Mother's level of education has impact on depression in her children

Mother's level of education has impact on depression in her children: Children of women who did not finish high school were twice as likely to experience a major episode of depression in early adulthood as children whose mothers obtained a high school diploma.

Magnetic monopoles erase data: Efficient and long-lived storage of information in magnetic vortices

Magnetic monopoles erase data: Efficient and long-lived storage of information in magnetic vortices: A physical particle postulated 80 years ago, could provide a decisive step toward the realization of novel, highly efficient data storage devices. Scientists have found that with magnetic monopoles in magnetic vortices, called skyrmions, information can be written and erased.

Artificial magnetic monopoles discovered

Artificial magnetic monopoles discovered: Scientists have managed to create artificial magnetic monopoles. To do this, they merged tiny magnetic whirls, so-called skyrmions. At the point of merging, the physicists were able to create a monopole, which has similar characteristics to a fundamental particle postulated by Paul Dirac in 1931. In addition to fundamental research, the monopoles may also have application potential.

With Sales Down, Whale Meat Flogged As Source of Strength

With Sales Down, Whale Meat Flogged As Source of Strength: beaverdownunder writes "From the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: 'Japan's peak whaling body has launched a new campaign to promote whale meat as a nutritious food that enhances physical strength and reduces fatigue. With about 5,000 tonnes of whale meat sitting unwanted in freezers around Japan, the country's Institute for Cetacean Research has decided to launch a new campaign to promote the by-product of its so-called scientific whaling program. Once popular in school lunches, younger generations of Japanese rarely, if ever, eat whale."

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Link between sodium, calcium and heartbeat illuminated

Link between sodium, calcium and heartbeat illuminated: Researchers have revealed, for the first time, one of the molecular mechanisms that regulates the beating of heart cells by controlling the movement of sodium in out of the cells -- and what calcium has to do with it.

How various engine parts work

David sent this neat page with a bunch of motion GIFs on it describing how an engine works.

http://jalopnik.com/ten-gifs-that-explain-how-a-car-works-495996770

Look! Something shiny! How some textbook visuals can hurt learning

Look! Something shiny! How some textbook visuals can hurt learning: Adding captivating visuals to a textbook lesson to attract children’s interest may sometimes make it harder for them to learn, a new study suggests.

Homesickness and adjustment in university students

Homesickness and adjustment in university students: Sure, many young adults are ecstatic at that first taste of freedom that comes with "going away to college." But for some, the intense transition can also trigger intense homesickness.

No regrets: Close that menu and enjoy your meal more

No regrets: Close that menu and enjoy your meal more: Certain physical acts of completion provide consumers with a sense of closure that makes them happier with their purchases, according to a new study.

Do you get what you pay for? It depends on your culture

Do you get what you pay for? It depends on your culture: Consumers from less individualistic cultures are more likely to judge the quality of a product by its price, according to a new study.

Bean leaves can trap bedbugs, researchers find

Bean leaves can trap bedbugs, researchers find: Inspired by a traditional Balkan bedbug remedy, researchers have documented how microscopic hairs on kidney bean leaves effectively stab and trap the biting insects. Scientists are now developing materials that mimic the geometry of the leaves.

Mathematicians Predict the Future With Data From the Past

Mathematicians Predict the Future With Data From the Past: In Issac Asimov's classic science fiction saga Foundation, mathematics professor Hari Seldon predicts the future using what he calls psychohistory. Drawing on mathematical models that describe what happened in the past, he anticipates what will happen next, including the fall of the Galactic Empire. That may seem like fanciful stuff. But Peter Turchin is a kind of real-life Hari Seldon -- and he's not alone.

Rosemary aroma may help you remember to do things

Rosemary aroma may help you remember to do things: The aroma of rosemary essential oil may improve prospective memory in healthy adults. The findings suggest that this essential oil may enhance the ability to remember events and to remember to complete tasks at particular times in the future.

Don't call it vaporware: Scientists use cloud of atoms as optical memory device

Don't call it vaporware: Scientists use cloud of atoms as optical memory device: Scientists have taken this to a whole new level by demonstrating that they can store visual images within quite an ethereal memory device -- a thin vapor of rubidium atoms. The effort may prove helpful in creating memory for quantum computers.

Ancient pool of warm water questions current climate models

Ancient pool of warm water questions current climate models: A huge pool of warm water that stretched out from Indonesia over to Africa and South America four million years ago suggests climate models might be too conservative in forecasting tropical changes. Present in the Pliocene era, this giant mass of water would have dramatically altered rainfall in the tropics, possibly even removing the monsoon. Its decay and the consequential drying of East Africa may have been a factor in Hominid evolution. The missing data for this phenomenon could have significant implications when predicting the future climate.

Laser light zaps away cocaine addiction

Laser light zaps away cocaine addiction: By stimulating one part of the brain with laser light, researchers have shown that they can wipe away addictive behavior in rats -- or conversely turn non-addicted rats into compulsive cocaine seekers.

Disney Kills Star Wars 1313, Lays Off LucasArts Staff

Disney Kills Star Wars 1313, Lays Off LucasArts Staff: Lucasfilm said today that it will cease internal game development at LucasArts, following the company's acquisition by Disney in November.

Dementia costs top those for heart disease or cancer, study finds

Dementia costs top those for heart disease or cancer, study finds: The most-detailed examination of the costs of dementia in the United States finds the disease is more costly to the nation than either heart disease or cancer. The analysis suggests that the costs of dementia could more than double by 2040 if the rate of the disease remains constant as the nation's population continues to grow older.

Why Aren't Android Users Actually Using Their Handsets?

Why Aren't Android Users Actually Using Their Handsets?: Marketshare-wise, Android is crushing iOS. But if you look at actual usage stats, that relationship is completely flip-flopped. And that?s weird.

