ANIMALS - Study shows use of feces as building material by termites serves as antibiotic
(Phys.org) —A team of researchers at the University of Florida has found that some termites use their own feces as an ingredient in building materials. Doing so, the group reports in their paper published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, offers the insects a natural antibacterial agent that helps them fend off infections that could harm them .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-feces-material-termites-antibio
ANIMALS - Toxoplasma-infected mice remain unafraid of cats even after parasite clearance
Chronic infection with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii can make mice lose their innate, hard-wired fear of cats. This loss of their innate fear may persist after the parasite is no longer detectable in their brains, suggesting that initial infection may cause permanent changes in the mechanisms underlying their fear of predators. The results are published September 18 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Wendy Ingram and colleagues from the Univhttp://phys.org/news/2013-09-toxoplasma-infected-mice-unafra
ANIMALS - True colors: Female squid have two ways to switch color
The female common market squid –– AKA Doryteuthis opalescens –– may not be so common after all. Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have discovered that this glamorous cephalopod possesses a pair of stripes that can sparkle with rainbow iridescence. These flank a single stripe, which can go from complete transparency to bright white .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-true-female-squid-ways.htm
ART - ArtsBeat: Broad Art Museum in Los Angeles to Offer Free Admission
The Broad, the contemporary art museum being built by the billionaire collector Eli Broad and his wife Edythe in Los Angeles, will be free to the public, Mr. Broad announced .. ...
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/18/broad-art-museu
BIRDS - How birds got their wings: Fossil data show scaling of limbs altered as birds originated from dinosaurs
Birds originated from a group of small, meat-eating theropod dinosaurs called maniraptorans sometime around 150 million years ago. Recent findings from around the world show that many maniraptorans were very bird-like, with feathers, hollow bones, small body sizes and high metabolic rates .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-birds-wings-fossil-scaling-limb
CLIMATE - French islands under threat from rising sea levels
By the year 2100, global warming will have caused sea levels to rise by 1 to 3 meters. This will strongly affect islands, their flora, fauna and inhabitants. A team of researchers from the Ecologie, systématique et évolution (CNRS/Université Paris-Sud) laboratory studied the impact of rising sea levels on 1,269 French islands throughout the world. Their model shows that between 5% and 12% of these islands could be totally submerged in the future. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-french-islands-threat-sea.htm
CLIMATE - This graph of Boulder's year-to-date rainfall is just staggering
In Colorado, rainfall characterized by the National Weather Service as "biblical" has left thousands homeless, hundreds missing and at least eight people dead. Among the hardest-hit cities has been Boulder, which last week catapulted from a dry spell into its wettest year on record in the span of just five days.Read more.. .. ...
CLIMATE - Undersea mountains provide crucial piece in climate prediction puzzle
A mystery in the ocean near Antarctica has been solved by researchers who have long puzzled over how deep and mid-depth ocean waters are mixed. They found that sea water mixes dramatically as it rushes over undersea mountains in Drake Passage -- the channel between the southern tip of South America and the Antarctic continent. Mixing of water layers in the oceans is crucial in regulating the Earth's climate and ocean currents .. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130918132442.ht
EARTH - Archeologists in Brazil find imperial objects
An ivory toothbrush thought to have belonged to Brazil's Emperor Pedro II and a minty toothpaste made by a European chemist for the Portuguese queen are among more than 200,000 pieces dating from the 17th through 19th centuries that archeologists have unearthed from a site in Rio de Janeiro being used for an extension the city's subway lines .. ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-archeologists-brazil-imperial.h
EARTH - Higher lead levels may lie just below soil surface
A study of data from hundreds of soil samples taken around six old water tower sites in southern Rhode Island finds that even when lead levels on the surface are low, concentrations can sometimes be greater at depths down to a foot. The findings inform efforts in Rhode Island to assess the effect of lead paint from old water towers on surrounding properties .. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130918111748.ht
ECONOMICS - Drivers of financial boom and bust may be all in the mind, study finds
Market bubbles that lead to financial crashes may be self-made because of instinctive biological mechanisms in traders' brains that lead them to try and predict how others behave, according to a study part-funded by the Wellcome Trust .. ...
