mind & Brain,Society & Policy,Communications,More Science,Language & Linguistics,Language & Linguistics,Biology,Everyday Science Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:46:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=un-declares-somali-famine-over-for <p>By Katy Migiro</p> <p>NAIROBI, Feb 3 (AlertNet) - An exceptional harvest after good rains and food deliveries by aid agencies have ended famine in Somalia for now but food stocks could run out again in May, the United Nations said on Friday.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=un-declares-somali-famine-over-for>[More]</a> Environment,Climate,Everyday Science,Energy & Sustainability,Health,Society & Policy Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:39:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=molecules-to-medicine-plan-b-the-tradition-of-politics-at-the-fda <p class="wp-caption-text">Morning After The Morning&#39;s Trash</p> <p>In my last post , I focused on flaws in the medical device approval process. The Union of Concerned Scientists FDA at a Crossroads meeting also covered problems with drug approval. This is perhaps no better illustrated than by the disappointing decision by Secretary of Health Kathleen Sebelius to deny the emergency contraceptive, Plan B, over-the-counter status for women under the age of 17 . This was a particular disappointment to many because President Obama had promised that decisions at the FDA would be made based on science, rather than politics. Some of us, naively, hoped that change we can believe in was real, having forgotten that the Tooth Fairy wasn t.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=molecules-to-medicine-plan-b-the-tradition-of-politics-at-the-fda>[More]</a> Health,More Science Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:10:08 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=more-with-maryn-mckenna-on-antibiot-12-02-02 <p>Journalist and author Maryn McKenna talks about antibiotic resistance in agriculture and human health, MRSA, and a brief return to the subject of fecal transplants. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=more-with-maryn-mckenna-on-antibiot-12-02-02>[More]</a> Health,Health,Society & Policy,Pharmaceuticals,More Science,Evolutionary Biology,Infectious Diseases,Biology,Everyday Science Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=virtual-reality-contact-l <p>Contact lenses that help enhance normal vision with megapixel 3D panoramic images are being designed by scientists using military funding.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=virtual-reality-contact-l>[More]</a> Technology,Communications,Everyday Science,Health,Society & Policy Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:05:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=could-infection-cause-tourettes-like-symptoms-teenage-girls <p>Over the weekend Erin Brockovich made the news yet again as she and her nonprofit team descended on the village of Le Roy, N.Y., determined to test for environmental toxins that might be giving the town&#39;s teenagers symptoms of Tourette&#39;s syndrome. She has reportedly been stonewalled thus far by local officials, who have already ruled out toxins as the cause of last October&#39;s sudden outbreak of tics and involuntary movements in 12 girls who attend Le Roy Junior&ndash;Senior High School. An environmental testing company surveyed the air and water and found nothing amiss, and a local neurologist concluded upon examining the girls that they had &quot;conversion disorder,&quot; a catchall moniker for physical symptoms that originate in the mind because of stress, trauma or even mass hysteria.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=could-infection-cause-tourettes-like-symptoms-teenage-girls>[More]</a> Health,Infectious Diseases,Everyday Science,Energy & Sustainability,Environment,Physics Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:01:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=corals-more-threatened-by-temperature-than-acidifying-ocean <p>One of the biggest natural tragedies of recent years is the deterioration of Australia&#39;s Great Barrier Reef , a vast structure of coral off the continent&#39;s east coast that supports a profusion of wildlife. In addition to overfishing and nutrient pollution, the world&#39;s largest natural structure has suffered from rising ocean temperatures. But, perhaps less well known, Australia&#39;s west coast has some massive reefs of its own, offshore in the southeastern Indian Ocean. Massive stony corals of the genus Porites swell to the surface, and new research published February 2 in Science suggests those located in the colder waters farthest south are growing better than ever --thanks to warming ocean temperatures.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=corals-more-threatened-by-temperature-than-acidifying-ocean>[More]</a> Energy & Sustainability,Environment,Society & Policy,Everyday Science,Ecology,Evolution,Climate,Biology,More Science Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:15:08 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=signs-boost-stair-climbing-12-02-02 <p>There&rsquo;s an easy way to encourage people to take the stairs instead of an elevator: put up a sign reminding them to.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=signs-boost-stair-climbing-12-02-02>[More]</a> Health,Psychology,More Science,Green Living,Health,Everyday Science Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:01:08 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=quantum-cryptography-comes-to-smart-12-02-02 <p>A smart phone can do pretty much anything a PC can. But, aside from password protection, phones have very little security--a real problem with more and more people using phones for online banking and shopping.