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- March 21, 2013
- 08:09 AM
- 74 views
Roadkill Sparks Evolutionary Trend
by Andrew Porterfield in United Academics
It’s pretty rare that we can watch evolution actually happen, especially in more complex animals and plants. But a study on Nebraska cliff swallows, done over 30 years, shows that the birds have changed their wingspan in order to avoid being hit by cars and trucks.... Read more »
Brown, C., & Bomberger Brown, M. (2013) Where has all the road kill gone?. Current Biology, 23(6). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.02.023
- March 20, 2013
- 10:21 AM
- 131 views
New Plankton Study Is Actually Bad News
by Katja Keuchenius in United Academics
brighter future for our environment because of the new findings about plankton? Jef Huisman, Professor in Aquatic Microbiology at the University of Amsterdam, doesn’t agree. He thinks the recently published ratios of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in plankton actually paint a gloomy picture of future marine life on our planet. It means less food for the fish.... Read more »
Martiny, A., Pham, C., Primeau, F., Vrugt, J., Moore, J., Levin, S., & Lomas, M. (2013) Strong latitudinal patterns in the elemental ratios of marine plankton and organic matter. Nature Geoscience. DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1757
- March 19, 2013
- 12:42 PM
- 102 views
Why Does a Rooster Crow in the Morning?
by Carian Thus in United Academics
New research explains why roosters make sound just before dawn.... Read more »
Shimmura, T., & Yoshimura, T. (2013) Circadian clock determines the timing of rooster crowing. Current Biology, 23(6). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.02.015
- March 19, 2013
- 10:54 AM
- 113 views
There’s Gold in Them There Faults!
by Andrew Porterfield in United Academics
There’s a new way to search for gold. Just look for old earthquake faults. A team of Australian scientists have discovered that gold is created, almost instantly, during a major earthquake, and that amounts of gold created by a long-active fault can be substantial.... Read more »
Weatherley, D., & Henley, R. (2013) Flash vaporization during earthquakes evidenced by gold deposits. Nature Geoscience. DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1759
- March 18, 2013
- 08:59 AM
- 113 views
Plankton Stores Twice the CO2 We Expected
by Katja Keuchenius in United Academics
Nature Geoscience published a study this weekend about the true carbon richness of the trillions of plankton floating around in the oceans. It turns out to be way different than oceanographer Alfred Redfield reported back in 1934. This may brighten up the future of the environment.... Read more »
Martiny, A., Pham, C., Primeau, F., Vrugt, J., Moore, J., Levin, S., & Lomas, M. (2013) Strong latitudinal patterns in the elemental ratios of marine plankton and organic matter. Nature Geoscience. DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1757
- March 14, 2013
- 07:12 AM
- 203 views
Ejaculating Every Day Keeps the Doctor Away?
by Carian Thus in United Academics
This image, spreading over the Internet, suggests that frequent ejaculation lowers the risk of prostate cancer with one third. But is it also true? We checked the original research paper to find out.
... Read more »
Giles, G., Severi, G., English, D., McCredie, M., Borland, R., Boyle, P., & Hopper, J. (2003) Sexual factors and prostate cancer. BJU International, 92(3), 211-216. DOI: 10.1046/j.1464-410X.2003.04319.x
- March 14, 2013
- 07:03 AM
- 126 views
More Competion Means More Corruption, New Smog-test Study Finds
by Andrew Porterfield in United Academics
Most economists, business people and even educators and scientists assume the merits of competition; it’s supposed to lead to lower prices and improvements in quality. But, as a study on the automobile smog-testing industry shows, competition can lead to corruption and even public health problems.
A research group led by University of Southern California management professor Victor Bennett found that the structure of the smog-testing industry can lead many firms to cheat on their customers’ smog-check results. And this cheating takes place because it can actually lead to better customer relationships.... Read more »
Bennett, V., Pierce, L., Snyder, J., & Toffel, M. (2012) Customer-Driven Misconduct: How Competition Corrupts Business Practices. SSRN Electronic Journal. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.2005779
- March 8, 2013
- 10:01 AM
- 145 views
The Need to Know Science Better
by Andrew Porterfield in United Academics
A new study underscores a chronic problem in American (and European) society; a lack of scientific literacy. A recent study from the universities of Bristol and Cardiff found that science was one of the most difficult-to-understand topics by the average reader (environmental issues, politics, economics and religion topped out the rest of that list).
