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Science News Archive May 2015 - Page 25


Page 25 of 31

How climate science denial affects the scientific community

A new study from the University of Bristol argues that climate science denial is seeping into the scientific community's discussion of climate change, causing them to overemphasize scientific uncertainty. This 'seepage' of contrarian claims has led scientists to downplay the degree of threat and undercommunicate knowledge, despite know...

SourceUniversity of Bristol·JournalGlobal Environmental Change·DateMay 7, 2015

Biting back: Scientists aim to forecast West Nile outbreaks

A new study by NCAR and CDC researchers finds strong correlations between warmer temperatures and higher rates of West Nile virus disease in the US. Precipitation also influences disease outbreaks, but with varying regional impacts. The study aims to develop a system to forecast outbreaks weeks or months in advance.

SourceNational Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research·JournalAmerican Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene·DateMay 7, 2015

Popular media influences choice of childbirth

A Monash University study found that women's expectations and attitudes about birth are shaped by popular media, particularly magazines, leading to biased decision-making. Women exposed to magazine articles endorsing non-medicalised birth were more likely to change their intention towards a natural birth.

SourceMonash University·JournalWomen & Health·DateMay 7, 2015

The hairy past

A team of scientists from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna developed a method to analyze horse tail hair to determine its ecological significance. By aligning hair segments to time using satellite information, they found that tail hair growth rates vary greatly between species and even within individuals.

SourceUniversity of Veterinary Medicine -- Vienna·JournalRapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry·DateMay 7, 2015

Baiting the hook

Researchers found that customers tend to gravitate towards a chain's digital channel for their first online purchases but may drift to other chains once familiar with online shopping. For customer retention and attracting new ones, retailers must offer an equal or better online product assortment than their offline stores.

SourceJournal of Retailing at New York University·JournalJournal of Retailing·DateMay 7, 2015

Chagas disease vaccine shows long-term protection in mice

A candidate vaccine has been shown to induce long-lasting immunity against the parasite that causes Chagas disease. Mice vaccinated with a combination of two parasite proteins showed reduced parasite numbers and improved immune response compared to uninfected mice.

SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS Pathogens·DateMay 7, 2015

Soil security

The world's soil resources are under threat from erosion, nutrient exhaustion, urbanization, and climate change, which could lead to disruptions in food production and geopolitical conflicts. Experts call for better management of Earth's soils to address this issue.

SourceUniversity of Delaware·JournalScience·DateMay 7, 2015