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=quantum-cryptography-comes-to-smart-12-02-02>[More]</a> Technology,Consumer Electronics,Communications,Technology,More Science Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:36:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=for-military-researchers-the-butterfly-is-the-ultimate-drone-video <p> Butterflies are not merely beautiful. They use a complex pattern of rapid wing flapping and body deformation to execute impressive aerial acrobatics. This ability has not escaped the U.S. military, which is turning to these insects for ideas on how to create ever-smaller drone aircraft to execute reconnaissance, search-and-rescue and environmental monitoring missions. [View a slide show featuring different drones used by the U.S. military.] </p><p>The Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio is testing drones less than 60 centimeters long roughly the wingspan of an Atlantic Puffin with the hope they will be able to operate below rooftop levels in city streets.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=for-military-researchers-the-butterfly-is-the-ultimate-drone-video>[More]</a> Evolution,Technology,More Science Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:42:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=drought-warmer-weather-persist-in-m <p>By Carey Gillam</p> <p>(Reuters) - Weird weather kept vexing large swathes of the United States over the last week, with unseasonably warm and dry conditions melting northern snows and spreading drought through the southwest, even as heavy rains soaked parched pastures in Texas and Oklahoma, according to climate experts.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=drought-warmer-weather-persist-in-m>[More]</a> Energy & Sustainability,Society & Policy,Climate,More Science,Environment,Everyday Science Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:15:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=habitable-planet-gj-667cc <p>A potentially habitable alien planet -- one that scientists say is the best candidate yet to harbor water, and possibly even life, on its surface -- has been found around a nearby star.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=habitable-planet-gj-667cc>[More]</a> Space,Physics,Extraterrestrial Life,More Science,Astrophysics,Biology Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:40:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=could-climate-change-put-groundhog-out-of-business <p>The United States&#39; smallest meteorologist must be scratching his head about now.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=could-climate-change-put-groundhog-out-of-business>[More]</a> Energy & Sustainability,Everyday Science,Climate,Energy & Sustainability,Society & Policy,More Science Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=bring-science-home-earthquake-proof-engineering <p> Key concepts <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=bring-science-home-earthquake-proof-engineering>[More]</a> More Science,Technology,Society & Policy,Science Education,More Science,Physics,Everyday Science Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:37:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=accidental-kakapo-death-lowers-population-127-birds <p> The death of an adult female kakapo ( Strigops habroptila ) on New Zealand&#8217;s Anchor Island this past weekend brings the population of these rare flightless parrots down to just 127 birds.</p><p>The late kakapo, known as Sandra, was killed when her transmitter harness got entangled in a tree. All kakapos are outfitted with transmitters to help rangers in the Kakapo Recovery program keep track of the birds. Sandra&#8217;s death marked the first time in 31 years of transmitter use that the devices have injured a bird.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=accidental-kakapo-death-lowers-population-127-birds>[More]</a> Energy & Sustainability,More Science,Evolution Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:18:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=middle-east-trails-again-in-green-e <p>By Maha El Dahan and Daniel Fineren</p> <p>ABU DHABI/DUBAI (Reuters) - Talk of a Middle Eastern green energy boom is likely to prove no more than a mirage with little hope of the region saving clean technology companies from the shrinking project pools of Europe.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=middle-east-trails-again-in-green-e>[More]</a> Energy & Sustainability,Technology,Society & Policy,Everyday Science,Energy Technology,Alternative Energy Technology,Climate,Energy Technology,Environment Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=mind-warping-visions <p>Jordan Suchow came to three rapid-fire conclusions as he watched his Macintosh laptop plummet toward the floor. First, in approximately 300 milliseconds he was going to be in a heap of trouble--the machine had been given to him by his thesis adviser, George Alvarez of Harvard University. Second, hoping against all hope, he decided that Harvard could probably afford to buy him a new computer. Third, he realized that the most important observation of his life was unfolding right in front of him as his laptop accelerated toward the parquet: the onscreen doughnut that he had programmed to scintillate appeared to have stopped doing so.