Unfortunately, these are issues somewhat vital to functioning in complex society. So, what’s the problem? Why is science in particular, so hard to understand?... Read more »
Flaounas, I., Ali, O., Lansdall-Welfare, T., De Bie, T., Mosdell, N., Lewis, J., & Cristianini, N. (2013) RESEARCH METHODS IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL JOURNALISM. Digital Journalism, 1(1), 102-116. DOI: 10.1080/21670811.2012.714928
- March 8, 2013
- 07:29 AM
- 142 views
Debunking the Political Myth of “Legitimate Rape”
by Katja Keuchenius in United Academics
When he was running for the U.S. Senate last summer, Rep. Todd Akin, a Republican from Missouri, made a huge gaffe; he claimed that female rape victims’ bodies “just shut down,” preventing pregnancy from occurring. Therefore, according to that logic, any rape that resulted in pregnancy was, instead, consensual. His statement was in support of proposed policies that would restrict the availability of abortion even in the case of rape or incest.... Read more »
Gottschall, J., & Gottschall, T. (2003) Are per-incident rape-pregnancy rates higher than per-incident consensual pregnancy rates?. Human Nature, 14(1), 1-20. DOI: 10.1007/s12110-003-1014-0
Tarín, J., Hamatani, T., & Cano, A. (2010) Acute stress may induce ovulation in women. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology, 8(1), 53. DOI: 10.1186/1477-7827-8-53
Wilcox AJ, Dunson DB, Weinberg CR, Trussell J, & Baird DD. (2001) Likelihood of conception with a single act of intercourse: providing benchmark rates for assessment of post-coital contraceptives. Contraception, 63(4), 211-5. PMID: 11376648
- March 7, 2013
- 07:23 AM
- 153 views
Sex Can Relieve Severe Headaches
by Carian Thus in United Academics
Maybe you’re not really into it when you have a splitting headache, but new research proves that sexual activity can acutally sooth or even stop your pain.... Read more »
Hambach, A., Evers, S., Summ, O., Husstedt, I., & Frese, A. (2013) The impact of sexual activity on idiopathic headaches: An observational study. Cephalalgia. DOI: 10.1177/0333102413476374
- March 6, 2013
- 11:35 AM
- 175 views
New Research Reveals Secret of Flawless Skin
by Carian Thus in United Academics
Bacteria that cause pimples are present on everybody's skin. But what about those lucky people who always have flawless skin?... Read more »
Fitz-Gibbon, S., Tomida, S., Chiu, B., Nguyen, L., Du, C., Liu, M., Elashoff, D., Erfe, M., Loncaric, A., Kim, J.... (2013) Propionibacterium acnes Strain Populations in the Human Skin Microbiome Associated with Acne. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. DOI: 10.1038/jid.2013.21
- March 6, 2013
- 09:13 AM
- 168 views
How Trusting Your Partner Shapes Your Memories
by Katja Keuchenius in United Academics
The way you trust your partner is the way you remember him or her, American scientists found out. Aladdin didn't ask Jasmine the big question for nothing. It made her forget his mistakes.... Read more »
Luchies LB, Wieselquist J, Rusbult CE, Kumashiro M, Eastwick PW, Coolsen MK, & Finkel EJ. (2013) Trust and Biased Memory of Transgressions in Romantic Relationships. Journal of personality and social psychology. PMID: 23397968
- March 5, 2013
- 08:10 AM
- 166 views
Lesbian Beetle Sex—It’s the Man’s Faul
by Andrew Porterfield in United Academics
Why does gay and lesbian sex exist? If the purpose of sex is reproduction, it makes no evolutionary sense. But recent work by a group at Uppsala University in Sweden has turned that notion on its head.
