Gizmorama
March 14, 2011
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Good Morning,
An interesting study looks not into the science of our
world's climate, but focuses rather on a unique aspect of
its controversy among Americans. The first article claims
that how you perceive "climate change," or "global warming,"
is all in how you say it. I believe this article could not
have come at a better time, being so crucially relevant to
taking a position on this issue.
Until Next Time,
Erin
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P.S. You can discuss this issue or any other topic in the new
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Study: In global weather, words matter
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Many Americans are skeptical about whether
the world's weather is changing, but the skepticism varies
with the words chosen to characterize it, researchers say.
A University of Michigan study published in the forthcoming
issue of Public Opinion Quarterly found that what the change
is called affected how people view the issue, with more pe-
ople believing in "climate change" than in "global warming."
"Wording matters," Jonathon Schuldt, a doctoral candidate in
Michigan's Department of Psychology, said. In an online sur-
vey of 2,267 U.S. adults, participants were asked to report
their level of certainty about whether global climate change
is a serious problem. Half of the participants heard one
version of the question, while half heard another version,
each featuring different terms. "You may have heard about
the idea that the world's temperature may have been going
up [changing] over the past 100 years, a phenomenon some-
times called 'global warming' ['climate change']. What is
your personal opinion regarding whether or not this has been
happening?" the two versions of the question said. Overall,
74 percent of people said the problem was real when it was
referred to as climate change, while about 68 percent said
it was real when it was referred to as global warming. "While
global warming focuses attention on temperature increases,
climate change focuses attention on more general changes,"
Schuldt said. "Thus, an unusually cold day may increase
doubts about global warming more so than about climate
change. "Given these different associations and the partisan
nature of this issue, climate change believers and skeptics
might be expected to vary in their use of these terms," he
said. A further study by the researchers found that liberals
and conservatives did, indeed, use different terms: Conserv-
ative think tanks tend to call the phenomenon global warming,
while liberal think tanks call it climate change, Schuldt
said.
Brain's short-term memory 'layers' studied
HOUSTON - U.S. researchers say a study has confirmed the
human brain has three concentric layers of working memory
where it stores and processes short-term memory items. Sci-
entists from Rice University and Georgia Institute of Tech-
nology say the study could settle a long debate about how
many layers there are and what the function of each is, a
Rice release reported Wednesday. The researchers said short-
term memory operates in three areas: a core focusing on one
active memory item; a surrounding layer holding at least
three more active items; and a wider region containing pas-
sive items that have been tagged for later retrieval or
"put on the back burner." However, they say, the core reg-
ion, called the focus of attention, has three roles, not two
as proposed by previous researchers. First, it directs atten-
tion to the correct item; second, it retrieves the item; and
third, if necessary, it updates it. The researchers also
discovered that practice, or repetition of a particular
memory task, can enhance the focus of attention to store
four items in the core. "When you do the same sequence over
and over again, your memory can be partially automated so
you have the ability to do another task concurrently," Rice
psychology professor Chandramallika Basak said. For example,
he said, as you drive the usual route to your regular grocery
store, you might also be thinking about what to fix for din-
ner and making a grocery list. "Predictability can free up
resources so a person can effectively multitask," he said.
However, that same secondary task -- the grocery list --
becomes more difficult when driving to a different grocery
store using an unfamiliar route, he said.
Computers teach kids science methodology
NOTTINGHAM - Children taught how to think and act like scien-
tists are more likely to develop a clearer understanding of
the subject, a British study has shown. Researchers at the
University of Nottingham say the study found school children
who took the initiative in investigating science topics of
interest to them gained an understanding of good scientific
practice, a university release reported Wednesday. The
three-year project involved students ages 11 to 14 using a
computer program called nQuire, available as a free download
for teachers and schools. The software is a high-tech twist
on the traditional lesson plan and guides the students
through choosing and planning scientific experiments, collec-
ting and analyzing data and discussing the results. The
nQuire toolkit allowed the children to become "science inves-
tigators," initiating an inquiry in the classroom then col-
lecting data in the playground, at a local nature reserve,
or even at home, then sharing and analyzing their findings
back in class, researchers said. "The results from the trials
we conducted showed a positive effect on learning outcomes, a
maintained enjoyment of science lessons and a small but gen-
uine improvement in pupils' understanding of the scientific
process," project leader Mike Sharples at Nottingham said.
"Science can be a hard sell in terms of persuading young pe-
ople to consider it as an option for further education or as
a career, particularly those from socially-disadvantaged
backgrounds," he said. "Our results show that the personal
inquiry learning process can take pupils in the right direc-
tion."
Mars orbiter celebrates 5th anniversary
PASADENA, Calif. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, celeb-
rating a fifth anniversary circling the red planet, has radi-
cally expanded knowledge of that world, scientists say. The
spacecraft, orbiting Mars since March 10, 2006, has provided
copious information about ancient environments, ice-age-scale
climate cycles and present-day changes on Mars and is now
working overtime, a NASA release reported Wednesday. The Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter mission met all its science goals in
an initial two-year primary science phase and has been
working through two extensions, the latest beginning in 2010,
adding to the bounty of scientific data available to research-
ers. "The spacecraft is still in excellent health," said Phil
Varghese, project manager for the MRO at NASA's Jet Propuls-
ion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "After five years at Mars,
it continues with dual capabilities for conducting science
observations, monitoring the Mars environment and serving as
a relay." In addition to its science observations, the mis-
sion provides support for other spacecraft operating on the
Martian surface, including the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit
and Opportunity. The orbiter has examined potential landing
sites for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, which will
land a rover named Curiosity in August 2012. "We are pre-
paring to support the arrival of the Mars Science Laboratory
and the rover's surface operations," Varghese said. "In the
meantime, we will extend the science observations into a
third Martian year." One Mars year lasts nearly two Earth
years.
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