Futurity.org » New York University

Start ‘magnetic fire’ without a spark?

James Devitt-NYU — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:30:56 +0000

NYU (US) — Physicists have uncovered new clues to how energy is sustained and spreads in “magnetic fire.”

They say the process is similar to how forest fires spread, a finding that has the potential to deepen our understanding of self-sustained chemical reactions.

Is middle class wealth in meltdown?

James Devitt-NYU — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:54:50 +0000

NYU / BROWN (US) —The collapse of home prices and the stock market has taken an immense toll on the assets of the middle class, hitting minorities and young adults especially hard, a new study suggests.

“Most telling is that the wealth of the average person by 2010 was at its lowest level since 1969,” says Edward Wolff, professor of economics at New York University. “Inequality of net worth, after almost two decades of little change, rose sharply between 2007 and 2010. Inequalities rose by income class, by race and ethnicity, and across age groups.”

Brain scans reveal the ‘signature’ of pain

Diane Swanbrow-Michigan — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:12:57 +0000

U. MICHIGAN (US) — In the first objective measure of pain, scientists find that its brain “signature” is the same for everyone.

The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, may lead to the development of methods doctors can use to objectively quantify patients’ pain.

Ape-like human ancestor stirs debate

Karl Bates-Duke — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:42:05 +0000

BOSTON U. / DUKE (US) — New analysis of a pair of 1.98 million year old fossil proto-humans discovered in a South African cave in 2008 has yielded surprising insights into human evolution.

An international team of scientists has written seven papers appearing in Science. There were six earlier papers in September 2011 and two before that in 2010.

“Sustainable” fish may not deserve the label

James Devitt-NYU — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:27:31 +0000

NYU (US) — Certification of seafood as “sustainable” by the nonprofit Marine Stewardship Council is too lenient and misleading, report researchers.

“When consumers want sustainable fish there are two options to meet the demand: fisheries can become more sustainable or the definition of sustainable can be watered down to be practically meaningless—with MSC seafood, the definition has been repeatedly watered down,” says Jennifer Jacquet, a clinical assistant professor in New York University’s Environmental Studies Program and one of 11 authors of the study, which appears in the journal Biological Conservation.

Successful once, protesters may hesitate later

Michael Hotchkiss-Princeton — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:48:55 +0000

PRINCETON / NYU (US) — The Arab Spring protests that swept across the Middle East and North Africa could mark more of an isolated occurrence than a permanent rise of people power in the region, warn researchers.

In a paper published by the American Journal of Political Science, Princeton University politics professor Adam Meirowitz and New York University politics Professor Joshua Tucker lay out a theoretical model that helps answer a real-world question: Why do people who take on the considerable costs and risks of protesting to change the type of government in their country sometimes stay off the streets when the new government turns out to be just as bad—or worse?

To heal heart, treat depression, too

Wilson Valentin-Columbia — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:25:14 +0000

COLUMBIA U. (US) —Treating people for depression after a heart attack could reduce the risk of death or another attack, new research shows.

Researchers completed a randomized controlled trial with 150 patients with elevated depressive symptoms two to six months after hospitalization for heart disease.

College doesn’t raise risk of substance abuse

Sara LaJeunesse-Penn State — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 12:31:56 +0000

PENN STATE (US) — Despite the high level of binge drinking on college campuses, enrollment doesn’t lead to substance abuse later in adulthood—and in some cases, may actually prevent it.

“College is often perceived as a risky environment for problem drinking, but seldom have people looked at the long-term consequences of attending college on substance-use patterns,” says Stephanie Lanza, research associate professor of health and human development at Penn State.

Math fears make 1st graders anxious

Courtney Bowe-NYU — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:13:43 +0000

NYU (US) — As early as first grade, children can develop math anxiety and that fear can cause kids to have headaches, stomachaches, and faster heartbeats.

That fear also can affect academic performance down the road, a new study finds.

Lots of dairy could make acne worse

Courtney Bowe-NYU — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 18:00:23 +0000

NYU (US) — Researchers have found a link between acne and diet, particularly high glycemic load diets and dairy products.

They conducted a literature review to evaluate evidence for the diet-acne connection during three distinctive time periods: early history, the rise of the diet-acne myth, and recent research.