New research in Nature has a surprising conclusion; the impact of deforestation on global warming varies with latitude, which at least explains a frustrating lack of warming in the U.S. even though global warming has been measured higher overall.

The researchers calculated that north of Minnesota, or above 45 degrees latitude, deforestation was associated with an average temperature decrease of 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit. On the other hand, deforestation south of North Carolina, or below 35 degrees latitude, appeared to cause warming. Statistically insignificant cooling occurred between these two latitudes.

Fresh results from the OPERA collaboration once more confirm the faster than light neutrinos indicated by MINOS. The new findings, available here, also further strengthen a particular scenario: The neutrinos do not travel with superluminal velocity all the way. They only ‘jump’ a small initial distance shorter than 20 meters, after which they settle back and travel as usual with speeds below that of the speed of light. This initial jump would occur at speeds that are more than ten times the speed of light, perhaps even millions of times the speed of light.

One of the biggest difficulties in understanding and acceptance of evolutionary biology is the eye.  It isn't just detractors who are trying to protect a sectarian viewpoint, it is genuinely curious people, smart people, who don't get it because it isn't easy. Science is difficult and, inside science, evolution is difficult. We've even had prominent biologists here submit the idea that perhaps, given its difficulty, evolution might be better reserved for college students, the same way quantum mechanics is reserved in physics and surgery is reserved for actual doctors even though high school students learn anatomy.

Sheesh, it isn't even Thanksgiving but companies are already advertising Top Ten Lists?  When will it end? 

There are still 37 shopping days until Christmas but The Sunday Times already has its top ten gadgets of 2011 list up. Compiled by their technology panel, the results will also be featured in the inaugural Tech List supplement within the main newspaper this weekend. To coincide with the launch, consumer research was conducted looking at gadget and technology trends together with spending plans this Christmas. 

A group of researchers has created a model they say can identify and predict how multiple relationships form in social networks. The nuance, they say, is that multiple, distinct types of relationships often occur among users of the same network and existing models that explain how relationships form in a network don't account for these variations.

As an example, they note that when people connect with each other through networks, they connect via multiple relationships. Two Facebook users may be "friends" but may not regularly communicate with each other directly and a user commenting on another's profile or otherwise actively communicating represents a different type of relationship in the network.