Survey Finds That Dwindling Financial Aid Contributes to Fewer College Options

"College freshmen entering school last fall were less likely to attend their first choice of college, a function of both competition and cost, than at any other time since 1974, and fewer received financial aid through grants or scholarships, according to an annual survey of nearly 204,000 high school students."

Skin Transformed Into Brain Cells

"Skin cells have been converted directly into cells which develop into the main components of the brain, by researchers in California."

Consumers Ignore Most Apps on their Smartphones

"Of smartphone owners, 68% open only five or fewer apps at least once a week, finds a survey by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. Seventeen percent don't use any apps. About 42% of all U.S. adults have phones with apps, Pew estimates."

Music Training May Help Deter Hearing Loss

"The brain can be trained to overcome, in part, some age-related hearing loss in those with musical training, U.S. researchers suggest."

Ocean Motion Could Produce 9 Percent of U.S. Electricity

"Next-generation technologies that harvest electricity from ocean waves and tides sloshing along the U.S. coasts could provide about 9 percent of the nation's demand by 2030, according to a pair of recent studies."

Japan's Population to Drop by 1 Million Each Year

"Japan's rapid aging means the national population of 128 million will shrink by one-third by 2060 and seniors will account for 40 percent of people, placing a greater burden on the shrinking work force population to support the social security and tax systems."

Only Calories Count, New Study Says

"People trying to lose weight may swear by specific diet plans calling for strict proportions of fat, carbs and protein, but where the calories come from may not matter as much as simply cutting back on them, according to a study."

Cheat Away on Taxes, More Americans Say

"The percentage of people who say you should cheat on your income taxes 'as much as possible' hit 8 percent in 2011, double what it was in 2010. That’s also higher than any other recent year in which the question was asked. Another 6 percent of those surveyed said a little cheating here and there is OK."

Mormonism Besieged By the Modern Age

"The LDS church claims 14 million members worldwide -- optimistically including nearly every person baptized. But census data from some foreign countries targeted by clean-cut young missionaries show that the retention rate for their converts is as low as 25 percent. In the U.S., only about half of Mormons are active members of the church, said Washington State University emeritus sociologist Armand Mauss, a leading researcher on Mormons."

U.S. Set for Fourth Year of $1 Trillion-Plus Deficit: CBO

"The United States is headed for a fourth straight year with a $1 trillion-plus budget deficit, congressional forecasters said on Tuesday, giving ammunition to Republicans to hammer President Barack Obama's spending record in November's elections."

Study Finds Black Segregation Lowest in Century

"Black segregation from other racial groups has hit its lowest point in more than a century — declining in all 85 of the nation's largest metropolitan areas — but social and income inequality persist."

Number of Older Inmates Grows, Stressing Prisons

"More Americans older than 55 are being imprisoned, and many prisons are unprepared to provide them with health care, Human Rights Watch said in a new report."

Today's College Freshmen Hitting Books Harder, Study Says

"This year's college freshmen are more studious than their counterparts of the past few years, says an annual survey released today on their high school academic habits."

US Economy Losing Competitive Edge: Survey

"The United States is becoming less economically competitive versus other nations, with political gridlock and a weak primary education system seen as the main drag, according to a survey released on Wednesday."

Study: Web Hinders Youth Social Skills

"Young girls who spend the most time multitasking between various digital devices, communicating online or watching video are the least likely to develop normal social tendencies, according to the survey of 3,461 American girls aged 8 to 12 who volunteered responses."

One in Five Adults Experienced Mental Illness in 2011

"Almost 46 million U.S. adults age 18 or older, about 20 percent of that age group, experienced mental illness during the past year, health officials say."

Cost of 10 Leading Causes of Death to US: $1.1 Trillion

"Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its estimated causes of death for 2010. The 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. accounted for 75 percent of the nearly 2.5 million deaths in 2010. Overall costs for the top 10 causes of death topped $1.1 trillion in 2007. . ."

States Weaken Tenure Rights for Teachers

"America's public school teachers are seeing their generations-old tenure protections weakened as states seek flexibility to fire teachers who aren't performing. A few states have essentially nullified tenure protections altogether, according to an analysis being released Wednesday by the National Council on Teacher Quality."

