A recent article discussed the question of causation versus statistical association in cross-sectional epidemiology studies that evaluate the pote

As an Applied Mathematician, I like to use mathematical modeling and computational techniques to try to better understand how things work in the world around me. One application I have studied over a number of years is how to compute the number of runs (and their distribution) for a team of baseball players with realistic data.

In Antarctica's Vestfold Hills, Deep Lake has been isolated from the ocean for the last 3,500 years ago, a result of Antarctic continent rising that has left a saltwater ecosystem that remains liquid, even in extreme cold.

Concerns about the negative effects of mercury on fetal development have led to
the US National Research Council
warning against eating too much fish during pregnancy, but those guidelines may need to be reviewed.

New research instead found that fish accounts for only seven percent of mercury levels in the human body. Further, an analysis of 103 food and drink items consumed by 4,484 women during pregnancy found that the 103 items together accounted for less than 17 percent of total mercury levels in the body. 

Disrupted sleep patterns have been linked to autism but the quality of the evidence accumulated to date has often been compromised by small sample size, lack of agreed definitions, and poor comparability of study participants.

Some data also suggest that production of the sleep hormone melatonin may be impaired in some children with autistic spectrum disorders, which may explain disturbed sleep patterns, say the authors of a new paper.

But it's unclear just what impact this shortened sleep pattern may have, they acknowledge, though other researchers have suggested that sleep loss may have impact on neuronal development.

Fiber-optic sensors running along a 36-km stretch of high-speed commuter railroad lines connecting Hong Kong to mainland China have taken more than 10 million measurements over the past few years, a demonstration that the system can help safeguard commuter trains and freight cars against accidents.

Attuned to the contact between trains and tracks, the sensors can detect potential problems like excessive vibrations, mechanical defects or speed and temperature anomalies. The system is wired to warn train operators immediately of such problems so that they can avoid derailments or other accidents.

Experimenting with Babies: 50 Amazing Science Projects You Can Perform on Your Kid, out today, teaches parents how to recreate landmark scientific studies on cognitive, motor, social and behavioral development—using their own bundles of joy as the research subjects.

Here's one you can do with your own child, based on a 2012 study, to see how early children can learn about how competent an adult is:

Age Range: Between 15 and 18 months old

Researchers have created the first comprehensive roadmap of the protein interactions that enable cells in the pancreas to produce, store and secrete the hormone insulin. The finding makes possible a deeper scientific understanding of the insulin secretion process—and how it fails in insulin disorders such as type 2 diabetes.

Geologists and geophysicists have discovered traces of large ice sheets from the Pleistocene on a seamount off the north-eastern coast of Russia, confirming for the first time that within the past 800,000 years in the course of ice ages, ice sheets more than a kilometer thick also formed in the Arctic Ocean.

It's the 21st century for honoring the dead too - and among other "virtual tombstones", people are doing things like blending cremated remains into tattoos.

"Virtual tombstones" are also being created online, and mourners are displaying "Rest in Peace" car decals or T-shirts. These unconventional ideas are growing in popularity, according to Baylor University assistant professor of religion Candi Cann, who made a presentation at  the recent international conference, "Death, Dying and Disposal," of the Association for the Study of Death and Society.