The Geological Society of America 1999 Annual Meeting features sessions on geological hazards, climate change, planetary science and Mars exploration. Keynote speakers will discuss the impact of earthquakes, greenhouse conditions and environmental consequences of impact events.
US cirrhosis mortality rates have increased and declined in tandem with hard liquor consumption, contrary to the expected association with beer and wine. The study found that excluding beer and wine from analysis revealed a strong correlation between hard liquor consumption and cirrhosis mortality trends.
A new multiplayer online game called The Turing Game is designed to differentiate imposters from truth-tellers by analyzing written communication. Players are asked questions about their personal characteristics, revealing how cultural markers affect a person's virtual identity.
Researchers are developing a self-healing computerized system to manage electricity distribution, leveraging fuzzy logic and machine learning to predict power needs and adjust accordingly. The system, called TELOS, aims to improve grid stability and reduce power failures.
The Wake Forest University School of Medicine has been awarded $400,000 for a new MicroPET scanner, which will enable researchers to conduct PET studies in nonhuman primates and rodents. The scanner's higher resolution allows for more detailed brain structure imaging.
A new study finds that depressed workers can be a significant drain on employers' resources, with worker absenteeism resulting in $17 billion a year in costs. Implementing mental health benefits and encouraging treatment could lead to a substantial increase in productivity and cost savings.