While beetles are hardly the species to investigate if you’re looking for the origins of same-sex love, recent work on their copulation system shows an evolutionary advantage to same-sex mating behaviors.... Read more »
Burgevin, L., Friberg, U., & Maklakov, A. (2013) Intersexual correlation for same-sex sexual behaviour in an insect. Animal Behaviour. DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.01.017
- March 5, 2013
- 07:47 AM
- 206 views
Following the Nerd Herd – The Stereotype Revisited
by Anouk Vleugels in United Academics
“I was such a nerd in high school.” Most people who’ve been on a few first dates will recognize this line. Having nerd qualities, apparently, is nothing to be ashamed of anymore; it shows you’re quirky, unique and intelligent.. Nerds are fun now. So whatever happened to getting stuffed into the trash can for being different? And what exactly did the nerd evolve into?... Read more »
Eglash, R. (2002) Race, Sex, and Nerds: FROM BLACK GEEKS TO ASIAN AMERICAN HIPSTERS. Social Text, 20(2 71), 49-64. DOI: 10.1215/01642472-20-2_71-49
Bucholtz, M. (2001) The Whiteness of Nerds: Superstandard English and Racial Markedness. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, 11(1), 84-100. DOI: 10.1525/jlin.2001.11.1.84
Quail, C. (2011) Nerds, Geeks, and the Hip/Square Dialectic in Contemporary Television. Television , 12(5), 460-482. DOI: 10.1177/1527476410385476
- March 5, 2013
- 04:16 AM
- 156 views
Why Think of Jumping From Great Heights
by Mark Fonseca Rendeiro in United Academics
I grew up going back and forth between New Jersey and New York City, which often meant going over a bridge. And that is probably my earliest memory of sitting in the car wondering, what if we drive off this bridge? Years later I would find my way to the top of sky scrapers and spires overlooking cities around the world, naturally to marvel at the view, but each time with that strange familiar thought, what if I jump or fall off this building?
Suicidal thoughts? I don’t think so. But why do our imaginations so often ponder the idea?... Read more »
Hames, J., Ribeiro, J., Smith, A., & Joiner, T. (2012) An urge to jump affirms the urge to live: An empirical examination of the high place phenomenon. Journal of Affective Disorders, 136(3), 1114-1120. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2011.10.035
- March 3, 2013
- 09:09 AM
- 180 views
You Don’t Need to Watch Porn to Be Influenced by It
by Annemarie van Oosten in United Academics
Pornography use: It’s a topic of much debate. For starters, the frequent portrayals of sexual objectification of and violence against women in pornography have led to concerns about the influence that pornography may have on the sexual attitudes of its users. However, it seems that pornography can influence you even if you are not watching it yourself.... Read more »
Stewart, D., & Szymanski, D. (2012) Young Adult Women’s Reports of Their Male Romantic Partner’s Pornography Use as a Correlate of Their Self-Esteem, Relationship Quality, and Sexual Satisfaction. Sex Roles, 67(5-6), 257-271. DOI: 10.1007/s11199-012-0164-0
- March 3, 2013
- 07:11 AM
- 166 views
The Genetics and Birth of Homer’s Iliad
by Gunnar de Winter in United Academics
The Iliad, Homer’s epic poem telling the tale of Achilles and the war of Troy, is widely considered to be one of the greatest and well-known pieces of ancient literature. Despite its status, however, the date of its production is still uncertain.... Read more »
Altschuler, E., Calude, A., Meade, A., & Pagel, M. (2013) Linguistic evidence supports date for Homeric epics. BioEssays. DOI: 10.1002/bies.201200165
- March 1, 2013
- 01:49 PM
- 183 views
Sleeping With Someone Is Better
by Mark Fonseca Rendeiro in United Academics
Whether you love or hate sleeping alone, turns out, sleeping with someone is better for you.... Read more »
Troxel WM, Buysse DJ, Hall M, & Matthews KA. (2009) Marital happiness and sleep disturbances in a multi-ethnic sample of middle-aged women. Behavioral sleep medicine, 7(1), 2-19. PMID: 19116797
- March 1, 2013
- 08:12 AM
- 151 views
It’s Mr. Steal-Your Girl and He’s Black
by Patrick Meyer in United Academics
Rap music has long been critiqued for its unhealthy portrayal of sexuality, particularly its misogynistic leanings. But now might be the first time in rap’s history where sexual violence is being directed towards men instead of women. Men are the new subject of lyrical sexual assault, with women merely serving as collateral damage in this metaphorical stripping of man’s sexual power.
After many cultural critiques for being misogynistic, are men the new “bitches” in rap lyrics?... Read more »
Brown, S., & Clark, K. (2003) Melodramas of Beset Black Manhood? Meditations on African-American Masculinity as Scholarly Topos and Social Menace: An Introduction. Callaloo, 26(3), 732-737. DOI: 10.1353/cal.2003.0078
- March 1, 2013
- 07:29 AM
- 170 views
Linking Depression, ADHD and Schizophrenia
by Katja Keuchenius in United Academics
A genetic link is found between five common psychiatric disorders: autism, ADHD, bipolar disorder, depression and schizophrenia. Although they have so far been seen as very distinct, they now seem to be biologically alike.
... Read more »
Serretti, A., & Fabbri, C. (2013) Shared genetics among major psychiatric disorders. The Lancet. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60223-8
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