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. The year 2010 marked the deadline for the political targets to significantly reduce and halt biodiversity loss. The failure to achieve the 2010 goal stimulated the setting up of new targets for 2020. In addition, preventing the degradation of ecosystems and their services has been incorporated in several global and the EU agendas for 2020. To successful meet these challenging targets requires a critical review of the existing and emerging biodiversity policies to improve their design and implementation, say a team scientists in a paper published in the open access journal Nature Conservation. http://phys.org/news265536729.html Biology Thu, 30 Aug 2012 09:12:27 EST news265536729 Global warming also affects lakes. Based on the example of Lake Zurich, researchers from the University of Zurich demonstrate that there is insufficient water turnover in the lake during the winter and harmful Burgundy blood algae are increasingly thriving. The warmer temperatures are thus compromising the successful lake clean-ups of recent decades. http://phys.org/news261657325.html Space & Earth Mon, 16 Jul 2012 11:35:34 EST news261657325 Researchers are working to identify exactly how a changing climate will impact specific elements of weather, such as clouds, rainfall, and lightning. A Tel Aviv University researcher has predicted that for every one degree Celsius of warming, there will be approximately a 10 percent increase in lightning activity. http://phys.org/news261144120.html Space & Earth Tue, 10 Jul 2012 13:02:07 EST news261144120 (Phys.org) -- As researchers the world over continue to try to find a way to meet the energy needs of an over populated planet, negative consequences for choices already made continue to pile up. Global warming that appears likely caused by the burning of fossil fuels is one, dealing with radioactive waste from nuclear power plants (and the decommissioning of atomic weapons) is another, perhaps more solvable problem. Because of that, a team of scientists from the United States has published a commentary piece in the science journal Nature, declaring that the time has come for ceasing discussions about what to do with plutonium waste and to simply find suitable places for it and bury it. http://phys.org/news255868662.html Technology Thu, 10 May 2012 11:37:51 EST news255868662 How do you balance the need for biodiversity conservation and human health? For Christopher Golden, '05, a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Harvard University Center for the Environment, that question is at the core of a paper he authored which found that, in societies where people rely on "bushmeat" for important micro-nutrients, lost access to wildlife, arising either from strict conservation enforcement or unsustainable harvesting, could translate into negative impacts on the health of children. http://phys.org/news241097091.html Biology Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:00:17 EST news241097091 In a review study, researchers from Tufts University School of Medicine zero in on the controversial, non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in food animals and fish farming as a cause of antibiotic resistance. They report that the preponderance of evidence argues for stricter regulation of the practice. Stuart Levy, a world-renowned expert in antibiotic resistance, notes that a guiding tenet of public health, the precautionary principle, requires that steps be taken to avoid harm. http://phys.org/news240574807.html Space & Earth Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:20:15 EST news240574807 From the dotcom bust in the late nineties to the housing crash in the run-up to the 2008 crisis, financial bubbles have been a topic of major concern. Identifying bubbles is important in order to prevent collapses that can severely impact nations and economies. http://phys.org/news239295801.html Other Sciences Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:03:28 EST news239295801 What is more desirable: too little or too much spare time on your hands? To be happy, somewhere in the middle, according to Chris Manolis and James Roberts from Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH and Baylor University in Waco, TX. Their work shows that materialistic young people with compulsive buying issues need just the right amount of spare time to feel happier. The study is published online in Springer's journal Applied Research in Quality of Life. http://phys.org/news238242117.html Other Sciences Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:22:02 EST news238242117 Teenagers are under pressure to send nude photos of themselves and other sexual images from their mobile phones as "sexting" becomes more widespread, new Australian research shows. http://phys.org/news236574984.html Other Sciences Fri, 30 Sep 2011 04:16:35 EST news236574984 Hovering helicopter parents who restrict their kids' unstructured play may actually harm, rather than help, children according to the latest issue of the American Journal of Play, a scholarly journal which has gathered a distinguished group of experts to probe the near-extinction of free play and its effects on children and society. http://phys.org/news233574773.html Other Sciences Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:53:16 EST news233574773 A study by University at Buffalo sociologists has found that the portrayal of women in the popular media over the last several decades has become increasingly sexualized, even "pornified." The same is not true of the portrayal of men. http://phys.org/news232196103.html Other Sciences Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:30:01 EST news232196103 The growing numbers of new cases of substance abuse disorders are perplexing. After all, the course of drug addiction so often ends badly. The negative consequences of drug abuse appear