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Science News Archive October 2017 - Page 2


Page 2 of 43

Study shows voting does not reduce crime

A new study published in Political Behavior suggests that voting alone does not directly reduce criminality and may not foster good citizens. The research analyzed a large-scale field experiment involving over 550,000 young adults aged 18-20 in the US, finding no correlation between voting and reduced crime rates.

SourceYale University·JournalPolitical Behavior·DateOct 31, 2017

Research links locus coeruleus activity with hyperarousal in PTSD

A new study in Biological Psychiatry provides direct human evidence for a decades-old theory linking heightened arousal and reactivity in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to overactivity of the locus coeruleus (LC), a brain region that mediates arousal and reactivity. The study found that participants with PTSD exhibited increased ...

SourceElsevier·JournalBiological Psychiatry·DateOct 31, 2017

Energy efficiency labeling for homes has little effect on purchase price

A Norwegian research team found that energy efficiency labeling for homes has no significant effect on purchase price. The researchers conducted a thorough analysis of home sales data before and after the labeling system was introduced in Norway in 2010. They discovered that any apparent impact of the label was likely due to other fact...

Does cutting weekend allied health services hurt patients?

A study published in PLOS Medicine found that removing weekend allied health services from hospitals had no significant effect on patients' length of stay or adverse events. In fact, having no services was associated with a 2% reduction in length of stay and a 3% decrease in adverse events.

SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS Medicine·DateOct 31, 2017

Tracking mosquitoes with your cellphone

Researchers at Stanford University developed a platform called Abuzz that uses cellphone recordings to track mosquito populations and distributions. The platform aims to create the world's largest network of mosquito surveillance, enabling targeted control efforts and reducing the burden of mosquito-borne diseases.

Chromosome organization emerges from 1-D patterns

Using computer models, researchers analyzed epigenetic marks to predict how chromosomes fold in three dimensions. By training a neural network on these marks, they were able to identify the structural types of chromatin and validate their findings with additional data.

SourceRice University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateOct 31, 2017

Aliens may be more like us than we think

A new study published in the International Journal of Astrobiology suggests that aliens could have evolved in a similar way to humans, with natural selection playing a key role. The research uses evolutionary theory to predict the biological make-up and behavior of complex alien life forms.

SourceUniversity of Oxford·JournalInternational Journal of Astrobiology·DateOct 31, 2017

SourceData is making data discoverable

SourceData provides a suite of tools to generate, validate and use figure data, making it efficient to find and reuse published results. The platform links figures to other related figures across papers and journals, creating a searchable knowledge graph.

SourceEMBO·JournalNature Methods·DateOct 31, 2017

Uncomfortable sight from an ancient reflex of the eye

A new study from Penn researchers shows that a reflexive system of the human eye also produces a conscious, visual experience that may be related to excessive light sensitivity. The findings suggest that people have brain activity and a visual experience in response to invisible light pulses that stimulate melanopsin cells.

SourceUniversity of Pennsylvania School of Medicine·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateOct 31, 2017

The world's shortest laser pulse

Researchers at ETH Zurich generate the world's shortest controlled laser pulse with a duration of 43 attoseconds, allowing for unprecedented time resolution in studying molecular dynamics. This breakthrough enables faster charge transfer and potentially more efficient solar cells.

SourceETH Zurich·JournalOptics Express·DateOct 31, 2017