# s-chem: weak van der Waals' bonds to self-assembly

Gecko Hamaker, a  open source << software to calculate van der Waals forces between molecules and meso/nanoscale units, predict molecular organization and evaluate whether new combinations of materials will stick together, thereby facilitating the design of meso/nanoscale self-assembly >>

http://m.phys.org/news/2015-09-open-science-van-der-waals-interaction.html

# s-ecol-food: lettuce three times worse ?

<< Contrary to recent headlines (..) eating a vegetarian diet could contribute to climate change >>

<< Eating lettuce is over three times worse in greenhouse gas emissions than eating bacon >>

http://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2015/december/diet-and-environment.html

<< This article measures the changes in energy use, blue water footprint, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with shifting from current US food consumption patterns to three dietary scenarios >>

Michelle S. Tom, Paul S. Fischbeck, Chris T. Hendrickson. Energy use, blue water footprint, and greenhouse gas emissions for current food consumption patterns and dietary recommendations in the US. Environment Systems and Decisions, 2015; DOI: 10.1007/s10669-015-9577-y

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10669-015-9577-y

# s-age: small molecules, a key of eternal youth ?

<< The last years have seen great progress in unraveling the mechanisms underlying aging. It has become clear that aging is regulated by various genetic pathways which when properly manipulated  can lead to an increase in lifespan.  These findings raise the exciting possibility that age related diseases could be treated by targeting aging pathways instead of the disease itself >>

<<  To investigate this possibility we have screened for small molecules that extend lifespan in C.elegans. The power of the small molecule approach lies in its enormous flexibility >>

<< "Old age ain't no place for sissies.” Henry Louis Mencken >>

http://www.scripps.edu/petrascheck/Research.html

http://www.labmate-online.com/news/news-and-views/5/breaking_news/are_worms_the_key_to_eternal_youth/37203/

# e-web-trade: in-consapevoli riserve

<< 400 milioni di spettri si aggirano per l'Europa: sono gli utenti del web e dei social network, invisibili fantasmi, nella loro incorporea presenza online, che formano oggi l'esercito di riserva del capitalismo digitale >>

<<  I selfie delle vacanze su Facebook e le battute che twittiamo civettuoli sono sì attività piacevoli ma niente affatto improduttive. Perlomeno per noi. Valgono infatti, nel loro insieme, miliardi di dollari >>

Giuliano Aluffi, laRepubblica

http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2015/09/28/e-ora-pagateci-per-i-nostri-post-lultima-crociata-contro-i-social35.html

# s-behav-web: Facebook dependency

<< What drives you to Facebook? News? Games? Feedback on your posts? The chance to meet new friends?
If any of these hit home, you might have a Facebook dependency >>

http://www.uakron.edu/im/online-newsroom/news_details.dot?newsId=951e808b-b3a6-4be4-b1f3-725b5cf734be&pageTitle=Research%20News&crumbTitle=Are%20you%20Facebook-dependent?

also:

<< personality traits common among specific types of Facebook users >>

Erin E. Hollenbaugh, Amber L. Ferris
Predictors of honesty, intent, and valence of Facebook self-disclosure. Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 50, September 2015, Pages 456-464

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563215003179

Erin E. Hollenbaugh, Amber L. Ferris
Facebook self-disclosure: Examining the role of traits, social cohesion, and motives. Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 30, January 2014, Pages 50-58

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S074756321300294X

# s-brain-behav: charitable amigdala

<< The amygdala, a small structure at the front end of the brain’s temporal lobe, has long been associated with negative behaviors generally, and specifically with fear >>

Steve Chang et al. << shows this collection of nuclei can also influence positive social functions like kindness and what might be called charitable giving in humans >>

http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/news/kindness-charitable-behavior-influenced-amygdala-penn-research-reveals

Steve W. C. Chang, Nicholas A. Fagan, et al. Neural mechanisms of social decision-making in the primate amygdala. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2015; 201514761 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1514761112

http://m.pnas.org/content/early/2015/12/09/1514761112

# s-age: longevity: 4 loci identified

<< Genetic studies so far have only identified a single gene (APOE, known to be involved in Alzheimer’s disease) that is different in centenarians versus normal agers >>

<<  [AA] found eight SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms — molecular variations at different locations on the gene) that are significant for the centenarians they studied, and they were able to validate four of these in replication studies of long-lived subjects. The four “longevity loci” (gene locations) along with the APOE gene may provide clues about physiological mechanisms for successful aging. These loci are known to be involved in various processes including cell senescence, autoimmunity, and cell signaling, and also with Alzheimer’s disease >>

http://www.kurzweilai.net/new-genes-associated-with-extreme-longevity-identified

Kristen Fortney, Edgar Dobriban, et al.  Genome-Wide Scan Informed by Age-Related Disease Identifies Loci for Exceptional Human Longevity. PLOS Genetics, 2015; 11 (12): e1005728 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005728 (open access)

http://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1005728#sec022