In June of last year, Jon Stewart went on air with Fox News’ Chris Wallace and started a major media controversy over the channel’s misinforming of its viewers. “Who are the most consistently misinformed media viewers?” Stewart asked Wallace. “The most consistently misinformed? Fox, Fox viewers, consistently, every poll.”
My goal here is to explore the underlying causes for this “Fox News effect”—explaining how this station has brought about a hurricane-like intensification of factual error, misinformation and unsupportable but ideologically charged beliefs on the conservative side of the aisle. First, though, let’s begin by surveying the evidence about how misinformed Fox viewers actually are.
April 6, 2012
Obesity Linked With More Health Costs Than Smoking, Study Finds
Obesity may be more expensive than smoking when it comes to health costs.
Researchers from the Mayo Clinic found that people who are obese have an extra $1,850 in health costs, on average, a year compared with normal weight people. People who smoke, on the other hand, have $1,275 extra, on average, in health costs per year.
And for people who are morbidly obese, the costs are even higher, up to $5,500 a year.
Researchers from the Mayo Clinic found that people who are obese have an extra $1,850 in health costs, on average, a year compared with normal weight people. People who smoke, on the other hand, have $1,275 extra, on average, in health costs per year.
And for people who are morbidly obese, the costs are even higher, up to $5,500 a year.
Monsanto's GMO Seeds Cause Farmer Suicides Every 30 Minutes
In what has been called the single largest wave of recorded suicides in human history, Indian farmers are now killing themselves in record numbers. It has been extensively reported, even in mainstream news, but nothing has been done about the issue. The cause? Monsanto’s cost-inflated and ineffective seeds have been driving farmers to suicide, and is considered to be one of the largest — if not the largest — cause of the quarter of a million farmer suicides over the past 16 years.
Could Humans Have Evolved From Dolphins?
The most common theory of human evolution suggests that humans evolved from an ape-like ancestor. But what if we evolved from something that was a little more like a seal or dolphin? Over the years, a handful of evolutionary biologists have proffered the weird theory that we evolved from "aquatic apes" who lived in the water for a few hundred thousand years. Let's take a dive into one of the worst ideas in the history of evolutionary theory.
Tucked away among the many theories on the quirks of evolution is the accurately-titled Aquatic Ape theory. Although it is what has to be one of the best B-Movie titles of all time, the aquatic ape theory has not gained much popularity over since its inception. Why do its proponents believe that our ancestors lived more like porpoises than chimps?
Tucked away among the many theories on the quirks of evolution is the accurately-titled Aquatic Ape theory. Although it is what has to be one of the best B-Movie titles of all time, the aquatic ape theory has not gained much popularity over since its inception. Why do its proponents believe that our ancestors lived more like porpoises than chimps?
Scientists redraw the blueprint of the body's biological clock
The discovery of a major gear in the biological clock that tells the body when to sleep and metabolize food may lead to new drugs to treat sleep problems and metabolic disorders, including diabetes.
Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, led by Ronald M. Evans, a professor in Salk's Gene Expression Laboratory, showed that two cellular switches found on the nucleus of mouse cells, known as REV-ERBĪ± and REV-ERBĪ², are essential for maintaining normal sleeping and eating cycles and for metabolism of nutrients from food.
Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, led by Ronald M. Evans, a professor in Salk's Gene Expression Laboratory, showed that two cellular switches found on the nucleus of mouse cells, known as REV-ERBĪ± and REV-ERBĪ², are essential for maintaining normal sleeping and eating cycles and for metabolism of nutrients from food.
Crisis for US Science Is Looming, Physicists Warn
The United States is at risk of ceding its leadership in science, a number of physicists agreed Monday (April 2), though there was less of a consensus on a clear solution to the problem.
Five physicists shared their worries about America's scientific future during a panel discussion here at the April 2012 meeting of the American Physics Society, saying that governmental funding for science research is in crisis, and not enough U.S. students graduate with degrees in science, technology, engineering and math.
"There are some facts and figures that are very disturbing, which show the United States might be losing ground in science and discovery, whereas other countries are gaining," Pushpa Bhat, a physicist at Illinois' Fermi Accelerator National Laboratory (Fermilab), said at a press conference preceding the panel. "We can't sit back and watch."
Five physicists shared their worries about America's scientific future during a panel discussion here at the April 2012 meeting of the American Physics Society, saying that governmental funding for science research is in crisis, and not enough U.S. students graduate with degrees in science, technology, engineering and math.
