Want to get a parole? Have your attorney schedule your parole hearing after lunch. A new study revealed that the timing of a parole hearing is quite crucial in determining the outcome.

As a case study, one of the judges started in the morning by granting parole to about 65 percent of the prisoners; that percentage dropped to near zero by the end of the first session, then rebounded to about 65 percent after the snack break. The same pattern repeated in the second and third sessions.

The researchers suggest that as the number of rulings in a session increase, the judges become mentally fatigued. Once their mental resources are depleted, the judges are more likely to simplify their decisions. Ruling in favor of the status quo—denying parole—is the "easier" decision, the authors argue, since these rulings take generally take less time and require shorter written verdicts. After taking a break, their faculties are restored, and they are more likely to make "harder" decisions and grant parole requests again.

Link

Photo: Sivaram V/Reuters

MSNBC's PhotoBlog has this intriguing photo by Sivaram V of Reuters of a family floating down the Periyar River in Kerala, India, in a home-made basket boat. Reminds me of the woven bamboo basekt boats of Vietnam: Link - via Cherry Coloured

There are graffiti, then there are Dada graffiti! (Don't get it?)Picture via Coisas De Arco Da Velha

Goethe University chemistry professor Alexander Heckel was working on DNA nanotechnology when he got married, so naturally he made something fitting: the world's smallest wedding rings, made from interlocking loops of DNA molecules!

Prof. Alexander Heckel and his doctoral student Thorsten Schmidt of Goethe University were able to create two rings of DNA only 18 nanometers in size, and to interlock them like two links in a chain. Such a structure is called catenan, a term derived from the Latin word catena (chain). [...]

From a scientific perspective, the structure is a milestone in the field of DNA nanotechnology, since the two rings of the catenan are, as opposed to the majority of the DNA nano-architectures that have already been realized, not fixed formations, but -- depending on the environmental conditions -- freely pivotable. They are therefore suitable as components of molecular machines or of a molecular motor.

Link

Penguin chicks, that is. Scientists are baffled as to what may be causing a large number of young penguins to lose their feathers:

"Feather-loss disorders are uncommon in most bird species, and we need to conduct further study to determine the cause of the disorder and if this is in fact spreading to other penguin species," said report author P. Dee Boersma of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

Boersma has been studying Magellanic penguins for more than three decades and says the feather-loss disorder first emerged in Cape Town, South Africa in 2006 among a group of African (or black-footed) penguins. During that year, approximately 59 percent of the penguin chicks lost their feathers, followed by 97 percent of the chicks in 2007, and 20 percent of the chicks in 2008. [...]

The researchers say pathogens, thyroid disorders, nutrient imbalances or genetics could be to blame. "We need to learn how to stop the spread of feather-loss disorder, as penguins already have problems with oil pollution and climate variation," concluded Boersma. "It's important to keep disease from being added to the list of threats they face."

Link

Crime Scene Fleece Throw - $15.95

In old Japan, myth has it that earthquakes are caused by a giant catfish (namazu). After the Great Ansei Earthquake of 1855 which hit Edo (now Japan Tokyo), a new type of color woodblock print blaming the fish became popular. Pink Tentacle explains:

These prints featured depictions of mythical giant catfish (namazu) who, according to popular legend, caused earthquakes by thrashing about in their underground lairs. In addition to providing humor and social commentary, many prints claimed to offer protection from future earthquakes.

Link

Maria and Igor Solovyov of Solovyov Design looked at today's compact fluorescent lamps and thought that they should look better. Or perhaps "brainier": Link

Alarmed that her students were bringing junk food for lunch, Chicago school Principal Elsa Carmona decided to save the children from their (nutritionally-challenged) parents ... by banning brown bag lunches:

... Little Village Academy on Chicago's West Side, students are not allowed to pack lunches from home. Unless they have a medical excuse, they must eat the food served in the cafeteria.

Principal Elsa Carmona said her intention is to protect students from their own unhealthful food choices.

"Nutrition wise, it is better for the children to eat at the school," Carmona said. "It's about the nutrition and the excellent quality food that they are able to serve (in the lunchroom). It's milk versus a Coke. But with allergies and any medical issue, of course, we would make an exception."

Carmona said she created the policy six years ago after watching students bring "bottles of soda and flaming hot chips" on field trips for their lunch. Although she would not name any other schools that employ such practices, she said it was fairly common.

What do you think? Good idea or Big Brother? Link - via Dvorak Uncensored

Photo: Peter Harholdt for Amelia Island Concours, Gary & Diane Cerveny Collection

I don't usually ooh-and-aah over cars, but I'll gladly make an exception for this 1948 Timbs Special by Norman E. Timbs (and restored by Dave Crouse for the 2010 Concours d'Elegance).

Detroit, why don't you make cars like this? Link | More images at Supercars.net

Toothbrush (2010) by Nancy Faust

Artist Nancy Fouts creates some mind-bogglingly awesome (not to mention humorous) art from unlikely combination of things. The BBC has the photo gallery of her recent art exhibit: Link

Ada Rimon and Ofeq Shemer of Toosh created this clever stop motion video clip of themselves blowing up bottles (not that way, oh just see the clip - it's easier than me having to explain).

Hit play or go to Link [vimeo] - via Feingut

Scientists from the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research in Japan cultivated embryonic stem cells in a test tube and added proteins to coax them into developing. They had wanted it to form a recognizable organ, but were stunned to find that over 10 days, the stem cells had formed an embryonic eye:

Professor Yoshiki Sasai, lead author said: "What we've been able to do in this study is resolve a nearly century-old problem in embryology, by showing that retinal precursors have the inherent ability to give rise to the complex structure of the optic cup."

His team, who filmed the technique as it unfolded, grew floating clusters of the mouse cells in a special tissue culture in the laboratory that had previously been successfully used to make a variety of brain cells.

By adding particular proteins they were able to get the cells to build a three dimensional layered structure reminiscent of the optic cup within 10 days.

Link - via TWYWKIWDBI