science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Δευτέρα 21 Μαΐου 2012

Science News SciGuru.com

Anger in Disputes Is More About the Climate of the Marriage Than the Heat of the Moment, Baylor Researcher Finds
Toxic mercury, accumulating in the Arctic, springs from a hidden source
Biomarker predicts response to cancer treatment
Stressed Men Are More Social
Psychologists propose a new solution to problems faced by multiculturalism

Anger in Disputes Is More About the Climate of the Marriage Than the Heat of the Moment, Baylor Researcher Finds

Posted: 21 May 2012 07:05 AM PDT

How good are married couples at recognizing each other's emotions during conflicts? In general, pretty good, according to a study by a Baylor University researcher. But if your partner is angry, that might tell more about the overall climate of your marriage than about what your partner is feeling at the moment of the dispute.

Toxic mercury, accumulating in the Arctic, springs from a hidden source

Posted: 21 May 2012 06:58 AM PDT

Environmental scientists at Harvard have discovered that the Arctic accumulation of mercury, a toxic element, is caused by both atmospheric forces and the flow of circumpolar rivers that carry the element north into the Arctic Ocean.

While the atmospheric source was previously recognized, it now appears that twice as much mercury actually comes from the rivers.

The revelation implies that concentrations of the toxin may further increase as climate change continues to modify the region's hydrological cycle and release mercury from warming Arctic soils.

Biomarker predicts response to cancer treatment

Posted: 21 May 2012 06:50 AM PDT

VIB researcher Diether Lambrechts, associated with KU Leuven, has discovered a biomarker that might potentially predict which patients will benefit more from treatment with bevacizumab (Avastin). If validated, this discovery could be an important step towards personalized medicine and patient-tailored use of this important cancer drug.

Stressed Men Are More Social

Posted: 21 May 2012 05:05 AM PDT

A team of researchers led by the psychologists and neuroscientists Prof. Markus Heinrichs and Dr. Bernadette von Dawans at the University of Freiburg, Germany, examined in a study how men react in stressful situations – and have refuted a nearly 100-year-old doctrine with their results. According to this doctrine, humans and most animal species show the "fight-or-flight" response to stress.

Psychologists propose a new solution to problems faced by multiculturalism

Posted: 21 May 2012 04:53 AM PDT

In a ground-breaking paper published by the journal Science (18 May), psychologists from the University claim a solution to the problems faced by multicultural policy can be found in the study of human evolution.

Research has shown that while multiculturalism is a highly enriching characteristic of modern society, policy has generally failed to engage widespread public support for this idea. One of the reasons for this is that people have a psychological tendency to prefer environments low in social complexity.