Best simulation of the origin of galaxies

Illustris, a simulation of the evolution of the universe, starting 12 million years after the Big Bang, is the first to be able to reproduce the mix of different types of galaxies observed in reality, the distribution of galaxies in clusters and the content of chemical elements within the galaxies. The work is described in last week's edition of the magazine Nature.

The work, authored by researchers from the United States, United Kingdom and Germany, also offers a model of the interaction between ordinary matter and so-called dark matter that could be used to guide searches for this mysterious component of the universe.

The authors note, however, that the simulation still presents problems: for example, it reveals an excessively rapid birth of small galaxies, which shows the need for more refined theoretical models for the star formation process.

Combining the scientific with the environmental

Article published in the May 9th edition of the magazine Science calls for a greater effort to integrate the spheres of scientific education and environmental education, and suggests that the use of information technology tools can help with this objective. The authors, linked to institutions in the USA, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Australia, distinguish “scientific education” – the teaching of knowledge and methods, mainly for the training of scientists and engineers – from “environmental education” – which teaches values ​​and seeks to change behaviors in the general population – and note that one modality often ends up operating as a “parasite” on the other.

In today's world, however, both need to stop competing with each other and develop a “symbiotic relationship”, they write, suggesting that “citizen science” programs, in which ordinary people work alongside professional scientists, can offer the necessary opportunity. The article states that citizen science initiatives often involve the use of social networks and the internet to collect and disseminate data about changes in the environment.

“The creation of synergy between environmental education, scientific education and citizen science based on information and communication technology offers opportunities for new forms of education” in which people and organizations apparently unrelated to each other can interact in order to produce knowledge and “take necessary actions to address socio-ecological challenges”, the authors believe.

Type of agriculture defines culture style, says study

Psychological studies have drawn some differences between Western and Eastern ways of thinking – the first being more analytical and individualistic and the second more holistic and collectivist. There are several hypotheses about the cause of this distinction, and now an article published in the May 9th edition of the magazine Science offers one more possibility: the type of agriculture traditionally practiced in each civilization – rice in the East, wheat in the West.

The work, authored by Chinese and American researchers, compared the average mentality of Chinese in the north of the country, where wheat is predominantly planted, and in the south, where there are more rice crops, and concluded that those in the north are more independent and individualists, while those in the south are more interdependent and collectivist.

Traditionally, rice planting requires great coordination between farmers, to manage water resources and the use of labor during harvesting, demands that do not exist in wheat cultivation, which allows for more individualized action. The authors of the work argue that the mindsets created within each approach end up fueling broader cultural differences.

Effort and dedication explain academic success of Asians

The academic success of Americans of Asian ethnic origin, compared to Americans of European origin, is better explained by cultural issues, such as work ethic and the appreciation of personal effort, than by supposed innate advantages, says an article published in the journal PNAS.

Or authors, two Chinese-American social scientists, tested the hypotheses that the academic advantage of Asians in the United States would be caused by socioeconomic or genetic factors, but found no strong correlation in these two aspects – Asian children do not perform better on general tests of intelligence than children of other ethnicities, for example.

The article concludes that the main explanation is cultural, specifically the “belief in a connection between effort and success” and the tradition of Asian expatriate communities offering support to newly arrived immigrants, including “vital information for navigating the educational system.” and “legitimization of beliefs” about work and success.

'Animal collectors' create a public health problem

Researchers from Catalonia published, in the journal Animal Welfare, the first European study on the mental disorder that leads people to keep a large number of animals – usually dogs and cats – at home, even though they are unable to feed them or maintain a healthy environment. 

According to psychiatrist Paula Calvo, from the Hospital Del Mar Research Institute and the Autonomous University of Barcelona, ​​the work represents “the first step towards public recognition of this disorder (...) which is becoming a serious public health problem ”.

According to a note released by Hospital Del Mar, “currently, when a case is identified, the animals are removed, but no attention is given to those with the disorder. This person does not realize that the animals were in poor health, and soon starts collecting them again. Often, animals are found with obvious or critical signs of malnutrition, dehydration and parasitic infestation, sick or with uncontrolled reproduction, all in a space with very little hygiene.”

The Catalan analysis took into account cases gathered by an animal protection association between 2002 and 2011, as well as questionnaires sent to experts.

Bullying multiplies the risk of the presence of weapons at school

A study carried out in the United States and presented at the annual meeting of Pediatric Academic Societies, held in Canada, indicates that high school students who are victims of repeated acts of bullying are up to 31 times more likely to carry weapons at school. The data was collected from a survey of more than 15 thousand students conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the American federal government.

The main risk factors associated with a young person's decision to go to school armed are: missing classes because they feel unsafe in the school environment or on the way to school; having suffered theft or giving away property in the school environment; having been threatened or injured with a weapon; have been involved in a fight. Students with a risk factor had a 28% chance of bringing a weapon to school; those exposed to three factors had a 62% chance.

Never underestimate Neanderthals 

Neanderthal man was not inferior, in terms of technology or survival strategies, to Homo sapiens that replaced them in the dominance of Europe around 40 thousand years ago and that possibly led to their extinction, says a study published in the journal PLoS ONE.

“Modern humans are commonly seen as superior in a wide range of domains,” write the authors of the work, linked to the University of Colorado at Boulder and Leiden University, in the Netherlands. The article continues: “This systematic review of the archaeological record of Neanderthals and their modern human contemporaries found no support for these interpretations.”

In their text, the authors point out several “myths” about Neanderthals that, according to them, have fallen or are being harshly questioned as the archaeological record is being studied, including that they did not know how to hunt; that the weapons they used to hunt were less efficient than those of anatomically modern humans of the same time; that they were incapable of innovating; that they were less intelligent.

The authors suggest that the extinction of Neanderthals may have been caused by the assimilation of their populations within the community of anatomically modern humans, with the disappearance of the group's most striking physical characteristics through mating, and not in a conflict with a “superior” population. ”.

Another fuel, another pollution

The mass adoption of flex-fuel cars by drivers in São Paulo, and the abrupt drop in the use of ethanol in these vehicles, between 2009 and 2011, led to ozone pollution in the city falling by 20%, according to a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience. On the other hand, the presence of two other important pollutants – nitric oxide and carbon monoxide – increased by 26% and 18%, respectively. The authors note that “although gasoline use appears to reduce ozone levels in the São Paulo metropolitan region, strategies to reduce ozone pollution require knowledge of local chemistry and consideration of other pollutants.”