Cornell University
AUSTIN, Texas--Wishful bettors, those who make overly optimistic investments, will ultimately harm themselves financially, but they can harm entire markets as well, new research shows.
"Finish your broccoli!" Although parents may have good intentions about forcing their kids to eat cold, mushy vegetables, this approach may backfire the very next day, according to new research from Cornell University.
Women don't choose careers in math-intensive fields, such as computer science, physics, technology, engineering, chemistry, and higher mathematics, because they want the flexibility to raise children, or because they prefer other fields of science that are less math-intensive--not because they lack mathematical ability, according to a new study.
Do you have a picky preschooler who's avoiding their vegetables? A new Cornell University study shows that giving vegetables catchy new names - like X-Ray Vision Carrots and Tomato Bursts - left preschoolers asking for more.
When TV viewers like a company's Super Bowl commercial, the company's stock price goes up, according to a study by researchers at the University at Buffalo School of Management and Cornell University.
Fitted with a new compound eye, the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico last week began a multiyear effort to survey all the galaxies in a large swath of sky out to a distance of 800 million light years—a survey that may well uncover the often-theorized, but never-seen, "dark galaxies." If they do exist, dark galaxies, would be vast clumps of primordial hydrogen and helium gas that have drifted through the universe for 10 billion years or more, but for some reason have never been able to turn that gas into stars. As such, they would account for at least some of the mysterious cosmic "dark matter," which makes itself known only by its gravitational effects on the ordinary, star-rich galaxies.
In a study to determine how much the public fears terrorism, almost half of respondents polled nationally said they believe the U.S. government should -- in some way -- curtail civil liberties for Muslim Americans, according to a new survey released by Cornell University. About 27 percent of respondents said that all Muslim Americans should be required to register their location with the federal government, and 26 percent said they think that mosques should be closely monitored by U.S. law enforcement agencies. Twenty-nine percent agreed that undercover law enforcement agents should infiltrate Muslim civic and volunteer organizations, in order to keep tabs on their activities and fund raising.
By using a device only six-millionths of a meter long, researchers at Cornell University have been able to detect the presence of as few as a half-dozen viruses -- and they believe the device is sensitive enough to notice just one.
Strong-flavored onions can be harsh on your social life, but they're potentially great for fighting cancer. Researchers at Cornell University have found, in preliminary lab studies, that members of the onion family with the strongest flavor -- particularly New York Bold, Western Yellow and shallots -- are the best varieties for inhibiting the growth of liver and colon cancer cells.
In a world plagued by shortages of water, three facts stand out in an analysis by Cornell University ecologists: Less than 1 percent of water on the planet is fresh water; agriculture in the United States consumes 80 percent of the available fresh water each year; and 60 percent of U.S. water intended for crop irrigation never reaches the crops. Their report names farmers as ''the prime target for incentives to conserve water.'' The report is particularly critical of irrigation practices in the United States, where subsidized ''cheap water'' offers scant incentive for conservation.
Warm workers work better, an ergonomics study at Cornell University finds. Chilly workers not only make more errors but cooler temperatures could increase a worker's hourly labor cost by 10 percent, estimates Alan Hedge, professor of design and environmental analysis and director of Cornell's Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory. When the office temperature in a month-long study increased from 68 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit, typing errors fell by 44 percent and typing output jumped 150 percent. Hedge's study was exploring the link between changes in the physical environment and work performance.
Exactly what governs the motions of falling paper? While college students suspect the answer is known to lazy professors -- the ones who allegedly grade essays by throwing them down stairwells to see which sails the farthest -- the so-called falling paper problem has long intrigued scientists. Now a professor and her graduate student at Cornell University have solved the falling paper problem -- in part by calculating the motions of a scientific journal page in flight.
When the federal government issues a terrorist warning, presidential approval ratings jump, a Cornell University sociologist finds. Interestingly, terrorist warnings also boost support for the president on issues that are largely irrelevant to terrorism, such as his handling of the economy.
Using a carbon nanotube, researchers have produced a tiny electromechanical oscillator that might be capable of weighing a single atom. The device, perhaps the smallest of its kind ever produced, can be tuned across a wide range of radio frequencies, and one day might replace bulky power-hungry elements in electronic circuits.
Last-second touchdowns and pennant-waving alumni are staples of the fall college scene. But while big-time athletic programs consume enormous resources on college campuses, they don't bring the rewards colleges expect -- more and better applicants and alumni donations -- a report by a Cornell University economist suggests. The surprising results of the report contradict commonly held wisdom about the indirect benefits of successful college sports programs, and they may call into question the competitive spending spree among big-time college athletic programs across the country.
