news from the lab

Mathematics - Mechanical Engineering/Mechanics - 17.06
Is there an invisible tug-of-war behind bad hearts and power outages?
Systems such as a beating heart or a power grid that depend on the synchronized movement of their parts could fall prey to an invisible and chaotic tug-of-war known as a "chimera." Sharing its name with the fire-breathing, zoologically patchy creature of Greek mythology, a chimera state arises among identical, rhythmically moving components — known as oscillators — when a few of those parts spontaneously fall out of sync while the rest remain synchronized.

Environmental Sciences - Mathematics - 8.05
People organize daily travel efficiently
A population-level study discovers small-scale details about individuals' choices. - Studies of human mobility usually focus on either the small scale - determining the origins, destinations and travel modes of individuals' daily commutes - or the very large scale, such as using air-travel patterns to track the spread of epidemics over time.

Mathematics - Psychology - 25.03
On Gun Control, Citizens Support Politicians Who Point to Big Picture, not Specific Incidents, Study Finds
AUSTIN, Texas — As the nation continues to grapple with the long-simmering issue of gun control, solutions are stymied by heated debates. To effectively influence a divided America, elected officials must take a broad perspective rather than focusing on specific incidents, according to a new psychology study from The University of Texas at Austin.

Mathematics - Physics/Material Science - 18.01
Penn Physicists Help Show Math Behind Growth of 'Coffee Rings'
Last year, a team of University of Pennsylvania physicists showed how to undo the " coffee-ring effect ," a commonplace occurrence when drops of liquid with suspended particles dry, leaving a ring-shaped stain at the drop's edges.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Mathematics - 4.01
McGill honoured again in Québec Science’s breakthroughs of the year
The achievements of McGill researchers were again recognized in Québec Science's annual selection of the top discoveries, with two McGill-led breakthroughs making the top 10 list for 2012.

Life Sciences - Mathematics - 31.10.2012
When people worry about math, the brain feels the pain
Mathematics anxiety can prompt a response in the brain similar to when a person experiences physical pain, according to new research at the University of Chicago. - Using brain scans, scholars determined that the brain areas active when highly math-anxious people prepare to do math overlap with the same brain areas that register the threat of bodily harm—and in some cases, physical pain.

Life Sciences - Mathematics - 28.08.2012
A Model for Development
Caltech biologists create the first predictive computational model of gene networks that control the development of sea-urchin embryos - As an animal develops from an embryo, its cells take diverse paths, eventually forming different body parts—muscles, bones, heart.

Chemistry - Mathematics - 22.06.2012
New technique allows simulation of noncrystalline materials
Multidisciplinary team develops mathematical approach that could help in simulating materials for solar cells and LEDs. - A multidisciplinary team of researchers at MIT and in Spain has found a new mathematical approach to simulating the electronic behavior of noncrystalline materials, which may eventually play an important part in new devices including solar cells, organic LED lights and printable, flexible electronic circuits.

Mathematics - Pedagogy/Education Science - 18.06.2012
Early grasp of fractions, long division predicts high school math achievement
A fifth-grader's understanding of fractions and long division predicts their knowledge of algebra and overall math achievement in high school, according to new research published in the journal Psychological Science .

Mathematics - Psychology - 13.06.2012
Learning about spatial relationships boosts understanding of numbers
Children who are skilled in understanding how shapes fit together to make recognizable objects also have an advantage when it comes to learning the number line and solving math problems, research at the University of Chicago shows.

Mathematics - 22.05.2012
Time Bender
Notions about number and time learned rather than innate - Time lines and number lines -so familiar, so basic, they're taken for granted. But if you think that the way you think about these fundamental concepts is hardwired, you might want to think again, says UC San Diego cognitive scientist Rafael Núñez.

History/Archeology - Mathematics - 13.04.2012
History Channel’s Titanic documentary features UW engineers
A hundred years ago this Sunday, a luxury ocean liner billed as “unsinkable” hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage. The Titanic sank to the bottom of the North Atlantic, leaving more than 1,500 passengers and crew dead.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Mathematics - 14.03.2012
Anti-smoking campaigns have saved over 800,000 lives
More than 800,000 lives were saved in the United States between 1975 and 2000 thanks to anti-smoking measures, according to a new study that used a Yale mathematical model to quantify for the first time the impact of anti-smoking measures on lung cancer.

Mathematics - Administration/Government - 8.02.2012
Statistical model may unlock fingerprint evidence in court
An assistant professor at Penn State has created a new statistical model that may enable fingerprint evidence to withstand greater scrutiny in court. Currently, some fingerprints that could be key pieces of evidence in court are not being considered because of shortcomings in the way this evidence is reported.

Life Sciences - Mathematics - 14.11.2011
Dramatic diversity of columbine flowers explained by a simple change in cell shape
To match pollinators' probing tongues, cells in floral spurs elongate, driving rapid speciation - : Caroline Perry , (617) 496-1351 - - Columbine flowers are recognizable by the long, trailing nectar spurs that extend from the bases of their petals, tempting the taste buds of their insect pollinators.