The Lumpen Proletarian

advertising - Europe Takes Aim at Sexual Stereotypes in Ads - NYTimes.com

Putting men in gray business suits and women in aprons sends a demeaning message, a European Parliament report says.

Thrift Shops Thriving, but Running Low on Stock - NYTimes.com

The same economic woes that are sending buyers to thrift stores way are causing donors to hand over fewer items, so that many stores are running low on inventory.

Stem Cells Might Lead to Red Blood Cells for Transfusions - NYTimes.com

Besides curing illness and disease, embryonic stem cells may serve to make red blood cells for transfusions.

Study Links Age of Fathers and Bipolar Disease in Offspring - NYTimes.com

Paternal age seems to be tied to the likelihood of having children who develop bipolar disorder as adults, a large study reports.

Down Canyons and Up Cliffs, a Study of Rock Art in the Southwest - NYTimes.com

Ekkehart Malotki, a retired linguistics professor, prefers outdoor adventures discovering rock art to books.

Oil-eating microbes give clue to ancient energy source
PhysOrg.com: Microbes that break down oil and petroleum are more diverse than we thought, suggesting hydrocarbons were used as an energy source early in Earth's history, scientists heard today at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin. These microbes can change the composition of oil and natural gas and can even control the release of some greenhouse gases. Understanding the role of microbes in consuming hydrocarbons may therefore help us access their role in the natural control of climate change.

Silent streams? Escalating endangerment for North American freshwater fish

PhysOrg.com: Nearly 40 percent of fish species in North American streams, rivers and lakes are now in jeopardy, according to the most detailed evaluation of the conservation status of freshwater fishes in the last 20 years.

Tribal war drove human evolution of aggression

PhysOrg.com: Wars are costly in terms of lives and resources – so why have we fought them throughout human history? In modern times, states may fight wars for a number of complex reasons. But in the past, most tribal wars were fought for the most basic resources: goods, territory, and women.

Findings - As External Barriers Disappear, Internal Gender Gaps Widen - NYTimes.com

The personality gap among the genders seems to be widening in modern society.

Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys Tries Out the Challenging Business of Independent Films - NYTimes.com

Adam Yauch, the Beastie Boy known as MCA, is pursuing his cinematic interests with a new division of his company, Oscilloscope.

Friendly Invaders - NYTimes.com

New research suggests that exotic species, instead of causing extinctions, may actually aid diversity.

Gandhi Pills? Psychiatrist Argues for Moral Performance Enhancers | Wired Science from Wired.com
Could the right drug make you a better person? A British psychiatrist raises and argues for that possibility in a new paper in a prominent psychiatry journal. In fact, he

The 65 mpg Ford the U.S. Can't Have

Ford's Fiesta ECOnetic gets an astonishing 65 mpg, but the carmaker can't afford to sell it in the U.S.

Looking for Love In All the Right Alleles | Wired Science from Wired.com

Salsa dancing, moonlit walks, fireside chats and human leukocyte antigen: Welcome to the genetically romantic age. Swiss startup company GenePartner is offering to evaluate singles and couples according to the

Invertebrate Astronauts Make Space History | Wired Science from Wired.com

It's one small step for Tardigrada, and one giant leap for the animal kingdom: The toughest creature on Earth has survived a trip into space. Except for a few hardy

Ten things you don’t know about the Earth | Bad Astronomy | Discover Magazine

Astronomy | Look up, look down, look out, look around.--- Yes, "It Can Happen"Good advice from the 70s progressive band. Look around you. Unless you're one of the

Wide-Ranging Ethics Scandal Emerges at Interior Dept. - NYTimes.com

The department’s inspector general found wrongdoing including allegations of financial self-dealing, cocaine use and sexual misconduct.

Moscow Journal - Wary of Protests, Russia Puts Few Limits on Smoking - NYTimes.com
Even as it tries to forestall a sharp drop in the population with campaigns that promote family life and a higher birthrate, Russia has barely invested in anti-tobacco ads and education.

Switched-on new nanotechnology paints for hospitals could kill superbugs

PhysOrg.com: New nanotechnology paints for walls, ceilings, and surfaces could be used to kill hospital superbugs when fluorescent lights are switched on, scientists heard today at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin.

Giant honeybees use Mexican waves to repel predatory wasps

PhysOrg.com: The phenomenon of 'shimmering' in giant honeybees, in which hundreds—or even thousands—of individual honeybees flip their abdomens upwards within a split-second to produce a Mexican Wave-like pattern across the bee nest, has received much interest but both its precise mode of action and its purpose have long remained a mystery.

Diesel Volvo DRIVe Gets 53 MPG, and We Can't Have One | Autopia from Wired.com

Pity the owners of vintage Volvos. Though their trusty 1983 240 DLs have outlasted every car in the faculty parking lot, miles per gallon has replaced the sixth digit of

YouTube - Matt Damon Rips Sarah Palin

"CBS News RAW": Actor Matt Damon criticizes Alaska governor Sarah Palin, citing her inexperience in national politics and comparing her candidacy t...

Internet specialists see 'clouds' gathering

PhysOrg.com: Making use of all the knowledge online is a huge challenge that may be solved by cloud computing, which researchers say is the next logical step for the Internet.