Alabama Life Research Institute

College News: Tuscaloosa News – June 30

University of Alabama at Birmingham … After a national search, a noteworthy researcher in cognitive neuroscience will lead the Alabama Life Research Institute as executive director. As the first, full-time head of ALRI, Dr. Sharlene D. Newman will provide a coherent vision for collaborative life research that embraces the full range of disciplines represented on campus while strengthening The University of Alabama’s research portfolio and profile.
Alabama News Center – July 6

Alabama Girls State

Young Alabamians’ compete for mock government roles, scholarships: Crimson White – July 3

For many years, The University of Alabama has been home to Alabama Girls State. The delegates, often reaching numbers of about 400, spend an entire week on campus. They stay in dorms, eat at the dining halls and use academic buildings and campus facilities for almost every aspect of the program.  This week comes before the crucial time many of the attendees will make their college decision, and The University of Alabama makes a mark for many of the delegates.

Negative Calories

Is there a thinner food in the world? It only uses celery to prove it: Udn Yuan Network (China) – July 3

Have you heard of “negative calorie food”? A fairly popular rumor says that some foods need more energy to digest than the energy provided by the food itself, so the more energy they eat, the less they eat and the more they can become thinner.  is this real? If you ask a scientific and rigorous nutrition expert, his answer is generally the same: no scientific research can prove the existence of “negative calorie food”, if you want to control your weight , please eat less and eat more, a balanced diet. There is nothing wrong with this answer, but it is somewhat boring. However, some people will choose a new answer. A research team from The University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa) said: Do you want to know if “negative calorie food” is true or not? Then give the lizard a celery.
MSN Lifestyle (Polish) – July 6

Origins of the Dollars Sign

How our dollar sign came to be – maybe?: Cecil Whig (Elkton, MD) – July 6

Ever wonder where the dollar sign originated? While reviewing the Cecil Whig articles from June 1869, I came across a small feature in the June 19, 1869, edition of the paper that piqued my curiosity. In an article titled “The Curious Origins of the Dollar Sign,” University of Alabama history professor Joshua Rothman writes of a man named Oliver Pollock who traded with France, Spain and the soon-to-be Americans during the Revolutionary War. Pollock was instrumental in arranging trade during the war that gained American independence and even provided a great deal of funding to further support.