https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/strange_offbeat/business_industry/ Quirky stories about business and industry issues in health, technology, environment, and society. en-us Sun, 19 Apr 2026 09:49:08 EDT Sun, 19 Apr 2026 09:49:08 EDT 60 https://www.sciencedaily.com/images/scidaily-logo-rss.png https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/strange_offbeat/business_industry/ For more science news, visit ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260415043626.htm Feeling mentally “on” isn’t just in your head—it can significantly boost what you accomplish. Researchers found that sharper thinking on a given day leads people to set bigger goals and actually follow through. That edge can equal up to 40 extra minutes of productivity. But push too hard for too long, and the effect reverses. Wed, 15 Apr 2026 08:44:11 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260415043626.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260403224505.htm Modern food systems may look stable on the surface, but they are increasingly dependent on digital systems that can quietly become a major point of failure. Today, food must be “recognized” by databases and automated platforms to be transported, sold, or even released, meaning that if systems go down, food can effectively become unusable—even when it’s physically available. Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:23:02 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260403224505.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250312123858.htm Researchers have announced the creation of the first operating system designed for quantum networks: QNodeOS. The research marks a major step forward in transforming quantum networking from a theoretical concept to a practical technology that could revolutionize the future of the internet. Wed, 12 Mar 2025 12:38:58 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250312123858.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250227125926.htm A framework helps rail system operators or other planners identify the best joint infrastructure projects to collaborate on with other firms. Their tool can tell an operator how much to invest, the proper time to collaborate, and how the shared profits should be distributed. Thu, 27 Feb 2025 12:59:26 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250227125926.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250122130041.htm Successful uptake of new technology is a matter of emotions -- and with 4 in 5 companies saying they're failing to capitalize on its potential, managers need to know how to deal with them, say researchers. Wed, 22 Jan 2025 13:00:41 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250122130041.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/11/241118125037.htm It turns out gaming is good for you! New research indicates massive multiplayer online gamers learn by gaming and their skills in the workplace are enriched by those seemingly endless hours previously thought of as frittering away time. Mon, 18 Nov 2024 12:50:37 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/11/241118125037.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240423113120.htm Sure, ChatGPT can write a poem about your pet in the style of T.S Eliot, but generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots have a potentially more useful role to play in idea generation according to a new study. Tue, 23 Apr 2024 11:31:20 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240423113120.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230705154051.htm New research suggests artificial intelligence can match the top 1% of human thinkers on a standard test for creativity. