http://phys.org/science-news/ en-us Phys.Org provides the latest news on science, fossils, archaeology, chemistry, mathematics, biology and science technology. Colleagues of a US scientist found hanged in Singapore last year told a coroner's inquiry Friday he was not involved in projects with military applications and was never asked to compromise any country's national security. http://phys.org/news288008856.html Other Sciences Fri, 17 May 2013 11:27:54 EST news288008856 Countries that have higher levels of corruption struggle to attract and retain skilled workers report the authors of a new study published in EMBO reports. http://phys.org/news288005756.html Other Sciences Fri, 17 May 2013 10:36:15 EST news288005756 (Phys.org) —In a new study, a European research team suggests that the average intelligence level of Victorian-era people was higher than that of modern-day people. They base their controversial assertion on reaction times (RT) to visual stimuli given as tests to people from the late 1800s to modern times—the faster the reaction time, they say, the smarter the person. http://phys.org/news287999014.html Other Sciences Fri, 17 May 2013 08:44:03 EST news287999014 Differences divide us. Human society fractures along lines defined by politics, religion, ethnicity, and perhaps most fundamentally, language. Although these differences contribute to the great variety of human lives, the partitions they create can lead to conflict and strife, impeding efforts toward social justice and economic development. http://phys.org/news287998344.html Other Sciences Fri, 17 May 2013 08:32:49 EST news287998344 The Princeton University Art of Science 2013 exhibit can now be viewed in a new online gallery. The exhibit consists of 43 images of artistic merit created during the course of scientific research: http://www.princeton.edu/artofscience/gallery2013/. The gallery features the top three awards in a juried competition as well as the top three "People's Choice" images. http://phys.org/news287940284.html Other Sciences Thu, 16 May 2013 16:24:54 EST news287940284 In today's virtual world, it's easy to downplay the significance of place. Yet when it comes to regional prosperity, geography matters. Income and job growth is not random but rather spill over from one region to another, meaning that merely being next to a prosperous region will make your own economy more vibrant. http://phys.org/news287938040.html Other Sciences Thu, 16 May 2013 15:47:34 EST news287938040 The answer is yes, according to a paper in the SIAM Journal on Discrete Mathematics. In a paper published in the journal last month, authors Anthony Bonato, Dieter Mitsche, and Pawel Pralat describe a mathematical model to disrupt flow of information in a complex real-world network, such as a terrorist organization, using minimal resources. http://phys.org/news287931705.html Other Sciences Thu, 16 May 2013 14:02:41 EST news287931705 An ad hoc coalition of unlikely insurgents—scientists, journal editors and publishers, scholarly societies, and research funders across many scientific disciplines—today posted an international declaration calling on the world scientific community to eliminate the role of the journal impact factor (JIF) in evaluating research for funding, hiring, promotion, or institutional effectiveness. http://phys.org/news287931497.html Other Sciences Thu, 16 May 2013 14:00:21 EST news287931497 A scientist has discovered an ancient extinct creature with 'scissor hand-like' claws in fossil records and has named it in honour of his favourite movie star. http://phys.org/news287920271.html Other Sciences Thu, 16 May 2013 10:51:27 EST news287920271 Fish fossils that are about 23 million years old give unprecedented insight into the evolutionary history of the gobioid order, one of the most species-rich groups among the modern bony fishes. http://phys.org/news287919717.html Other Sciences Thu, 16 May 2013 10:42:04 EST news287919717 (Phys.org) —A handwritten letter dated April 27, 1792, signed by Joseph Bonaparte and referring to a skirmish in Corsica involving Napoleon, the writer's then 22-year-old brother, will be returned to its rightful owner, the Republic of France, on Thursday, May 16, at a repatriation ceremony at Northwestern University. http://phys.org/news287911890.html Other Sciences Thu, 16 May 2013 09:00:02 EST news287911890 (Phys.org) —Ultimately, our ability to convincingly lie to each other may have evolved as a direct result of our cooperative nature. http://phys.org/news287910486.html Other Sciences Thu, 16 May 2013 08:08:26 EST news287910486 (Phys.org) —A University of Otago-led multidisciplinary team of scientists have shed new light on the diet, lifestyles and movements of the first New Zealanders by analysing isotopes from their bones and teeth. http://phys.org/news287907670.html Other Sciences Thu, 16 May 2013 07:21:26 EST news287907670 University of Illinois English professor Ted Underwood recently wrapped up a research project involving more than 4,200 books. Since that work revealed dramatic shifts in the English language between the 18th and 19th centuries, he's now expanding his research to include more than 470,000 books – almost every English language book written during that era and preserved in a university library. http://phys.org/news287906031.html Other Sciences Thu, 16 May 2013 06:54:07 EST news287906031 Scientists at Keele University have found a solution to one of life's great mysteries: Why people often fail to see