Scientists Use Stem Cells to Generate Human Eggs

"Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital say they have extracted stem cells from human ovaries and made them generate egg cells. The advance, if confirmed, might provide a new source of eggs for treating infertility, though scientists say it is far too early to tell if the work holds such promise."

More Americans Believe in Climate Change: Poll

"Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe that climate change is real -- the highest level in two years -- as the public trusted its own observations of rising temperatures, a poll said Tuesday."

Incompetent People Too Ignorant to Know It

"A growing body of psychology research shows that incompetence deprives people of the ability to recognize their own incompetence."

Almost Half of US Workers Say Weight is Biggest Health Concern

"Losing weight is the top health concern for almost half of American workers. According to new research, 43 percent of employees said losing weight was their top health priority for 2012."

Study: Men Underestimate Their Own Weight, Overestimate Weight of Women

"A new study finds a disparity in the way men view their own weight, compared to how they view the weight of their wives or girlfriends, MyFoxTwinCities reported."

Number of U.S. Mosques Up 74% Since 2000

"The number of Islamic places of worship in the United States soared 74% in the past decade."

Rich People More Likely to Cheat, Behave Badly, Research Finds

"In a series of experiments, University of California at Berkeley researchers showed again and again that upper-class individuals were more prone to unethical behavior than people from more deprived backgrounds, according to the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."

Active Video Games Don't Mean Kids Exercise More

"All that virtual boxing, bowling and dancing along with video game systems might not be helping kids meet their daily exercise requirements, a new study suggests."

Study: Clouds Losing Altitude Globally

"Researchers say the sky is falling, after a fashion, as data from a U.S. satellite show clouds around the world are losing altitude."

Study: Menu Calorie Postings Not Much Help

"Calorie counts listed on fast-food menus to meet U.S. guidelines are not understandable enough to help consumers make healthier choices, researchers said."

Mild Drought Killed Off Mayan Civilization: Study

"The collapse of the Mayan civilization was likely due to a relatively mild drought, much like the drier conditions expected in the coming years due to climate change, scientists said Thursday."

Study: We're Getting Less Friendly on Facebook

"Whether it's pruning friends lists, removing unwanted comments or restricting access to their profiles, Americans are getting more privacy-savvy on social networks, a new report found."

Crime at US Schools Dropping, Report Says

"Crimes and homicides in public schools nationwide have declined, part of a downward trend seen over the past several years. Data released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Justice show declines across a number of indicators, including thefts, violent crimes, bullying and gang activity."

Alcoholism Not Uncommon among Surgeons

"About 15 percent of surgeons have alcohol abuse or dependency problems, a rate that is somewhat higher than the rest of the population, according to a new survey."

Report: Dirty Surgical Tools in Hospitals Putting Patients at Risk

"According to a report from the Center for Public Integrity (CPI), dirty surgical tools are not uncommon – and the more technologically advanced these tools become, the harder they are to clean."

The Hidden Majority of For-Profit Colleges

"A new study by the economists Stephanie Riegg Cellini of George Washington University and Claudia Goldin of Harvard concludes that the estimated number of for-profit institutions in the United States would more than double – to more than 7,500 from 2,944 – if official statistics included institutions that do not receive federal student aid."

U.S. Bachelor Degree Rate Passes Milestone

"More than 30 percent of American adults hold bachelor’s degrees, a first in the nation’s history, and women are on the brink of surpassing men in educational attainment, the Census Bureau reported on Thursday."

Report: Facebook, Google Overtake Yahoo In Display Ad Market Share

"Yahoo’s once dominant position with display advertising is now officially over. Research firm eMarketer released figures Wednesday showing that both Facebook and Google surpassed Yahoo last year in display-ad revenue, with $1.73 billion and $1.71 billion, respectively."

Families Living in Extreme Poverty Doubled Since 1996

"The number of families living on $2 or less per person per day for at least a month in the USA has more than doubled in 15 years to 1.46 million."

Historic Low Employment for Young Americans

"Just 54% of adults between the ages of 18 and 24 are currently employed, according to a new study released by the Pew Research Center. This figure represents the lowest level of employment since the government began collecting records in 1948."

Office Politics a Necessary Evil, Survey Finds

"In a study from staffing firm Robert Half International, nearly 60 percent of workers said involvement in office politics is at least somewhat necessary to get ahead."

Study: Colonoscopy Cuts Colon Cancer Death Risk

"Millions of people have endured a colonoscopy, believing the dreaded exam may help keep them from dying of colon cancer. For the first time, a major study offers clear evidence that it does."

More Americans Plan to Save, Not Spend, Their Tax Refund

"Of those expecting a refund, 44% said they plan to stash some of it in savings, up from 42% last year, according to a survey of more than 8,700 consumers by the National Retail Federation. That marks the highest percentage in the survey's nine-year history."

