Atheism or Agnosticism
"In fact, "atheism" is a term that should not even exist. No one ever needs to identify himself as a "non-astrologer" or a "non-alchemist." We do not have wo...
By: Justin Speaks
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Atheism or Agnosticism - Video
Peter Singer Interview, University of Vienna – Video
Peter Singer Interview, University of Vienna
philosopher Peter Singer pays a visit to Erwin Lengauer of the ethics department at the University of Vienna on June 21, 2014. He talks with Kay Peggs about the history of his book "Animal...
By: Kattamedia
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Peter Singer Interview, University of Vienna - Video
Genetically modified foods face hurdles
Published: Sunday, June 29, 2014 at 4:47 p.m. Last Modified: Sunday, June 29, 2014 at 4:47 p.m.
But their work is not destined for commercialization, due to a lack of financial backing and interest in getting these products through all the regulations necessary to put them on the path to the local supermarket and our dinner tables.
Public opinion is having a detrimental effect on research, scientists say, because growers in Florida don't want to invest the millions it would take to push GMOs short for genetically modified organisms through the federal regulatory process for fear the public won't buy them.
People are afraid, they don't understand why, they are just told they should be afraid of genetically engineered products, said Sam Hutton, a plant scientist specializing in tomato genetics at the Gulf Research and Education Center in Wimauma, located east of Interstate 75 between Tampa and Bradenton. The anti-GMO crowd screams really loud, and there is a lot of fearmongering. It sounds bad to people who don't understand the science.
Very few of the whole foods that consumers buy are genetically modified. Less than 1 percent of genetically modified foods are eaten whole, some sweet corn, papaya and squash, scientists say.
The bulk of genetically modified foods 75 percent are corn and soybean crops used in livestock feed, researchers say. Some genetically modified crops are used to make industrial chemicals as well starch, high fructose corn syrup, lecithin, vegetable oil and protein extracts that go into the processed foods that are colorfully packaged and found in the center aisles of the neighborhood grocery store.
None of the genetically modified corn or soybeans are grown in Florida, scientists say.
We don't have much genetically modified acreage in Florida, said Kevin Folta, professor and chairman of UF's Horticultural Sciences Department.
Folta recently organized and conducted a seminar on genetic engineering or transgenics to dispel misperceptions about genetic modification.
The speakers at the seminar, which was held in Emerson Alumni Hall at UF, addressed their comments to an audience of about 60 most of them fellow researchers and graduate students. Folta was well aware they were preaching to the choir.
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Genetically modified foods face hurdles
Dr. Patrick Byrne speaks on Genetic Engineering for YVSC Talking Green – Video
Dr. Patrick Byrne speaks on Genetic Engineering for YVSC Talking Green
Talking Green is an adult educational program of the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council.
By: YVSustainability
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Dr. Patrick Byrne speaks on Genetic Engineering for YVSC Talking Green - Video
Free Perfect Genetic Engineering Idea- Changing Spermatogonia and Gametogonia – Video
Free Perfect Genetic Engineering Idea- Changing Spermatogonia and Gametogonia
Came up with idea after a game of basketball and a near asthma attack. Took 3 hours of research but I find it is the easiest solution.
By: Diallo Burke
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Free Perfect Genetic Engineering Idea- Changing Spermatogonia and Gametogonia - Video
Dr. Charles Spivak, MD: Revert from Agnosticism – The Journey Home Program – Video
Dr. Charles Spivak, MD: Revert from Agnosticism - The Journey Home Program
Charles was born and raised Catholic. When he went to college he began to question his Catholic faith and the existence of God. His study of astronomy and the glory of the universe began to...
By: The Coming Home Network International
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Dr. Charles Spivak, MD: Revert from Agnosticism - The Journey Home Program - Video
The Anunnaki Creation of Eve and the Alien Battle for Humanity – Video
The Anunnaki Creation of Eve and the Alien Battle for Humanity
Chris Hardys new book is an in-depth study of humanity #39;s Anunnaki origins and the Anunnaki battle for an intelligent versus enslaved humanity Explains the genetic engineering of humanity...
