Sophisticated nano-structures assembled with magnets

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DURHAM, N.C. -- What do Saturn and flowers have in common?

As shapes, both possess certain symmetries that are easily recognizable in the natural world. Now, at an extremely small level, researchers from Duke University and the University of Massachusetts have created a unique set of conditions in which tiny particles within a solution will consistently assemble themselves into these and other complex shapes.

Collective religious rituals, not religious devotion, spur support for suicide attacks

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The liberating effects of losing control

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Self-control is one of our most cherished values. We applaud those with the discipline to regulate their appetites and actions, and we try hard to instill this virtue in our children. We celebrate the power of the mind to make hard choices and keep us on course. But is it possible that willpower can sometimes be an obstacle rather than a means to happiness and harmony?

Secure right of usage more important than ownership to China's forest farmers

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What do poor forest farmers want from China's ongoing forest land reform? Well, it is not private ownership of the land that makes them invest. What Chinese farmers value most and what attracts them to investments that can raise their standard of living and contribute to sustainable forestry is secure rights of usage, as shown by Ping Qin's doctoral thesis in economics at the School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Link between unexploded munitions in oceans and cancer-causing toxins determined

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Athens, Ga. – During a research trip to Puerto Rico, ecologist James Porter took samples from underwater nuclear bomb target USS Killen, expecting to find evidence of radioactive matter – instead he found a link to cancer. Data revealed that the closer corals and marine life were to unexploded bombs from the World War II vessel and the surrounding target range, the higher the rates of carcinogenic materials.

Decline of shorebird linked to bait use of horseshoe crabs

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Declining numbers of a shorebird called the red knot have been linked to bait use of horseshoe crabs.

Long-term surveys of red knots showed that the average weight of red knots when they leave Delaware Bay has declined significantly since their primary food source, eggs of horseshoe crabs, has been reduced. The study also revealed that red knot survivorship is related to departure weight, and that the population size of red knots has declined by more than 75 percent.

UCLA geographers urge US to search three structures in Pakistan for bin Laden

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While U.S. intelligence officials have spent more than seven years searching fruitlessly for Osama bin Laden, UCLA geographers say they have a good idea of where the terrorist leader was at the end of 2001 — and perhaps where he has been in the years since.

Death on film

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Death is a subject that is frequently dealt with on film, arousing strong feelings in many viewers. Despite this, film researchers have rarely paid it much attention. Film researcher Andreas Jacobsson at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden uses a comparative perspective in his thesis to analyse the motif of death in different film cultures. Death is understood and presented in different ways in different cultures.

Digital images estimate canopy coverage, light interception

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GUADAJIRA (BADAJOZ), SPAIN—Canopy light interception (LI) is an important factor for crop growth and fruit yield. Crop yield depends on a canopy's ability to intercept incident solar radiation, which in turn depends on the available leaf area, its structure, and its efficiency in the process of photosynthesis.

Maximizing leaf growth through light interception is an important consideration when studying different agricultural or environmental factors on crop yield, and it is the main source of data in the most widely used methods for estimating crop water needs.

Results of national nursery survey unveiled

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GAINESVILLE, FL—The U.S. Green industry, including nursery and greenhouse producers, landscape services firms, and wholesale and retail distributors, has grown dramatically during the past two decades, becoming an increasingly important sector of American agriculture.

In 2002, the Green Industry generated 1.96 million jobs and $147.8 billion in sales. In 2006, sales of U.S. nursery and greenhouse crops reached $16.9 billion. Despite its growing importance, however, the production and management practices followed in this industry have not been well-documented.