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Who says those who wield a hammer don’t have an artistic touch?

Not anyone who’s seen the work of Japanese artist Kumi Yamashita, whose materials include thousands of nails and continuous lengths of thread artfully wrapped over months to create the amazing detail one sees in his portraits.

His work will be on display until June 1st at Scott White Contemporary Art, in La Jolla if you happen to be passing through.

Full story at Design Boom.

Winding one’s way through the art world.

Children respond to trauma in many different ways. Some may have reactions very soon after the event; others may seem to be doing fine for weeks or months, and then begin to show worrisome behavior. Knowing the signs that are common at different ages can help parents and teachers to recognize problems and respond appropriately.

Tips for talking to kids:

• Provide children with opportunities to talk about what they are seeing on television and to ask questions. 
• Don’t be afraid to admit that you can’t answer all their questions. 
• Answer questions at a level the child can understand. 
• Provide ongoing opportunity

Full article with more information.

Want to read more about parenting?

Photo credit photosavvy

Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the devastating tornado that tore through the suburbs of Oklahoma City today, and if you’re looking for loved ones or simply need a way of letting everyone know you’re safe, check out the Red Cross’ Safe & Well site.

The two-mile wide tornado reached speeds of approximately 200 miles per hour and experts note that conditions are still ripe for more serious weather in the Midwest.

As reported at CNN:

Even as authorities and rescue workers struggle to get handle on the damage, NOAA’s [Bill] Bunting warned the worst may be yet to come.

“These storms are going to continue producing additional tornadoes. They’ll also produce some very, very large hail, perhaps larger than the size of baseballs. We’re also concerned that there may be an enhanced and widespread damaging wind threat with storms as they merge together,” he said.

“As bad as today is, this is not over yet.”

Full story at Safe & Well and CNN.

Where to turn when weather turns deadly.

The four-year college experience is as American as apple pie. So is the belief that higher education offers the ticket to a better life. But with student loan debt surpassing $1 trillion and unemployment of college grads a historic highs, people are beginning to question that value.

From Jeffrey J .Selingo via Visual.ly.

Tons of excellent infographics in one place.

Just returned from a trip to New Zealand. This is definitely an enchanting place to visit, and it should be on everyone’s bucket list. The highlights were a visit to Hobbiton where we went inside Bilbo Baggins’s house and a zip line on Waiheke Island.

Thanks to Air New Zealand and Jo Brothers for making this happen.

More New Zealand.

Earlier today, we published an infographic about cyber crime from Go-Gulf.com and noted that “Knowing is half the battle.”

If you’re ready to tackle the other half, take some time to go through SimpliSafe’s online quiz, “How Vulnerable Are You?”, which covers a range of ways you may be digitally vulnerable and links to articles and information when your answers indicate a weak spot in your online armor.

Full story at SimpliSafe.com.

Crime prevention starts at home.

Can’t stand it when your bacon puts too much air in that club sandwich?

Are poorly frilled edges ruining your breakfast?

It’s time to put things straight with the Norpro Cast Iron Pig Bacon Press, a steal at $12 on Amazon.

Who can’t oink to that?

Full story at Amazon via Technabob.

Giggle-worthy kitchen gadgets.

A new brain study reveals that the circadian clocks of people with depression are altered at the cellular level.

Every cell in our bodies runs on a 24-hour clock, tuned to the night-day, light-dark cycles that have ruled us since the dawn of humanity. The brain acts as timekeeper, keeping the cellular clock in sync with the outside world so that it can govern our appetites, sleep, moods, and much more.

But new research shows that the clock may be broken in the brains of people with depression—even at the level of the gene activity inside their brain cells.

“There really was a moment of discovery,” says Li,a research assistant professor in the department of computational medicine and bioinformatics at the University of Michigan. “It was when we realized that many of the genes that show 24-hour cycles in the normal individuals were well-known circadian rhythm genes—and when we saw that the people with depression were not synchronized to the usual solar day in terms of this gene activity. It’s as if they were living in a different time zone than the one they died in.”

Full story at Futurity.

More research news from top universities.

Photo credit: Jöshua Barnett/Flickr

Invasive “crazy ants” are displacing fire ants across the southeastern United States and may have dramatic effects on the region’s ecosystem, researchers say.

Unlike fire ants, crazy ants don’t consume most poison baits and don’t have the same kinds of colony boundaries. That means that even if they’re killed in a certain area, the supercolony survives and can swarm back over the area, says Ed LeBrun, a research associate with the invasive species research program at the University of Texas-Austin. “When you talk to folks who live in the invaded areas, they tell you they want their fire ants back.”

Full story with additional images and video at Futurity.

More research news from top universities.

Photo credit: Joe MacGown / Mississippi Entomological Museum

Kindergarten teachers say they spend most of their math instructional time teaching lessons students have already mastered, like shapes and basic counting. The findings reveal a misalignment between what the students are being taught and what they already know.

“This study is one of the first to raise the question: Is the content that teachers report teaching in kindergarten meeting the needs of the majority of their students?” says Mimi Engel, assistant professor of public policy and education at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College and lead author of the study.

Full story and video at Futurity.

More research news from top universities.

Photo credit: Kelly Teague/Flickr