the answer to a problem when the solution is right in front of them. The researchers have created a new method, called the Verifier approach, which promises to help scientists unlock answers to some of the most complex problems in science. http://phys.org/news287904249.html Other Sciences Thu, 16 May 2013 06:24:19 EST news287904249 Whites would lose their majority in the U.S. three years later than expected if immigration growth slows, according to census estimates released Wednesday. http://phys.org/news287854368.html Other Sciences Wed, 15 May 2013 16:33:01 EST news287854368 Sixty-two percent of Americans now say they believe that global warming is happening, but 46 percent say they are "very sure" or "extremely sure" that it is not. Only 49 percent know why it is occurring, and about as many say they're not worried about it, according to the April report of the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication. http://phys.org/news287849224.html Other Sciences Wed, 15 May 2013 15:07:27 EST news287849224 Two fossil discoveries from the East African Rift reveal new information about the evolution of primates, according to a study published online in Nature this week led by Ohio University scientists. http://phys.org/news287824531.html Other Sciences Wed, 15 May 2013 13:00:01 EST news287824531 Although the value of our property might rise, we do not on that account increase our consumption. This is the conclusion by economists from University of Copenhagen and University of Oxford in new research which is contrary to the widely believed assumption amongst economists that if there occurs a rise in house prices then a natural rise in consumption will follow. The results of the study is published in the scientific journal The Economic Journal. http://phys.org/news287835200.html Other Sciences Wed, 15 May 2013 11:13:29 EST news287835200 With concerns often expressed about youth crime and violence in the UK, researchers have been investigating what young people really think about living in an inner-city neighbourhood that has high levels of deprivation, crime and gang activity. http://phys.org/news287835134.html Other Sciences Wed, 15 May 2013 11:12:39 EST news287835134 (Phys.org) —Saving is a critical first step on the path to financial security. But many low-income families find it challenging to choose saving for the future over meeting pressing spending needs today. http://phys.org/news287827295.html Other Sciences Wed, 15 May 2013 10:20:02 EST news287827295 (Phys.org) —Mathematician Yitang Zhang of the University of New Hampshire, appears to have taken a major step in solving the twin prime conjecture. He's come up with a mathematical proof that shows that the number of pairs of prime numbers that exist that are less than 70 million units apart is infinite. His proof is currently under review for publication in the journal Annals of Mathematics. http://phys.org/news287828042.html Other Sciences Wed, 15 May 2013 09:14:19 EST news287828042 Four years ago this spring, Birtukan Midekssa was in solitary confinement in an Ethiopian prison. Her cell was 13 feet wide and 20 feet long and had no window. She was allowed only two visitors: her elderly mother and her 3-year-old daughter. http://phys.org/news287827248.html Other Sciences Wed, 15 May 2013 09:01:05 EST news287827248 (Phys.org) —A new study conducted by a team of American and Greek researchers has found that the people of the ancient Minoan civilization living on the island of Crete most likely came from Europe. In their paper published in the journal Nature Communications, the team says mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) evidence contradicts the long held notion that the people of the long lost civilization came from Africa. http://phys.org/news287826649.html Other Sciences Wed, 15 May 2013 08:50:59 EST news287826649 In a digital world, literature, art and music are often the result of collaborative efforts. But who owns what, and can copyright law cope? New research aims to find out. http://phys.org/news287822847.html Other Sciences Wed, 15 May 2013 08:00:01 EST news287822847 (Phys.org) —Research into the incubation behaviour of birds suggests the type of parental care carried out by their long extinct ancestors. http://phys.org/news287810917.html Other Sciences Wed, 15 May 2013 04:29:08 EST news287810917 The government said Tuesday it is pursuing a "vigorous" investigation into a road-building company's near destruction of one of the largest Mayan pyramids in Belize. http://phys.org/news287806181.html Other Sciences Wed, 15 May 2013 03:10:14 EST news287806181 An international team of scientists have revealed a new species of ichthyosaur (a dolphin-like marine reptile from the age of dinosaurs) from Iraq, which revolutionises our understanding of the evolution and extinction of these ancient marine reptiles. http://phys.org/news287773718.html Other Sciences Tue, 14 May 2013 19:00:02 EST news287773718 Consumers believe a product is more effective when images of the product and its desired outcome are placed closer together in advertisements, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. http://phys.org/news287754668.html Other Sciences Tue, 14 May 2013 13:20:01 EST news287754668 Survey results may be biased in multilingual research if consumers are unfamiliar with translated terms, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. http://phys.org/news287754356.html Other Sciences Tue, 14 May 2013 13:00:01 EST news287754356