Life News (Popular Culture)

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Your vegetables are good for you, says a research review published by scientists from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the journal Clinical Epigenetics. In particular, vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage are filled with compounds that could help reverse or prevent cancers and other aging-related diseases as part of the “epigenetics diet,” a new lifestyle concept coined after the article’s publication.

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Ryerson University’s Digital Media Zone tech experts help you gear up for Spring Break with these essential travel tech tools.

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A just-published study by Stonehill College film scholar Ron Leone reveals a significant increase in violent content in films rated PG-13 in recent years.

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March is National Women’s History Month and American University faculty experts are available to comment on issues including the influence of America’s First Ladies, women in politics, women voters, women’s careers, working mothers, feminism, and women in journalism.

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A new study has found that Facebook can have a positive influence on the self-esteem. Jeffrey Hancock, professor of communication at Cornell University, said users can choose what they reveal, and feedback from friends tends to be overwhelmingly positive, both of which can boost self-esteem.

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Plants under snow cover are exposed to fewer drastic temperature changes, which can be more damaging than continued cold, says botanist Karen Snetselaar, Ph.D., chair and professor of biology at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. However, this year’s insulating snow cover may have come too late, Snetselaar notes.

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Dalhousie University math professor Jason Brown attracted international attention in 2008 when he solved the mystery behind the opening chord of A Hard Day’s Night using mathematical calculations. Now, he's plumbing the secrets of Strawberry Fields Forever in a new paper published by the Canadian Mathematical Society.

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In this op-ed, Salisbury University Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Jerome Miller, writes about how lessons learned in the Oscar-nominated film "The King's Speech" can be applied to 21st century civility.

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The Georgia Institute of Technology announces the release of Argon, the first mobile augmented reality (AR) browser based on open Web standards. Argon is available now for free download to the iPhone at Apple’s App Store.

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Consumers used to looking for clothing on sale may have to find value somewhere other than the price tag. “The chickens are coming home to roost,” says Sheri Bridges, associate professor of marketing at Wake Forest University. “Sooner or later higher costs of raw materials and manufacturing have to be passed along to consumers. Otherwise, the company won’t be able to invest in our future happiness by developing the newer, better products we all want.”

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What is the difference is between one variety of honey and another? Which kinds are better for cooking? Eating? City Tech's Claire Stewart, who is a beekeeper answers these questions and more, and explains her love of bees.

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Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer, The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation’s epic new fundraising event, is very proud to announce the first of a series of celebrities confirmed to be part of the inaugural tournament, set for Saturday, October 1, 2011 at Toronto’s Ontario Place.

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New book by Bryant U. professor surveys the mushrooming field of political parody: the parodist news show, the politically motivated satiric documentary, and ironic activism.

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"Master the Card" calls amassing credit card debt a behavioral problem that requires a motivational approach.

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A communications sciences and disorders professor who specializes in stuttering is available to comment on the portrayal of stuttering in “The King’s Speech.” “The emotional turmoil that dealing with stuttering causes was represented just beautifully,” says Sheryl Gottwald, a fluency specialist with three decades of clinical experience.

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The applications you add to your smartphone can label you as a specific “appitypes,” says Trevor Pinch, professor of science and technology studies, who worked as a consultant for the Finnish telecomm giant Nokia.

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Far above Cayuga’s waters, Cupid’s arrows strike Cornellians in many ways. On this Valentine’s Day, Cornellians share their love and they’re professing their own Big Red love stories … online.

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From swashbuckling, sensitive pirates to sexy, self-sacrificing vampires, romance novels and many other forms of popular culture emphasize the power of love to make all things turn out right, in the end. “Given its prominence and power in pop culture today, we should consider how romance may be a religion for some people,” says Lynn Neal, associate professor of religion.

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In recent years, marketers have begun to integrate product placement into popular TV shows, video games, movies and music. While many of these subtle advertising opportunities are the collaborative work of producers and marketers, it is sometimes the work of the artists themselves.

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Ryerson University’s Digital Media Zone offers easy tech fixes to score Valentine's points with your mister or missus.

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Josh Braun, Cornell University doctoral candidate in communication, comments on the sale of the Huffington Post to AOL. He researches how new-media newsrooms work.

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Professors dissect Twitter feeds to examine commercials’ emotional acceptance.

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Expert co-directs Project Daytime to study the daytime television industry and the survival of the soap opera.

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Vanderbilt University expert suggests environmentally friendly Valentine’s Day celebration alternatives.

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As families get ready to watch the Super Bowl this weekend, what else will they see besides touchdowns and field goals? Ads promoting alcohol and other products geared toward an older audience. Christy Buchanan, professor of psychology at Wake Forest University and an expert on parent-child relations advises parents how to handle commercial breaks that challenge family values.

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During Social Media Week, Ryerson University’s Digital Media Zone (DMZ) issues a reminder that social media is no longer just about being social. It’s a key strategy for any business and especially for entrepreneurs and startups.