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-09-drivers-financial-boom
ECONOMICS - Extreme Poverty Can Be Eradicated By 2030 -- But Only If We Put Adolescent Girls At The Heart Of The Post-2015 Agenda
Editor's Note: Jennifer Buffett is Co-Chair and President of the NoVo Foundation (Latin: create, change), a philanthropic organization focused on creating a more just and balanced world based on cooperation and partnership, primarily through the empowerment of girls and women .. ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/skollworldforum/2013/09/18/extre
ECONOMICS - Google Is Poised To Revolutionize Consumer Retail
By J.P. Gownde .. ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/forrester/2013/09/18/google-is-p
ECONOMICS - How Many U.S.-Based Online Retail Stores Are On The Internet?
The number of U.S.-based online retailers generating at least $12,000 a year in sales is on the rise .. ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikalbelicove/2013/09/18/how-man
EDUCATION - New publication explores ‘accelerated learning’
""Increasing the speed at which we learn is the theme of a major new book. Paul Ward, Professor of Psychology in the School of Science, and Head of its Centre for Sports Science & Human Performance, is among the writers to tackle the topic of ‘accelerated learning’. The book examines the state of the science in terms of how people acquire the knowledge and skills that are necessary for performing many key tasks expertly .. ...
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=13460
EDUCATION - New teaching method improves math skills, closes gender gap in young students
When early elementary math teachers ask students to explain their problem-solving strategies and then tailor instruction to address specific gaps in their understanding, students learn significantly more than those taught using a more traditional approach. This was the conclusion of a yearlong study of nearly 5,000 kindergarten and first-grade students .. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130918132330.ht
EDUCATION - The Strangest Jewish Custom
During the longer synagogue services of my youth, my friend Yonit and I used to play a game in which we would try to name the craziest Jewish custom we could think of. We came up with the idea during the annual hoshanot, or the Sukkot ritual during which Jews circle the synagogue chanting Hebrew phrases that amount to something like “save us, we beseech you!” all while holding what look like a little tree and a lemon. Try as we may, we could neve ...
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/faithbased/2013/09/how_ma
EDUCATION - Video: Controversial program monitors students’ social media
A school in Glendale, Calif., has instituted a program to monitor social media activity. Although some students consider it an invasion of privacy, school officials claim the action will help prevent bullying. (TODAY .. ...
ENERGY - On True Cost, New Clean Energy Is Beating Coal
Renewable energy is becoming more and more competitive, to the point now that new generation from wind costs less than conventional coal-fired generation – and can even give natural gas a run for its money. Solar PV, too, is emerging as a more economically viable energy source.So say researchers writing in the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences who folded the U.S. government’s fairly modest estimates for the environmental and health da ...
ENVIRONMENT - Are there any truly useless species in the world?
Readers answer other readers' questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific conceptsAre there any genuinely pointless species in the world which, if they were extinct, would have no material impact on the food chain or general homeostatis? Surely no one would miss wasps, for example.Nina Jones, London EC3• Post your answers – and new questions – below or email them to nq@theguardian.com. Please include name, a ...
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/sep/18/any-usel
FASHION - Fabulous Fashionistas: an inspiration for older women everywhere
Channel 4's profile of six older role models was a shot in the arm for invisible women everywhere. Will the fashion industry take note?It has been a funny old week. I've often been too preoccupied and cross to speak. It's tiring, being a narky middle-aged woman, and the nullifying lack of interest in anything we do doesn't help. Mostly, I sit behind my laptop and fester. Come the evening, I might swear a bit at the telly and grumble to the cat. ...
http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2013/sep/18/
HOMES - Rare look inside Versace's mansion
Jason Carroll goes behind the gates at the former Versace mansion in Miami Beach before it goes on the auction block .. ...
MOVIES - 'Doctor Who' and More: 35 BBC Shows Hulu Just Snagged
Hulu's streaming-video library just got a big infusion of British programming with the addition of nearly 150 shows from the BBC — including popular sci-fi series Doctor Who, psychological crime thriller Luther, sitcom Fawlty Towers and car show Top Gear.More than 2,000 episodes from these shows will be available on Hulu's U.S. subscription service Hulu Plus as part of a multi-year licensing agreement with BBC Worldwide North America. The deal is ...
MOVIES - Before He Dies, What This Guy Does For His Child Is Beautiful
The themes of parental love and loss are so strong that I felt compelled to share this with you. WARNING: Contains PG-13ish zombie gore. ORIGINAL: By Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke for TROPFEST. Suggested on Facebook by Chris Ballentine .. ...
http://www.upworthy.com/before-he-dies-what-this-guy-does-fo
PEOPLE - 11-Year-Old Walks Into Police Department. Proceeds To Shatter Everybody's Heart.
