BiotechMashup

The patterns of collaboration between Wikipedia contributors have a direct effect on the data quality of an article, according to a new paper.

(University of Arizona) University of Arizona graduate student Benjamin Blonder may have solved the mystery of how leaf vein patterns correlate with use of sunlight, carbon and other nutrients. This knowledge could help scientists better understand the complex carbon cycle that is at the heart of global climate warming.

(Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences) A student writing an essay for their teacher may be tempted to plagiarize or leave facts unchecked. A new study shows that if you ask that same student to write something that will be posted on Wikipedia, he or she suddenly becomes determined to make the work as accurate as possible, and may actually do better research.

(Arizona State University) An Arizona State University graduate student, Jinglin Fu, in collaboration with Biodesign Institute researchers Neal Woodbury and Stephen Albert Johnston, has pioneered a technique that improves on scientists' ability to harness and modulate enzyme activity.

A student writing an essay for their teacher may be tempted to plagiarize or leave facts unchecked. A new study shows that if you ask that same student to write something that will be posted on Wikipedia, he or she suddenly becomes determined to make the work as accurate as possible, and may actually do better research.

Check the Microsoft entry on Wikipedia at some point in the past and you might have learned that the company's name is Microshaft, its products are evil and its logo is a kitten. Similarly, you may have learned from Abraham Lincoln's Wikipedia entry that he was married to Brayson Kondracki, his birth date is March 14 and Pete likes PANCAKES.

(Arizona State University) The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education have named Arizona State University scientist Jane Maienschein the 2010 Arizona Professor of the Year.

(Indiana University School of Medicine) Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis students and faculty have developed and launched Wikipedia Saves Public Art, nation's first organized effort to document public art information in Wikipedia. "Public art is one of the most accessible art forms, and Wikipedia is one of the most accessible forums for information, so they make a perfect match," says Jennifer Geigel Mikulay, Ph.D., whose research focuses on public art's civic role.

It is a commonly held that information on Wikipedia should not be trusted, since it is written and edited by non-experts without professional oversight. But researchers have found differently, according to new data.