"There are some facts and figures that are very disturbing, which show the United States might be losing ground in science and discovery, whereas other countries are gaining," Pushpa Bhat, a physicist at Illinois' Fermi Accelerator National Laboratory (Fermilab), said at a press conference preceding the panel. "We can't sit back and watch."
April 5, 2012
Scientists raise energy level at Big Bang machine
Scientists say a Big Bang machine, where high-energy beams of protons are sent crashing into each other at incredible speeds, is now able to operate at a record new energy level, improving the prospect of scientific breakthroughs.
Researchers at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, say the $10 billion Large Hadron Collider in a 27-kilometer (17-mile) tunnel under the Swiss-French border at Geneva has begun operating at 8 trillion electron volts, greater than any previous physics accelerator.
Steve Myers, a director of accelerators and technology at CERN, said in a statement that two proton beams were brought into collision at a new world record energy level Thursday.
Researchers at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, say the $10 billion Large Hadron Collider in a 27-kilometer (17-mile) tunnel under the Swiss-French border at Geneva has begun operating at 8 trillion electron volts, greater than any previous physics accelerator.
Steve Myers, a director of accelerators and technology at CERN, said in a statement that two proton beams were brought into collision at a new world record energy level Thursday.
April 4, 2012
Narcissists Often Ace Job Interviews, Study Finds
Really, really liking yourself may give you the edge in your next job interview, a new study suggests.
That's because narcissists, known to be obnoxiously high on self-esteem, are better able to talk about and promote themselves, which projects confidence and expertise to interviewers, University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers explained.
In their two-part study, narcissists scored much higher in a simulated job interview than equally qualified non-narcissists.
"This is one setting where it's OK to say nice things about yourself and there are no ramifications. In fact, it's expected," study co-author Peter Harms, an assistant professor of management, said in a university news release. "Simply put, those who are comfortable doing this tend to do much better than those who aren't."
That's because narcissists, known to be obnoxiously high on self-esteem, are better able to talk about and promote themselves, which projects confidence and expertise to interviewers, University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers explained.
In their two-part study, narcissists scored much higher in a simulated job interview than equally qualified non-narcissists.
"This is one setting where it's OK to say nice things about yourself and there are no ramifications. In fact, it's expected," study co-author Peter Harms, an assistant professor of management, said in a university news release. "Simply put, those who are comfortable doing this tend to do much better than those who aren't."
Clothes and Self-Perception
If you wear a white coat that you believe belongs to a doctor, your ability to pay attention increases sharply. But if you wear the same white coat believing it belongs to a painter, you will show no such improvement.
So scientists report after studying a phenomenon they call enclothed cognition: the effects of clothing on cognitive processes.
It is not enough to see a doctor’s coat hanging in your doorway, said Adam D. Galinsky, a professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, who led the study. The effect occurs only if you actually wear the coat and know its symbolic meaning — that physicians tend to be careful, rigorous and good at paying attention.
So scientists report after studying a phenomenon they call enclothed cognition: the effects of clothing on cognitive processes.
It is not enough to see a doctor’s coat hanging in your doorway, said Adam D. Galinsky, a professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, who led the study. The effect occurs only if you actually wear the coat and know its symbolic meaning — that physicians tend to be careful, rigorous and good at paying attention.
Potential method to control obesity: Red wine, fruit compound could help block fat cell formation
A compound found in red wine, grapes and other fruits, and similar in structure to resveratrol, is able to block cellular processes that allow fat cells to develop, opening a door to a potential method to control obesity, according to a Purdue University study.
Kee-Hong Kim, an assistant professor of food science, and Jung Yeon Kwon, a graduate student in Kim's laboratory, reported in this week's issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry that the compound piceatannol blocks an immature fat cell's ability to develop and grow.
While similar in structure to resveratrol -- the compound found in red wine, grapes and peanuts that is thought to combat cancer, heart disease and neurodegenerative diseases -- piceatannol might be an important weapon against obesity. Resveratrol is converted to piceatannol in humans after consumption.
Kee-Hong Kim, an assistant professor of food science, and Jung Yeon Kwon, a graduate student in Kim's laboratory, reported in this week's issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry that the compound piceatannol blocks an immature fat cell's ability to develop and grow.
While similar in structure to resveratrol -- the compound found in red wine, grapes and peanuts that is thought to combat cancer, heart disease and neurodegenerative diseases -- piceatannol might be an important weapon against obesity. Resveratrol is converted to piceatannol in humans after consumption.