79% of Fund Managers Didn't Beat the S&P

"Last year 79% of large-cap fund managers trailed the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index, says Morningstar -- the worst showing since 1997."

Facebook Profiles Predict Job Success

". . .the findings of a new study by a trio of universities that looked at how Facebook profiles predict job success."

'Marsquake' May Have Shaken Up Red Planet

"The surface of Mars appears to have been shaken by quakes relatively recently, hinting at the existence of active volcanoes and perhaps reservoirs of liquid water on the Red Planet, a new study suggests."

Ancient Biblical City 'Blooms' Again

"An ancient royal garden has come back into bloom in a way, as scientists have reconstructed what it would've looked like some 2,500 years ago in the kingdom of the biblical Judah."

Roman Empire Ran on Camel Power

"In a forthcoming report in the Journal of Archaeological Science, Belgian archeologists Fabienne Pigière and Denis Henrotay, report on the discovery of the bones of a Roman-era dromedary camel in Arlon, Belgium. And they inventory 22 sites in Northern Europe that have turned up camel bones from the Roman era."

For Women Under 30, Most Births Occur Outside Marriage

"It used to be called illegitimacy. Now it is the new normal. After steadily rising for five decades, the share of children born to unmarried women has crossed a threshold: more than half of births to American women under 30 occur outside marriage."

Study: Negative Campaign Ads Much More Frequent, Vicious Than in Primaries Past

"If you thought you were living through a particularly nasty presidential primary season, turns out you were right. Four years ago, just 6 percent of campaign advertising in the GOP primaries amounted to attacks on other Republicans; in this election, that figure has shot up to more than 50 percent, according to an analysis of advertising trends."

Science Overturns View of Humans as Naturally 'Nasty'

"Biological research increasingly debunks the view of humanity as competitive, aggressive and brutish, a leading specialist in primate behavior told a major science conference Monday."

College Students in More Alcohol Abuse Admissions

"U.S. college students have a significantly higher rate of admissions for alcohol problems than their non-student counterparts, federal health officials found."

The Most 20 Powerful US CEOs 40 and Under

"Some of them started their own businesses, while others joined established ones and quickly ascended. There are also lucky execs who knew all the right people, and some who took over family businesses. Regardless of how they got there, these young chief executives are the heads of the country’s biggest publicly traded companies by market capitalization, as of Feb. 13, that have CEOs 40 and under."

In 200-Year Tradition, Most Christian Missionaries are American

"The United State sent out 127,000 of the world's estimated 400,000 missionaries abroad in 2010, according to Todd Johnson, director of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts."

Together Apart: Commuter Marriages on the Rise

"A growing number of married couples are living apart. It's called the commuter marriage, and more than 3.5 million couples in the United States are doing it. That number has more than doubled since 1990, when the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that 1.7 million married couples were living apart for reasons other than a legal separation."

Nielsen: SmartPhone Ownership by Age and Income

This information is based on a Nielsen survey in January of 20,000 Americans who own a smartphone.

The Discontented Thirties

"According to a new research study by the Sloan Center on Aging & Work at Boston College, the people who are most satisfied with their jobs are older employees – those age 50 and up. The most dissatisfied? Those between the ages of 30 and 39."

Poll: Romney Trailing Santorum by 8 Points

"The latest Gallup daily tracking poll indicates Rick Santorum has overtaken Mitt Romney nationwide and now leads the former governor by eight-points. According to the poll, 36% of registered Republicans said they are backing Santorum, while 28% prefer Romney."

Almost Half of Abortions Are 'Unsafe': WHO

"While the overall global abortion rate has held steady at about 28 per 1,000 women, the percentage performed without trained medical help has risen from 44% in 1995 to 49% in 2008."

Bosses Who Work Out Are Nicer

". . . bosses who hit the gym tend to be less abusive to their employees. That's according to a study in the Journal of Business and Psychology."

Internet Cupids Often Miss their Mark

"Combing dating websites for that perfect love match can be very frustrating, and a group of U.S. psychology professors released a report on Monday explaining why there is no substitute for meeting face-to-face."

Employees Reveal Why They Hate Their Bosses

"A study by talent management expert DDI revealed that one in three employees don't consider their boss to be doing an effective job, while nearly half of workers think they could do their boss's job better than them."

Why You Shouldn't Make Big Decisions After 3 p.m.

"Many people feel like they do their best work -- and are most focused -- early in the morning. Willpower is strongest then, before being depleted during the day. Research also finds that we're happiest in the mornings. . ."

Puzzles Boost Learning Math-Related Skills

"Psychologist Susan Levine, an expert on mathematics development in young children at the University of Chicago, found children who play with puzzles between ages 2 and 4 later develop better spatial skills."