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=mind-warping-visions>[More]</a> Mind & Brain,Society & Policy,Thought & Cognition,Science Education,Psychology,Physics,More Science Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:55:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=tsunami-debris-north-america-is-the-tail-wagging-the-dog <p>Recent weeks have seen a spate of news articles (three examples here , here , and here ) claiming that wreckage from the March 2011 Japanese tsunami has started arriving on the west coast of North America.</p><p> Is that likely? </p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=tsunami-debris-north-america-is-the-tail-wagging-the-dog>[More]</a> Energy & Sustainability,Technology,More Science Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:30:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=7-things-you-didnt-know-about-groundhogs <p> </p><p>Happy Groundhog Day! Today is the day each year in which we look towards a giant rodent to find out how much more winter we&#8217;ll have to endure. This year, we probably know the answer: winter hasn&#8217;t been very wintery, even for Los Angeles. Which, well, isn&#8217;t ever really wintery at all.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=7-things-you-didnt-know-about-groundhogs>[More]</a> Mind & Brain,More Science Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:05:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-collision-syndrome <p>Kevin Turner was a premier athlete in the National Football League, a fullback who could run, catch and block. At 6&#39; 1&quot; and roughly 230 pounds, he was slightly undersized for his position, but he had tremendous thrust in his legs and used all of it to launch himself into players who were bigger than he was. He played for the New England Patriots from 1992 to 1994, then joined the Philadelphia Eagles, with whom he stayed until his abrupt retirement in 1999. Some called him &ldquo;the Collision Expert&rdquo;--a nickname he got because of the gouges he collected on his helmet.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-collision-syndrome>[More]</a> Health,Mind & Brain,Infectious Diseases,More Science,Neurological Disorders,Neuroscience,Biology,Society & Policy Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=brain-trauma-what-happens-brain-hits-skull <p>Concussion, the most common among traumatic brain injuries, which occurs 1.7 million times a year in the U.S., represents a major public-health problem. It occurs when there is a sudden acceleration or deceleration of the head, a process depicted here in this animation.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=brain-trauma-what-happens-brain-hits-skull>[More]</a> Mind & Brain,Health,Neuroscience,Everyday Science,More Science,Science Education,Biology,Mind & Brain Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:13:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=google-must-pay-660000-for-offering-2012-02 <p>By </p> <img class="cnet-image" src="http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/02/02/paris_Google_Maps_610x353.jpg" alt="Google Maps has come under fire in France." <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=google-must-pay-660000-for-offering-2012-02>[More]</a> Technology,Communications,Computing,Society & Policy Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:41:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=timeline-major-peacetime-ship-disas <p> Feb 2 (Reuters) - A ferry sank on Thursday off thecoast of Papua New Guinea with scores of people missing, <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=timeline-major-peacetime-ship-disas>[More]</a> Health,Everyday Science,Society & Policy,History of Science,Technology Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:07:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=exclusive-indonesia-to-set-up-56-bi <p>By Janeman Latul and Fathiya Dahrul</p> <p>JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's government plans to create one of the world's largest palm oil and rubber firms in March by combining state planters with total assets of $5.6 billion, a government minister told Reuters on Thursday.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=exclusive-indonesia-to-set-up-56-bi>[More]</a> Energy & Sustainability,Technology,Energy Technology,Everyday Science,Environment,Society & Policy Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=scio12 <p class="wp-caption-text">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"@BoraChimp" by Nathaniel Gold</p> <p>Conferences are social grooming events for relatively hairless apes. A few will stand before the multitude, beaming with pride or shaking with nervousness (as the case may be), and present the latest research in contemporary ape thought. As their vocalizations reach a crescendo, those sitting demurely below will produce flesh-slapping noises that indicate they were paying attention (even if they weren t). Another ape will then rise and this process will continue repeatedly and at length. It looks a lot like the modern political stump speech.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=scio12>[More]</a> Evolution,More Science,Mind & Brain,Technology Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=could-simple-experiments-reveal-the-quantum-nature-of-spacetime <p> Conventional wisdom has it that putting the words quantum gravity and experiment in the same sentence is like bringing matter into contact with antimatter. All you get is a big explosion; the two just don t go together. The distinctively quantum features of gravity only show up in extreme settings such as the belly of a black hole or the nascent universe, over distances too small and energies too large to reproduce in any laboratory. Even alien civilizations that command the energy resources of a whole galaxy probably couldn t do it.