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How Will You Feel? Ask Your Neighbor

Stefan Lovgren — Wed, 13 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

WHY IT MATTERS: Daniel Gilbert, a psychologist at Harvard University, says one of the best ways to learn if we'll like a future event is to ask someone else who's already experienced it.

A new study on speed-daters suggests that people tend to rely on their own feelings and emotions even though a stranger’s advice could be more helpful.

Whether on a date, at the grocery store, or at work, people frequently misjudge how they will react to certain social situations, and sometimes their errors can have serious consequences, the study shows.

These findings suggest that people expect their own best guess to be the most reliable predictor of their future reactions – but they actually make more accurate predictions when they know how others responded.

Heat Waves Hotter than the Sun Discovered

Stefan Lovgren — Tue, 12 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

WHY IT MATTERS: David Jess, an astrophysicist at Queen’s University Belfast, in Northern Ireland, says the discovery may point the way to a new free energy technology.

David Jessm, Queen's University Belfast

Image captured by telescope of a region on the surface of the sun. The brighter area near the middle of the image indicates the presence of Alfvén waves, which are invisible to the unaided eye.

The theoretical existence of Alfvén waves, which are capable of heating the solar atmosphere to millions of degrees, has been confirmed with actual detection of the unique plasma waves using the Swedish Solar Telescope, researchers say.

Astrophysicists have long puzzled over why the sun’s corona, the outer part of the solar atmosphere, is millions of degrees hotter than the surface of the sun itself.

The magnetic waves, called Alfvén waves, are considered the most plausible explanation for the transfer of so much energy from the sun’s surface to its outer atmosphere.

The researchers say that the wave motion and timing is consistent with current torsional Alfvénic wave models, and they suggest that these purely magnetic plasma waves are sufficient to heat the solar corona.

Erasing Traumatic Memories Possible, Researchers Say

Stefan Lovgren — Sun, 10 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

WHY IT MATTERS: Sheena Josselyn of Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children says terrifying memories in humans may one day be erased before causing conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

Researchers have erased brain cells in mice that store fearful memories.

While the sights and sounds of a terrifying blast or crash would stay intact, the memory of the fear it caused could conceivably be erased, the researchers suggest. Their work appeared in the journal Science.

Coatings That Can Heal Their Own Scratches

Stefan Lovgren — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:36:31 -0700

WHY IT MATTERS: Marek Urban, a chemist at the University of Southern Mississippi, says you may be able to get that scratch out of your car’s bumper simply by parking in a sunny spot.

Marek W. Urban, via Science/AAAS

Researchers have created a polyurethane coating that heals itself when exposed to ultraviolet light.

In the future, a beam of sunlight may be all you need to repair a scratch on your car. Researchers have developed a new polyurethane material that heals its own scratches when exposed to ultraviolet light.

This material can repair itself in less than an hour and could be used as a coating in packaging, on vehicles, or on any surface that is exposed to the environment and sunlight.

Different Parameters Possible for Extraterrestrial Life, Scientists Say

Stefan Lovgren — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

WHY IT MATTERS: John Baross, a professor at the Center for Astrobiology and Evolution at the University of Washington, says we don't understand the limits of evolution in a carbon-based life.

John Barros of the University of Washington is one of many scientists who say a different kind of biochemistry than what is found on Earth may enable life to exist on a different planet. Extraterrestrial life may use electrical energy, wave action, or maybe even energy from bombardments, he says.

Biofuels Must Become Greener, Says Daniel Kammen

Stefan Lovgren — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

WHY IT MATTERS: Daniel Kammen, professor of energy at UC Berkeley, says biofuels are going to have to be greener than they are today if they're going to be a part of our future.

Biofuel is defined as solid, liquid or gaseous fuel obtained from relatively recently lifeless biological material and is different from fossil fuels, which are derived from long dead biological material.

There are various current issues with biofuel production and use, which are presently being discussed in the popular media and scientific journals. One of these issues is the so-called "food vs. fuel" dilemma, which relates to the risk of diverting farmland or crops for biofuels production.

Energy Whiz Pushes New Solar Technology

Stefan Lovgren — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:55:39 -0700

WHY IT MATTERS: Daniel Kammen, professor of energy at UC Berkeley, says the potential for new solar technologies is much greater than previously thought.

A new study finds that many materials not previously studied for solar cell technology could help make it cheaper, according to Daniel Kammen, who is a UC Berkeley professor and a climate advisor to the Obama Administration.

Scientists Fight Teaching of Creationism in Public Schools

Stefan Lovgren — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

WHY IT MATTERS: Jay Labov of the National Academy of Sciences says introducing creationism into the science classroom would confuse students as to what science is.

In Western countries, the inclusion of evolution in science courses has been mostly uncontroversial, with the exception of parts of the United States.

The US Supreme Court has ruled the teaching of creationism as science in public schools to be unconstitutional. Intelligent design has been presented as an alternative explanation to evolution in recent decades, but it has also been ruled unconstitutional by a lower court.

WHAT IS ......... The National Academies?

Stefan Lovgren — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

WHY IT MATTERS: Ann Merchant, director of outreach and marketing, says the primary goal of the National Academies is to bring better science policy to the US Government.

The National Academies bring together committees of experts in all areas of scientific and technological endeavor. These experts serve pro bono to address critical national issues and give advice to the federal government and the public.

The National Academy of Sciences, the first institution in the National Academies, was founded by President Abraham Lincoln. The Academies also include the National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council.

Tea Drinking Reduces Stroke Risk, Study Shows

Daniel Milder — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

WHY IT MATTERS: Lenore Arab of the UCLA School of Medicine says it's difficult to treat strokes and so the focus should be on prevention.

Drinking three cups of tea reduces the risk of stroke by 21 percent, a new study shows. Drinking three more cups will reduce the risk by another 21 percent.

The study, led by Lenore Arab at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, covered over 195,000 people around the world. It describes the drinking of green and black tea, both made from the plant Camellia sinensis, not from herbal teas. Scientists do not know precisely what it is about tea that causes it to safeguard against stroke, but they suggest it could be the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), or the amino acid theanine.

Once a person has a stroke there is very little time and few ways to treat the stroke damaged site. Drinking tea is a simple, inexpensive, and effective means of preventing a stroke from occurring, scientists say.