Futurity.org » Rutgers

For kids of unwed, informal child support better

Robin Lally-Rutgers — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:05:32 +0000

RUTGERS (US) — Young children of unmarried parents who live with their mother show better cognitive skills if the father provides cash support without being legally required to do so.

A new study published in the Social Services Review also finds that when financial support is mandated by the courts, children will exhibit more aggressive behavior than those who don’t get any formal support at all.

Bacteria fight ‘dirty’ to disarm antibiotic

Diana Yates-Illinois — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:11:44 +0000

U. ILLINOIS (US) — Researchers have discovered how bacteria use a previously unknown means to defeat a potent antibiotic.

The bacteria modify a common “housekeeping” enzyme in a way that enables the enzyme to recognize and disarm the antibiotic. The findings are reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Ice ‘fingerprints’ predict sea level rise

Sean Bettam-Toronto — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:41:57 +0000

U. TORONTO (CAN) — Geophysicists have found a way to identify the sea level fingerprint left by a particular ice sheet—allowing better estimates of its impact on global sea level.

As the Earth’s climate warms, a melting ice sheet produces a distinct and highly non-uniform pattern of sea-level change, with sea level falling close to the melting ice sheet and rising progressively farther away. The pattern for each ice sheet is unique and is known as its sea level fingerprint.

“Our findings provide a new method to distinguish sea-level fingerprints in historical records of sea levels, from other processes such as ocean waves, tides, changes in ocean circulation, and thermal expansion of the ocean,” says Carling Hay, a doctoral candidate in the department of physics at the University of Toronto.

Vitamin E pills fail to deliver cancer benefits

Robin Lally-Rutgers — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:56:34 +0000

RUTGERS (US) — Two forms of vitamin E found in nuts and vegetable oils may protect against cancer, while the type most commonly used in supplements has no benefit, research shows.

Scientists at Rutgers and and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey believe that two forms of vitamin E—gamma and delta-tocopherols—found in nuts and in soybean, canola, and corn oils do prevent colon, lung, breast, and prostate cancers.

Protein’s wrong turn tied to childhood disease

Robin Lally-Rutgers — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:06:16 +0000

RUTGERS (US) — Scientists may have found a way to prevent and possibly reverse the most debilitating symptoms of a rare childhood disease.

The progressive condition leaves children with slurred speech, unable to walk, and in a wheelchair before they reach adolescence.

Wedded bliss is good for the heart

Carol Clark-Emory — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:20:09 +0000

EMORY (US) — Married adults who undergo heart surgery are more than three times more likely to survive the next three months than single people who have the same surgery.

While the most striking difference in outcomes occurred during the first three months, the study shows the strong protective effect of marriage continues for up to five years following coronary artery bypass surgery.

In the urban jungle, new frogs discovered

Robin Lally-Rutgers — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:02:40 +0000

RUTGERS/UC DAVIS (US) — In the wilds of New York City—or as wild as you can get so close to skyscrapers—scientists have found a new leopard frog species.

For years biologists mistook the new species for a more widespread variety of leopard frog.

Coping with trauma may be genetic

Robin Lally-Rutgers — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:00:25 +0000

RUTGERS (US) — Scientists have uncovered why some mice no longer in danger are still fearful, a finding that may help people suffering from PTSD.

Since humans and animals register fear in the brain similarly, the discovery reported in the journal PLoS ONE, is an important step to understanding how genes work in the brain to control learning and memory as well as reactions to fearful and traumatic experiences.

Next-gen electronics inspired by vacuum sealer

Carl Blesch-Rutgers — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:40:02 +0000

RUTGERS (US) — A familiar kitchen gadget has inspired an advance toward flexible screens for electronics.

One day in 2010, Rutgers physicist Vitaly Podzorov watched a store employee showcase a kitchen gadget that vacuum-seals food in plastic. The demo stuck with him.

Taxpayers save with paid family leave

Steve Manas-Rutgers — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:14:48 +0000

RUTGERS (US) — Offering paid family leave to workers leads to positive economic outcomes for working families, businesses, and the public, a new study concludes.

The research, conducted by researchers at Rutgers, finds women who use paid leave are far more likely to be working nine to twelve months after a child’s birth than those who do not take any leave. These women also report increases in wages from pre- to post-birth.