By: DisclosureNation
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The Anunnaki Creation of Eve and the Alien Battle for Humanity - Video
2014 World Stem Cell Summit presented by GPI, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc, and GEN
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
25-Jun-2014
Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 x2156 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
New Rochelle, NY, June 25, 2014Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website and Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN) are proud to announce that they will again serve as joint platinum media sponsors of the Genetics Policy Institute 2014 World Stem Cell Summit that will take place at the Marriott River Center, December 4-6, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas.
In a new collaborative effort in 2014, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. will also organize a World Stem Cell Summit panel, comprised of leading editors from their peer-reviewed journals intersecting the field to predict the most innovative translational research that will impact regenerative medicine in the next five years.
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. will also publish the 2014 World Stem Cell Report as a special supplement to the peer-reviewed journal Stem Cells and Development. Dr. Graham Parker, Editor-in-Chief of Stem Cells and Development, and Bernard Siegel, Executive Director of Genetics Policy Institute (GPI), will serve as Co-Editors-in-Chief of the Report, joined by Rosario Isasi (McGill University) as Managing Editor. The World Stem Cell Report will be made available to all subscribers of Stem Cells and Development and attendees of the World Stem Cell Summit. It will also be available free online in 106 developing countries, courtesy of the Publisher, to facilitate global stem cell research.
"We are very pleased to expand our collaboration with Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., and GEN," says Bernard Siegel, Founder and Co-chair of the Summit. "The commitment by those prestigious publishers to journalistic integrity and scientific knowledge and education matches our enthusiasm to advance the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine for the betterment of humanity. We look forward to working with Graham Parker and the skilled editorial team at Stem Cells and Development to publish our annual Report. We are especially excited to have the expertise of the Liebert editors engaged on the program at the World Stem Cell Summit."
"The World Stem Cell Summit is unequivocally a paramount meeting that brings together the leaders in the field from academia, industry, and business, thereby ensuring the advancement of collaborative opportunities," says Mary Ann Liebert, publisher & CEO of both Stem Cells and Development and GEN. "Bernie Siegel and GPI also recognize the importance of public advocacy at this most important international conference. Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. is delighted to expand our own collaboration with Bernie Siegel and GPI and to publish the 2014 Report.
GEN Editor-in-Chief John Sterling stated, "The World Stem Cell Summit is the critical global meeting, providing the best opportunity for the GEN community to participate in the world of regenerative medicine. Our platinum media sponsorship allows GEN readers and advertisers to have a front row seat to listen and learn from the top experts on the very dynamic and expertly conceptualized Summit platform."
The Summit program delivers on the "big picture," featuring over 200 prominent scientists, business leaders, regulators, policy-makers, advocates, economic development officers, experts in law and ethics, and visionary gurus who will discuss the latest scientific discoveries, business models, legal and regulatory solutions, and best practices. The Summit is expected to attract attendees from more than 40 nations.
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2014 World Stem Cell Summit presented by GPI, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc, and GEN
New treatment option in development for individuals with food allergy
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
25-Jun-2014
Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
New Rochelle, NY, June 25, 2014For some children an allergic reaction to common foods such as milk, eggs, or peanuts can cause an anaphylactic reaction. At present no effective treatment for food allergy exists, and strict dietary avoidance of known food triggers is the only preventive option available. Ongoing trials are exploring options for oral immunotherapy (OIT) for desensitization in the treatment of Immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated food allergy, as described in a Review article in Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology website.
In "Oral Immunotherapy for Treatment of Immunoglobulin E-Mediated Food Allergy: The Transition to Clinical Practice," Giovanni Pajno, MD and coauthors, University of Messina, Italy and Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, review the current state of OIT research for the induction of tolerance in individuals with food allergies. While early trials with OIT appear promising, rigorous, multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled studies are needed to address remaining questions regarding optimal formulation, dosing, and duration for the induction of tolerance in affected patients.
"Oral immunotherapy for the treatment of IgE-mediated food allergy remains experimental with a number of unanswered questions," says Editor-in-Chief Mary Cataletto, MD, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, State University of New York at Stony Brook (Stony Brook, NY) and practicing pediatric pulmonologist at Winthrop University Hospital. "However, it offers the potential for not only a life-saving but life-changing therapy for individuals with food allergies."
