Science & Society

A new study in the December issue of the Journal of Consumer Research finds that it is rarely the case that highly influential individuals are responsible for bringing about shifts in public opinion. Instead, using a number of computer simulations of public opinion change, Duncan J. Watts (Columbia University) and Peter Sheridan Dodds (University of Vermont), find that it is the presence of large numbers of “easily influenced” people who bring about major shifts by influencing other easy-to-influence people. “Our study demonstrates not so much that the conventional wisdom is wrong ... but…

Cameron Neylon gave a very thoughtful talk at Drexel on Friday about using blogs to capture the science going on in his group then deciding to open his laboratory notebooks to the world. He was refreshingly honest about his progress and motivations. For example, at one point he noted that a gel image was missing on one of the posts. Instead of glossing over it, he pointed out how this just makes transparent how difficult it is to properly maintain a laboratory notebook. As long as you don't have to show it to anyone, it is tempting to claim that your lab notebook is better maintained than it…

Vampires, Mummies, Ghosts, Zombies - we have it all today. Not all of these articles are exactly new(s), some of them are even old, but they're all science. So if you're a Goth chick, you won't want to read Are Vampires Real? Physics Professor Drives Scientific Stake Into The Heart Of Supernatural Myths  but if you're trick or treating anyway, make sure to wear clothes made from fabric that glows. Want to know more about vampires, even if they don't exist?  Check out Bloodsucker Myths&Movies: Vampires Throughout The Ages. In a party mood?   Here's How To Host a Mad…

...and quite frankly I am pretty pissed off that his lectures have been cancelled. James Watson, Nobel Prize winner and cofounder of the structure of DNA told the Times of London that "there is no firm reason to anticipate that the intellectual capacities of peoples geographically separated in their evolution should prove to have evolved identically." So guess what? Most venues hosting Watson have decided to cancel his forthcoming public engagement talks. Unfortunately such comments have often been made by Watson and while I don’t agree with him, I certainly defend his freedom of expression.…

The Autism Consortium has completed the first genome scan for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) through its Autism Gene Discovery Project and has released the reference data set to a database that autism researchers around the world can use. The scan was conducted using new, high resolution technology developed by Affymetrix on genetic data from more than 3,000 children with ASD and their families. “Today’s release of genetic and phenotypic data on autism marks a significant achievement for the autism research community,” said Thomas Insel, Ph.D., Director of the National Institute for Mental…

Kids place a great deal of value on athletic ability and youngsters deemed unskilled by their peers often experience sadness, isolation and social rejection at school. In a study published in The Journal of Sport Behavior, researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton examined the relationships among perceived athletic competence, peer acceptance and loneliness in elementary school children. Their findings will likely confirm the experience of anyone who was picked last for the team in gym class: children seen as athletic by their classmates are also better liked and less likely to…

It’s hard to think of scientists in laboratories working toward solutions for medical problems without mice or other laboratory animals, but animals’ roles in at least one major research laboratory may soon be minimal. Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia's Comparative Orthopaedic Laboratory (COL) have developed an in vitro model using small sections of joint capsule and cartilage typically discarded that mimics arthritic joints. This "joint in a test tube" model can be used to investigate causes and mechanisms for the development and progression of arthritis and to screen new…

To day I have posted my innagural you tube video. It is the introduction to my little channel where I will produce and post some videos where I explain Quantum Mechanics to people in a simple and understandable way. At least I hope it will be understandable. This is just an introduction to me. I will cover the topics of kets, bra's, ket spaces, Hilbert spaces, operators on hilbert spaces, measurement, and Finally present the axioms of quantum mechanics. I have written out the matterial but I am just wondering how I should explain it. Me on youtube.

EISLINGEN, Germany, October 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The media daily reports on new toxication occurrences in households. Home makers inhaling the toxic odors of standard household cleaners and sanitizers suffer serious health damages over the years. Also the infection rates at hospitals and the food industry are increasing constantly. It has been proved that the resistance of bacteria against standard disinfectant products are raising more and more. Bio-AntiBact can be applied in areas where chemical material can or should not be used and are non-toxic and non-hazardous to humans, animals…

Sprinkler systems for commercial buildings are mandatory. They're not required in new home construction but a NIST study says that, above a 100 percent reduction in civilian deaths, they make economic sense. According to NIST, the cost in 2005 dollars for adding a multipurpose network sprinkler system to a house under construction was approximately $2,075 for a 3,338-square-foot colonial-style house, $1,895 for a 2,257-square-foot townhouse and $829 for a 1,171-square-foot ranch house. However when a house fire occurs, the estimated benefits of a residential fire sprinkler system include a…