ScienceDaily: Living Well News

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• Caregiving dads treated disrespectfully at work, new study finds
• You're so vain: Study links social media use and narcissism
• Perfect pitch may not be absolute after all
• Obesity can be predicted from infancy, researchers find
• Sudden allergies: When a summer cold is much more

Caregiving dads treated disrespectfully at work, new study finds Posted: 11 Jun 2013 10:09 AM PDT If policy-makers want to do something about falling birth rates, they may want to take a look at improving how people are treated at work when they step outside of traditional family roles at home. New studies show that middle-class men who take on non-traditional caregiving roles are treated worse at work than men who stick closer to traditional gender norms in the family. Women without children and mothers with non-traditional caregiving arrangements are treated worst of all.

You're so vain: Study links social media use and narcissism Posted: 11 Jun 2013 09:21 AM PDT Facebook is a mirror and Twitter is a megaphone, according to a new study exploring how social media reflect and amplify the culture's growing levels of narcissism.

Perfect pitch may not be absolute after all Posted: 11 Jun 2013 09:20 AM PDT People who think they have perfect pitch may not be as in tune as they think, according to a new study in which people failed to notice a gradual change in pitch while listening to music. When tested afterward, people said notes that were in tune at the beginning sounded out of tune.

Obesity can be predicted from infancy, researchers find Posted: 11 Jun 2013 08:17 AM PDT Infants as young as two months old already exhibit growth patterns that can predict the child's weight by age 5, according to researchers.

Sudden allergies: When a summer cold is much more Posted: 11 Jun 2013 08:15 AM PDT With temperatures in the 80s, the last thing anyone wants is a runny nose and constant sneezing to put a damper on vacation plans and outdoor festivals. While many blame their symptoms on a summer cold, it could be something much more. Summer allergies can strike at any age, mimicking a cold.

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The Cynical Girl: Michelle Obama and ENDA

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Michelle Obama and ENDA Posted: 11 Jun 2013 03:45 AM PDT I liked Michelle Obama’s bangs. There. I said it. I also like that Mrs. Obama was heckled at a fundraiser, last week. You know why? She was heckled over a Human Resources issue: the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. HR is Political. Ellen Sturtz, a retired public servant and an advocate for LGBT equality, was hoping that President Obama would sign an executive order providing workplace protections by federal contractors in his first term. That hasn’t happened. And she wants him to keep his promise and pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), ending workplace discrimination by all employers. Ms. Sturtz is still waiting. My colleagues in Human Resources hate it when I write political blog posts. They tell me that I am not pro-business. They say that businesses should be able to hire freely and that the government should mimic the private sector and hire more selectively. And HR consultants and practitioners still say things like this: If you force companies to hire and employe gay people, you have to force them to hire pedophiles, sexual perverts and rapists. People still say that. This is true. And I’ve had to jump in and say — Being pro-business doesn’t mean you have to be stupid. Rapists and pedophiles are criminals. Our LGBT colleagues and friends are not criminals. It’s immoral to fire people for being gay. And discrimination is bad for business, whether that’s the private sector or the business of running this country. HR Should Know Better. You don’t have to be Martin Niemöller to know that a company that can discriminate against a gay person might one day discriminate against Jews, Mormons or Muslims. And an organization with consolidated power might change the terms and conditions of our employment and start firing people who worship Jesus, Allah, and Buddha — and then start hiring people who believe in Cernunnos, Pan, Atho or Karnayna. And what about companies run by atheists, the Triumvirate or George Soros? I hear that if you give them enough power and black helicopters, they might they discriminate against Evangelical Christians. Bottom Line? Human Resources professionals know that discrimination against one is discrimination against all. Checks and balances are a pain-in-the ass for most companies, but they exist for a reason. ENDA is a check and balance on a system that still discriminates against law-abiding LGBT citizens. And if Michelle Obama is a friend to the gay community, which I think she is, this incident should be a wake-up call. Gay marriage isn’t enough. Equal protection under the law matters. Great HR people know that, as well.

These things I believe. Posted: 10 Jun 2013 06:45 AM PDT Joe Gerstandt told me (and you) the things he believes. I was inspired and wrote my list. Much of it is co-opted from things I have read and witnessed. And my list reveals some truths about me that are cringeworthy, contradictory and weird. But it’s an honest list . . . . even if I’m not an honest woman. Life is hard work. Nobody escapes without experiencing sadness and pain. Then you die. Imprint memories of happiness and joy. Hold on to them for dear life. Yes, they are lying to you. The are out to get you. They want you to fail. Forgive them, anyway. Empathy softens the blow of life. Your religion doesn’t matter. Your actions matter. Even in your own story, you are not the main character. Addiction is an insidious beast. Fight like hell even when the battle feels lost. At some point, you will hurt the ones you love. Failure to try will haunt you. There are some accomplishments that will never be recognized. They still matter. A job is just a job despite what people tell you. Leadership is what happens when most of us aren’t looking. A majority opinion is just a collective compromise. The biggest threat to freedom is consolidated and privatized power. Consumerism oppresses creativity and kills the heart and soul of humankind. You are just like everyone else at the moment when you feel unique and special. Birthdays matter. It is the beginning of everything great and possible. There should be tenderness underneath truth. The greatest legacy is soft and unspoken. Without love, none of this matters. What you are waiting for? Write your list.

