Scientists have demonstrated that they can measure the amount of DNA in a sample within minutes using only magnetic beads, a laboratory stir plate, and a digital camera. This simple, rapid method could find use detecting and quantifying DNA in the field, the researchers say. James Landers of the University of Virginia and his colleagues stumbled across a cheaper and faster method. He hopes to build a handheld device that generates a rotating magnetic field to use in the field, as in remote areas or in a meat packing plant.
It's not easy, or economically feasible, to ship fresh water across the globe. But when scientists use food as a proxy for that water – taking into account how much crops are irrigated and livestock are fed – they get a glimpse of the flow of freshwater between countries. Joel Carr, an ecohydrologist with the University of Virginia, is one of the authors of a new study.
The U.Va. Medical Center is the first place in Virginia to take advantage of stem cells from umbilical cords. They come from umbilical cord blood and give hope to patients suffering leukemia, multiple myeloma and lymphoma.
Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian
Alumni
Social news site Reddit the ‘groundskeepers’ of the Internet
Regina (Sask). Leader-Post / March 22
Dennis Proffit
Psychology professor
Context for Fla. shooting? Study finds holding gun makes you likely to think others have guns
Associate Press / March 21
Larry Sabato
Professor of politics and director of the Center for Politics
Romney sets sights on Obama after Illinois win
The News International / March 22
Saras D. Sarasvathy
Darden School professor
What To Do When You Don't Know What To Do
Harvard Business Review blog / March 21
W. Bradford Wilcox
Sociology professor and director of the National Marriage Project
Nearly 40% of women in US never been married
PressTV / March 22
An Easter egg hunt sponsored by the Circle K at the University of Virginia will be held March 31 on the Lawn in front of Old Cabell Hall.
The University of Virginia and the Alcoa Foundation have a new recycling partnership. The University is getting nearly 1,600 bins as part of the RecycleMania competition. The new containers will be placed in the Alderman and McCormick Road dorm areas. Another 750 bins come in a grant from Green Initiative Funding Tomorrow.
The Virginia Food Heritage Project will host its first Central Virginia Gathering from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Monday in Lane Auditorium at the Albemarle County Office Building on McIntire Road. The free event is a collaboration of people and groups looking to build knowledge about food heritage, a project housed in the University of Virginia's Institute for Environmental Negotiation.
An attempt by university archivists to find a common approach to the problem of how to deal with digitally recorded material has led to a groundbreaking paper on the subject. The "white paper" arises out of a collaborative project headed by the University of Virginia and funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with the participation of digital archivists at Stanford and Yale universities and the University of Hull.
Northrop Grumman is providing a $1 million grant to the University of Virginia Darden School of Businesses new initiative for Business in Society.
Students around the world are taking a free online course called "Building a Computer Search Engine." Two computer scientists, Sebastian Thrun and David Evans, are offering this course through udacity.com. Evans is on leave from the University of Virginia, where he is an associate professor. ... "Part of what I hope will happen as a result of this is that the best traditional universities will be able to focus on the things they can do really well that can't be done better through an online university." Evans said.
When teachers leave schools, overall morale appears to suffer enough that student achievement declines – both for those taught by the departed teachers and by students whose teachers stayed put, concludes a study recently presented at a conference held by the Center for Longitudinal Data in Education Research and written by the University of Michigan's Matthew Ronfeldt, Stanford University's Susanna Loeb, and the University of Virginia's Jim Wyckoff.
Conservatives may not like liberals, but they seem to understand them. In contrast, many liberals find conservative voters not just wrong but also bewildering. Now a fascinating new book comes along that helps demystify the right – and illuminates the kind of messaging that might connect with voters of all stripes: “The Righteous Mind,” by Jonathan Haidt, a University of Virginia psychology professor.
Is it really true that women end up shouldering more of the parenting burden simply because they like it more – or at least dislike it less? Steven Rhoads, a University of Virginia political science professor and the study’s lead author, surmised that some women may have inflated their enjoyment scores because of feelings of guilt or cultural pressure. But he also said some research suggests that a woman’s parenting skills are deeply rooted in biology.
The University of Virginia Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center is trying to get out the vote for a chance to receive up to $20,000 and a new virtual cancer support program. It's competing for the LIVESTRONG Community Impact Project's Pillars4Life Grant.
Farzaneh Milani
Professor of Persian Studies and Studies in Women and Gender
Persian New Year 2012: Artist Breathes New Life Into Nowruz
Huffington Post / March 20
Ammasi Periasamy
Research professor of biology
Five Indian Americans Elected New SPIE Fellows
India West / March 19
Larry Sabato
Politics professor and director of the Center for Politics
Politics Is a Good Thing
Huffington Post / March 20
and
Is Romney's fate Kristol clear?
Politico.com / March 21
and
Romney sets sights on Obama after Illinois win
Times of India / March 21
Daniel Willingham
Psychology professor
When Do You Beli...
Frederick Schauer
Law professor
Schauer has posted "The Political Risks (If Any) of Breaking the Law" in The Journal of Legal Analysis, forthcoming, on SSRN. Here is the abstract: