Consumer & Retail Industry News & Analysis

Team Hopes to Improve Health Care Access in Tanzania with Ambulance Carts

Hospitals and other medical facilities are often located far from rural villages in Tanzania, complicating matters for anyone experiencing a health crisis, particularly expectant mothers.

10 Kinds of Thermoplastics and What You Can Do With Them

Thermoplastic — plastic material that is pliable above certain temperatures, capable of being molded and re-shaped but that can also solidify when cooled — is a common ingredient found in everything from toys to electronics.

White Noise May Improve Learning, According to Study

According to researchers, white noise — background noises at the same volume but different frequencies, for instance, the sound of a passing jetliner or the ocean — can enhance learning performance.

Eco-Friendly Behavior Considered Feminine Behavior by Both Men and Women

According to a report based on seven different studies, researchers are suggesting that the reason fewer men practice eco-friendly behaviors like recycling may be because those behaviors are often, in the minds of both men and women, associated with being feminine.

Turning Human Urine into Environmentally Friendly Fertilizer

Commonly used in industrial fertilizers, nitrogen and phosphorous are typically manufactured through processes requiring significant amounts of energy. However, removing these same ingredients from human urine would be a low-energy alternative, which is what inspired the research team to develop the system.

Obsessive Selfie-taking May be a Mental Condition, According to Study

Are you constantly posting selfie after selfie on social media? Answering yes may mean that you suffer from an obsessive disorder.

Introverts Did Not Catch as Many Pokémon as Extroverts, According to Study

Driving people into the streets in search of Pokémon last year, the video game Pokémon Go inspired scientists from the University of British Columbia to determine whether or not the game helped players with social anxiety.

Degrading Coral Reefs Mean Bad News for Commerical Fishing

However, the study modeled how those factors would affect coral reef communities, food webs and, subsequently, fishery productivity.

Parents in STEM Fields May Influence Girls' Pursuit of Science Degrees

According to the research, having a parent working in a STEM field increased the chances of girls majoring in STEM-related subjects by 11 percentage points. And that number increased by 25 percentage points when researchers expanded the STEM definition to include life, social and physical sciences.

Study Shows More People Calling Uber Instead of Ambulances

Examining ambulance rates in 766 U.S. cities in 43 different states between 2013 and 2015, researchers determined that Uber might reduce ambulance use by as much as 7 percent.

Smartphone App Uses AI to Identify Lost Animals

Using a combination of computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI), Brazilian company SciPet is working on developing an app to identify animals.

Report Outlines FAA Steps to Track Drones in Flight

The Unmanned Aircraft Systems Identification and Tracking Aviation Rulemaking Committee submitted its report on technologies to identify and track drones in flight and other associated issues.

Plastic Discovered in Mussels from the Arctic to China

Bits of plastic have been found in mussel populations from the European Arctic to China — an indication of how far-reaching the issue of plastic pollution is, according to a study from the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA).

Smartphone App to Monitor Cancer Patient Recovery

Relying on smartphone sensors and an algorithm, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center have developed a smartphone app for remotely monitoring the symptoms of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

New Occupancy Detection Device Designed to Detect Stationary Individuals, Cut Energy Usage

Smart thermostats that control heating and cooling based on building occupancy can help reduce both energy use and costs.

Researchers Locate Unconventional Sites for Future Solar Farms

The University of California, Riverside, and the University of California, Davis, set out to locate alternative and unconventional sites throughout California’s Central Valley for future solar panel installations that would not encroach on land suitable for growing crops.

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