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The Super Bowl is a prime event for advertisers to debut their flashy, new commercials. But ads with violent content aired during a sporting event containing violence may amplify aggressive thoughts in kids, the authors of a new study say.

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“Oversexed Jezebels,” “asexual mammies” and “gold diggers” are among stereotypes of black women, with some dating back to slavery but persisting in today’s mass media, said Dr. Mia Moody, an assistant professor of journalism at Baylor. But these days, even the most positive image — that of an independent woman — often carries a negative message in popular rap music, she said.

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Super Bowl ads are arguably more of a pull for viewers than the game, and the cost of an advertising spot reflects that.

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Without Carrie Bradshaw, women many never have discovered Manolo Blahniks. As one of the best-known characters in “Sex in the City,” Bradshaw encapsulates the typical postfeminist, career-minded, single gal, a gal who a University of New Hampshire instructor says is part of the explosive popularity of the genre “chick lit.”

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1) Bowl Business; 2) Your Brain on the Bowl; 3) Hearing Cheers? 4) Keeping Fans Safe.

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This Thursday, Jan. 27, Michael Vick’s first paid endorsement contract since he got out of prison will be made public. Meanwhile, Ben Roethlisberger is getting ready for his third Super Bowl. Is all forgiven?

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Binghamton University faculty offer thoughts on kissing and cuddling; dealing with the Valentine’s Day complainers aka cheapskates; and tips for making Valentine’s Day fun for the whole family.

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We exchanged them with our school classmates as children, and as adults we send them to those we love most – but did you know the American tradition of sending valentines originated with a young Mount Holyoke College graduate?

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It’s a green light: Media are invited to the freshly finished “Unpacking the Nano” exhibition, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2010, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art.

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More video games, sponsors, attendees and $700,000 worth of prizes, will be featured at the seventh annual Winter Game Fest Jan. 22 and 23 on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. The two-day video game tournament is free and open to the public and has become in one of the largest competitions of its kind in Southern California.

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Tweets from popular news organizations have a major influence on hot Twitter topics, but a Northwestern University analysis of the Top Twitter Trends in 2010 shows that celebrities, such as Adam Lambert and Conan O’Brian, sometimes beat out news organizations and reigned as Twitter’s top influencers on big news stories.

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With the NFL head coaching carousel underway, attention turns again to the Rooney Rule, but research from an Iowa economist shows the rule is not the best way to expand the league's pools of minority head coaches.

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Until space travel becomes easier, it’s still possible to hold a piece of the final frontier in our hands. Approximately 500 unique objects in a space artifacts will go for auction.

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Computer science might not be the obvious major for students looking to change the world. But two teams of University at Buffalo students are proving that programming can translate into compassion.

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D.J. Williams, who overcame a chaotic childhood to become a star student-athlete and a passionate advocate for domestic abuse awareness, heard his name called twice during The Home Depot College Football Awards program, once for football and once for his work off the the field.

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Leading you down the path to tech savvy in 2011 is Ryerson University’s Digital Media Zone with some New Year’s tech resolutions...

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Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), the charitable initiative generating public awareness of and support for ground-breaking research aimed at getting new cancer treatments to patients in an accelerated timeframe, has acquired the TV and film rights to The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, written by Siddhartha Mukherjee and published by Scribner in November, 2010. The book traces the history, or biography, of the disease from its first appearance thousands of years ago through the Nixon era War on Cancer 40 years ago to today’s promising new directions in cancer medicine.

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Do black leather pants qualify as a tax deduction for rock stars? Fans, musicians, journalists, researchers and anyone else interested in music can see how the courts dealt with this question and nearly any other legal issue involving the music industry at The Discography: Legal Encyclopedia of Popular Music accessible through thediscography.org. The site was created by Loren Wells, JD, musician and recent graduate of the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and is supported by the Center for Empirical Research in the Law (CERL) at the School of Law. The site’s database — the most elaborate of its kind — covers 2,400 court opinions spanning nearly 200 years of the music industry.

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For the third consecutive year, four Georgia Tech students will punctuate the fall semester’s academic efforts with at least two straight days of Zelda, sacrificing sleep for charity as they play.

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More than 60 percent of parents say video games have no effect on their children. Not true, says Marina Krcmar, associate professor of communication at Wake Forest, who studies the impact of video games on children and teens. And, as games get more and more realistic, research shows the positive and negative effects on children increase, Krcmar says.

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Most people assume the editorial was an immediate hit when first published in 1897 and that the Sun enthusiastically reprinted it every year at Christmastime until the newspaper folded in 1950. Not true, said W. Joseph Campbell, a professor and expert on media myths at American University.

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St. Lawrence University receives a share of royalties from the estate of an alumnus who wrote "I'll Be Home For Christmas."

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Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP) will explore these questions related to Tata Motors' revolutionary new Tata Nano, in an exhibition at the university’s Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art. "Unpacking the Nano," runs from Jan. 15 through March 27, 2011.

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When buying gifts for preschoolers, think low tech and "old school," Rowan University education majors say.