Will this trip be exciting? Consumers respond best to vacation ads that match...
Most of us won't respond to the call of adventure while soaking in a relaxing bath. According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, we're more likely to book a weekend at a spa.
View ArticleGoogle QR codes to appear in a store window near you (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Google recently sent out 100,000 stickers to selected US businesses for use on their storefront windows. The stickers have the Google Maps logo and a QR code that can be scanned by...
View ArticlePi calculation smashes records
(PhysOrg.com) -- A computer scientist in France has broken all previous records for calculating Pi, using only a personal computer. The previous record was approximately 2.6 trillion digits, but the...
View ArticleJapanese and US whizzes claim news record for pi calculation -- five trillion...
A pair of Japanese and US computer whizzes claim to have calculated pi to five trillion decimal places -- a number which if verified eclipses the previous record set by a French software engineer.
View ArticleNeural activity in bats measured in-flight
Animals navigate and orient themselves to survive – to find food and shelter or avoid predators, for example. Research conducted by Dr. Nachum Ulanovsky and research student Michael Yartsev of the...
View ArticleResearchers find brain activity response different for virtual reality versus...
(Phys.org) —A team of researchers from the University of California has found that one part of the brain in rats responds differently to virtual reality than to the real world. In their paper published...
View ArticleFear hackers? Sochi is little worse than elsewhere
How safe is Sochi for your electronics and personal data? The games, like nearly all international events, have sparked a series of online calls to arms, with various branches of the nebulous Anonymous...
View ArticleNobel shows importance of location, location, location
Generations of scientists have pored over a seemingly basic but ultimately complex skill: how are humans able to find their way from one spot to another?
View ArticleA dozen ways to avoid that $617bn 'fat finger' moment
Have you ever ordered too many items online – say, buying 20 courgettes when you meant two? Then you might feel a little sorry for the anonymous broker in Japan who lost US$617 billion to a trading...
View ArticleOur surveillance society needs a dose of integrity to be reliable
At this moment, there are likely many eyes on you. If you are reading this article in a public place, a surveillance camera might be capturing your actions and even watching you enter your login...
View ArticleThe unique spatial firing patterns of the hippocampal place cells
Bayesian integration is thought to be used by the brain for optimal decision-making based on information from different sources. Recent evidence indicates that the hippocampal place cells use this...
View ArticleTwitter moves to put 'products and places' in feeds
Twitter said Friday it was testing a new way to use the messaging platform for shopping by promoting "products and places" in its feeds, as it looks to boost revenues.
View ArticleRats 'dream' paths to a brighter future
When rats rest, their brains simulate journeys to a desired future such as a tasty treat, finds new UCL research.
View ArticleNew mathematical method reveals structure in neural activity in the brain
A newly-developed mathematical method can detect geometric structure in neural activity in the brain. "Previously, in order to understand this structure, scientists needed to relate neural activity to...
View ArticlePi might look random but it's full of hidden patterns
After thousands of years of trying, mathematicians are still working out the number known as pi or "π". We typically think of pi as approximately 3.14 but the most successful attempt to calculate it...
View ArticleHow a farm boy from Wales gave the world pi
One of the most important numbers in maths might today be named after the Greek letter π or "pi", but the convention of representing it this way actually doesn't come from Greece at all. It comes from...
View ArticleWidespread sexual harassment persists in India
Sexual harassment remains a pervasive problem in India despite tougher laws enacted more than three years ago after a woman was gang raped on a bus and later died of her injuries, indicates new...
View ArticleProtecting crowds from bombings in public spaces
Airport scanners can detect the explosive compounds that have been used in recent terrorist bombings, but these attacks didn't happen inside the protected spaces of terminals. They occurred in crowded...
View ArticleImage: The transits of ISS and Mercury captured simultaneously
On 9 May Mercury passed in front of the Sun as seen from Earth. These transits of Mercury occur only around 13 times every century, so astronomers all over Earth were eager to capture the event.
View ArticleLive-streaming crime—how will Facebook Live and Periscope challenge US...
In July, the fatal police shootings of Alton Sterling—a black man in Louisiana—and Philando Castile—a black man in Minnesota—went viral on social media. The aftermath of the Castile shooting was first...
View ArticleHow will Facebook Live challenge privacy law?
In July, videos of the fatal police shootings of Alton Sterling—a black man in Louisiana—and Philando Castile—a black man in Minnesota—went viral on social media. The immediate aftermath of the Castile...
View ArticleNew model for the origin of grid cells
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich neurobiologists present a new theory for the origin of the grid cells required for spatial orientation in the mammalian brain, which assigns a vital role to the...
View ArticleResearchers identify 'social place cells' in the brain that respond to the...
Whether we're playing a team sport or just strolling with our family through the park, we're continually aware of the positions of those around us - and where each is heading. Scientists have, in...
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