Futurity.org » University of Oregon

Can water change the way we eat?

Jim Barlow-Oregon — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:08:37 +0000

U. OREGON (US) — Serving water with meals could be a simple but effective way to fight the nation’s growing obesity problem, particularly with kids, say researchers.

For a new paper published in the journal Appetite researchers surveyed 60 young U.S. adults (ages 19-23) about the role of food-and-drink pairings.

New ads may benefit past sponsors

Tom Oswald-Michigan State — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:51:21 +0000

MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Companies should spend money on sponsorships cautiously, as their return on investment is often difficult to measure and could even benefit the competition.

In a paper recently published in the Journal of Advertising, researchers found that the average consumer may not have a clear memory for the current sponsor of an event, especially if this sponsor is taking over from another.

Anna McAlister, an assistant professor of advertising, public relations, and retailing at Michigan State University, says her team of researchers found that in more cases than not a consumer will tend to connect the “old” sponsor with an event instead of the new one.

When new parents bicker, kids suffer later

Jim Barlow-Oregon — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:55:09 +0000

U. OREGON (US) — The level of aggression between partners around the time a baby is born affects how the mother will parent three years later, research shows.

The study is part of a longitudinal study involving more than 400 mothers in high-risk family environments, based mostly on risk for child-welfare involvement and socioeconomic status. The mothers were initially recruited at a San Diego, Calif., hospital when their children were born in 1996-97.

Don’t ignore behavior in climate debate

Jim Barlow-Oregon — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:40:52 +0000

U. OREGON (US) — Focusing on technology alone won’t help the world move away from fossil fuel-based energy sources, according to a new study.

The paper, published in Nature Climate Change, argues for a global shift in political and economic policies to embrace the idea that continued growth in energy consumption is not sustainable.

Solar power from silver ‘fractal trees’

Andy Fell-UC Davis — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:54:47 +0000

UC DAVIS (US) — Microscopic “fractal trees” grown from silver could be the basis of a new type of solar cell, chemists say.

Fractals are patterns that repeat over multiple length scales. In this case, branches of silver 1-50th the width of a human hair are themselves branched, and smaller branches grow on those branches, forming a treelike pattern.

Rare and hunted, drill monkeys face new threat

Jim Barlow-Oregon — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:51:34 +0000

U. OREGON (US) — Mitochondrial DNA offers a glimpse into how climate warming may again threaten populations of endangered wild drills.

New research shows that wild drills (Mandrillus leucophaeus) may see a dramatic population decline if the forest dries out and vegetation becomes sparser amid warming temperatures.

Despite birth and death, flocks keep going

Jim Barlow-Oregon — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:44:24 +0000

U. OREGON (US) — A new equation explains how flocks—from large animals to molecules—keep going despite individual births and deaths.

Neither births nor deaths stop the flocking of organisms. They just keep moving, says theoretical physicist John J. Toner of the University of Oregon. The notion, he says, has implications in biology and eventually could point to new cancer therapies.

Western US is ripe for big fires, study warns

Jim Barlow-Oregon — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:57:53 +0000

U. OREGON (US) — Wildfire rates are rising, and researchers say conditions in the American West suggest a “perfect storm” for more.

The American West has seen an increase in large wildfires due to droughts, the build-up of combustible fuel, or biomass, in forests, a spread of fire-prone species and increased tree mortality from insects and heat.

How ‘molecular machines’ evolved

John Easton-Chicago — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:39:46 +0000

U. CHICAGO / U. OREGON (US) — New research explains how a few genetic mutations may account for the evolution of complex “molecular machines.”

Much of what living cells do is carried out by “molecular machines”—physical complexes of specialized proteins working together to carry out some biological function. How the minute steps of evolution produced these constructions has long puzzled scientists, and provided a favorite target for creationists.

‘Speedy’ adaptation genes may save fish

Jim Barlow-Oregon — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:39:46 +0000

U. OREGON (US) — Two distinct populations of rainbow trout—one in Alaska, the other in Idaho—share a genetic trait that could have huge implications for fisheries, conservation, and management, according to new research.

The common trait is a similar rapid rate of development that has allowed these different salmomid subspecies to adapt to their native rivers in Alaska and Idaho.