Science/General-Sciences news

A new study from North Carolina State University shows that painted road markings, such as the lines separating traffic lanes, are significantly better at reflecting headlights in the direction that the paint was applied. This finding will help determine how states comply with new federal safety regulations and save money on painting their roadways.

MIT engineers have created a kind of beltway that allows for the rapid transit of electrical energy through a well-known battery material, an advance that could usher in smaller, lighter batteries -- for cell phones and other devices -- that could recharge in seconds rather than hours.

Most of us remember our teenage years with a mix of fondness and relief. Fondness for the good memories, and relief that all that teenage stress, angst and drama — first love, gossip, SATs, fights with parents — is behind us.

Royal Dutch Shell plc and Codexis, Inc. today announced an expanded agreement to develop better enzymes that could accelerate commercialisation of next generation biofuels. Shell also increased its equity stake in Codexis and will take an additional seat on the company’s board.

The median profit margin of U.S. hospitals has fallen to zero percent, according to a Thomson Reuters analysis of hospital finances published today. Driven largely by a decline in non-operating revenues, financial strains are apparent in all types of hospitals - small, medium and large community hospitals, teaching hospitals and major teaching hospitals.

IBM (NYSE: IBM) Global Business Services today unveiled its new report, "Lighting the Way: Understanding the smart energy consumer" that shows consumers around the globe are willing to become more involved with managing their energy use.

A new study co-authored by a researcher from North Carolina State University says the relationship between fathers and daughters is leading to an increase in the number of daughters who are pursuing careers in the same field as their dads.

IBM (NYSE: IBM) and the Ontario Centres of Excellence today launched a pilot project that gives university students, professors, and other researchers anytime, anywhere access to some of IBM’s leading business software via cloud computing.

According to a survey of U.S. healthcare organizations conducted by Healthcare Informatics Research, the recent economic downturn has care providers looking for ways to reduce IT spending and increase revenue.

A new system is using satellite navigation data to help car drivers develop smart, smooth and safe driving techniques that can help save an average of 15-25% in fuel, as well as contribute to environmental protection.

A Kauffman Foundation study released today demonstrates the critical role universities play not only in fostering innovation and entrepreneurial growth, but in stimulating the much-needed recovery in regional and global economies.

Social isolation affects how people behave as well as how their brains operate, a study at the University of Chicago shows.

Engineers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS have developed a novel voltage converter that can handle input voltages as low as 20 millivolts.

Paleontologists can still hear the echo of the death knell that drove the dinosaurs and many other organisms to extinction following an asteroid collision at the end of the Cretaceous Period 65 million years ago.

Researchers have discovered a way to get another bonus from the implementation of electronic medical records: testing the efficacy of treatments for disease.

Children who talk on cell phones while crossing streets are at a higher risk for injuries or death in a pedestrian accident, said psychologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in a new study that will appear in the February issue of Pediatrics.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) committed today to reduce phosphates in laundry and dish detergents in the Americas region by 70 percent by 2011.

In the first year since its launch, the global Climate Initiative of Zurich Financial Services Group (Zurich) has led to the development of new products and services addressing the evolving risks associated with climate change, significant steps in measuring and managing Zurich's own carbon footprint and the facilitation of climate change related research.

A new study connects young adults' use of video games to poorer relationships with friends and family - and the student co-author expresses disappointment at his own findings.

White people do not get as upset when confronted with racial prejudice as they think they will, a study by researchers at Yale University, York University, and the University of British Columbia suggests.