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ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Video gamers really do see more: Gamers capture more information faster for visual decision-making
• Exposure to air transforms gold alloys into catalytic nanostructures
• Cloud computing user privacy in serious need of reform, scholars say
• Marks on Martian dunes may be tracks of dry-ice sleds
• Shining a light on cool pools of gas in the galaxy
• Black hole naps amidst stellar chaos
• Moon radiation findings may reduce health risks to astronauts
• New tasks become as simple as waving a hand with brain-computer interfaces
• Polymer nanoreactors create uniform nanocrystals
• Graphene and semiconductor technology together: Smaller, cheaper, better
• Effective privacy protection in social networks
• Less friction loss in combustion engines
• Intelligent door seal prevents poor air quality
• 'Popcorn' particle pathways promise better lithium-ion batteries

Video gamers really do see more: Gamers capture more information faster for visual decision-making Posted: 11 Jun 2013 01:19 PM PDT Hours spent at the video gaming console not only train a player's hands to work the buttons on the controller, they probably also train the brain to make better and faster use of visual input, according to researchers.

Exposure to air transforms gold alloys into catalytic nanostructures Posted: 11 Jun 2013 01:19 PM PDT Scientists have created promising gold-indium oxide nanoparticles through room-temperature oxidation.

Cloud computing user privacy in serious need of reform, scholars say Posted: 11 Jun 2013 12:44 PM PDT The current "non-negotiable approach" to user privacy is in need of serious revision, especially with the increased popularity of web-based software that shares information via cloud computing, experts say.

Marks on Martian dunes may be tracks of dry-ice sleds Posted: 11 Jun 2013 11:51 AM PDT NASA research indicates hunks of frozen carbon dioxide -- dry ice -- may glide down some Martian sand dunes on cushions of gas similar to miniature hovercraft, plowing furrows as they go. Researchers deduced this process could explain one enigmatic class of gullies seen on Martian sand dunes by examining images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and performing experiments on sand dunes in Utah and California.

Shining a light on cool pools of gas in the galaxy Posted: 11 Jun 2013 11:48 AM PDT Newly formed stars shine brightly, practically crying out, "Hey, look at me!" But not everything in our Milky Way galaxy is easy to see. The bulk of material between the stars in the galaxy -- the cool hydrogen gas from which stars spring -- is nearly impossible to find.

Black hole naps amidst stellar chaos Posted: 11 Jun 2013 11:45 AM PDT Nearly a decade ago, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory caught signs of what appeared to be a black hole snacking on gas at the middle of the nearby Sculptor galaxy. Now, NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), which sees higher-energy X-ray light, has taken a peek and found the black hole asleep.

Moon radiation findings may reduce health risks to astronauts Posted: 11 Jun 2013 11:43 AM PDT Space scientists report that data gathered by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter show lighter materials like plastics provide effective shielding against the radiation hazards faced by astronauts during extended space travel. The finding could help reduce health risks to humans on future missions into deep space.

New tasks become as simple as waving a hand with brain-computer interfaces Posted: 11 Jun 2013 11:33 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated that when humans use brain-computer interfaces, the brain behaves much like it does when completing simple motor skills such as kicking a ball, typing or waving a hand. Learning to control a robotic arm or a prosthetic limb could become second nature for people who are paralyzed.

Polymer nanoreactors create uniform nanocrystals Posted: 11 Jun 2013 10:09 AM PDT Using star-shaped block co-polymer structures as tiny reaction vessels, researchers have developed an improved technique for producing nanocrystals with consistent sizes, compositions and architectures – including metallic, ferroelectric, magnetic, semiconductor and luminescent nanocrystals.

Graphene and semiconductor technology together: Smaller, cheaper, better Posted: 11 Jun 2013 05:42 AM PDT Mobile phones that bend, self-powered nanodevices, new and improved solar cell technology and windows that generate electricity are but a few of the potential products from the union of semiconductors and graphene.

Effective privacy protection in social networks Posted: 11 Jun 2013 05:42 AM PDT Researchers are working on new methods to help them gain a better understanding of the usage habits of participants in social networks. The results will be incorporated in the development of userfriendly tools for privacy protection.

Less friction loss in combustion engines Posted: 11 Jun 2013 05:42 AM PDT Researchers have developed a method that can reduce engine friction and wear even during production of engine components. Special coatings can help to reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

Intelligent door seal prevents poor air quality Posted: 11 Jun 2013 05:41 AM PDT For a long time, heat insulation was en vogue -- and nearly no one was concerned about poor indoor air quality. And yet excess carbon dioxide hampers concentration. Now, researchers have come up with an intelligent door seal system.

'Popcorn' particle pathways promise better lithium-ion batteries Posted: 11 Jun 2013 05:22 AM PDT Researchers have confirmed the particle-by-particle mechanism by which lithium ions move in and out of electrodes made of lithium iron phosphate, findings that could lead to better performance in lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles, medical equipment and aircraft.

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