Eleven-year-old Max Siepert entered the lobby of the Greenfield Police Department in Wisconsin alone and proceeded to donate his savings of $10.03. Although he left without giving his name, Max was eventually identified and told reporters that he gave the cash in memory of his grandfather, a Milwaukee Police Department officer who was killed in the line of duty in 1974. ORIGINAL: By Greenfield Police .. ...
http://www.upworthy.com/11-year-old-walks-into-police-depart
PEOPLE - Chinese women move up ranks of global super-rich
Three of world's five wealthiest women with assets of over $1bn are from China, according to Hurun ReportHalf of the world's wealthiest female billionaires are Chinese, according to a respected ranking published on Tuesday by a Shanghai-based business magazine.According to the Hurun Report's "Hurun China's Women Rich List 2013", three of the world's five wealthiest women with assets of over $1bn (£626m) – and six of its top 10 – are Chinese. None ...
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/sep/18/chinese-wome
PEOPLE - Fabulous women
Channel 4's profile of six older role models was a shot in the arm for invisible women everywhere. Will the fashion industry take note?It has been a funny old week. I've often been too preoccupied and cross to speak. It's tiring, being a narky middle-aged woman, and the nullifying lack of interest in anything we do doesn't help. Mostly, I sit behind my laptop and fester. Come the evening, I might swear a bit at the telly and grumble to the cat. " ...
http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2013/sep/18/
PEOPLE - Forbes Twitter Chat: Kerry Dolan on the Forbes 400, Billionaires and How They Make Their Money
On Monday we launched our annual Forbes 400 list of America's richest, compiled by our wealth team. This afternoon, Kerry Dolan, one of the list's editors, took over @forbes to talk billionaires and how they made their fortunes. Below, you'll find Forbes readers' questions and Kerry's responses. (Wealth reporters Brian Solomon and Caleb Melby also jumped in to answer some questions.) If you missed out, Kerry is still replying to #AskForbes tweets ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/lainnafader/2013/09/18/forbes-tw
PEOPLE - Selfless act paying off for Boston homeless man
BOSTON (Reuters) - More than $68,000 in donations have poured in from people around the country for a Boston homeless man who turned over to police a backpack stuffed with cash that he had found outside a shopping mall .. ...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/18/us-boston-homeless
PEOPLE - Tens of thousands in donations pour in for homeless man who returned backpack with $42K
Honesty really paid off for a homeless man in Boston who turned in a backpack worth nearly $42,000 earlier this week .. ...
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/18/20561328-tens-of-
PEOPLE - The Highest-Paid Celebrities 2013
These 20 celebrities earned the most money over the past year .. ...
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eeel45efgjd/madonna-5
PLANTS - The secret life of underground microbes: Plant root microbiomes rule the world
We often ignore what we cannot see, and yet organisms below the soil's surface play a vital role in plant functions and ecosystem well-being. These microbes can influence a plant's genetic structure, its health, and its interactions with other plants. A new series of articles in a Special Section in the American Journal of Botany on Rhizosphere Interactions: The Root Microbiome explores how root microbiomes influence plants across multiple scales ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-secret-life-underground-microbe
SCIENCE - Beyond quantum simulation: Physicists create 'crystal' of spin-swapping ultracold molecules
Physicists have created a crystal-like arrangement of ultracold gas molecules that swap quantum "spin" properties with nearby and distant partners. The novel structure might be used to simulate or even invent new materials that derive exotic properties from quantum spin behavior, for electronics or other practical applications .. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130918132444.ht
SCIENCE - Controlling wettability: 'Sticky tape' for water droplets mimics rose petal
A new nanostructured material may lead to surfaces that stay dry forever, never need cleaning and are able to repel bacteria and even prevent mold and fungi growth .. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130918142504.ht
SCIENCE - Origins of genomic 'dark matter' discovered
A major milestone has been achieved in understanding genomic "dark matter" -- called non-coding RNA. This "dark matter" is difficult to detect and no one knows exactly what it is doing or why it is there in our genome, but scientists suspect it may be the source of inherited diseases. This research achievement may help to pinpoint exactly where complex-disease traits reside in the human genome .. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130918132446.ht
SCIENCE - Origins of genomic 'dark matter' discovered
A major milestone has been achieved in understanding genomic "dark matter" -- called non-coding RNA. This "dark matter" is difficult to detect and no one knows exactly what it is doing or why it is there in our genome, but scientists suspect it may be the source of inherited diseases. This research achievement may help to pinpoint exactly where complex-disease traits reside in the human genome .. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130918132446.ht
SCIENCE - Photosynthesis mechanism: Tofu-like crystalline catalysts for producing clean energy
New research demystifies the reaction mechanisms of photosynthesis. The findings may lead to the development of methods for producing an unlimited source of clean energy .. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130918130207.ht
URBAN - A Personal Lesson In Green Building Dilemmas
I had long dreamed of building my own home. I wanted it to be beautiful, comfortable, healthy, and as environmentally friendly as possible. When my husband and I were finally fortunate enough to purchase a piece of land, I was ecstatic that my dream was going to come true. However, the hard work was just beginning. The average single family home in the United States generates more than 160,000 pounds of greenhouse gasses each year. How could we b ...
