http://ec.europa.eu//research/science-society/index.cfm en Wed, 30 May 2012 09:09:17 GMT http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=rss For more RSS news feeds click the link above. Wed, 30 May 2012 09:09:17 GMT http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=rss http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_05_04_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=24773 Scientists in France, the United Kingdom and the United States have found that modern man can learn a lot about land management by taking a look at what happened in the past. The study, presented in the journal PNAS, put the spotlight on the Amazonian area, indicating that its earliest inhabitants managed their farmland sustainably. The data suggest that indigenous people who lived in the savannas around the Amazonian forest farmed without the use of fire.]]> Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-05-04:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_05_04_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=24773 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_04_16_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=24573 With commemorative events happening all around the world to mark 100 years since the Titanic went down, its legacy as represented in both the history books and popular culture has shaped how we view what happens in a maritime disaster. Now, a team of Swedish scientists claims that one of these widely held beliefs about maritime disasters - that women and children are always the first to be saved, was a phenomenon unique to the Titanic.]]> Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-04-16:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_04_16_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=24573 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=09&item=Infocentre&artid=24354 "I have never seen women scientists, I've only seen men. Girls get this upbringing where they shouldn't be scientists, they should do something else. Girls are very interested in science. Maybe they don't know that, but they are."]]> Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-03-28:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=09&item=Infocentre&artid=24354 http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=conferences&eventcode=4EAFBA5E-BDBD-62E1-177C8E4914FCEB3A Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-03-26:/index.cfm?pg=conferences&eventcode=4EAFBA5E-BDBD-62E1-177C8E4914FCEB3A http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_03_09_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=24173 Most researchers believe that the origins of human language are found in Africa, in particular the south-west part of the continent. But a new study from the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in Germany counters this belief, claiming there is not enough data to support the 'out of Africa' hypothesis. The research is backed by the QUANTHISTLING ('Quantitative modelling of historical-comparative linguistics') project, which is funded by a European Research Council Starting Grant worth EUR 1.93 million as part of the FP7.]]> Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-03-09:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_03_09_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=24173 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_02_16_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23913 Ancient fish seines and traps have been discovered in the Russian capital city of Moscow, a new international study reveals. Led by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the researchers have documented a series of equipment dating back more than 7 500 years. They say while it is very old, it shows a great technical complexity. This discovery provides insight into the role of fishing among the European settlements by the early Holocene epoch, some 10 000 years ago. The information will be especially useful for understanding the areas where inhabitants did not practice agriculture almost until the Iron Age.]]> Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-02-16:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_02_16_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23913 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_02_13_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23893 Ants are tough, loyal and hard workers, all working towards a common goal. New research from Germany, France and the United Kingdom suggests that political and economic theorists could learn lessons by examining how ant colonies allocate food resources. Current political systems use legislation and regulations to ensure that resources are not overexploited. The findings, presented in the journal The American Naturalist, show how ant colonies reap rewards when an external 'parasite' enters the picture, effectively helping curb resource overexploitation by resident queens.]]> Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-02-13:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_02_13_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23893 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_01_30_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23773 Diseases are not the only things that can be contagious; yawning is catching too. And while most of us have long recognised this phenomenon, thanks in part to falling 'victim' to it, no one succeeded in shedding scientific light on this mystery ... until now. Researchers in Italy have offered the first behavioural evidence that yawning is a fast and frequent effect between people who share an empathic bond, like friends and family members. The results were published in the journal PLoS ONE.]]> Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-01-30:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_01_30_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23773 http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=conferences&eventcode=1ED5BE30-CF0E-1818-47A332C85494E79C Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-01-27:/index.cfm?pg=conferences&eventcode=1ED5BE30-CF0E-1818-47A332C85494E79C http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_01_23_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23573 Researchers from Germany and the United States suggest that the European conquest triggered the loss of more than half the Native American population. The results of their study provide new insight into the demise of the indigenous population. Experts recognise that Native Americans died while at war or due to diseases when Europeans first arrived in the Americas; the question this latest study addresses is how the overall population was impacted by the conquest. Extensive genetic analysis proved that a transient contradiction in population sizes by some 50% occurred approximately 500 years ago. The findings substantiate historical records indicating how the European settlers impacted the peoples of North and South America: diseases, wars, famine and slavery all played a part. The study was presented in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).]]> Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-01-23:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_01_23_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23573 http://ec.europa.eu/research/horizon2020/index_en.cfm?pg=videos-by-theme Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2011-12-06:/horizon2020/index_en.cfm?pg=videos-by-theme http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_11_12_05_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23353 People who cook over open fires and dirty cookstoves are at a higher risk of suffering from illnesses than those who do not, new international research shows. Presented in the journal The Lancet, the findings reveal a 33% drop in the number of reported pneumonia cases in children living in homes with smoke-reducing chimneys on the cookstoves.]]> Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2011-12-05:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_11_12_05_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23353 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_11_11_25_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23314 Europeans are rising to meet the challenge of overcoming inequalities and of promoting social cohesion, but existing educational differences are not making this easy. EU-funded researchers are investigating the educational strategies that could help Europeans prevail over such challenges. The INCLUD-ED ('Strategies for inclusion and social cohesion in Europe from education') project received EUR 3.36 million under the 'Citizens and governance in a knowledge-based society' Thematic area of the FP6.]]> Fri, 25 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2011-11-25:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_11_11_25_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23314 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_11_11_21_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23273 A European team of researchers led by the universities of York and Bradford in the United Kingdom has discovered that humans modified their behaviour slowly rather than quickly when it came to switching their method in hunting for and gathering their food. Presented in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the findings unlock the mystery of this transition with help from residues in ancient cooking pots.]]> Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2011-11-21:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_11_11_21_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23273 http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=conferences&eventcode=92E2A32D-FAFE-C5AB-4E3F4507345907D9 Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2011-11-11:/index.cfm?pg=conferences&eventcode=92E2A32D-FAFE-C5AB-4E3F4507345907D9 http://ec.europa.eu/research/sse/2010/index_en.cfm Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2011-11-08:/sse/2010/index_en.cfm http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_11_11_08_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23193 The relationship between drinking and damage to one's health is stronger in the Baltic countries and Sweden than in Italy, new research from Europe shows. The findings, published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, suggest that the northern part of Europe tends to report higher alcohol-harm relationships because of a stronger propensity to indulge in heavy episodic drinking, what experts label 'binge drinking'.]]> Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2011-11-08:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_11_11_08_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23193 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_11_11_04_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23154 Scientists in Denmark and the United Kingdom have unearthed the remnants of the world's best preserved examples of a massive ancient landslide in Spain. Their finding, presented in the journal Geology, gives volcanologists the information they need to determine when the landslide occurred following a large volcanic eruption on the Canarian island of Tenerife. Scientists welcome the news because little information is known about why such landslides occur.]]> Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2011-11-04:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_11_11_04_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23154 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_11_10_28_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23117 Researchers are using innovative tools to perform psychological experiments a lot faster than they used to. Experts believe the number of smartphone users worldwide will top the 1 billion mark by 2013. Now an international team of scientists has taken advantage of smartphone technology to examine the mental processes involved in how humans remember, think, speak and solve problems. Presented in the journal PLoS ONE, the findings demonstrate how these tiny tools can dramatically change cognitive science research. The study was funded in part by the O-CODE ('Cracking the orthographic code') project, which has clinched a European Research Council grant worth EUR 2.2 million under the FP7.]]> Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2011-10-28:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_11_10_28_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23117 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_11_10_26_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23114 Contrary to popular belief, it is not genes that control the development of periodic structures in embryos, but rather simple physical and chemical phenomena. This is the observation of a new study from France and Poland published in the journal Europhysics Letters. Researchers present a theoretical model that provides insight into the process of how segmentation is impacted by the system's internal and thermodynamic noise. The finding, say the researchers, is counter-intuitive in the context of what was initially perceived.]]> Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2011-10-26:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_11_10_26_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=23114 http://ec.europa.eu/research/youngscientists/index_en.cfm?pg=videos Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2011-10-14:/youngscientists/index_en.cfm?pg=videos http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_11_10_11_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=22993 An international team of scientists has discovered that Aboriginal Australians descend directly from an early human expansion into Asia that materialised 70 000 years ago. This occurred at least 24 000 years before the population movements that led to today's Europeans and Asians. The results, published in the journal Science, shed new light on the prehistory of our species and offer a first-time look at the human genome from an Aboriginal Australian.]]> Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2011-10-11:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_11_10_11_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=22993 http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=conferences&eventcode=DDE6B402-ADF2-E667-1B1A0E1D94B14458 Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2011-10-07:/index.cfm?pg=conferences&eventcode=DDE6B402-ADF2-E667-1B1A0E1D94B14458 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_11_09_30_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=22914 More than 80 scientists from Australia, Germany, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States have discovered advanced features found in the brain and body through the use of sophisticated technology, effectively shedding new light on the evolution of the brain from Australopithecus to the genus Homo. Presented in the journal Science, the work is part of a series of five papers based on new evidence relevant to different aspects of the anatomy of the species Australopithecus sediba, an early human ancestor.]]> Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2011-09-30:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_11_09_30_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=22914 http://ec.europa.eu/research/youngscientists/index_en.cfm?pg=videos Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2011-09-29:/youngscientists/index_en.cfm?pg=videos http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/index.cfm For more information on Science in society, click the link above, which will take you to the Science in Society web site. Wed, 30 May 2012 09:09:17 GMT http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/index.cfm