Dietary self-monitoring is the best predictor of weight-loss success. But the practice is viewed as so onerous, many would-be weight-losers won’t adopt it. New research published in Obesity shows for the first time how little time it actually takes: 14.6 minutes per day. Frequency of monitoring was the key success factor.
A first-of-its-kind study on Twitter use during 5 of the costliest U.S. natural disasters offers potentially life-saving insights. The research, in PLOS ONE, finds that Twitter users with small networks (100-200 followers) increase activity more than those with larger networks in these situations. It also finds that each disaster type (hurricanes, tornadoes, floods) has a unique pattern of social media use.
Researchers have shown, for the first time, that manure used to fertilize croplands in spring and summer can dramatically increase greenhouse gas emissions in winter. While it’s known that farmers’ decisions to add nutrients to their fields affects greenhouse gas emissions during the growing season, the study is the first to show that these choices have long-lasting effects, especially as winters warm and soils thaw more frequently.
A study from the University of Vermont shows that if a person leaves a social media platform--or never joined--the online posts and words of their friends still provide about 95% of the predictive accuracy of a person's future activities--even without any of that person's data.
Anxiety and depression in young children are hard to detect and often go untreated, potentially leading to anxiety disorders and increased risk of suicide and drug abuse later. In a PLOS ONE study, researchers showed a wearable sensor detected these "internalizing disorders" in children with 80 percent accuracy, reducing to 20 seconds what would take clinicians months to diagnose, opening the door to inexpensive screening that could be part of routine developmental assessments.
A study published in the February 2019 “Pediatrics” journal suggests the majority of gay fathers and their children continue to experience stigma with potentially harmful physical and psychological effects, despite legal, media and social advances. Study participants specifically cited structural stigma, such as state laws and beliefs of religious communities, as affecting their experiences in multiple social contexts.
New research shows wild bees are essential for larger and better blueberry yields – with plumper, faster-ripening berries. The study is the first to show that wild bees improve not only blueberry quantity, but also quality. It finds they produce greater berry size (12%), quantity (12%), size consistency (11%), and earlier harvests – by two and a half days.
New research from the University of Vermont provides insight to help predict which plants are likely to become invasive in a particular community. The results showed that non-native plants are more likely to become invasive when they possess biological traits that are different from the native community and that plant height can be a competitive advantage.
A first-of-its-kind study shows that the sea star microbiome is critically important to the progression of a disease that is killing millions of sea stars from Mexico to Alaska—and that an imbalance of microbes might be the culprit.
Researchers found that when water temperatures heat up for corals, fish ‘tempers’ cool down, providing the first clear evidence of coral bleaching serving as a trigger for rapid change in the behavior of reef fish. Publishing in Nature Climate Change, the researchers show how butterflyfish, considered to be sensitive indicators of reef health, offer an early warning sign that reef fish populations are in trouble.
Residents and property owners are more likely to adopt some green stormwater infrastructure practices if they have experienced flooding or erosion on their property or in their neighborhoods, according to new research from the University of Vermont. With the number of extreme weather events rising, more people may seek ecologically friendly practices to manage stormwater.
Rising global temperatures are expected to significantly increase crop losses from insects, especially in temperate regions, a new study finds. Losses for three top staple grains (wheat, rice, maize) are projected to rise by 10-25% per degree of warming. A 2-degree rise in global average temperature would result in crop losses of approx. 213 million tons.
A new book argues that entertainment media like Game of Thrones shape our beliefs, in way we aren't aware of, about social justice, crime and terrorism, tolerance and diversity, the benefits or dangers of technology, and the characteristics of leadership. The author, a political science professor at the University of Vermont, based his conclusions on 13 separate studies and experiments.
A first-of-its-kind global study shows that children in 27 developing countries have better nutrition—when they live near forests.
Scientists uncovered the microscopic process by which metal wires can lose their superconductivity. The ability to control this transition in nanowires could lead to a new class of energy-efficient information technologies based on tiny superconductors.
A new study shows that eighth-grade science teachers without an educational background in science are less likely to practice inquiry-oriented science instruction, a pedagogical approach that develops students’ understanding of scientific concepts and engages students in hands-on science projects. This research offers new evidence for why U.S. middle-grades students may lag behind their global peers in scientific literacy. Inquiry-oriented science instruction has been heralded by the National Research Council and other experts in science education as best practice for teaching students 21st-century scientific knowledge and skills.