Couples Happier with Couples as Friends

"Married couples who form and keep friendships with other couples often have happier marriages, U.S. researchers said."

The 10 Richest Presidents

Forbes rankings, "based on relative wealth within the economy of their day."

Study: Women Feel More Pain Than Men

"According to the results of a study in which researchers examined pain scores from tens of thousands of patients in the United States, women experience more intense pain than men."

Narcissistic Men are More Stressed

"Men who are narcissistic are likely to have higher levels of a primary stress hormone called cortisol, a new study finds."

Why Some Sex Offenders Don't Stop Abusing

"A new study of single young men finds that 43 percent report pressuring or forcing a woman to do something sexual against her will at least once. But according to the results, there may be differences between those men who are sexually coercive only as teens and those who continue into adulthood."

Study: Liberals and Conservatives Don't See Eye to Eye, Literally

"According to the study, conservatives and liberals pay attention to their environments differently, meaning the two sides of the political spectrum quite literally don't see eye-to-eye."

Tablet, e-Book Ownership Soaring, Study Finds

"A report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project set to be released today finds that 29 percent of Americans owned at least one tablet or e-reader as of the beginning of this month. That's up from 18 percent in December."

YouTube Hits 4 Billion Daily Video Views

"YouTube, Google Inc's video website, is streaming 4 billion online videos every day, a 25 percent increase in the past eight months, according to the company."

U.S. Housing More Affordable Than Other English Countries: Study

"Would-be American home-buyers can take heart: U.S. housing is more affordable than in other English-speaking countries, according to a study of metropolitan areas around the world."

Fewer College Students Volunteer Their Time

"The percentage of college students who volunteer is declining, reflecting an overall drop in volunteerism nationally. In 2010, 26.1 percent of college students around the United States volunteered, about on par with the overall percentage of Americans who volunteered that year. College student volunteerism peaked at 31.2 percent in 2004, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service."

Phone, Tablet Users Spend More Time With Apps Than Web

"Phone and tablet owners used to spend most of their time surfing the Web. Now they're using apps, according to data from Flurry Analytics."

iPad a Solid Education Tool, Study Reports

"In a partnership with Apple, textbook publishers Houghton Mifflin Harcourt performed a pilot study using an iPad text for Algebra 1 courses, and found that 20% more students (78% compared to 59%) scored 'Proficient' or 'Advanced' in subject comprehension when using tablets rather than paper textbook counterparts."

Since 1980s, the Kindest of Tax Cuts for the Rich

"The effective federal income tax rate paid by the wealthiest Americans has dropped significantly during the last several decades, largely because of tax cuts on investment income."

What the Top 1% of Earners Majored In

"According to the Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey, the majors that give you the best chance of reaching the 1 percent are pre-med, economics, biochemistry, zoology and, yes, biology, in that order."

Few Cities Have Regained Jobs They Lost, Report Finds

"Less than a tenth of the nation’s metropolitan areas have regained the jobs they lost in the economic downturn, according to a report being released Wednesday by the nation’s mayors. . ."

Study Tracks Negative Effects of Nitrogen

"The global nitrogen cycle has been profoundly altered by human activities which, in turn, affects human health, air and water quality, U.S. researchers say."

Lip-Reading Helps Babies Learn to Speak

"U.S. researchers collected empirical evidence that infants engage in lip-reading when learning how to talk. . ."

US Economy Losing Competitive Edge: Survey

"The United States is becoming less economically competitive versus other nations, with political gridlock and a weak primary education system seen as the main drag, according to a survey released on Wednesday."

Long Term, Gastric Bypass Beats Out Banding: Study

"Among weight-loss surgery options, gastric bypass comes with more complications shortly after surgery than gastric banding, but makes up for it with fewer long-term side effects and repeat operations, new research suggests."

Tax Reform a Daunting Task, Report Illustrates

"Government spending does not just occur in the federal budget. Much of it occurs through tax breaks and a report on Tuesday showed how increasingly costly they are as lawmakers mull a revamp of the U.S. tax code."

