The Lumpen Proletarian

Experiment demonstrates 110 years of sustainable agriculture

PhysOrg.com: A plot of land on the campus of Auburn University shows that 110 years of sustainable farming practices can produce similar cotton crops to those using other methods.

New formula predicts how people will migrate in coming decades

PhysOrg.com: Nearly 200 million people now live outside their country of birth. But the patterns of migration that got them there have proven difficult to project. Now scientists at Rockefeller University, with assistance from the United Nations, have developed a predictive model of worldwide population shifts that they say will provide better estimates of migration across international boundaries. Because countries use population projections to estimate local needs for jobs, schools, housing and health care, a more precise formula to describe how people move could lead to better use of resources and improved economic conditions.

Medical Studies Vary in Validity of Findings - NYTimes.com

There are three basic principles that underlie the search for medical truth and the use of clinical trials to obtain it.

Nissan uses bumblebee power in new car technology

PhysOrg.com: Japan's Nissan Motor Co. has tapped into an unlikely source of inspiration for technology to prevent car crashes -- bumblebees.

Immigrant children from poor countries academically outperform those from developed countries

PhysOrg.com: Immigrants who seek a better life in Western countries may not be able to escape the influence of their home country when it comes to their children's academic performance, according to findings from the October issue of the American Sociological Review.

When particles are so small that they seep right through skin
PhysOrg.com: Scientists are finding that particles that are barely there – tiny objects known as nanoparticles that have found a home in electronics, food containers, sunscreens, and a variety of applications – can breech our most personal protective barrier: The skin.

During exercise, the human brain shifts into high gear on 'alternative energy'

PhysOrg.com: Alternative energy is all the rage in major media headlines, but for the human brain, this is old news. According to a study by researchers from Denmark and The Netherlands published in the October 2008 print issue of The FASEB Journal, the brain, just like muscles, works harder during strenuous exercise and is fueled by lactate, rather than glucose.

An Urban Farmer Is Rewarded for His Dream - NYTimes.com

With a $500,000 “genius grant” awarded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Will Allen of Growing Power, in Milwaukee, hopes to take his farm off the grid.

Ocean Dead Zones May Be Worse Than Thought | Wired Science from Wired.com

Oxygen-starved ocean dead zones may be more widespread than thought. Spanish researchers found that many species die off at oxygen levels well above what is now considered uninhabitable. The new

Mad Science: Nine of the oddest experiments ever - opinion - 24 September 2008 - New Scientist

Reto Schneider has collected some of the most bizarre experiments conducted in the name of science – here he selects nine of his favourites

Life in Zimbabwe - Wait for Useless Money - NYTimes.com

Zimbabwe is in the grip of one of the great hyperinflations in history, and its people have been plunged into a Darwinian struggle to get by.

In a Michigan town, Small Companies Unite to Foster Employees’ Health - NYTimes.com
Can’t afford sick workers? In one Michigan town, small companies are paying more to keep them well.

Raffles - Real Estate’s Latest Game of Chance - NYTimes.com

A number of homeowners have been using raffles and competitions in a last-ditch effort to raise money and unload a house.

Taking a Norse to water: New clues to Viking voyages

PhysOrg.com: The mouse could help lift the veil on how the Norwegian Vikings established a seafaring kingdom that ranged from the tip of Scotland and Iceland to Greenland and Newfoundland, scientists said on Tuesday.

Study reveals specific gene in adolescent men with delinquent peers

PhysOrg.com: Birds of a feather flock together, according to the old adage, and adolescent males who possess a certain type of variation in a specific gene are more likely to flock to delinquent peers, according to a landmark study led by Florida State University criminologist Kevin M. Beaver.

Groundbreaking discovery may lead to stronger antibiotics

PhysOrg.com: The last decade has seen a dramatic decline in the effectiveness of antibiotics, resulting in a mounting public health crisis across the world. A new breakthrough by University of Virginia researchers provides physicians and patients a potential new approach toward the creation of less resistant and more effective antibiotics.

The search for 'green' gold in the Amazon rain forest

PhysOrg.com: (PhysOrg.com) -- In a hunt for plants in the Amazon rain forest that have potential to be used for sustainable light-weight construction beams, electronic cases or other high-performance materials, Cornell fiber science professors Anil Netravali and Juan Hinestroza are forging new collaborations with researchers in Brazil.

Water table depth tied to droughts in Great Plains
PhysOrg.com: (PhysOrg.com) -- Will there be another “dust bowl” in the Great Plains similar to the one that swept the region in the 1930s? It depends on water storage underground. Groundwater depth has a significant effect on whether the Great Plains will have a drought or bountiful year.

MIT scientists move closer to 'artificial noses'

Toshiba unveils new battery prototype > News > PC Authority

Toshiba has unveiled a battery prototype that offers a 90 percent charge capacity in just 10 minutes.

How Randomness Rules Our World and Why We Cannot See It: Scientific American

Part two of a series of articles on the neuroscience of chance