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About the Journal
Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology is a quarterly peer-reviewed journal published in online with Open Access options and in print. The Journal synthesizes the pulmonary, allergy, and immunology communities in the advancement of the respiratory health of children. The Journal provides comprehensive coverage to further the understanding, and optimize the treatment, of some of the most common and costly chronic illnesses in children. It includes original translational, clinical, and epidemiologic research; public health, quality improvement, and case control studies; patient education research; and the latest research and standards of care for functional and genetic immune deficiencies and interstitial lung diseases. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology website.
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New treatment option in development for individuals with food allergy
Nanomedicine and IP – Video
Nanomedicine and IP
Speaker: Shulamit Hirsch, IP Director, Ramot Day 5: Success Stories and the Road to Commercialization "Summer School on Nanomedicine and Innovation", The Marian Gertner Institute for Medical...
By: TAUVOD
Frederic Bushman, Ph.D. receives Pioneer Award for advancing therapeutic gene delivery methods
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
24-Jun-2014
Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 x2156 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
New Rochelle, NY, June 24, 2014Frederic D. Bushman, PhD's (University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine) early pioneering work in understanding how HIV reproduces by inserting its genetic material into the DNA of a host cell led to key advances in the ability to move pieces of DNA and whole genes between cells. In recognition of his scientific achievements and leadership in the field, Dr. Bushman is the recipient of a Pioneer Award from Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Human Gene Therapy is commemorating its 25th anniversary by bestowing this honor on the leading 12 Pioneers in the field of cell and gene therapy selected by a blue ribbon panel* and publishing a Pioneer Perspective by each of the award recipients. The Perspective by Dr. Bushman is available on the Human Gene Therapy website.
In "Engineering the Human Genome: Reflections on the Beginning," Dr. Bushman recalls his research as a graduate student and postdoctoral fellow studying the regulatory mechanisms that control gene expression and identifying DNA binding proteins that virusessuch as the HIV retrovirususe to integrate into a host genome at targeted sites. Currently, retroviral delivery vectors are widely used for gene transfer in Human Gene Therapy. Dr. Bushman's research accomplishments have contributed to the development of new gene delivery vectors and to more effective and efficient methods of targeting them to integration sites, and have advanced the field of gene therapy.
"Rick's background in HIV biology was very useful in his current studies of retroviral and lentiviral vector integration," says James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Human Gene Therapy, and Director of the Gene Therapy Program, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia. "He brought to the field an incredibly sophisticated approach to assess integration sites, which has informed safety profiles."
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*The blue ribbon panel of leaders in cell and gene therapy, led by Chair Mary Collins, PhD, MRC Centre for Medical Molecular Virology, University College London selected the Pioneer Award recipients. The Award Selection Committee selected scientists that had devoted much of their careers to cell and gene therapy research and had made a seminal contribution to the field--defined as a basic science or clinical advance that greatly influenced progress in translational research.
About the Journal
Human Gene Therapy, the official journal of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy, French Society of Cell and Gene Therapy, German Society of Gene Therapy, and five other gene therapy societies, is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online. Human Gene Therapy presents reports on the transfer and expression of genes in mammals, including humans. Related topics include improvements in vector development, delivery systems, and animal models, particularly in the areas of cancer, heart disease, viral disease, genetic disease, and neurological disease, as well as ethical, legal, and regulatory issues related to the gene transfer in humans. Its sister journals, Human Gene Therapy Methods, published bimonthly, focuses on the application of gene therapy to product testing and development, and Human Gene Therapy Clinical Development, published quarterly, features data relevant to the regulatory review and commercial development of cell and gene therapy products. Tables of content for all three publications and a free sample issue may be viewed on the Human Gene Therapy website.
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Frederic Bushman, Ph.D. receives Pioneer Award for advancing therapeutic gene delivery methods
Computer-aided diagnosis of rare genetic disorders from family snaps
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
24-Jun-2014
Contact: Press Office news.office@admin.ox.ac.uk 44-186-528-0530 University of Oxford
Computer analysis of photographs could help doctors diagnose which condition a child with a rare genetic disorder has, say Oxford University researchers.
The researchers, funded in part by the Medical Research Council (MRC), have come up with a computer programme that recognises facial features in photographs; looks for similarities with facial structures for various conditions, such as Down's syndrome, Angelman syndrome, or Progeria; and returns possible matches ranked by likelihood.
Using the latest in computer vision and machine learning, the algorithm increasingly learns what facial features to pay attention to and what to ignore from a growing bank of photographs of people diagnosed with different syndromes.
The researchers report their findings in the journal eLife. The study was funded by the MRC, the Wellcome Trust, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and the European Research Council (ERC VisRec).
While genetic disorders are each individually rare, collectively these conditions are thought to affect one person in 17. Of these, a third may have symptoms that greatly reduce quality of life. However, most people fail to receive a genetic diagnosis.
'A diagnosis of a rare genetic disorder can be a very important step. It can provide parents with some certainty and help with genetic counselling on risks for other children or how likely a condition is to be passed on,' says lead researcher Dr Christoffer Nellker of the MRC Functional Genomics Unit at the University of Oxford. 'A diagnosis can also improve estimates of how the disease might progress, or show which symptoms are caused by the genetic disorder and which are caused by other clinical issues that can be treated.'
The team of researchers at the University of Oxford included first author Quentin Ferry, a DPhil research student, and Professor Andrew Zisserman of the Department of Engineering Science, who brought expertise in computer vision and machine learning.
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Computer-aided diagnosis of rare genetic disorders from family snaps
Inner ear stem cells hold promise for restoring hearing
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
20-Jun-2014
Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 x2156 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
New Rochelle, NY, June 20, 2014Spiral ganglion cells are essential for hearing and their irreversible degeneration in the inner ear is common in most types of hearing loss. Adult spiral ganglion cells are not able to regenerate. However, new evidence in a mouse model shows that spiral ganglion stem cells present in the inner ear are capable of self-renewal and can be grown and induced to differentiate into mature spiral ganglion cells as well as neurons and glial cells, as described in an article in BioResearch Open Access, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the BioResearch Open Access website.
Marc Diensthuber and coauthors from Goethe-University (Frankfurt, Germany), Justus-Liebig University (Giessen, Germany), Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (Boston, MA), and Harvard University and MIT (Cambridge, MA), conclude that the self-renewing properties demonstrated by spiral ganglion stem cells make them a promising source of replacement cells for therapies designed to regenerate the neural structures of the inner ear in the article "Spiral Ganglion Stem Cells Can Be Propagated and Differentiated Into Neurons and Glia."
"These findings are particularly interesting as they show that spiral ganglion stem cells can be propagated in vitro," says BioResearch Open Access Editor Jane Taylor, PhD, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Scotland. "These cells are normally poorly regenerated in the mammalian ear."
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About the Journal
BioResearch Open Access is a bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal led by Editor-in-Chief Robert Lanza, MD, Chief Scientific Officer, Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. and Editor Jane Taylor, PhD. The Journal provides a new rapid-publication forum for a broad range of scientific topics including molecular and cellular biology, tissue engineering and biomaterials, bioengineering, regenerative medicine, stem cells, gene therapy, systems biology, genetics, biochemistry, virology, microbiology, and neuroscience. All articles are published within 4 weeks of acceptance and are fully open access and posted on PubMed Central. All journal content is available on the BioResearch Open Access website.
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Inner ear stem cells hold promise for restoring hearing
Is focal treatment for prostate cancer as effective in the long-term as radical therapies?
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
23-Jun-2014
Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
Focal therapy for prostate cancer, in which only the tumor tissue is treated with cryoablation (freezing), can prolong life, result in less complications such as incontinence, and improve post-treatment quality of life. But the long-term effectiveness of focal treatments has not been well-studied. A new analysis that followed patients treated with optimized cryoablation of prostate cancer for an average of 10 years post-treatment is published in Journal of Men's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Men's Health website.
In the article "Long-Term Results Of Optimized Focal Therapy Of Prostate Cancer: Average 10-Year Follow-Up in 70 Patients," Gary Onik, MD, Carnegie Mellon University (Fort Lauderdale, FL), and coauthors found that long-term cancer control with focal cryoablation therapy was superior to radical whole gland treatments in patients at medium or high risk for disease-free survival.
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About the Journal
Journal of Men's Health is the premier peer-reviewed journal published quarterly in print and online that covers all aspects of men's health across the lifespan. The Journal publishes cutting-edge advances in a wide range of diseases and conditions, including diagnostic procedures, therapeutic management strategies, and innovative clinical research in gender-based biology to ensure optimal patient care. The Journal addresses disparities in health and life expectancy between men and women; increased risk factors such as smoking, alcohol abuse, and obesity; higher prevalence of diseases such as heart disease and cancer; and health care in underserved and minority populations. Journal of Men's Health meets the critical imperative for improving the health of men around the globe and ensuring better patient outcomes. Tables of content and a sample issue can be viewed on the Journal of Men's Health website.
About the Societies
Journal of Men's Health is the official journal of the International Society of Men's Health (ISMH), American Society for Men's Health, Men's Health Society of India, and Foundation for Men's Health. The ISMH is an international, multidisciplinary, worldwide organization, dedicated to the rapidly growing field of gender-specific men's health.
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Is focal treatment for prostate cancer as effective in the long-term as radical therapies?
RNA aptamers targeted to plasminogen activator inhibitor
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
19-Jun-2014
Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
New Rochelle, NY, June 19, 2014Plasminogen activators are proteins involved in the breakdown of blood clots, and an elevated level of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is associated with an increased risk for clotting and cardiovascular disease. No PAI-1 inhibitors are currently available for clinical use, but a novel therapeutic approach using a targeted RNA aptamer drug that has been shown to block PAI-1 activity and prevent PAI-1-associated vascular events is described in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal from Nucleic Acid Therapeutics. The article is available free on the Nucleic Acid Therapeutics website.
Jared Damare, Stephanie Brandal, and Yolanda Fortenberry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, designed a library of small RNA molecules that target different regions of PAI-1. They then screened the library and enriched for the aptamers that were the most selective for binding to and inhibiting the function of PAI-1. The authors demonstrate the ability of these RNA aptamers to prevent PAI-1 from interacting with plasminogen activators in the article "Inhibition of PAI-1 Antiproteolytic Activity Against tPA by RNA Aptamers."
"Even beyond the admirable care and rigor of the work, the therapeutic significance lies in the authors addressing a vital concern: the identification of an aptamer that can specifically disrupt the target function of PAI-1 without inhibiting its other functions," says Executive Editor Graham C. Parker, PhD, The Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI.
Nucleic Acid Therapeutics is under the editorial leadership of Co-Editors-in-Chief Bruce A. Sullenger, PhD, Duke Translational Research Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, and C.A. Stein, MD, PhD, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA; and Executive Editor Graham C. Parker, PhD.
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About the Journal
Nucleic Acid Therapeutics is an authoritative, peer-reviewed journal published bimonthly in print and online that focuses on cutting-edge basic research, therapeutic applications, and drug development using nucleic acids or related compounds to alter gene expression. Nucleic Acid Therapeutics is the official journal of the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society. A complete table of contents and free sample issue may be viewed on the Nucleic Acid Therapeutics website.
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RNA aptamers targeted to plasminogen activator inhibitor
New digital fabrication technique creates interlocking 3D-printed ceramic PolyBricks
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
19-Jun-2014
Contact: Sophie Mohin Smohin@liebertpub.com 914-740-2254 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
New Rochelle, NY, June 19, 2014An innovative system using automated 3D printing technology and advanced digital tools to create customized, prefabricated ceramic building blocks, called PolyBricks, is enabling the construction of mortar-less brick building assemblies at much greater scales than was previously possible. The new techniques that use 3D printers to produce modular ceramic bricks from a single material that then interlock and assemble easily into larger units for architectural applications are described in an article in 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing (3DP), a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free online on the 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing website.