Find Shows Humans Skilled Anglers 42,000 Years Ago

"Fish hooks and fish bones dating back 42,000 years found in a cave in East Timor suggest that humans were capable of skilled, deep-sea fishing 30,000 years earlier than previously thought, researchers in Australia and Japan said on Friday."

Old King Coal Stays On World Energy Throne

". . .the Medium-Term Coal Market Report 2011 has concluded coal will remain the world's dominant fuel, despite growing worries about climate change."

Facebook, AT&T Make List of Most Hated Companies in America

"Customers, employees, shareholders and taxpayers hate large corporations for many reasons. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a lengthy list of corporations for which there is substantial research data to choose the 10 most hated in America."

Study: Confidence Overrated in Markets

"The study conducted by the Swedish Institute for Financial Research found that the confident, aggressive male in his mid-30s was, statistically speaking, a pretty lousy investor. . ."

CDC: 1 in 3 Adults is Obese

"One in every three adults and one in every six children in the United States is obese, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

India's Education Dream Risks Remaining Just That

"According to a government report published last year, a massive expansion in higher education combined with a poor supply of Ph.D.’s, delays in recruitment and the lack of incentives to attract and nurture talent has led to a situation in which 40 percent of existing faculty positions remain vacant. The report’s authors, mostly academics, found that if the shortfall is calculated using the class size recommended by the government, this figure jumps to 54 percent."

Amazon Kindle Owners Are “Borrowing” Nearly 300,000 Electronic Books A Month

"According to the company, customers borrowed nearly 300,000 (295,000 to be exact) KDP Select titles in December alone, and KDP Select has helped grow the total library selection."

The Value of Teachers

". . .a landmark new research paper underscores that the difference between a strong teacher and a weak teacher lasts a lifetime."

Survey: Most Feel Guilty After Fast-Food

"Fifty-four percent admit feeling 'a bit guilty' after eating fast-food and another 16 percent say they just feel 'bad,' a U.S. survey indicates."

IBM Scientists Create Smallest Magnetic Memory Bit With 12 Atoms

"Today, to store a single bit — the most basic piece of information a computer understands –a disk drive needs one million atoms. Heinrich and his team have successfully shown that data can be stored in as few as 12 magnetic atoms. That’s 12 versus 1 million and it means a hundred times more information can be stored in the same space."

Retailers in for Steady, Modest Growth in 2012

The National Retail Federation at the start of its annual convention in New York said U.S. retail sales should rise 3.4 percent this year, down from an increase of 4.7 percent in 2011, which came after weak sales in 2010.

Study Finds No Better Odds Using 3 Embryos in IVF

"A new study of fertility treatment found that women who get three or more embryos have no better odds of having a baby than those who get just two embryos."

Why Teens Are More Prone to Addiction, Mental Illness

"By comparing the brain's response to a food reward in adult and teen rats, researchers have pinpointed some differences that might explain why adolescents take more risks and are more prone to addiction, depression and schizophrenia."

Swallowing Parasitic Worms May Heal Your Ails

"Parasitic worms may be useful in treating lung disease and healing wounds, according to a study published online today in Nature Medicine."

PC Losing Traction as Half of all Computing Devices Sold are Mobile

"The world of personal computing is changing as smaller, sleeker and more capable devices are replacing the bulky desktop towers and heavy laptops that formerly dominated. . ."

Study: Simple Measures Could Reduce Global Warming, Save Lives

"Simple, inexpensive measures to cut emissions of two common pollutants will slow global warming, save millions of lives and boost crop production around the world, an international team of scientists reported Thursday."

Study: Powerful People Tend to Overestimate Height

"The study, published in Psychological Science, looked at whether the psychological perception of power may cause people to feel taller than they truly are."

Half of Employers Say they Can't Find Skilled Workers

"More than half of U.S. employers surveyed by the staffing firm Manpower Group last year said they were having trouble filling job openings because they couldn't find qualified workers. That’s a huge 38 percentage point jump from 2010, when only 14 percent said they were having trouble filling positions."

Two Slices of Bacon a Day Increases Cancer Risk by a Fifth, Study Says

"Eating two slices of bacon or one sausage a day can increase a person's risk of a deadly form of cancer by almost a fifth, according to a Swedish study."