</p><p>Physicists have never been much for conventional wisdom, though, and the dream of studying quantum gravity is too enthralling to give up. Right now, physicists don t really know how gravity works they have quantum theories for every force of nature except this one. And as Einstein showed, gravity is special: it is not just any old force, but a reflection of the structure of spacetime, on which all else depends. In a quantum theory of gravity, all the principles that govern nature will come together. If physicists can observe some distinctively quantum feature of gravity, they will have glimpsed the underlying unity of the natural world.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=could-simple-experiments-reveal-the-quantum-nature-of-spacetime>[More]</a> More Science,Space Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:51:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=update-4-more-than-100-missing-afte <p> * 238 rescued as of 0730 GMT - AMSA</p> <p> * High death toll feared - Australian PM</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=update-4-more-than-100-missing-afte>[More]</a> Technology,Everyday Science,Society & Policy Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:20:08 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=scorpion-armor-inspires-sand-resist-12-02-01 <p>It&rsquo;s tough to be a machine in the desert: particles of dirt and sand work their way into moving parts, where they abrade turbines, motors, pipes and other equipment. To avoid this costly wear and tear, researchers are taking lessons from a desert native: the yellow fat-tail scorpion.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=scorpion-armor-inspires-sand-resist-12-02-01>[More]</a> More Science,Physics,More Science,Biology,Technology Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:28:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=sunfish-albatross-symbiosis <p class="wp-caption-text">Image by Keiko Sekiguchi, from Abe et al. (2012).</p> <p> </p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=sunfish-albatross-symbiosis>[More]</a> Evolution Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:01:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=synchronized-eating-social-influences-on-eating-behavior <p> </p><p>When I was a kid, I used to spend hours listening to Adam Carolla and Dr. Drew Pinsky on their Sunday night call-in radio show Loveline . I listened so often that I began to incorporate one of their catchphrases &#8211; &#8220;good times&#8221; &#8211; into my daily conversations. Scientists have a name for this phenomenon: behavioral mimicry .</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=synchronized-eating-social-influences-on-eating-behavior>[More]</a> Health,Mind & Brain Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=new-map-shows-that-most-lyme-infected-ticks-are-in-northeast-northern-midwest <p class="wp-caption-text">Female blacklegged tick courtesy of Graham Hickling/University of Tennessee</p> <p> Lyme disease is notoriously tough to diagnose. The symptoms often don&#8217;t appear for one or two weeks after a bite and can vary from feeling flu-ish to longer-term neurological damage. And ticks seem to lie in wait throughout much of the U.S., prepared to pounce and infect a passerby.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=new-map-shows-that-most-lyme-infected-ticks-are-in-northeast-northern-midwest>[More]</a> Evolution,Health,More Science Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:23:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=u-s-state-science-standards-are-mediocre-to-awful <p class="wp-caption-text">How state science standards stack up, according to a new report from The Fordham Institute</p> <p>A new report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute paints a grim picture of state science standards across the United States. But it also reveals some intriguing details about exactly what&#8217;s going wrong with the way many American students are learning science.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=u-s-state-science-standards-are-mediocre-to-awful>[More]</a> More Science Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:40:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=satellites-to-track-rare-royal-turtle-in-cambodia-video <p> A member of one of the world&#8217;s most endangered turtle species is being tracked by satellites as it swims the rivers of Cambodia, helping scientists to learn more about how it navigates and the threats it faces in its native waters. With a satellite transmitter glued to her shell, the female southern river terrapin ( Batagur affinis edwardmolli ) one of the last 200 wild members of a species which was once treasured by Cambodian royalty was released into the Sre Ambel River on January 16 in a ceremony attended by dozens of cheering local residents, government officials and international conservationists.</p><p>The terrapin&#8217;s travels will be monitored by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in conjunction with Wildlife Reserves Singapore and Cambodia&#8217;s Fisheries Administration. This is the first satellite study of the southern river terrapin, offering a rare opportunity to learn more about this species, which was named one of the world&#8217;s 25 most endangered turtle species in February 2011.