Latest science news in Mathematics & Economics
Why do people 'play the longshot' but buy insurance? It's in our genes
Why do some people like to take risks by playing "longshot" payoffs while, on the other hand, taking the opposite tack by buying insurance to reduce risks? A team of...
South Korea Will Build Sustainable City of Tech and Learning by 2020
Just like that, Abu Dhabi's Masdar City has some competition. On Monday, South Korean officials announced a $14.6 billion plan for a new self-sufficient city, high-tech hub of education and commerce that will...
Hybrid systems get strengthened through diversity
Our everyday work and home lives are becoming increasingly dependent on complex computerized networks with built-in control systems. European researchers are working to make the controls more autonomous and intelligent.
Ford Motor makes rivals green with envy
DETROIT, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Automotive giant Ford Motor Co. announced plans to invest $450 million to develop electric vehicles and batteries to spur green energy technology in Michigan.
EPA May Crack Down on Four Chemicals Found in Household Products
This is the first such crackdown in over 30 years More than 80,000 chemicals are used or produced in the U.S., and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has placed restrictions or bans...
New multi-touch screen technology developed (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists from New York University have formed a company to bring flexible multi-touch screens using a new technology to a range of devices, from e-readers to musical instruments....
Energy Efficient Appliances Are A Waste Of Money (And Energy)
In an effort to be more environmentally conscious, the United States government is dolling out various rebates and tax credits to consumers who purchase more earth friendly, energy efficient appliances....
Wild crows reveal tool skills
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study using motion sensitive video cameras has revealed how New Caledonian crows use tools in the wild, Oxford University scientists report.
Enbridge responds to N. Dakota oil spill
HOUSTON, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Houston's Enbridge Energy Partners said it rerouted oil supplies through parallel pipelines while workers respond to a crude-oil spill in North Dakota.
The Asia-Pacific Partnership and the Kyoto Protocols: In conflict or cooperation?
President Obama's visit to China before December's Copenhagen conference underlined views that the international strategy to tackle climate change truly hinges on cooperation between the United States and the developing...
Cod fishery seeks renewable approval
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Alaska's multi-million dollar cod industry is on track to be certified as a sustainable fishery, a move that should increase sales, industry officials...
Britain bracing for gas crunch
LONDON, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- British consumers face mounting concerns over gas supplies as supermajor BP shuts gas networks in the North Sea for a week's worth of maintenance.
Egypt downplays gas concerns
CAIRO, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- There are no plans to look to imports to meet the natural gas demand in Egypt despite media reports regarding Iraqi gas, ministers in...
Minsk playing hardball in oil spat?
MOSCOW, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Minsk negotiators are reacting harshly to Moscow's decision to balk on duty-free oil exports to Europe as the latest oil spat evolves, analysts said.
Rules governing RNA's anatomy revealed
University of Michigan researchers have discovered the rules that dictate the three-dimensional shapes of RNA molecules, rules that are based not on complex chemical interactions but simply on geometry...
Public transport behaviours explained
(PhysOrg.com) -- Victoria University graduate Jared Thomas spent many hours riding buses and trains in the greater Wellington region as part of his PhD research.
Golden ratio discovered in a quantum world
Researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin fuer Materialien und Energie (HZB), in cooperation with colleagues from Oxford and Bristol Universities, as well as the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK, have for the...
Useful, useless and unusual at US gadget show
Cutting-edge technology grabbed the headlines at the premier US gadget show here but the showrooms also featured products better described as useful, useless and downright unusual.
Gadgets: BlackBerry speakerphone clips to car's visor
BlackBerry has a solution for those wanting to go cell phone hands-free without a headset.
Prayer and nonsense | Andrew Brown
The patent untruth of religious language might have more benefits besides making it memorableI have been reading the letters of CS Lewis again: they seem written from an immense distance. In important ways,...
Hollywood, Web and gadgets a winning mix at CES
A premier Consumer Electronics Show (CES) ended after rebounding from a global economic drubbing and wowing attendees with gadgets that merge 3-D, software, entertainment, and the Web.
Resurrecting dead dogs, and making indestructible sandwiches
In the last of our mini Science Weeklies, Alok Jha is joined by special guest Mick O'Hare.He's the editor of the New Scientist's popular series of books with titles such...
Using a Pfizer Grant, Courses Aim to Avoid Bias
With a $3 million grant, Stanford University is planning a continuing education program for doctors that is free of drug industry influence.
Large Price Jumps Reported for Small but Vital Drugs
A government report finds that from 2000 to 2008, makers or distributors raised the prices of 416 brand-name drug products at least once by 100 percent or more.
Ogilvy starts season by winning again at Kapalua
KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) -- Whether he's running away from the field or chasing from behind, Geoff Ogilvy has found the secret to winning the season-opening SBS...
Edwin P. Hubble And The Expanding Universe
I thought in the context of my previous article about the cosmological constant, writing an article about Edwin Hubble and Milton Humason and how exactly they were able to 1)...
Royal Institution: Sparks fly
In May 1802, three years after he led the foundation of the Royal Institution, the applied scientist Count Rumford left London under something of a cloud, never to return. Rumford – who...
'Widgets' are hot at gadget show
Spend a lot of time on the Web while watching television? Maybe not. But a lot of companies are betting you will. All of the top television manufacturers at the...