Culture

As much as 75 percent of global seed diversity in staple food crops is held and actively used by a wide range of small farmholders -- workers of less than three to seven acres -- with the rest in gene banks, according to a Penn State geographer.

Nervous disposition? chocolates. Özgür Mülazımoğlu

Those who mark Valentine’s Day may well have been making careful plans to impress that significant other these past few days. Classy restaurant – check. Romantic atmosphere – check. Best suit or little black dress – check.

Image:Brad Perkins,CC BY-SA

Every year massive amounts of valuable resources are deemed “waste” and consigned to landfill. Take the UK – around 540 million tonnes of products and materials enter the country annually, but only 117 million tonnes are recycled.

Is a new diet or exercise program working for a friend? If so, there's a good chance that you will try it, too.

A person who finds success in a wellness program is more influential in getting friends to sign up than a charismatic, but less successful pal, according to a study by University at Buffalo occupational health researcher Lora Cavuoto.

The study, "Modeling the Spread of an Obesity Intervention through a Social Network," was published in the Journal of Healthcare Engineering.

Short-term cognitive behavioral therapy dramatically reduces suicide attempts among at-risk military personnel, according to findings from a research study that included investigators from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Scholars have long debated what successful aging is, how to measure it, and how to promote it. But the latest issue of The Gerontologist lays the groundwork for building consensus on the topic -- while pointing out that the answer may differ among academics and the general public, as well as across populations and demographic groups.

If you think our romantic relationships are based on the passions of the heart and the melding of minds – both beyond explanation or reason – then think again.

People in love might seem preoccupied, emotional and at times downright irrational, but there might just be some surprisingly logical foundations underpinning our romantic relationships. In fact, there are some things about our intimate relationships that can be predicted by our behaviours and how we react and relate to our loved ones.

An online profile name beginning with letters A-M is as important as an attractive photo and fluent headline when it comes to being successful in the world of online dating, according to scientists.

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London have taken an evidence-based approach to the ancient pursuit of dating, by carrying out a systematic review on converting online contact into a first date.

A nationally representative survey shows that natural product use in the United States has shifted since 2007, with some products becoming more popular and some falling out of favor. Overall, natural products (dietary supplements other than vitamins and minerals) remain the most common alternative medicine.

If you think these products rise and fall based on television and diet fads that get mainstream media attention, you would be correct.

By Stephen Gorard, Professor of Education and Public Policy at Durham University and Beng Huat See, Research Associate in the School of Education at Durham University

The gender stereotype is that women want commitment and men want lots of flings - psychologists have been trying for a century to make the a function of biology. But a study of the Makushi people in Guyana upends that, with men more likely to seek long-term relationships because women are in short supply.

Also debunked is the conventional view that when men outnumber women, there are more likely to be male-male fights and increases in sexually transmitted diseases.

Influenza has a long history of being one of the most deadly diseases to afflict humanity, but what exactly makes it so dangerous?

Certainly one reason is that influenza viruses have a history of jumping from other animals to humans, which, when the trans-species virus is new to the human population, generally means that human immune systems have no natural resistance. Another reason is that influenza viruses, with their rapidly mutating single-strand RNA genomes, are highly variable over time.

Teachers experience some of the highest levels of job-related stress, and such stress may leave them more vulnerable to depression. How do elementary school teachers' symptoms of depression affect the quality of the classroom environment and students' learning? A new study has found that teachers who reported more symptoms of depression than their fellow teachers had classrooms that were of lesser quality across many areas, and students in these classrooms had lower performance gains, particularly in math.

By Benjamin Iaquinto, PhD student, School of Geography at University of Melbourne and Kathryn Williams, Associate Professor in environmental psychology and Director, Office for Environmental Programs at University of Melbourne

A new study examining temperamental differences between U.S. and Dutch babies found infants born in the Netherlands are more likely to be happy and easier to soothe in the latter half of their first year. U.S. infants, on the other hand, were typically more active and vocal, said study co-author Maria Gartstein, a Washington State University associate professor of psychology.