Latest Ohio State University Stories

An otherwise nondescript binary star system in the Whirlpool Galaxy has brought astronomers tantalizingly close to their goal of observing a star just before it goes supernova. The study, submitted in a paper to the Astrophysical Journal, provides the latest result from an Ohio State University galaxy survey underway with the Large Binocular Telescope, located in Arizona. In the first survey of its kind, the researchers have been scanning 25 nearby galaxies for stars that brighten and...

New research shows how support for a generally liked policy can be significantly lowered, simply by associating it with a group seen as “radical” or “extreme.” In one experiment, researchers found that people expressed higher levels of support for a gender equality policy when the supporters were not specified than when the exact same policy was attributed to “radical feminist” supporters. These findings show why attacking political opponents as “extremists” is so...

Parents of newborns show poorer adjustment to their new role if they believe society expects them to be “perfect” moms and dads, a new study shows. Moms showed less confidence in their parenting abilities and dads felt more stress when they were more worried about what other people thought about their parenting skills. However, self-imposed pressure to be perfect was somewhat better for parents, especially for fathers, according to the results. The findings are some of the first...

Men may think about sex more often than women do, but a new study suggests that men also think about other biological needs, such as eating and sleep, more frequently than women do, as well. And the research discredits the persistent stereotype that men think about sex every seven seconds, which would amount to more than 8,000 thoughts about sex in 16 waking hours. In the study, the median number of young men’s thought about sex stood at almost 19 times per day. Young women in the study...

If you want people to change the current system, or status quo, first you have to get them to notice what’s wrong with it. That’s the idea behind a new study to be published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, which finds that people pay attention to negative information about the system when they believe the status quo can change. “Take America’s educational system. You could find some flaws in that system,” says India Johnson, a...

Peloton’s Success is in Response to Stefanie Spielman’s Challenge to “Continue to Fight” Columbus, Ohio (PRWEB) November 12, 2011 Stefanie's Team of Hope raised over $268,000 for Pelotonia 11, making the team the #1 non-corporate fundraising peloton in the event for the second year in a row. All of the funds raised will go to life-saving cancer research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute....

The Department of Transportation and Parking at Ohio State has purchased two diesel-electric powered hybrid buses for the Campus Area Bus Service and they include energy efficient Hybrid Beltless Alternators (HBA) Designed and Delivered by Vanner Inc. in Hilliard, Ohio. Hilliard, Ohio (PRWEB) November 10, 2011 Vanner announces that Ohio State University’s two new GILLIG hybrid-electric buses are equipped with Vanner Hybrid Beltless AlternatorsTM (HBAsTM). Two buses were purchased...

Scientists within the New York Center for Astrobiology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have compiled years of research to help locate areas in outer space that have extreme potential for complex organic molecule formation. The scientists searched for methanol, a key ingredient in the synthesis of organic molecules that could lead to life. Their results have implications for determining the origins of molecules that spark life in the cosmos. The findings will be published in the Nov. 20...

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Ford Motor Company Fund launched the "Heart Behind the Oval" video contest which offers prizes to college students who showcase how they are making a difference through participation with a local non-profit organization. The contest also provides grants to the non-profits where the students volunteer. The first place prize winner will receive a $5,000 scholarship with $2,500 to the featured non-profit. Winners in second place will receive a...

Researchers at Ohio State University Medical Center and Nationwide Children’s Hospital have developed a viral vector designed to deliver a gene into the eyes of people born with an inherited, progressive form of blindness that affects mainly males. The vector is part of a clinical trial investigating the use of gene therapy to cure choroideremia, a disease that affects an estimated 100,000 people worldwide. The trial is being conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford in...