lightcastle (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lightcastle) wrote2009-12-20 01:26 pm
lightcastle) wrote2009-12-20 01:26 pm
Entry tags:
Sunday Science Update
Characters on television shows receive different nonverbal reactions depending on race, according to research appearing in Science.
The Science study authors examined black and white characters whose status and positive attributes, such as likability and intelligence, could be roughly equated. For each of 30 characters, they edited brief clips to remove both the audio track and the featured black or white character, so it was possible to see how the "target" character was treated without actually seeing that character. Judges, who had not previously watched the shows, rated the extent to which the unseen characters were treated positively and liked by the other characters. Compared with black characters, white characters elicited significantly more favorable nonverbal responses. The studies did not examine why biases in the programs occur.
They also found that viewers exhibited more bias after watching the clips. It's an interesting study.
Study indicates couples in egalitarian relationships tend to be happier. There are no actual details on the study, so I'm only putting this up because it feeds my confirmation bias.
The metal-metabolizing Shewanella oneidensis microbe does not just cling to metal in its environment, as previously thought. Instead, it harvests electrochemical energy obtained upon contact with the metal and swims furiously for a few minutes before landing again.
They've found a nearby super-Earth with a possible atmosphere.
And for those of you who like math (and may remember a thing or two about Psychohistory), University of Miami scientists have developed a mathematical model to predict the patterns of attacks for in insurgent wars. Mind you, they point out similarities to financial market models, which these days tends to make one suspicious.
The Science study authors examined black and white characters whose status and positive attributes, such as likability and intelligence, could be roughly equated. For each of 30 characters, they edited brief clips to remove both the audio track and the featured black or white character, so it was possible to see how the "target" character was treated without actually seeing that character. Judges, who had not previously watched the shows, rated the extent to which the unseen characters were treated positively and liked by the other characters. Compared with black characters, white characters elicited significantly more favorable nonverbal responses. The studies did not examine why biases in the programs occur.
They also found that viewers exhibited more bias after watching the clips. It's an interesting study.
Study indicates couples in egalitarian relationships tend to be happier. There are no actual details on the study, so I'm only putting this up because it feeds my confirmation bias.
The metal-metabolizing Shewanella oneidensis microbe does not just cling to metal in its environment, as previously thought. Instead, it harvests electrochemical energy obtained upon contact with the metal and swims furiously for a few minutes before landing again.
They've found a nearby super-Earth with a possible atmosphere.
And for those of you who like math (and may remember a thing or two about Psychohistory), University of Miami scientists have developed a mathematical model to predict the patterns of attacks for in insurgent wars. Mind you, they point out similarities to financial market models, which these days tends to make one suspicious.