Science News for Writers

Source:  Lmt-lss Coffee helps teams work together Caffeine makes people more positive by making them more alert Good teamwork begins with a cup of coffee for everyone, a new study suggests. Researchers found that people gave more positive reviews for their group's performance on a task -- and their own contribution -- if they drank caffeinated coffee beforehand. A second study showed that people talked more in a group setting under the influence of caffeinated coffee -- but they also were more on-topic than those who drank decaf. Coffee seems to work its magic in teams by making people more alert, said Amit Singh, co-author of the study and a doctoral student in marketing at The Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business. "We found that increased alertness was what led to the positive results for team performance," Singh said. "Not surprisingly, people who drank caffeinated coffee tended to be more alert." Singh conducted the

Credit: © Andrey Burmakin / Fotolia  Oil pumps (stock image). New research suggests that the prospects of the fossil-fuel industry are not bright, and that its demise may have profound economic and geopolitical consequences.  As a rule, I don't put much stock in doom and gloom forecasts.  However, this study brings up several points to consider when trying to plan for your personal financial future. One:  the global transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources has taken on a life of its own that transcends any one nation's attempts to continue a fossil fuel economy.  As the authors say, "ongoing technological change, by itself and even without new climate policies, is already reducing global demand growth for fossil fuels." Two: as the global economy makes this transitions, countries who are fossil fuel suppliers are potentially losers in the transition while consumer countries will see their economies profit. While the authors see

Stained glass brain (stock image).  Credit: © Katharine / Fotolia Scientists have identified a possible neurobiological  home for the spiritual experience -- the sense of connection to  something greater than oneself. I would find it strange for someone to deny ever having a spiritual experience.  We all have them.  What is different from person to person is what we attribute the experience to. The brain is an amazing organ, our sole interpreter of the greater world around us.  However, whether you believe that spirituality emanates from God or hold the position that our apparently three dimensional reality is actually a two dimensional projection from the nearest black hole, this is how you and I experience the spiritual. *  *  *  *  * Where the brain processes spiritual experiences Spiritual experiences can be religious in nature or not, such as feeling of oneness in nature or the absence of self during sporting events. Yale scientists have identifie