Injectable contraceptives linked to breast cancer risk in younger women
The first large-scale U.S.-based study to evaluate the link between an injectable form of progestin-only birth control and breast cancer risk in young women has found that recent use of a year or more doubles the risk. The results of the study, led by breast cancer epidemiologist Christopher I. Li, M.D., Ph.D., of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, are published online ahead of the April 15 print issue of Cancer.
While the contraceptive, called depo-medroxyprogesterone acetate, or DMPA, contains the same kind of progestin as the menopausal hormone-therapy regimen found by a Women's Health Initiative clinical trial to increase breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women, few studies have evaluated the link between DMPA use and breast cancer risk in younger women.
While the contraceptive, called depo-medroxyprogesterone acetate, or DMPA, contains the same kind of progestin as the menopausal hormone-therapy regimen found by a Women's Health Initiative clinical trial to increase breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women, few studies have evaluated the link between DMPA use and breast cancer risk in younger women.
Free term paper? Income inequality and distrust foster academic dishonesty
College professors and students are in an arms race over cheating. Students find new sources for pre-written term papers; professors find new ways to check the texts they get for plagiarized material. But why are all these young people cheating? A new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggests one reason: income inequality, which decreases the general trust people have toward each other.
Lukas Neville, a doctoral student at Queen's University in Ontario, was inspired to do the study by his own teaching experience. "I ran into the question of academic dishonesty firsthand," he says. Like other instructors at universities across North America, he considered using services that automatically check students' papers for plagiarized material. "But it got me thinking about the actual underlying mechanism that promotes or inhibits academic dishonesty." He thought the answer might be trust; if students don't trust each other, some of them might think they have to cheat to keep up with their unscrupulous classmates. And other research has shown that this kind of distrust is more likely to be found in places with high income inequality.
Lukas Neville, a doctoral student at Queen's University in Ontario, was inspired to do the study by his own teaching experience. "I ran into the question of academic dishonesty firsthand," he says. Like other instructors at universities across North America, he considered using services that automatically check students' papers for plagiarized material. "But it got me thinking about the actual underlying mechanism that promotes or inhibits academic dishonesty." He thought the answer might be trust; if students don't trust each other, some of them might think they have to cheat to keep up with their unscrupulous classmates. And other research has shown that this kind of distrust is more likely to be found in places with high income inequality.
Scientists develop ultra-thin solar cells
Austrian and Japanese researchers on Wednesday unveiled solar cells thinner than a thread of spider silk that are flexible enough to be wrapped around a single human hair.
The thin-film device, comprising electrodes on a plastic foil, is about 1.9 micro-metres thick, a tenth the size of the thinnest solar cells currently available, the researchers said.
One micro-metre is one millionth of a metre (3.3 feet).
"The total thickness of this device is less than a typical thread of spider silk," the researchers said in a report carried by online science journal Nature Communications.
The thin-film device, comprising electrodes on a plastic foil, is about 1.9 micro-metres thick, a tenth the size of the thinnest solar cells currently available, the researchers said.
One micro-metre is one millionth of a metre (3.3 feet).
"The total thickness of this device is less than a typical thread of spider silk," the researchers said in a report carried by online science journal Nature Communications.
More evidence ties diabetes to Parkinson's risk
People with diabetes may have a heightened risk of developing Parkinson's disease, especially at a relatively young age, a new study finds.
Published in the journal Diabetes Care, the study adds to recent research linking diabetes to Parkinson's disease.
But neither this report nor the earlier ones prove that diabetes, itself, raises a person's risk of Parkinson's -- a disorder in which movement-regulating brain cells gradually become disabled or die.
Instead, researchers suspect that it's more likely diabetes and Parkinson's share some common underlying causes.
Published in the journal Diabetes Care, the study adds to recent research linking diabetes to Parkinson's disease.
But neither this report nor the earlier ones prove that diabetes, itself, raises a person's risk of Parkinson's -- a disorder in which movement-regulating brain cells gradually become disabled or die.
Instead, researchers suspect that it's more likely diabetes and Parkinson's share some common underlying causes.
The healing power of mushrooms
Mushrooms comprise a category of nutritional products that have been gaining scientific and medical attention these days. A rapidly expanding body of research worldwide is finding value in the use of mushrooms for the prevention and treatment of health problems - ranging from immune disorders, viral diseases, high cholesterol, coronary disease, liver disease, and cancer. Three particular mushrooms of medicinal value are listed below.
