experiments

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University Apologizes for Experiments on Prisoners

UCSF conducted the dermatology experiments in the 1960s and '70s

(Newser) - A prominent California medical school has apologized for conducting dozens of unethical medical experiments on at least 2,600 incarcerated men in the 1960s and 1970s, including putting pesticides and herbicides on the men's skin and injecting it into their veins, per the AP . Two dermatologists at the University...

University's COVID Study Causes a Ruckus

Boston University makes hybrid version in lab, and federal agency is surprised to learn of it

(Newser) - Researchers at Boston University have a COVID controversy on their hands. As Mass Live reports, scientists there created a hybrid version of the virus in the lab in order to better understand the omicron variant. The experiment resulted in what the university calls inaccurate and sensationalized media coverage—particularly at...

Space Station to Receive a Whole Lot of Squid

Astronauts hope to learn survival tactics from 128 baby squid, 5K tardigrades

(Newser) - A cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station, scheduled for Thursday, will see astronauts enjoy apples, avocado, and other fresh food—not including the 128 baby squid along for the ride on SpaceX's Dragon, launched by the Falcon 9 rocket . These glow-in-the-dark baby bobtail squid will become part...

Seeds Secretly Buried in 1879 Just Gave Us an 'Amazing Moment'

Seeds hidden in Michigan State experiment are still sprouting after 142 years

(Newser) - The world's longest-running seed experiment is still giving up greenery. A group of seeds buried in a secret spot at Michigan State University in 1879 have begun sprouting after they were dug up and planted in mid-April. The first sprouted April 23—"an amazing moment," per botany...

Finland Gave People Free Cash. Here's What's Happened So Far

They're not working much more, but they are happier and less stressed

(Newser) - Finland's basic-income experiment is one year into its two-year trial run, and the results so far are a mixed bag. In a European first, 2,000 or so out-of-work Finnish citizens between the ages of 25 and 58 were guaranteed a monthly tax-free paycheck of about $635 from the...

They Were Injected With STDs. Now They Want Justice

Federal judge gives go-ahead for $1B lawsuit on 'Guatemala Experiment'

(Newser) - Nearly 850 victims and relatives are celebrating a "significant win" after a Baltimore federal judge allowed attorneys to proceed with a $1 billion lawsuit (initially dismissed last year) against Johns Hopkins University and others involving a 1940s offshore disease test. The Baltimore Sun reports on the "Guatemala Experiment,...

eBay Founder Invests $500K to Test Theory on Income

Charity arm will give money to poor in Kenya for 12 years

(Newser) - The concept of basic income is a simple idea: Impoverished people receive a fixed amount of money on a regular basis to pay for necessities such as food, clothing, and housing. While the limited research available suggests that it can provide a host of benefits—lowering drug and alcohol abuse,...

The Dream Is Dead: Swedes' 6-Hour Workday Didn’t Work

Gothenburg ends its 2-year experiment

(Newser) - Think happier, healthier lives are worth any amount of money? The Swedes aren't so sure. Two years after adopting a six-hour workday , the Swedish city of Gothenburg says it will end the experiment over cost concerns, though it appeared to make workers happier and more productive. Indeed, in the...

People With Alzheimer's Might Be Happier in Faux Towns

Imagine being 80 and stepping into a town square straight out of your childhood

(Newser) - Alzheimer's can be, if anything, an extremely disorienting disease, and traditional care often relies on drugs and the expertise of nursing homes. Now, thanks in part to positive outcomes in places like the Netherlands, San Diego is about to become home to an entirely contrived city center that will...

NASA Just Lit a Big Fire in Space

The biggest one ever intentionally lit, as a matter of fact—all in the name of safety

(Newser) - NASA just started the biggest fire in outer space ever intentionally set—all in the name of safety, Space.com reports. The Spacecraft Fire Experiment , aka Saffire-1, took place Tuesday inside an unmanned Cygnus cargo vessel after it left the International Space Station, with what a press release describes as...