regularly on TV, from stories of celebrities behaving in socially inappropriate and self-destructive ways while intoxicated to dramatization of the rigors of drug withdrawal on "Intervention" and other reality shows. http://phys.org/news215346265.html Medicine & Health Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:50:01 EST news215346265 The way people treat their possessions looks like love, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. http://phys.org/news212240244.html Other Sciences Wed, 22 Dec 2010 11:38:17 EST news212240244 The subject of individual free will -- whether our fates are beyond our control or whether we command our own destinies -- has been hotly argued for centuries. Now scientists have revealed a new wrinkle in the debate: generally, everyone seems to believe they have more free will than everyone else. http://phys.org/news211485696.html Medicine & Health Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:02:02 EST news211485696 Though designed to enhance customer experiences, post-service customer surveys might actually harm a business's relationships with consumers, according to new research by Rice University professors. The research team found that customers who participate in firm-sponsored surveys delay doing repeat business with that company. http://phys.org/news208013719.html Other Sciences Wed, 03 Nov 2010 14:35:40 EST news208013719 Children in households with bedtime rules and children who get adequate sleep score higher on a range of developmental assessments, according to a research abstract that will be presented Monday, June 7, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas, at SLEEP 2010, the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC. http://phys.org/news195105427.html Medicine & Health Mon, 07 Jun 2010 05:10:03 EST news195105427 After Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of the public school infrastructure in New Orleans, Louisiana embarked on a massive effort to rebuild the entire New Orleans public school system, launching the nation's most extensive charter school experiment. The goal was to provide a quality education to all New Orleans students, regardless of race, socioeconomic class, or where they live. http://phys.org/news193573571.html Other Sciences Thu, 20 May 2010 12:00:01 EST news193573571 (PhysOrg.com) -- Children with asthma are more likely to develop a range of health and social problems as they enter into adulthood, new research by the Yale School of Public Health has found. The study is published in this month's issue of the Journal of Health Economics. http://phys.org/news192386681.html Medicine & Health Thu, 06 May 2010 18:00:01 EST news192386681 For the first time scientists have put a figure on how much it would cost to learn about the conservation status of millions of species, some of which have yet to be identified. The price tag is US$60 million, according to a team of scientists, including those from IUCN and Conservation International, who presented their case in this week's Science magazine in an article called "The Barometer of Life." http://phys.org/news189953854.html Biology Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:00:09 EST news189953854 (PhysOrg.com) -- A team of Columbia University researchers has determined that mandatory outpatient treatment for people with severe mental illnesses has led to a drop in violent behavior. The study was published in February in the journal Psychiatric Services. http://phys.org/news187258404.html Medicine & Health Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:50:04 EST news187258404 (PhysOrg.com) -- Tidal stream farms, in which electricity is generated by turbines from regions of strong tidal flow, may influence the natural balance of marine sands, according to research at Bangor University. http://phys.org/news168016350.html Space & Earth Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:30:03 EST news168016350 Excess phosphorus and nitrogen produced by human activities on neighboring land is making its way into our coastal waters and degrading both water quality and aquatic life. Although historically the priority has been to control phosphorus, Professor Hans Paerl, from the University of North Carolina in the US, argues that nitrogen imbalance is equally damaging. He adds that a dual nutrient strategy - tackling both phosphorus and nitrogen surplus - is necessary to manage effectively this nutrient over-enrichment and resulting habitat degradation of coastal waters in the long-term. His perspective is published online in Springer's journal Estuaries and Coasts. http://phys.org/news161871031.html Space & Earth Mon, 18 May 2009 13:11:22 EST news161871031 Choosing among products can be more difficult if you tend to think more about the process of using an item rather than the outcome of the purchase, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. http://phys.org/news161357172.html Other Sciences Tue, 12 May 2009 14:26:35 EST news161357172 (PhysOrg.com) -- Workplace ostracism hurts employees' feelings, and the impact on job performance can hurt the company's bottom line, according to new research from Purdue University. http://phys.org/news158859025.html Other Sciences Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:31:31 EST news158859025 People entering treatment for alcohol or drug problems have different motivations for entering treatment and wanting to change their drinking habits. Those motivations have a significant effect on treatment attendance and drinking outcomes. New research has re-evaluated the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment Scale (URICA), finding that motivational readiness is much more self-reflective than merely trying to avoid the negative consequences of drinking. http://phys.org/news155930865.html Medicine & Health Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:08:51 EST news155930865