Hairdressers Made Ill By Clients' Depressing Stories, Study Finds

"A study of hairdressers in Victoria, Australia, found many were becoming so stressed out from listening to depressing stories they grew ill themselves."

Nanotechnology Turns Plants Into Common Plastic

"Dutch scientists have found a way of turning plant matter into the building blocks of common plastics using a nanotechnology process that offers an alternative to oil-based production."

Study: Cellphones Make Users Selfish

"A U.S. study found that cellphone use is linked to selfish behavior and may make users less socially minded, researchers said."

Humans Have About 100 Broken Genes Each

"A new analysis of 185 human genomes indicates that every one of us has about 100 'broken genes.' Some of these lost genes cause harmful effects, many seem innocuous, and some even seem to have some benefit."

Japan Tops List of Countries Deepest in Debt

"In addition to Greece, several European Union member countries now face overwhelming government debt."

It's Not Fracking's Fault, Study Says

"A university study asserts that the problems caused by the gas extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking,' arise because drilling operations aren't doing it right. The process itself isn't to blame, according to the study, released today by the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin."

Study: Wikipedia Trustworthy Health Source

"Australian researchers say a study shows Wikipedia is the most highly rated Web site for accessing information on mental-health related topics."

Study Abroad? Why American Students Head North

"Almost 10,000 American students are heading to Canada for higher education every year for the past five years, according to the Canadian Embassy in Washington, up from just 2,300 15 years ago."

Study: U.S. Schools Better Than Rankings Suggest

"The idea that U.S. public schools are falling behind the rest of the world is widely accepted, but a new analysis of international data suggests that using rankings to sort global winners from losers is often misguided, exaggerating tiny differences between countries that may be producing nearly identical results."

Home Buying: Most Affordable in Decades

"Buying a home is now more affordable than it has been in the last twenty years. Thanks to continued declines in home prices and rock-bottom mortgage rates, the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index hit a record level of affordability."

Study: Interracial Marriage, Acceptance Growing

"Forty-five years after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized interracial marriage in the United States, the rate of marriage across racial and ethnic lines is on the rise, according to a new study released Thursday."

'Buying Happiness' Means Different Things to Different People

"A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research finds that happiness means different things to different people, depending on whether they're focused on the future or the present. As a result, marketers that are trying to sell products based on the claim that it will make their customers happy must take a different approach depending on who their customers are."

Excavated Gold Mine Could Have Belonged To Queen of Sheba

"A British excavation has struck archaeological gold with a discovery that may solve the mystery of where the Queen of Sheba derived her fabled treasures."

Gallup: U.S. Life Rating at 11-Month High

"The U.S. Life Evaluation, a measure of how adults rate their well-being, has climbed back to near its all-time high after tumbling in 2011, Gallup Inc. said."

Study: Computers Can 'Evolve' for Defense

"U.S. researchers say findings from genetics research are inspiring them in their search for ways to combat increasing number of global cyberattacks."

Home-Schooling Demographics Change, Expand

"Secular organizations across the country report their numbers are growing. Though government records indicate religion is still the driving force in home schooling, members of these organizations say the face of home schooling is changing, not because of faith, but because of what parents see as shortcomings in public and private schools."

Pew Study: 1 in 8 Voter Records Flawed

"More than 24 million voter-registration records in the United States— about one in eight — are inaccurate, out-of-date or duplicates. Nearly 2.8 million people are registered in two or more states, and perhaps 1.8 million registered voters are dead."

For-Profit Colleges Raise Tuition to Maximize Student-Aid Revenue, Study Suggests

"The paper, by Stephanie Riegg Cellini of George Washington University and Claudia Goldin of Harvard University, says that the higher tuition at the Title IV-eligible colleges provides evidence of the 'Bennett hypothesis'—the theory, espoused by William J. Bennett, the former education secretary, that colleges eligible for federal student aid jack up their tuition to maximize the aid funds they can capture."

U.S. Jobless Rate Projected to Fall Sharply

"Economists in a survey see the unemployment rate falling much faster this year than previously expected, an improvement in the jobs market that could help President Obama's re-election chances."

Record Decline in Spending by States, Cities, and School Districts

"States, cities and school districts trimmed spending at the end of 2011 by more than any time in a decade, a USA TODAY analysis finds."

The Economics of Foreign College Students

"By the reckoning of the Institute of International Education, foreign students in the United States contribute about $21 billion a year to the national economy . . ."

Exercise as Housecleaning for the Body

"The ability of exercise to speed the removal of garbage from inside our body's cells may be one of its most valuable, if least visible, effects, a new study suggests."

Education Gap Grows Between Rich and Poor, Studies Say

"Education was historically considered a great equalizer in American society, capable of lifting less advantaged children and improving their chances for success as adults. But a body of recently published scholarship suggests that the achievement gap between rich and poor children is widening, a development that threatens to dilute education’s leveling effects."

