Roaches, that is: Many insects of today are tiny, compared to their ancient ancestors, but the biggest cockroaches that have ever lived are living in your kitchen today–they’re the size of steaks–and scientists are trying to figure out why. Many insects grow larger when the air is more oxygen-rich, because bugs breathe through their skin.read more
No matter how the election turns out, it’s good to remember what we’ve been told so often: that whatever doesn’t kill us makes us stronger (but there was no scientific evidence to support for this idea–until now). A new national multi-year longitudinal study of the effects of adverse life events on mental health has found that these experiences do, in fact, appear to foster subsequent adaptability and resilience, with resulting advantages for mental health and well being.
A powerful new software program in the field of diminished reality is capable of removing anything from a video–even a live video. Develeoped at the University of Ilumenau in Germany, the software has a vast range of potential applications. News media could use it to remove unwanted individuals or objects from their stories. Governments could use it to minimize the appearances of tragedies. Hoaxers could use it to remove wires and other evidence of their hoaxes.
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As voters go to the poles today, we realize that the recession is hitting us ALL hard, but it turns out that race (which plays a big part in many areas of life) has played a part in the recent epidemic of mortgage foreclosures. A new study shows that show that black segregation, and to a lesser extent Hispanic segregation, are powerful predictors of the number and rate of foreclosures in the United States. Researcher Jacob Rugh says, "This study is critical to our understanding of the foreclosure crisis since it shows the important and independent role that racial segregation played in the housing bust."
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