Even Infants Know There Are Known Unknowns

They turn to their caregivers for help when they're stumped

(Newser) - By 20 months of age, many infants are capable of a wide range of skills, from throwing a ball and using a toilet to stringing words together and finding objects. But researchers report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that they now have evidence of babies doing...

Reddit Dares You to Press This Button

Push to restart the clock—no one knows what happens when it hits zero

(Newser) - Depending on your willpower and how much time you have to sit and stare at a countdown clock instead of working/sleeping/interacting with humans, you might want to head over to Reddit to check out "the button." In an online social experiment that promises to both fascinate and irk...

Five-Rocket NASA Mission Lights Up Sky

Science mission finally gets green light

(Newser) - After almost two weeks of delays, NASA finally launched its ATREX experiment this morning, lighting up the early morning sky as five rockets hurtled into the air. The rockets released chemicals into the air to create artificial glowing clouds at the edge of space, MSNBC reports. Those clouds will help...

Biosphere 2 Going Strong at 20
 Biosphere 2 Going Strong at 20 
Apr 30, 2011 6:56 AM CDT

Biosphere 2 Going Strong at 20

Terrarium more relevant than ever, scientists say

(Newser) - It's been a long time since the last human residents left Biosphere 2 but there's still plenty of life inside the sealed terrarium in the Arizona desert, the AP finds. The 7.2-million-square-foot facility, set up 20 years ago to see whether humans could create self-sustaining space colonies,...

US Faces Suit for Infecting Guatemalans With Syphilis

Lawyers representing some of 700 victims seeking settlement

(Newser) - A class action suit representing some of the 700 men deliberately infected with syphilis by the US government will be filed tomorrow unless the feds come up with an acceptable settlement, plaintiffs' lawyers warned. The US intentionally affected victims from 1946-48 to study the effects of the disease. The Obama...

Advice on How to Live Cheaply, Simply Is Thriving

Books, blogs popular in recession

(Newser) - What with the recession, worldwide poverty, and impending environmental doom, it’s no wonder that bookshelves and the blogosphere are crammed with tales of voluntary privation and experiments in skimp. Last month there was On a Dollar a Day, about a couple's attempt to live on that amount—in San ...

Paralyzed Rats Run in Breakthrough Experiment

Application for humans with spinal injuries not far off

(Newser) - Scientists have made paralyzed rats run again by using a new technique that could one day have wheelchair-bound people walking, reports AFP. Rats, whose spinal cords had been severed, ran when scientists applied electrical charges and drugs. "In some cases they actually walked with more consistent locomotive patterns than...

Hadron Collider Hits New Snags
 Hadron Collider Hits New Snags 
Jul 21, 2009 2:10 PM CDT

Hadron Collider Hits New Snags

CERN may run experiments through the winter to make up lost time

(Newser) - The Large Hadron Collider has hit more delays, ZDNet reports, with experiments using the machine unlikely to restart until at least mid-November due to the discovery of two vacuum leaks. The agency overseeing the 17-mile atom-smasher buried under the French-Swiss border may take the unorthodox step of running its “...

Positive Thinking Can Make You Feel Worse: Study

Affirmations don't help low self-esteem

(Newser) - It turns out the Little Engine That Could had it all wrong. Repeating positive statements to yourself doesn’t appear to help people with low self-esteem, according to a new study. Researchers asked students to repeat statements like “I am a lovable person” to themselves, then measured their mood....

Mock Mars Mission Blasts Off
 Mock Mars Mission Blasts Off 
Mar 31, 2009 12:26 PM CDT

Mock Mars Mission Blasts Off

Experimenters will spend 105 days locked in fake spaceship

(Newser) - Europe launched its first shot at a manned mission to the Red Planet today—by locking six scientists in a tiny capsule in Moscow for 105 days to simulate the voyage, the BBC reports. The volunteers, who can leave the experiment but score $20000 if they make it, will perform...

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