Penn State News - Probing Question Popular news on Probing Question from Penn State en-us Penn State University Relations (Penn State News) Probing Question: What is whisper therapy? One of the most popular recent self-help trends for insomnia and anxiety is also among the more unusual ones. Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, or "sounds that feel good." The sound of whispering is considered the most common trigger for the ASMR feelings. Wed, 23 Jul 2014 10:08 -0400 Penn State News - Probing Question Probing Question: What is Bitcoin? Could digital currency be poised to replace paper money? The pursuit of an independent digital currency began in the early 1990s, explains John Jordan, clinical professor of supply chain and information systems at Penn State. Today's big contender, the Bitcoin, was introduced in 2008 by a person (or group of people) known only by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. Bitcoin is a digital payment network that allows users to engage in direct transactions without the oversight of a banking organization or government. Wed, 09 Jul 2014 09:15 -0400 Penn State News - Probing Question Probing Question: Why is teaching evolution still controversial? Penn State political scientists Michael Berkman and Eric Plutzer explain that, despite 40 years of court cases ruling against teaching creationism in American public schools, the majority of high school biology teachers are not strong classroom advocates of evolutionary biology. Fri, 06 Jun 2014 11:30 -0400 Penn State News - Probing Question Probing Question: Could polio make a comeback? It's one of the most famous global public health success stories of the 20th century: the near-eradication of polio, the dreaded childhood disease that paralyzed or killed over half a million people around the world annually at its peak in the 1940s and 50s. However, in early May 2014, the World Health Organization released a statement pointing to an alarming spike in the international spread of wild poliovirus, originating from three "hot spot" nations, Pakistan, Syria and Cameroon. The WHO called this an "international health emergency" requiring "extraordinary measures." Could we be facing another polio epidemic? Wed, 28 May 2014 10:06 -0400 Penn State News - Probing Question Probing Question: How were the Egyptian pyramids built? The Aztecs, Mayans, and ancient Egyptians were three very different civilizations with one very large similarity: pyramids. However, of these three ancient cultures, the Egyptians set the standard for what most people recognize as classic pyramid design: massive monuments with a square base and four smooth-sided triangular sides, rising to a point. (The Aztecs and Mayans built their pyramids with tiered steps and a flat top.) Tue, 15 Apr 2014 16:00 -0400 Penn State News - Probing Question Probing Question: Does hypnosis work? "You're growing tired. Your eyelids are getting heavy. You're feeling very sleepy..." Most of us recognize these words as the Hollywood script of a hypnosis session. Typically portrayed as the tool of comics and hucksters ("At my command, you will crow like a rooster...") or nefarious, mind-controlling villains, hypnosis has a serious type-casting problem to overcome. Beyond the stereotypes, is there any validity to hypnosis as a therapeutic technique? Tue, 18 Mar 2014 10:00 -0400 Penn State News - Probing Question Probing Question: Is outsourcing of health care services bad? "If you've had an X-ray taken at a hospital in the past decade, the chance that it was read by a radiologist elsewhere in the world is pretty high," says Jonathan Clark, assistant professor of health policy and administration. "That's because around 90 percent of hospitals in the United States now outsource some portion of their radiology services." Wed, 04 Dec 2013 11:00 -0500 Penn State News - Probing Question Probing Question: Is sitting bad for your health? Think you're healthy because you work out? Although your exercise regimen is good for your body, it may not be enough to counteract the negative effects of sitting. "A recent survey found that many of us spend about eight hours a day being sedentary, not including time spent sleeping," says David Conroy, Penn State professor of kinesiology. "We sit all day at work and then we go home and we sit in front of the TV. These types of long, uninterrupted sitting episodes have been linked to obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some cancers, each of which has been linked with mortality." Thu, 14 Nov 2013 15:16 -0500 Penn State News - Probing Question Probing Question: What makes a great business team? The ability of a company's employees to work effectively in teams is critical to the organization's success. Given the accepted importance of collaboration, why do managers and employees often find teamwork -- and its results -- so unsatisfying? According to management professor Stephen Humphrey, business teams are often assembled based merely on availability, and this kind of grouping is destined to fail. Tue, 15 Oct 2013 10:42 -0400 Penn State News - Probing Question Probing Question: Are MOOCs here to stay? In higher education, 2013 may be remembered as the year of the MOOC. Massive Open Online Courses are college-level classes taught entirely over the Internet, and colleges and universities are scrambling to get onboard the MOOC train -- hundreds now offer some form of Web-based curriculum -- while at the same time debating what the trend means for the future of higher education. Is MOOC-mania justified and are MOOCs here to stay? Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:29 -0400 Penn State News - Probing Question Probing Question: Is a law degree versatile? In today's uncertain economy, the question of ROI -- return on investment -- is on the minds of many prospective young doctors of jurisprudence. With the media churning out cautionary tales about newly minted lawyers coming up empty on the job market, the question is a valid one: Is a law degree still marketable and versatile? And are there career paths open to J.D.s who either don't want or can't find work in a law firm? Tue, 04 Jun 2013 08:30 -0400 Penn State News - Probing Question Probing Question: Do women dominate the field of forensic science? Exhuming corpses, analyzing bloodstained clothing, collecting "crime scene insects" (yes, maggots)...these are some of the grittier realities of life as a forensic scientist. Yet defying the stereotype that females tend to be squeamish about such things, an entire generation of young women have become entranced by the profession. In fact, they've pursued this career in such numbers that—unlike almost every other scientific discipline—one could argue that the booming field of forensic science is a female domain. Tue, 07 May 2013 09:23 -0400 Penn State News - Probing Question Probing Question: Are we running out of helium? Some scientists are sounding the alarm about the wastefulness of using helium -- a rare, non-renewable gas -- to fill party balloons. Why? As an essential resource in technologies such as medical imaging, rocket engines, and surveillance devices, it turns out that helium does a lot more than give our balloons a lift. And despite being the second most abundant element in the universe, most of our supply in the Earth’s atmosphere simply floats off into space and is lost. Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:43 -0400 Penn State News - Probing Question Probing Question: Why do we waste so much food? Chalk it up to one of the many contradictions of modern life in developed nations: we cajole our kids into eating all the food on their plates "because children in poorer countries are starving" at the same time as we face a growing obesity epidemic worldwide. Is there really not enough food on the planet, or are we just wasting the food we have? Bryan McDonald, a Penn State assistant professor of history and author of the book Food Security, offers his perspective. Mon, 25 Mar 2013 10:31 -0400 Penn State News - Probing Question Probing Question: Is being overweight always bad for your health? Can being overweight really be so bad? According to Gordon Jensen, head of Penn State’s Department of Nutritional Sciences, the answer may be "no" -- at least for those of us who are lucky enough to live to the grand old age of 75 and beyond. Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:43 -0500 Penn State News - Probing Question