For the first time in two decades there are more job opening in the United States than unemployed Americans. A lack of college-educated workers, however, could result in 20 million high-paying jobs going unfilled over the next decade. Leaders in business, education and philanthropy met at a summit at CFES Brilliant Pathways in Essex, NY, to address this critical economic and social justice issue by identifying strategies for helping students from underserved urban and rural areas become ready for the workforce of tomorrow.
As national regulators work to develop mandatory GMO food labels, new research by UVM’s Jane Kolodinsky finds that consumer opposition to GMOs dropped significantly after Vermont adopted mandatory labels.
A team of physicists at the University of Vermont have discovered a fundamentally new way surfaces can get wet. Their study may allow scientists to create the thinnest films of liquid ever made—and engineer a new class of surface coatings and lubricants just a few atoms thick.
The innovative products developed by the University of Vermont spinoff company Packetized Energy take a new approach to helping utilities tap the power of renewables. The rapidly growing company is being watched by the utility industry as demonstration projects with two Vermont utilities play out in 2018.
Surprising new research shows that red spruce are making a comeback—and that a combination of reduced pollution mandated by the 1990 Amendments to the Clean Air Act and changing climate are behind the resurgence.
A team of researchers created the first map of Europe’s last wild forests. The map identifies more than 3.4 million acres in 34 European countries, showing that more old growth remains than previously understood.
A team of researchers created the first map of Europe’s last wild forests. The map identifies more than 3.4 million acres in 34 European countries, showing that more old growth remains than previously understood.
A “cognitive” ground-penetrating radar system could radically change the construction inspection process in cities, saving big money in the process. Using augmented reality goggles, a construction or utility worker will be able to peer six to 12 feet down on a dig site to see the welter of obstructions underneath – water, sewer and gas pipes, electric lines and electric generators – some dating to the 19th century, radically speeding the permitting process, which can 18 month or more now.
More complex statistical analysis of data used in a 2017 study that drew some criticism confirms the earlier conclusions that Black and Hispanic drivers in Vermont are stopped and searched more frequently than White drivers and are less frequently found with contraband. No Black and Hispanic drivers who were stopped and searched were found with heroin, opioids, or cocaine, compared with 39 White drivers who were found with those substances, suggesting that images of drug traffickers in the state are stereotyped.
New research published in the current issue of the Journal of Personal and Social Relationships shows that the emotional processing of children whose parent argue frequently can be adversely affected, with potentially long term adverse consequences.
A University of Vermont mathematician has developed a new tool to identify gerrymandered voting districts. The research shows Pennsylvania, Ohio and North Carolina strongly gerrymandered for Republicans, while Maryland’s and California’s voting districts have been strongly tipped in favor of Democrats. The new tool could be important in the wake of two Supreme Court cases now being considered that might outlaw certain partisan gerrymanders.
Caroline Beer has spent her career researching comparative data between Latin American countries and the United States that often debunks false stereotypes. Her latest study showing Mexico as more progressive than the U.S. when it comes to LGBT rights, especially in the recognition of same-sex relationships, is no exception.
Massachusetts boasts one of the most iconic fisheries in the U.S., but new research suggests that protecting marine coastlines has surpassed commercial fishing as an economic driver. The study is the first to calculate the economic value of coastal preservation in Massachusetts. The research finds these efforts contributed $179 million to the state’s economy in 2014, more than finfish landings ($105 million) and whale-watching ($111 million). To calculate the value of marine stewardship, researchers pioneered a new method that accounts for the millions in donations and volunteer time flowing to marine conservation nonprofit organizations. Quantifying how humans value the environment can be challenging. By highlighting the economic might of marine conservation, Roman hopes to show that environmental groups deserve a place at the table when discussing ocean economies.
A recently invented device that measures relative humidity more accurately than current products could save producer growers an average of $6,500 annually and cheese producers up to $10,000 a year.
Scientists have discovered an extreme lack of genetic diversity and other threats to the future adaptability of domestic chickpeas, the primary source of protein of 20 percent of the world's people. But they also collected wild relatives of chickpeas in Turkey that hold great promise as a source of new genes for traits like drought-resistance, resistance to pod-boring beetles, and heat tolerance.