Damaging effects of unemployment and unexpected wealth losses on mobility and economic security

Damaging effects of unemployment and unexpected wealth losses on mobility and economic security: A new study examines how American families cope with unexpected financial setbacks and how those periods of economic uncertainty draw down financial resources. The report studies families across race and income levels, revealing different experiences resulting from unemployment and the difficult choices many of them face.

Could playing 'boys' games help girls in science and math?

Could playing 'boys' games help girls in science and math?: A new review finds that men still have better spatial ability than women and  this may be explained by gender-role identification.

A model predicts that the world's populations will stop growing in 2050

A model predicts that the world's populations will stop growing in 2050: Global population data spanning the years from 1900 to 2010 have enabled a research team to predict that the number of people on Earth will stabilize around the middle of the century.

Highest efficiency in black solar cells ever: 18.7%

Highest efficiency in black solar cells ever: 18.7%: Scientists report an efficiency of 18.7% for black silicon solar cells, the highest efficiency reported so far for a black silicon solar cell.

Hubble breaks record in search for farthest supernova

Hubble breaks record in search for farthest supernova: NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has found the farthest supernova so far of the type used to measure cosmic distances. Supernova UDS10Wil, nicknamed SN Wilson after American President Woodrow Wilson, exploded more than 10 billion years ago.

Used parachute on Mars flaps in the wind

Used parachute on Mars flaps in the wind: Photos from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show how the parachute that helped NASA's Curiosity rover land on Mars last summer has subsequently changed its shape on the ground.

Ancient gold ring which may have inspired Tolkien

Ancient gold ring which may have inspired Tolkien:
There is a buzz in Tolkiendom right now about a gold ring dating from Roman times, which may have given Tolkien a seed of an idea for his own ’One Ring’.  The ancient ring, found in 1785 in a field which was a Roman archaeological site in Silchester, Hampshire, UK, was associated with a ‘curse tablet’, cursing the man whom the original owner accused of stealing the gold trinket.   Archeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler, investigating the wording of the curse, consulted with Tolkien about the ring in 1929; and that conversation may have been part of Tolkien’s inspiration to create his own magic ring.
The Roman artifact is now being shown in a new display at National Trust property The Vyne, also in Hampshire.  The display includes a first edition of The Hobbit, and was arranged with the help of the Tolkien Trust.  You can read more about this fascinating item, including an excellent explanation of the associated curse,  in this article from the Guardian newspaper, here.  Further articles can be found here and here.
Thanks to all who wrote in to tell us about this one ring!

Search for dark matter: Experiment measures antimatter excess in cosmic ray flux

Search for dark matter: Experiment measures antimatter excess in cosmic ray flux: The international team running the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) today announced the first results in its search for dark matter. They report the observation of an excess of positrons in the cosmic ray flux. The results are consistent with the positrons originating from the annihilation of dark matter particles in space, but not yet sufficiently conclusive to rule out other explanations.

Ionic thrusters generate efficient propulsion in air

Ionic thrusters generate efficient propulsion in air: Thrusters powered by ionic wind may be an efficient alternative to conventional atmospheric propulsion technologies. When a current passes between two electrodes -- one thinner than the other -- it creates a wind in the air between. If enough voltage is applied, the resulting wind can produce a thrust without the help of motors or fuel. Researchers have now found that ionic thrusters may be a far more efficient source of propulsion than conventional jet engines.

Stop 'bad guys with guns' by implementing good policies

Stop 'bad guys with guns' by implementing good policies: The National Rifle Association has put forward a National Shield School Proposal which supports the placement of armed security in all schools. A new review attempts to find a balanced and unbiased view of the facts within this heated and emotional debate.

Rising temperature difference between hemispheres could dramatically shift rainfall patterns in tropics

Rising temperature difference between hemispheres could dramatically shift rainfall patterns in tropics: One often ignored consequence of global climate change is that the Northern Hemisphere is becoming warmer than the Southern Hemisphere, which could significantly alter tropical precipitation patterns, according to a new study by climatologists.

Feeling hungry may protect the brain against Alzheimer's disease

Feeling hungry may protect the brain against Alzheimer's disease: A study in mice with genetic mutations seen in human Alzheimer's disease found that the feeling of hunger itself may protect against the disease.

Cyber Criminals Tying Up Emergency Phone Lines Through TDoS Attacks, DHS Warns

Cyber Criminals Tying Up Emergency Phone Lines Through TDoS Attacks, DHS Warns: tsamsoniw writes "Emergency-service providers and other organizations are being targeted with TDoS (telephony denial of service) attacks, according to a security alert (PDF) from the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, obtained by security expert Brian Krebs. TDoS attacks use high volumes of automated calls to tie up target phone systems, halting incoming and outgoing calls. Perpetrators are using the attacks to extort cash from target organizations, who receive a call from a representative from a purported payday loan company, who demands payment of $5,000 for an outstanding debt — usually speaking in an unspecified 'strong accent.'"

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Judge Rules That Resale of MP3s Violates Copyright Law

Judge Rules That Resale of MP3s Violates Copyright Law: Redigi runs a service that lets you resell your digitally purchased music. Naturally, they were sued by major labels soon after going live, with heavyweights like Google weighing in with support and an initial victory against pre-trial injunctions. But the first actual court ruling is against them. Pikoro writes "A judge has sided with Capitol Records in the lawsuit between the record company and ReDigi — ruling that MP3s can only be resold if granted permission by copyright owners. From the article: 'The Order is surprising in light of last month's United States Supreme Court decision in Kirtsaeng v. Wiley & Sons, which reaffirmed the importance and applicability of the First Sale Doctrine in the United States of America.'" Redigi vows to appeal, and claims that the current version of their service is not affected by the lawsuit.

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