Archive for December 14th, 2009

Tropical Cyclone Mick forms quickly, hits Fiji in the southwestern Pacific

Tropical Cyclone Mick formed over the weekend in the southwestern Pacific Ocean and made a quick landfall over Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu earlier today, Dec. 14. Mick made landfall as a Category 2 Cyclone and brought heavy rains and gusty winds to the island.

More: continued here

Monday, December 14th, 2009

Black carbon deposits on Himalayan ice threaten Earth’s ‘Third Pole’

Black soot deposited on Tibetan glaciers has contributed significantly to the retreat of the world’s largest non-polar ice masses, according to new research by scientists from NASA and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Soot absorbs incoming solar radiation and can speed glacial melting when deposited on snow in sufficient quantities.

More: continued here

Monday, December 14th, 2009

Veiling in style: How does a stigmatized practice become fashionable?

Why are an increasing number of Turkish women wearing veils in a secular country where the practice is banned in public buildings? A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research says one factor is fashion.

More: continued here

Monday, December 14th, 2009

How categories and environment create satisfied and well-informed consumers

Expert consumers like to be surprised by unusual product formats, while novices crave familiarity, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

More: continued here

Monday, December 14th, 2009

Are most consumers planners when it comes to time and money? New study shows …

Planning — regarding money or time — can bring tangible benefits to consumers. A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research discovered what makes planners tick.

More: continued here

Monday, December 14th, 2009

DNA needs a good editor

Groundbreaking findings from Tel Aviv University’s Professor Gil Ast and his team reveal a new mechanism to explain how splicing works. They’ve discovered that the structure of DNA itself affects the ways RNA is spliced. “These findings,” says Professor Ast, “will bring us closer to understanding diseases like cystic fibrosis and certain forms of cancer that result from our cells’ failure to edit sequences properly.”

More: continued here

Monday, December 14th, 2009

Do consumers always approach pleasure and avoid pain? New study suggests an a…

Whether it’s doing sit-ups or eating steamed veggies instead of fries, it’s often difficult to get ourselves to do something we know is beneficial. A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research says we can trick ourselves into more favorable evaluations of certain products and behaviors.

More: continued here

Monday, December 14th, 2009

Does scent enhance consumer product memories?

It may seem odd to add scent to products like sewing thread, automobile tires, and tennis balls, as some companies have done. But a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research says scent helps consumers remember product information.

More: continued here

Monday, December 14th, 2009

Global warming could significantly impact US wine and corn production, Stanfo…

Stanford scientist Noah Diffenbaugh uses a very high-resolution computer model to forecast the impact of climate change on US wine and corn production.

More: continued here

Monday, December 14th, 2009

First super-Earths discovered around Sun-like stars

Two nearby stars have been found to harbor “super-Earths” — rocky planets larger than the Earth but smaller than ice giants such as Uranus and Neptune. Unlike previously discovered stars with super-Earths, both of the stars are similar to the Sun, suggesting to scientists that low-mass planets may be common around nearby stars.

More: continued here

Monday, December 14th, 2009