URBAN - St. Louis Aims to Get More Walkable Development Out of Its Rail System
A before and after rendering of the proposed mixed-use neighborhood for the Delmar Loop Metrolink Station in St. Louis. Image: NextSTLSt. Louis is one of the rare, lucky Midwestern cities with light rail. The city seeded its Metrolink system in the 1990s and underwent a pretty large expansion in the early 2000s. It now has 37 stations.Unfortunately, a weak local real estate market has hindered growth near stations, and ridership hasn’t reached it ...
URBAN - Symposium explores how to ‘exhibit’ architecture
How do you “exhibit” something as large and complex as a building or a city? How do you “present” something as elusive as an architectural experience that unfolds in space and time? Museum curators, students, scholars, and practicing architects from around the world will address these questions at a Yale School of Architecture symposium in October .. ...
http://news.yale.edu/2013/09/18/symposium-explores-how-exhib
URBAN - Ten Least Livable Cities
According to The Economist Intelligence Unit, a division of The Economist magazine, these 10 cities have seen the biggest decline in livability over the last five years. While mostly all of the decline is due to civil unrest and large scale protests, some cities have declined because of economic strain on the population .. ...
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eglg45flfhi/large-scale-civil
URBAN - Which is Britain's oldest castle?
Readers answer other readers' questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific conceptsWhich is the oldest castle still standing in Britain?James Smithson, Leeds• Post your answers – and new questions – below or email them to nq@theguardian.com. Please include name, address and phone numberHeritageArchitectureHistorytheguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights res ...
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/sep/18/britain-
WATER - 86 MW Scottish Tidal Energy Project Gets Green Light
The Pentland Firth is the body of water separating the north Scottish mainland from Stroma Island, and will now be home to Europe’s largest tidal array. MeyGen has been awarded consent by the Scottish Government to build the 86 MW tidal energy project after they completed the statutory approval process with Marine Scotland.“The award of this consent is the culmination of over 4 years of environmental work and extensive consultation w .. ...
WATER - What Big Questions Remain about Sea Level Rise?
The world's leading climate scientists kicked up a storm in 2007, when they issued their best estimates of how quickly the oceans would swell as the globe warms. The Intergovernmental Panel on...-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.co .. ...
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-big-qu
WIND - Google To “Buy” 100% Of Electricity From 240 MW Texas Wind Farm
Google has been leading the way on clean energy for years. Still, it isn’t resting on its laurels. The Internet giant (“King of the Internet,” as many of us in the industry call it) has just announced that it has signed a power purchase agreement to buy all of the electricity produced by a new wind farm in Texas, a giant 240 MW wind farm called Happy Hereford Wind Farm. The wind farm is near Amarillo, Texas — in case you know the are .. ...
WIND - Google's Not Using Wind Electricity At All
Google's just announced that they've made an agreement to purchase some more wind turbine generated electricity. Which is wonderful if you like that sort of thing. But we do need to note that Google's not actually using that wind generated electricity they've just announced they're going to buy. Indeed, they explain that they cannot actually use it. So it's not really the great victory in favour of renewables that some seem to think .. ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/09/18/googles-n
WORK - From plumber to biologist: The most underrated jobs
Jobs site CareerCast is out with its annual list of the most underrated jobs for 2013 – this year with some surprises .. ...
http://www.today.com/money/plumber-biologist-most-underrated
WORK - The Reason We're All Safer on The Job, In One Image
In 1970, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was formed. Because of that, injuries and deaths on the job went down by 60%. You read that right. Sixty. Percent. Original: By Visual.ly and Graphic Products. Thumbnail image via Wikimedia Commons License .. ...
WRITE - Self-Publishing A Legal Casebook: An Ebook Success Story
Self-publishing an ebook for the law student market turned out to be a good decision--and perhaps a good financial choic .. ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericgoldman/2013/09/18/self-publ
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