http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Ford researchers are harnessing the power of cloud computing, analytics and Google innovation to identify technologies that could make tomorrow’s vehicles smart enough to independently change how they perform to deliver optimal driveability and fuel efficiency. http://phys.org/news224326206.html Technology Wed, 11 May 2011 09:50:29 EST news224326206 Overweight children and adolescents, with the active involvement of their parents and families, can successfully lose weight by following the Seven Steps to Success described in the current issue of Obesity Management, a journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. http://phys.org/news155483104.html Medicine & Health Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:45:39 EST news155483104 (PhysOrg.com) -- The age-old question of whether pride is the seventh sin or an adaptive virtue has been answered by two Northeastern University scientists. Contrary to popular belief, the researchers found that pride not only leads individuals to take on leadership roles in teams, but also fosters admiration, as opposed to scorn, from teammates. http://phys.org/news155399212.html Medicine & Health Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:27:23 EST news155399212 The helpless behavior that is commonly linked to depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is preceded by stress-related losses of synapses—microscopic connections between brain cells—in the brain's hippocampal region, researchers at Yale School of Medicine report in the March 1 issue of Biological Psychiatry. http://phys.org/news155383870.html Medicine & Health Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:11:36 EST news155383870 Warm, cooperative co-parenting between mothers and fathers may help protect children who are at risk for some types of behavior problems, a new study suggests. http://phys.org/news155309167.html Medicine & Health Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:26:35 EST news155309167 Children's moral behavior and attitudes in the real world largely carry over to the virtual world of computers, the Internet, video games and cell phones. Interestingly, there are marked gender and race differences in the way children rate morally questionable virtual behaviors, according to Professor Linda Jackson and her team from Michigan State University in the US. Their research is the first systematic investigation of the effects of gender and race on children's beliefs about moral behavior, both in the virtual world and the real world, and the relationship between the two. The study was published online in Springer's journal, Sex Roles. http://phys.org/news155220473.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:48:24 EST news155220473 The socioeconomic characteristics of people who play state lotteries are similar to investors who pick stocks with a lottery quality--high risk with a small potential for high return, and just like the lottery, returns on average are lower for those who invest this way in the stock market, research from The University of Texas at Austin shows. http://phys.org/news154869402.html Other Sciences Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:17:20 EST news154869402 The rate of ad clicks from sponsored and non-sponsored links was reported in a recent study conducted by researchers from Penn State and the Queensland University of Technology. http://phys.org/news154786609.html Technology Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:17:23 EST news154786609 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new study finds that - despite being responsible enough to have a job at such a young age - fifth-graders who work are more likely to exhibit bad health behaviors than their unemployed 10-year-old peers. http://phys.org/news154713304.html Medicine & Health Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:55:52 EST news154713304 (PhysOrg.com) -- Armed with the findings of a new study, Taiwanese researchers suggest parents and educators pay more attention to children’s online habits because Internet-addicted teens seem more prone to aggression. However, Americans who study violence are not ready to make any conclusions about a possible link. http://phys.org/news154622240.html Medicine & Health Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:37:55 EST news154622240 (PhysOrg.com) -- Past behavior is generally considered to be a good predictor of future behavior, but new research indicates that may not be the case in the development of depression, particularly among adolescent girls. http://phys.org/news154113418.html Medicine & Health Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:21:40 EST news154113418 (PhysOrg.com) -- Raising a child with a disability can cause more daily stress and long-range health problems than parenting a child without disabilities, according to a new study that looked at a clinical measure of stress along with parents’ survey responses. http://phys.org/news154110425.html Medicine & Health Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:29:40 EST news154110425 (PhysOrg.com) -- In a new, year-long University of Pennsylvania survey of dog owners who use confrontational or aversive methods to train aggressive pets, veterinary researchers have found that most of these animals will continue to be aggressive unless training techniques are modified. http://phys.org/news154101338.html Biology Tue, 17 Feb 2009 13:58:03 EST news154101338 (PhysOrg.com) -- “What you see is what you get” often is the mantra in the highly competitive life of birds, as they use brilliant displays of color to woo females for mating. Now researchers are finding that carotenoids - the compounds responsible for amping up red, orange and yellow colors of birds - also may play a role in color perception and in a bird’s ability to reproduce, making it a cornerstone in birds’ vitality. http://phys.org/news153759202.html Biology Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:53:57 EST news153759202 Sky diving and base jumping are not for everyone. However, for certain people, the more risk and adrenaline involved in an activity, the better! What draws some people to daredevil behavior while others shy away from it? Psychologists Jane E. Joseph, Xun Liu, Yang Jiang and Thomas H. Kelly from the