Jenny Sabin, Martin Miller, Nicholas Cassab, and Andrew Lucia, of Sabin Design Lab, Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) and Jenny Sabin Studio (Philadelphia, PA), provide a detailed description of the computational design techniques they developed for the digital fabrication and production of ceramic PolyBrick components. The authors explain how they used available 3D printing technology to produce mass customized components in the article PolyBrick: Variegated Additive Ceramic Component Manufacturing (ACCM)"
"This work offers an exciting new alternative approach for 3D printing at architectural scales, without requiring the large infrastructure that most current methods require. It could open the door to many new applications" says Editor-in-Chief Hod Lipson, PhD, Director of Cornell University's Creative Machines Lab at the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Ithaca, NY.
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About the Journal
3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing (3DP) is a peer-reviewed journal published quarterly in print and online. The Journal facilitates and supports the efforts of engineers, software developers, architects, lawyers, Deans and academic chairpersons of engineering and business schools, technology transfer specialists, chief research officers and vice presidents of research in government, industry, and academia, medical professionals, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs. Spanning a broad array of disciplines focusing on novel 3D printing and rapid prototyping technologies, policies, and innovations, the Journal brings together the community to address the challenges and discover new breakthroughs and trends living within this groundbreaking technology. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed at the 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing (3DP) website.
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New digital fabrication technique creates interlocking 3D-printed ceramic PolyBricks
Richard Thaler Wins Global Economy Prize From Kiel Institute
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Newswise Richard Thaler, Charles R. Walgreen Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, has been selected as one of three recipients of the 2014 Global Economy Prize from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
In addition to Thaler, this year's other recipients are Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia's state president and a Nobel laureate, and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, a biotechnology entrepreneur from India. The award is given to "honor policymakers, economists and entrepreneurs who have made a name for themselves with their pioneering spirit to establish a market economy society that is open to the world."
"It was truly a great honor to receive this award concurrently with these two extraordinary women who have each made amazing accomplishments in their chosen fields," Thaler said. "The prior winners of the academic prize are a group any economist would be proud to join." Thaler, one of the founders of the field of behavioral economics and finance, also researches the psychology of decision-making and is the director of Booth's Center for Decision Research.
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, Thaler's most recent book which was written with Cass Sunstein, who is on leave from the University of Chicago Law School to work in the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs has sold more than 750,000 copies. The trio was celebrated for their pioneering work aimed at solving global problems at an award ceremony June 22 at Haus der Wirtschaft in Kiel, Germany.
"In their professional environment, all three prize winners constantly focused on people, their behavior and well-being," said Dennis Snower, Kiel Institute of the World Economy president. "Richard Thaler, the ancestor of behavioral economics, shattered a number of fundamental assumptions in the field of economic sciences that are based on selfish and rational behavior of human beings."
"The award is intended to deliver certain impetus with a view to resolving and overcoming the major world economic challenges of our time in dialogue with the various societal groups in a creative fashion," the Kiel Institute said in a news release.
Thaler has been at Chicago Booth since 1995.
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Richard Thaler Wins Global Economy Prize From Kiel Institute
Insights from the Behavioral Science Guy: Next time you feel nervous, assume this position
Change your posture. Body language affects not only how others see us, but also it appears to change how we see ourselves.
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Imagine you are applying for the dream job of your life. Youve got five minutes to explain to two interviewers why they should pick you over 100 other smartly dressed candidates. As you make your presentation, the interviewers stare at you unblinkingly like a bank teller with a lobotomy.
No expression. No indication of interest. They simply watch as you pour out your pitch.
Harvard social psychologist Amy Cuddy designed this nightmarish torture session to provoke profound anxiety. She wanted subjects to be tested to their social-apprehension limits in order to test a surprisingly simple tool you and I can use when the pressure is on. So stay tuned.
Its a terrible irony that when it matters most, we often do our worst. More often than not, our emotions undermine our performance in the most crucial moments of our lives.
Stress and fear wiggle their way up through all our attempts to conceal them and reveal our feelings in predictable ways that others can discern. These little gestures telegraph feelings of weakness and damage our credibility.