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=satellites-to-track-rare-royal-turtle-in-cambodia-video>[More]</a> Energy & Sustainability,More Science,Evolution Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:31:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=a-proposal-to-introduce-elephants-to-australia-really <p> Why not bring elephants to Australia ? That&#8217;s the proposal made by biologist David Bowman of the University of Tasmania in a comment published February 2 in Nature . ( Scientific American is part of Nature Publishing Group.)</p><p>The pachyderms could help to polish off gamba grass, introduced from Africa to Australia in the 1930s as fodder for cattle. Nowadays, it also provides fuel for devastating fires, such the one that killed 173 people and burned 400,000 hectares on February 7, 2009. Neither local cattle nor kangaroos consume enough of the weedy grass to keep it in check.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=a-proposal-to-introduce-elephants-to-australia-really>[More]</a> Energy & Sustainability,More Science,Evolution Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=elegance-of-spider-webs-helps-make-them-strong-video <p class="wp-caption-text">Orb webs image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Bj rn Christian T rrissen</p> <p>Spiders&#8217; silk has been the envy of materials engineers for decades. Its combination of flexibility and durability has been difficult to match with even the most advanced technology.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=elegance-of-spider-webs-helps-make-them-strong-video>[More]</a> Evolution,More Science Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:38:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fewer-zoos-may-have-elephants-under <p>By Kevin Murphy</p> <p>KANSAS CITY, Kansas (Reuters) - Fewer U.S. zoos of the future may have elephants but those that do would have happier animals under a new policy requiring American zoos with two elephants to add space for a third in case one dies.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fewer-zoos-may-have-elephants-under>[More]</a> Energy & Sustainability,Society & Policy,Evolution,Environment,Everyday Science Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:05:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=study-calculates-years-life-lost-extreme-temperatures <p>Public health officials have long known that extreme temperatures are linked to more deaths, but in one Australian city, researchers have calculated how many years of life were lost due to heat waves and cold snaps.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=study-calculates-years-life-lost-extreme-temperatures>[More]</a> Energy & Sustainability,Society & Policy,Energy & Sustainability,More Science,Environment,Everyday Science Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=progress-made-in-developing-community <p style="text-align:left">By Maryn McKenna of Nature magazine</p><p style="text-align:left"></p><p style="text-align:left">Over the years, Robert Daum has learned to respect his adversary. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=progress-made-in-developing-community>[More]</a> Health,Pharmaceuticals,More Science,Infectious Diseases,Biology,Everyday Science Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:04:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=europe-freeze-kills-89-fears-rise-o <p>By Richard Balmforth and Matt Robinson</p> <p>KIEV/BELGRADE (Reuters) - Record-low temperatures in parts of Eastern Europe pushed the death toll from Arctic conditions to at least 89 people on Wednesday, and have forced Russian gas provider Gazprom to warn over supplies to Europe.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=europe-freeze-kills-89-fears-rise-o>[More]</a> Health,Climate,Energy & Sustainability,Society & Policy,Everyday Science Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=marine-biologists-uncertain-about <p style="text-align:left">By Mark Schrope of Nature magazine</p><p style="text-align:left"></p><p style="text-align:left">Last summer, intrepid surfers flocked to Florida&apos;s east coast to ride the pounding swells spawned by a string of offshore hurricanes. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=marine-biologists-uncertain-about>[More]</a> Energy & Sustainability,Environment,More Science,Biology,Society & Policy Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=mind-the-animals <p>Whether cute and cuddly or fierce and frightening, animals affect the brain in ways scientists are just starting to appreciate. In a study of people who had electrodes implanted in their brain for the treatment of epilepsy, an international team discovered neurons that respond specifically to animals. The 41 individuals in the study were shown picturesof recognizable landmarks, objects, animals and people for about one second each as tiny electrodes measured the activity of individual neurons in three regions of their brain. When the researchers analyzed the electrical data from the 400 to 550 neurons in each region, they found a marked jump in the activity of neurons in the right amygdala that was not seen in the other brain regions tested--and only after viewing the pictures of animals. The report by senior author Christof Koch, a neuroscientist at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, and his colleagues appeared this past August online in Nature Neuroscience . (Koch also writes the monthly column Consciousness Redux for Scientific American Mind .)</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=mind-the-animals>[More]</a> Mind & Brain,Psychology,Neuroscience,Society & Policy,More Science