University of Kentucky, along with Donald Lyman of Purdue University were interested in testing how the brains of sensation-seekers differ from those of us who avoid risky behavior. http://phys.org/news153589088.html Medicine & Health Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:39:46 EST news153589088 Unraveling the genetics of social behavior and cognitive abilities, researchers at the University of Utah and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have traced the role of two genes,GTF2I and GTF2IRD, in a rare genetic disorder known as Williams Syndrome. http://phys.org/news153577714.html Medicine & Health Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:30:41 EST news153577714 (PhysOrg.com) -- What’s involved when a musician sits down at the piano and plays flurries of notes in a free fall, without a score, without knowing much about what will happen moment to moment? Is it possible to find the sources of a creative process? Is it possible to determine how improvisation occurs? http://phys.org/news153147695.html Medicine & Health Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:02:01 EST news153147695 Like Russell Crowe's character in A Beautiful Mind, life is often difficult for the 2.4 million Americans with schizophrenia. A late or incorrect diagnosis and the lack of effective treatment options can destroy a sufferer's quality of life. http://phys.org/news152975145.html Medicine & Health Wed, 04 Feb 2009 13:06:21 EST news152975145 People with mental illness alone are no more likely than anyone else to commit acts of violence, a new study by UNC researchers concludes. But mental illness combined with substance abuse or dependence elevates the risk for future violence. http://phys.org/news152819983.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:00:13 EST news152819983 With most mammals, the biggest and most aggressive male claims the alpha male role and gets his choice of food and females. But a new study from the University of Minnesota suggests that at least among chimpanzees, smaller, more mild-mannered males can also use political behavior to secure the top position. http://phys.org/news152803414.html Biology Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:24:02 EST news152803414 The declining mountain caribou populations of Canada's southern Rockies are a more distinct breed than scientists previously believed, according to a new study by University of Calgary researchers that is shedding light on the ancient ancestry of the mountain-dwelling herbivores. http://phys.org/news152374168.html Biology Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:10:13 EST news152374168 (PhysOrg.com) -- Teenagers in love may be less likely to get mixed up in crime and substance abuse, according to new UC Davis research. But while romantic love seems to help keep teens law-abiding, casual sex can mean trouble. http://phys.org/news151779501.html Other Sciences Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:58:47 EST news151779501 The main factors influencing the amount of physical exercise people carry out are their self-perceived ability and the extent of their desire to exercise. A study of 5167 Canadians, reported in the open access journal BMC Public Health, has shown that psychological concerns are the most important barriers to an active lifestyle. http://phys.org/news151318539.html Medicine & Health Fri, 16 Jan 2009 08:55:39 EST news151318539 New research reveals the brain activity that underlies our tendency to "follow the crowd." The study, published by Cell Press in the January 15th issue of the journal Neuron, provides intriguing insight into how human behavior can be guided by the perceived behavior of other individuals. http://phys.org/news151158794.html Medicine & Health Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:33:14 EST news151158794 For 30 years, scientists have been studying stone-handling behavior in several troops of Japanese macaques to catch a unique glimpse of primate culture. By watching these monkeys acquire and maintain behavioral traditions from generation to generation, the scientists have gained insight into the cultural evolution of humans. http://phys.org/news150992602.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:23:22 EST news150992602 For risk-takers and impulsive people, New Year's resolutions often include being more careful, spending more frugally and cutting back on dangerous behavior, such as drug use. But new research from Vanderbilt finds that these individuals--labeled as novelty seekers by psychologists--face an uphill battle in keeping their New Year's resolutions due to the way their brains process dopamine. The research reveals that novelty seekers have less of a particular type of dopamine receptor, which may lead them to seek out novel and exciting experiences--such as spending lavishly, taking risks and partying like there's no tomorrow. http://phys.org/news149838584.html Medicine & Health Tue, 30 Dec 2008 05:49:44 EST news149838584 In a study that challenges current ideas about the insect brain, researchers have found that honey bees on cocaine tend to exaggerate. http://phys.org/news149247995.html Biology Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:46:35 EST news149247995 Parkinson’s disease affects 6.3 million people worldwide. While the disease is recognized for its profound effects on movement, up to 40 percent of Parkinson’s disease patients also develop changes in thought, behavior and judgment. http://phys.org/news148315047.html Medicine & Health Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:37:27 EST news148315047 A new study found that adolescents were at the greatest risk of smoking when their parents began smoking at an early age and the parents' smoking quickly reached high levels and persisted over time. http://phys.org/news146723031.html Medicine & Health Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:23:51 EST news146723031 You are what you watch, when it comes to violence in the media and its influence on violent behavior in young people, and a new paper, lead-authored by Rutgers University, Newark, researcher Paul Boxer, provides new evidence that violent media does indeed impact adolescent behavior. http://phys.org/news146320368.html Medicine & Health Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:32:48 EST news146320368