Tomorrow in Brief, May-June 2010

The “Greening” of Antarctica

A new wind farm on Antarctica’s Ross Island will supply nearly 1,000 kilowatts of power and save about 240,000 gallons of fuel a year, according to the National Science Foundation. The three new turbines offer a “green” source of power for the polar research work conducted at McMurdo Station (U.S.) and Scott Base (New Zealand).

Once powered by a nuclear plant (closed about 40 years ago), Antarctica’s research stations currently rely on diesel generators and boilers for electricity and heat. The wind farm will meet up to 15% of McMurdo’s and nearly all of Scott Base’s electricity demand.

Source: National Science Foundation, www.nsf.gov.

WordBuzz: Transvaluation

The dictionary defines transvaluing as reevaluating something in a way that repudiates accepted standards. In the case of anthropologists studying ways to save the western lowland gorillas of the Central African Republic, transvaluation refers to combining ethnographic and ecological studies to improve understanding of the role of local human cultures in species preservation.

“Conservation isn’t just about protecting wildlife,” says Purdue University anthropology professor Melissa Remis. “You also need to consider the human dimension such as how local hunting technologies or even migration can change how land is used.”

For instance, diminished populations of a local species of antelope, called duikers, has led many hunters to turn to the gorillas for food; the researchers thus suggest that permitting selective logging would result in new vegetation growth that would help sustain the duiker populations and make the gorillas less tempting.

Source: Purdue University, www.purdue.edu.

Hollywood Goes Bilingual

It’s sounding more and more like America on American TV and movie screens. English–Spanish bilingualism is increasing in Hollywood scripts, according to linguistics researcher Nieves Jiménez Carra of Pablo de Olavide University in Seville, Spain.

With the U.S. population comprising a growing proportion of Latinos, who often alternate between Spanish and English, script writers and producers are also incorporating both languages into scripts, rather than simply adding Spanish subtitles or dubbing English-language programs into Spanish.

The advantage over dubbing or subtitling is that the characters sound more authentic, using natural Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Cuban Spanish, for instance, rather than a more formal version of Spanish translated for audiences in Spain.

Source: Plataforma SINC, www.plataformasinc.es.

Second-Hand Effects of Bullying

Witnesses of bullying may be at greater risk for later psychological distress than the victims themselves, suggests a study of public schools in England.

These “second-hand victims” may be experiencing stress from two fronts: fear of becoming targets of the bullies themselves and guilt from not interceding on the victim’s behalf. The researchers encourage school psychologists to pay more attention to witnesses in bullying incidents and to teach them ways that they can intercede rather than remain passive bystanders.

Source: “Observing Bullying at School: The Mental Health Implications of Witness Status” by Ian Rivers et al., School Psychology Quarterly (Volume 24, Number 4), American Psychological Association, www.apa.org.

Electromagnetic Waves May Protect the Brain

Long-term use of cell phones may improve memory and help protect users from Alzheimer’s disease, or even reverse its effects, report researchers at the Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

The study of old mice with Alzheimer’s showed that exposure to electromagnetic waves generated by cell phones reversed memory impairment. The waves removed brain deposits of the protein beta--amyloid, the harmful, sticky plaque that is the hallmark of Alzheimer’s.

While the mice weren’t wearing earpieces or holding phones to their heads as humans typically do, the effect of exposure to electromagnetic fields offers a potential avenue for drug-free treatment of Alzheimer’s patients, the researchers believe.

Sources: “Electromagnetic Field Treatment Protects Against and Reverses Cognitive Impairment in Alzheimer’s Disease Mice” by Gary W. Arendash et al., Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (January 2010). Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, www.floridaadrc.org.