Science

Nora McDonald, George Mason University - Social media apps regularly present teens with algorithmically selected content often described as “for you,” suggesting, by implication, that the curated content is not just “for you” but also “about you” – a mirror reflecting important signals about the person you are. All users of social media are exposed to these signals, but researchers understand that teens are at an especially malleable stage in the formation of personal identity. Scholars have begun to demonstrate that technology is having generation-shaping effects, not merely in the...

Derek Mitchell, University of Leeds - When people think of honey bees, they often think of classic wooden hives, in which beekeepers are having to breed more and more bees just to keep managed populations...

EU researchers are coming up with advanced technologies to spot early signs of fatigue and erratic behaviour in people behind the wheel. By Tom Cassauwers - When Carlo Polidori is driving and starts rubbing...

Nora McDonald, George Mason University - Social media apps regularly present teens with algorithmically selected content often described as “for you,” suggesting, by implication, that the curated content is not just “for you”...

Derek Mitchell, University of Leeds - When people think of honey bees, they often think of classic wooden hives, in which beekeepers are having to breed more and more bees just to keep managed populations stable. These man-made boxes, designed to facilitate pollination and honey production in an era before animal welfare was considered, are the hives in which scientists study honey bees. However, these boxes have little in common with the wild nests that featured in honey bee evolution. Are we are missing something from the evolution of wild bees that might help managed bees today? Honey bees, originally a tropical insect, colonised cold climates 600,000 years ago by evolving...

Nora McDonald, George Mason University - Social media apps regularly present teens with algorithmically selected content often described as “for you,” suggesting, by implication, that the curated content is not just “for you” but also “about you” – a mirror reflecting important signals about the person you are. All users of social media are exposed to these signals, but researchers understand that teens are at an especially malleable stage in the formation of personal identity. Scholars have begun to demonstrate that technology is having generation-shaping effects, not merely in the way it influences cultural outlook, behavior and privacy, but also in the way it can shape personality among those brought...

Berlin (ots) - A recent study by Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands, analysed the fate of compostable packaging in an industrial composting plant. The results show that the tested EN13432 certified products break down within a maximum of 22 days. The project was commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. "The study shows that the tested objects have the same or an even faster disintegration and degradation rate as regular biowaste. We need more independent research of this kind", says EUBP Chairman of European Bioplastics (EUBP), François de Bie. Central aim of the study was to gather more empiric data on whether the disintegration rate of compostable...