Tourism businesses across Aotearoa New Zealand are working to become more sustainable, but a new study shows the process is complex and rarely straightforward. The research, based on in-depth interviews, data analysis and site visits with established tourism operators across the country, examines how businesses move from good intentions to more sustainable ways of working.
See the vet reports during any yearling sale and you'll hear it—a ripple of concern when a veterinarian flags a bone chip on a radiograph of the horse's leg. Buyers often step away. Prices drop. The horse, in the minds of many, is already compromised. However, findings of a study from the University of Kentucky Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center challenge that assumption, which carries real financial weight for sellers and consignors.
Peanuts are an important staple crop for many people around the world. As well as being delicious as smooth or crunchy peanut butter, their seeds are high in healthy fats and protein and can be pressed into oil.
In the minds of many people, math lives in the classroom—on blackboards, in textbooks, and in tests. New research from Amber Simpson, associate professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Educational Leadership at Binghamton University's College of Community and Public Affairs, shows how math is happening all around us, especially at home, and that families don't even realize the role they play in how children experience mathematics.
Researchers from the University of Helsinki, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Tamkang University and National Taiwan University investigated how the Green View Index (GVI) relates to the richness and diversity of bacteria in the Taipei metropolitan area in Taiwan. The more vegetation in the area, the richer its microbial community. The Green View Index measures visible greenery from the pedestrian perspective. The work is published in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning.
For decades, scientists have been studying the cognition of great apes to understand how our own complex cognitive abilities evolved. Much of the research is based on the idea that if a particular ability—like using gestures to communicate—is found only in species that are closely related to us, then it's likely the trait appeared relatively late in our evolutionary history.
By harnessing the unique properties of quantum mechanics, scientists and engineers worldwide seek to enable systems with extraordinary capabilities. Many of them are working on the highly anticipated development of quantum computers capable of completing complex calculations at unprecedented speeds. These computers could meet the growing computational demands of both scientific research and data-intensive industries like finance, cybersecurity, and medicine.
It has often been suggested that we now live in a "post-truth" world. People increasingly rely on their own feelings as a yardstick for what is true. Psychologists at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) have now developed the "Youniversalism" scale to allow them to measure people's belief in subjective and experiential truths. The research is published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.
What if a single sentence could carry two completely different meanings, one when read forward and another when read backward? In a new study, researchers at Arizona State University have discovered a biological version of this idea. Working with the mitochondria of a tiny insect called the citrus mealybug, the team found that the same stretch of DNA can carry two different genes—sets of genetic instructions used by the cell—with one encoded on each strand of the DNA's ladder-like structure.
If you've noticed more whales visiting local waters, you're not imagining it: Vancouver's gargantuan guests are here thanks to the season, great grub and conservation successes, researchers say.