Similarly, those who feel powerful behave markedly differently as well. For example, I watched one fascinating video study of nonverbal behavior on the U.S. Senate and House floors. When the video was sped up, you could immediately spot the powerful. They would stand still like a queen bee in a hive while clouds of underlings scurried about them, touching, bobbing and bowing frantically. We telegraph our feelings of both power and powerlessness all the time, and those little messages either bolster or weaken our influence.
Thats why Cuddys research is so important. Where many before her have offered advice about what to do with your body during a presentation, Cuddy wanted to test whether a remarkably modest intervention just prior to the stressful session would improve performance.
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Insights from the Behavioral Science Guy: Next time you feel nervous, assume this position
New research proves gender bias extraordinarily prevalent in science, technology, engineering and math fields
With everyone from the federal government to corporate America working to encourage more women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, you would think the doors would be wide open to women of all backgrounds. A new study from Columbia Business School shows that this could not be further from the truth and that gender bias among hiring managers in STEM fields is extraordinarily prevalent.
"How Stereotypes Impair Women's Careers in Science," written by Ernesto Reuben, assistant professor of management at Columbia Business School, and recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals the underlying biases of hiring managers, and also demonstrates the cost of discrimination.
"Studies that seek to answer why there are more men than women in STEM fields typically focus on women's interests and choices," said Professor Reuben. "This may be important, but our experiments show that another culprit of this phenomenon is that hiring managers possess an extraordinary level of gender bias when making decisions and filling positions, often times choosing the less qualified male over a superiorly qualified female."
In an experiment in which participants were hired to perform a mathematical task, both male and female managers were twice as likely to hire a man than a woman -- even when the managers had no information beyond a candidate's appearance and, therefore, gender.
Dr. Reuben continued: "The end result is not only a less diverse workforce and a male-dominated STEM field, but also a detriment to these companies for hiring the less-skilled person for the job."
The study is co-authored by the Kellogg School of Management's Paola Sapienza and the Booth School of Business's Luigi Zingales, was recently published in PNAS.
The Field Study
To test the biases of hiring managers, Reuben and his research partners designed an experiment in which about 150 participants, in the role of job candidates, would be hired to perform a math assignment: correctly summing as many sets of four two-digit numbers as possible over a period of four minutes. Previous studies have shown that this type of arithmetic task is performed equally well by men and women. All of the candidates completed the task and were given their scores. In some versions of the experiment, the candidates were allowed to tell the managers how well they had performed, while in others their test results were not revealed.
Close to 200 other subjects, in the role of hiring managers, decided whether to hire a particular candidate to perform the task. The hiring managers also completed computer-based behavioral testing that indicated the degree to which they held stereotypes about the performance of men and women in science and math.
The Results
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New research proves gender bias extraordinarily prevalent in science, technology, engineering and math fields
New beauty products tap the bounty of the sea
Legend has it that Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, was born from the foam of the sea.
It seems the ancient Greeks were on to something. The ocean has long been a source of beauty ingredients that take aim at aging's effects, from soothing seaweed to exfoliating sea salt. Now salmon spawning water and jellyfish are being touted as the next big thing. Here, we dive into the new wave of beauty products incorporating marine ingredients.
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FOR THE RECORD
An earlier version of this post misspelled Patricia Pao's last name as Pau.
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Pseudoalteromonas Antarctica
What it is: During a 1988 expedition to King George Island in Antarctica, a Spanish exploration team discovered this new marine bacterial strain in mud samples. During growth, the bacteria produced glycoproteins (known as Antarcticine or Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract) that effectively retained water, adhered to surfaces and withstood extreme cold.
Skin fix: Recently, skin care companies began formulating with Antarcticine and claim that it helps protect skin from the cold, stimulates collagen growth, speeds up the healing of wounds, hydrates skin and diminishes wrinkles.
Is it likely to work? Antarcticine shows some promise, says Los Angeles dermatologist Dr Jessica Wu, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the USC School of Medicine. She adds that though lab studies showed increases in collagen and elastin tissue production in skin cells, shed like to see more effective clinical studies before giving it her stamp of approval.
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New beauty products tap the bounty of the sea