"And how does that make you feel? Empathy is the foundation of therapeutic intervention. But how can you know if your therapist is or will be empathetic? Technology developed by researchers from USC, University of Washington, and the University of Utah can tell you.

When you see someone wandering all over the street because they are on the phone, it is irksome. When you have to reply to a text, not so much.

At Science 2.0 we call this phenomenon "mobile drift" but the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons lumps such mobile deadwalkers under the term "distracted walking." They find that more than three quarters (78 percent) of U.S. adults believe that distracted walking is a "serious" issue; however, 74 percent of Americans say "other people" are usually or always walking while distracted, while only 29 percent say the same about themselves. 

Living longer usually means a longer dotage, with more pills and disease risk for more decades rather than aging well. What would be better? Extended young adulthood, when we are at our primes.

Chemical triggers that make plants defend themselves against insects could replace pesticides, according to a new paper in Bioorganic&Medicinal Chemistry Letters which identifies five chemicals that trigger rice plants to fend off a common pest - the white-backed planthopper, Sogatella furcifera

Since some research suggests flame retardants could cause developmental problems - one type of organophosphate flame retardant (PFR) is listed as a probable human carcinogen by the 
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) - companies have been offering to reduce their use in response to public concerns (real and manufactured.)

A new paper in Environmental Science&Technology finds that infants could potentially be affected the most and looks at potential exposure routes. 

The Ophel excavations at the foot of the southern wall of the Temple Mount have unearthed an impression of the royal seal of King Hezekiah, around 727-698 B.C. 

Measuring 9.7 X 8.6 mm, the oval impression was imprinted on a 3 mm thick soft bulla (piece of inscribed clay) measuring 13 X 12 mm. Around the impression is the depression left by the frame of the ring in which the seal was set.

The impression bears an inscription in ancient Hebrew script: "Belonging to Hezekiah [son of] Ahaz king of Judah," and a two-winged sun, with wings turned downward, flanked by two ankh symbols symbolizing life.