ScienceDaily: Science & Society News

Does a competent leader make a good friend? Posted: 10 Feb 2015 01:01 PM PST New research shows that when we elect leaders and politicians we tend to prefer dominant-looking, masculine men, but when we are looking to make new friends we seek the opposite.

Geoengineering report: Scientists urge more research on climate intervention Posted: 10 Feb 2015 12:59 PM PST Deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, while necessary, may not happen soon enough to stave off climate catastrophe. So, in addition, the world may need to resort to so-called geoengineering approaches that aim to deliberately control the planet's climate.

Security gaps found in 39,890 online databases containing customer data Posted: 10 Feb 2015 05:38 AM PST Anyone could call up or modify several million pieces of customer data online including names, addresses and e-mails. Three students were able to show this for 40,000 online databases in both Germany and France. The cause is a misconfigured open source database upon which millions of online stores and platforms from all over the world base their services. If the operators blindly stick to the defaults in the installation process and do not consider crucial details, the data is available online, completely unprotected.

Historic US and UK dietary advice on fats 'should not have been introduced' Posted: 10 Feb 2015 02:09 AM PST National dietary advice on fat consumption issued to millions of US and UK citizens in 1977 and 1983, to cut coronary heart disease incidence, lacked any solid trial evidence to back it up, and 'should not have been introduced,' concludes new research.

Health-care professionals back overhaul of prescription charging system in England Posted: 04 Feb 2015 07:19 PM PST Two-thirds of primary care health professionals surveyed think that the current exemption criteria for prescription charges in England should be widened to include anyone with a long term condition, reveal the results of a survey commissioned by Drug & Therapeutics Bulletin.

Third of high school seniors in U.S. support legalized marijuana, study suggests Posted: 04 Feb 2015 08:17 AM PST New research has found that 33 percent of high school seniors support legalized marijuana and 25.6 percent believe marijuana should be considered a crime. As debate has swept the country -- with legalization already passed in four states and Washington DC -- this study focuses on a group with an exceptionally strong pull on the future.