Shiitake, Lentinus edodes
Reishi, Ganoderma lucidum
Maitake, Grifola frondosa
Shiitake, Lentinus edodes
Reishi, Ganoderma lucidum
Maitake, Grifola frondosa
Greek pensioner kills himself outside parliament
A cash-strapped Greek pensioner shot and killed himself outside parliament in Athens on Wednesday saying he refused to scrounge for food in the rubbish, touching a nerve among ordinary Greeks feeling the brunt of the country's economic crisis.
The public suicide of the 77-year-old retired pharmacist quickly triggered an outpouring of sympathy in a country where one in five is jobless and a sense of national humiliation has accompanied successive rounds of salary and pension cuts.
Just hours after the death, an impromptu shrine with candles, flowers and hand-written notes condemning the crisis sprung up in the central Syntagma square where the suicide occurred. Dozens of bystanders gathered to pay their respects.
The public suicide of the 77-year-old retired pharmacist quickly triggered an outpouring of sympathy in a country where one in five is jobless and a sense of national humiliation has accompanied successive rounds of salary and pension cuts.
Just hours after the death, an impromptu shrine with candles, flowers and hand-written notes condemning the crisis sprung up in the central Syntagma square where the suicide occurred. Dozens of bystanders gathered to pay their respects.
Activism Works: ‘Pink Slime’ Manufacturer Files for Bankruptcy
AFA Foods, a leading American processor of ground beef, has filed for bankruptcy, citing the wave of negative media coverage surrounding their so-called “pink slime” product.
The huge amount of media coverage that has recently been devoted to the Boneless Lean Beef Trimmings (BLBT), better known as “pink slime,” can be chalked up almost entirely to the attention of countless activists across the United States.
The huge amount of media coverage that has recently been devoted to the Boneless Lean Beef Trimmings (BLBT), better known as “pink slime,” can be chalked up almost entirely to the attention of countless activists across the United States.
World's oldest practicing doctor dies at 114
Dr. Leila Denmark, the world's oldest practicing physician when she retired at age 103, died Sunday in Athens, her family members said. She was 114.
Denmark began her pediatrics practice in her home in Atlanta in 1931 and continued until her retirement in 2001. That year, she earned the distinction of being the world's oldest practicing physician, said Robert Young, senior consultant for gerontology for Guinness World Records. She was also the world's fourth-oldest living person when she died, Young said.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/04/04/world-oldest-practicing-doctor-dies-at-114/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fhealth+%28Internal+-+Health+-+Text%29#ixzz1r5ZJVfqN
Denmark began her pediatrics practice in her home in Atlanta in 1931 and continued until her retirement in 2001. That year, she earned the distinction of being the world's oldest practicing physician, said Robert Young, senior consultant for gerontology for Guinness World Records. She was also the world's fourth-oldest living person when she died, Young said.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/04/04/world-oldest-practicing-doctor-dies-at-114/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fhealth+%28Internal+-+Health+-+Text%29#ixzz1r5ZJVfqN
Men start businesses for the money: Women for the social value
A study of the sexes reveals that when it comes to starting a business, women are more likely than men to consider individual responsibility and use business as a vehicle for social and environmental change.
"We found that women are 1.17 times more likely than men to create social ventures than economic ventures, and women are 1.23 times more likely to pursue environmental ventures than economic focused ventures," says Diana Hechevarria, a doctoral candidate in management and entrepreneurship in the University of Cincinnati's Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
"We found that women are 1.17 times more likely than men to create social ventures than economic ventures, and women are 1.23 times more likely to pursue environmental ventures than economic focused ventures," says Diana Hechevarria, a doctoral candidate in management and entrepreneurship in the University of Cincinnati's Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
Caffeine and exercise may be protective against skin cancer caused by sun exposure, study suggests
The combined effects of exercise plus caffeine consumption may be able to ward off skin cancer and also prevent inflammation related to other obesity-linked cancers.
"We found that this combination treatment can decrease sunlight-caused skin cancer formation in a mouse model," said Yao-Ping Lu, Ph.D., associate research professor of chemical biology and director of skin cancer prevention at the Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy in Piscataway, N.J. He presented these findings at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held in Chicago March 31 -- April 4.
"I believe we may extrapolate these findings to humans and anticipate that we would benefit from these combination treatments as well," Lu added.
"We found that this combination treatment can decrease sunlight-caused skin cancer formation in a mouse model," said Yao-Ping Lu, Ph.D., associate research professor of chemical biology and director of skin cancer prevention at the Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy in Piscataway, N.J. He presented these findings at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held in Chicago March 31 -- April 4.
"I believe we may extrapolate these findings to humans and anticipate that we would benefit from these combination treatments as well," Lu added.
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