We’ve always heard that it is better to give than to receive. And the research is there to prove the old adage is right. A post at PsyBlog has links to several studies about this phenomenon.
But why? Why is it that spending our money on others—prosocial spending—makes us happier?
Continue reading… “Why spending money on others promotes your happiness”
Buckminster’s legacy given new wings.
Buckminster Fuller only designed about a dozen of domed structures to begin with, and many have either been torn down in lieu of new construction or simply left to rot. But not the dome at Materials Park in Ohio, it just received a $7 million facelift and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)…
Continue reading… “Buckminster Fuller’s largest dome is now a National Historic Place”
FHA bailout looming.
With the government’s explicit guarantee of mortgages a bailout appears to be inevitable for the Federal Housing Authority. This should not be surprising news to anyone who follows the mortgage market closely, but a new study by Wharton finance professor Joseph Gyourko makes this conclusion clearer. As a bailout for the FHA looms, Congress will likely become enraged again — on behalf of the taxpayers they represent. What impact would an FHA bailout have on the housing finance policy debate?
Continue reading… “Bailout for Federal Housing Authority inevitable”
Children should be routinely tested for high cholesterol.
9 to 11 year old children should be routinely screened for high cholesterol so that action can be taken to avoid the development of heart disease, according to new guidelines from the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Continue reading… “Routine cholesterol testing for all children recommended by U.S. panel”
Urine can be turned into electricity, according to scientists.
We each produce 2.5 liters of urine a day and a total of 6.4 trillion liters globally. But until now it has been widely regarded as a rather unpleasant waste product.
Continue reading… “‘Pee power’ – turning urine into electricity”
Sensors in the steering wheel monitor the driver’s vital signs while driving.
Working in collaboration with BMW, researchers from Germany’s Technische Universitaet Muenchen have extended the function of the humble steering wheel with the development of a sensor system integrated into the steering wheel that can give the driver a quick health check while driving.
Continue reading… “Smart steering wheel monitors health while driving”
Information collected by a car block box intended to help improve federal safety standards, but increasingly it is being used in court cases.
If you are in a serious car accident and are unfortunate enough to land in court afterwards, the the star witness against you may not be an eyewitness or even a human being, it could be your car.
Continue reading… “How your car could be a star witness against you in court”
f
What can a fetus sense when?
As a fetus grows, it’s constantly getting messages from its mother. It’s not just hearing her heartbeat and whatever music she might play to her belly; it also gets chemical signals through the placenta. A new study, which will be published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, finds that this includes signals about the mother’s mental state. If the mother is depressed, that affects how the baby develops after it’s born…
Continue reading… “Can a fetus sense it’s mother’s psychological state?”
Yikes!
Continuing the tradition of making every food product ever taste like bacon, Rogue has released a beer that’s sure to be Homer Simpson approved. Called the Voodoo Doughnut, this ale is bacon maple flavored, and comes in a horrifyingly pink bottle. Getting drunk first thing in the morning never tasted so good!
Continue reading… “The beer that tastes like breakfast?”
Nature provides another model for technological advancement.
Ohio State University researchers have discovered that a weed, Salvinia molesta, that clogs up the waterways of many parts of the Americas and Australia actually holds the clues to creating a new type of waterproof coating for materials — all thanks to a very unusual characteristic.
This weed has eggbeater-shaped hairs that trap air and keep the plant floating on the surface of the water — and these odd hairs have inspired a brand new type of coating for things like boats or submarines…
Continue reading… “Plant with eggbeater-shaped hairs inspires new waterproof coating”
Denver, Colorado
Under a bill signed by President Barack Obama in September, Denver is a “very strong candidate” for a new satellite patent office. John Bryson, the newly confirmed secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, announced the news Wednesday during a Colorado visit.
Continue reading… “Denver ‘very stong candidate’ for new satellite patent office”
Researchers have developed a sensor that can detect blood glucose levels in tears.
Scientists have found a way to save diabetics from having to draw blood several times a day to test their sugar levels – test diabetics tears.
Continue reading… “Diabetes breakthrough tests tears instead of blood”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.