A University of Vermont research study, which discovered Instagram photos hold clues to aid in the early detection of depression, was one of the 20 most popular pieces of academic research in all of 2017, according to a new ranking.
A new study shows that people who perceive their employer as committed to environmental and community-based causes will, in turn, engage in green behavior and local volunteerism, with one caveat: their boss must display similarly ethical behavior.
Six years ago when Sanjay Sharma took over as dean of the Grossman School of Business, he set his sights on an ambitious goal: to become the top MBA program in the country for sustainable innovation. That dream became reality on Oct. 31 when The Princeton Review ranked the University of Vermont Grossman School of Business’ Sustainable Innovation MBA program No. 1 on its 2018 list of “Best Green MBA” programs.
Sprawling mines caused roughly 10% of Amazon deforestation between 2005 and 2015 - much higher than previous estimates. Roughly 90% of this deforestation occurred outside the mining leases granted by Brazil’s government.
Financial losses could increase by more than 70 percent by 2100 if oceans warm at the worst-case-scenario rate predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, according to a new study. The study used hurricane modeling and information in FEMA's HAZUS database to reach its conclusions.
A study of 300,000 children in 35 nations says kids whose watersheds have greater tree cover are less likely to experience diarrheal disease, the second leading cause of death for children under the age of five.
School officials focused exclusively on bullying prevention efforts might want to consider the findings of a new study showing the highly damaging effects of multiple forms of victimization on school climate.
Students and a scientist at the University of Vermont have discovered 15 new species of 'smiley-faced' spiders--and named them after, among others, Barack Obama, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Bernie Sanders.
The author of a new study showing slow but consistent progress in the experiences of LGBTQ students on college campuses over the past 70 years is concerned that for the first time since 1944, that trend may be reversing.
A surprising discovery that immune cells possess an internal warehouse of glycogen used to activate immune responses could help to increase immune activity in vaccines or suppress immune reactions in autoimmune disease or hyper-inflammatory conditions.
A new $180,000 Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to a consortium that includes The University of Vermont and three partners aims to paint a more nuanced picture of who is farming in Vermont today -- beyond dairy stereotypes.
A new study shows that Instagram photos can be examined by a computer to successfully detect depressed people. The computer results are more reliable (70%) than the diagnostic success rate (42%) of general-practice doctors. The approach promises a new method for early screening of mental health problems through social media.
According to a new U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded study, 64 percent of American farmers report having pre-existing conditions. Lack of access to affordable health insurance is one of the most significant concerns facing farmers, the survey found.
New research explains navigation in the fundamental cargo transport process that occurs in every cell in the human body and may point to therapeutic targets for a host of diseases like cancer.
A new white paper estimates the climate impacts of the budget request President Trump is expected to make on May 23. Analyzing Trump’s Budget Blueprint, the study finds the changes in federal spending would produce 1.8 million metric tons of additional GHG emissions in 2018.
In early 20th century Boston, the path to political power required one of two backgrounds: Yankee Boston or Irish Boston. The former demanded a Pilgrim or Puritan ancestor and a degree from Harvard. The latter called for an Irish-born father, a widowed mother and younger siblings that you helped raise in poverty. John W. McCormack, the 44th U.S. Speaker of the House from 1962-70, possessed neither of the Yankee requirements, and had no Irish ancestry. He did, however, grow up in extreme poverty in South Boston, and used that as a basis to fabricate his personal history when he ran for the Massachusetts House in 1920.
An authoritative cheese reference book, The Oxford Companion to Cheese, has won a prestigious James Beard Award in the reference and scholarship category. Published in November 2016, the book contains 855 entries from 325 contributors in 35 countries. The editor worked with an international, 12-member editorial board that selected many of the contributors and solicited entries, which are signed. The goal was to commission entries from experts passionate about the cheeses of their region.
A new study showing significant patient-reported functional improvement among Medicare recipients who utilize rehabilitation services offers hope for America’s 65-and-older set, which is expected to double by 2050. That’s assuming Medicare – the nation’s largest federal health insurance program for seniors – survives recent talk of its demise.
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