The Himalayas and Nearby Peaks Have Lost No Ice in Past 10 Years, Study Shows

"The world's greatest snow-capped peaks, which run in a chain from the Himalayas to Tian Shan on the border of China and Kyrgyzstan, have lost no ice over the last decade, new research shows."

Diet Soda Linked to Heart Disease Risk

"Diet soda may seem to be a healthier alternative to calorie-laden regular soda, but a new study shows that people who regularly drink diet soft drinks may be putting their hearts at risk. Those who drank diet soda on a daily basis were at an increased risk of experiencing stroke, heart attack and death due to these conditions, according to the study."

US Lags Way Behind in Science, Math Graduates

"When it comes to churning out young workers with college degrees in math and science, the United States lags well behind other advanced democracies, ranking just behind Turkey and Spain, according to a new analysis."

The 6 Technologies That Will Shape Higher Education

"Game-based learning, learning analytics, and the "Internet of Things" are three of six technologies that will have a profound impact on higher education in the next one to five years, according to the latest NMC Horizon Report released by the New Media Consortium and the Educause Learning Initiative."

Radical U.S. Muslims Little Threat, Study Says

"The study found that arrests of Muslim Americans in plots or violent attacks have dropped sharply since 2009."

Spanking Kids Can Cause Long-Term Harm: Canada Study

"Spanking children can cause long-term developmental damage and may even lower a child's IQ, according to a new Canadian analysis that seeks to shift the ethical debate over corporal punishment into the medical sphere. The study, published this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, reached its conclusion after examining 20 years of published research on the issue."

Russian Scientists Reach Lake Under Antarctica

"After more than two decades of drilling in Antarctica, Russian scientists have reached the surface of a gigantic freshwater lake hidden under miles of ice for some 20 million years — a lake that may hold life from the distant past and clues to the search for life on other planets."

Neuroscience the New Face of Warfare: Experts

"The report, published on Tuesday by the UK's national academy of science, the Royal Society, was written by experts in neuroscience, international security, psychology and ethics. It divided the issue of neuroscience in conflict and security into two main areas - the potential to enhance performance of military forces, and the potential to degrade or diminish the enemy's performance."

Are Depressed Kids Bully Magnets?

"A new study, published this week in the journal Child Development, provides some of the strongest evidence to date for a third theory: Kids who cry easily, express negative emotions, and show other signs of depression ultimately suffer socially because they are shunned by their peers and attract the attention of bullies."

CFOs: Humor a Key Part of Workplace 'Fit'

"A sense of humor is important for fitting into a company's corporate culture and may be key to getting -- or staying -- employed, a U.S. survey says. The survey . . . was based on interviews with more than 1,400 chief financial officers . . ."

Young CEOs Offer Risks and Rewards

"The average age of incoming CEOs at S&P 500 companies has been on the decline — it was 52.9 in 2010, down from 54.7 in 2006, according to the WSJ."

Distraction Reduces Pain, Study Finds

"When you distract yourself from pain, you actually hurt less, a new study suggests."

Meetings Can Make You, Uh, Stupid

"To look at how meetings might affect our ability to think, the researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to watch people’s brains as they worked in a group setting, according to the new report published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B."

Snack Bars and Junk Food Common in Schools: Study

"About half of all elementary school students can buy potato chips, ice cream or similar snacks in vending machines and at snack bars during school, suggests a new study."

Bread a Culprit in Americans Eating Too Much Salt

"Nine out of 10 American adults consume too much salt and the leading culprit is not potato chips or popcorn but slices of bread and dinner rolls, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday."

Gold Not a Reliable Inflation Hedge: Study

"Gold prices have been too volatile to play a reliable role as a hedge against inflation, a study of financial assets over the past 112 years showed on Tuesday."

Studies: Facebook Can Hurt Self-Esteem

"According to three new studies, Facebook can be tough on mental health, offering an all-too-alluring medium for social comparison and ill-advised status updates. And while adding a friend on the social networking site can make people feel cheery and connected, having a lot of friends is associated with feeling worse about one's own life."

Twitter is Harder to Resist Than Cigarettes and Alcohol, Study Finds

"Tweeting or checking emails may be harder to resist than cigarettes and alcohol, according to researchers who tried to measure how well people could resist their desires."

Green Tea Drinkers Less Frail, More Independent in Old Age

"A new study looked at whether green tea consumption minimizes frailty and disability in the elderly."

Harvard Conference Seeks to Jolt University Teaching

"A growing body of evidence from the classroom, coupled with emerging research in cognitive psychology and neuroscience, is lending insight into how people learn, but teaching on most college campuses has not changed much, several speakers said here at Harvard University at a daylong conference dedicated to teaching and learning."