Poll Finds 43 Percent Of People Believe God Helps Tebow Win

"According to a national telephone survey conducted by Poll Position, 43 percent of people believe that “divine intervention” is responsible for his success compared to 42 percent of people surveyed who think that God has nothing to do with Tebow winning."

Some Countries Are More Social Than Others, Survey Finds

"In the big cities of India and China, it seems, people can't help being social. Nearly everyone who uses the Internet there is also active on social networks, according to a global survey by Forrester Research, and three out of four write blog posts or upload pictures and music."

Top 1% of Mobile Users Consume Half of World’s Bandwidth, and Gap Is Growing

"The world’s congested mobile airwaves are being divided in a lopsided manner, with 1 percent of consumers generating half of all traffic. The top 10 percent of users, meanwhile, are consuming 90 percent of wireless bandwidth."

Big Study Links Good Teachers to Lasting Gain

"Elementary- and middle-school teachers who help raise their students’ standardized-test scores seem to have a wide-ranging, lasting positive effect on those students’ lives beyond academics, including lower teenage-pregnancy rates and greater college matriculation and adult earnings, according to a new study that tracked 2.5 million students over 20 years."

Students of Online Schools Are Lagging

"The number of students in virtual schools run by educational management organizations rose sharply last year, according to a new report being published Friday, and far fewer of them are proving proficient on standardized tests compared with their peers in other privately managed charter schools and in traditional public schools."

Study: E-Textbooks Saved Many Students Only $1

"Despite the promise that digital textbooks can lead to huge cost savings for students, a new study at Daytona State College has found that many who tried e-textbooks saved only one dollar, compared with their counterparts who purchased traditional printed material."

Lifestyle Changes Can Prevent 40% of Cancers: Study

"Is there a cure for cancer? Not yet, but an eye-opening new study suggests that it can be prevented by simple lifestyle changes. These changes may ward off cancers for every 4 out of 10 people."

iTunes, Amazon help album sales rise for first time since 2004

"Album sales in the U.S. rose more than 3 percent last year for the first gain since 2004 - a sign that rising digital sales are finally stemming the decade-long decline of compact discs."

Unemployment Varies by College Major, Study Finds

"Employment rates are higher for recent college graduates than for those with less education, but job prospects vary by major, according to a report released on Wednesday by Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce."

Study: 2011 was Ninth-Warmest in 33 Years

"U.S. scientists say 2011 was the ninth-warmest year on record in 33 years of satellite measurements of temperature readings for almost all regions of Earth."

Mental Sharpness Begins to Decline in Middle-Age

"The brain's abilities to reason, comprehend and remember may start to worsen as early as age 45, a new study from England suggests."

Census: Number of U.S. Youth Shrinks

"The bad economy and slowdown in immigration is shrinking the nation's youthful population for the first time in a generation, according to Census data released today."

Digital Music Sales Top Physical Sales

"For the first time in history, digital music sales topped the physical sale of music. According to a Nielsen and Billboard report, digital music purchases accounted for 50.3% of music sales in 2011. Digital sales were up 8.4% from the previous year, while physical album sales declined 5%."

Americans Make Up Half of the World's Richest 1%

"The United States holds a disproportionate amount of the world's rich people."

Study: Stradivarius' Powers Just a Musical Myth

A study suggests that even professional musicians cannot tell the difference between a Stradivarius and other violins in terms of their quality of sound.

Public Perceptions of Business Leadership

"A survey by the Public Affairs Council in September found the public has a good opinion of business in general but not of its leadership. Chief executives got low scores for fairness, honesty and ethics."

Study: Gestures Help Language Learning

"People learn a new language more easily when words are accompanied by movement or gestures, European researchers say."

More Evidence That Deep Brain Stimulation May Help Treat Mental Illness

"A new study is advancing the possibility that mentally ill patients who do not respond to conventional therapies may benefit from battery-powered electrodes surgically implanted in their brains."

Gallup: GOP Primary Contest Most Volatile in Decades

"The 2012 Republican presidential contest is the most volatile since at least 1964, Gallup has determined."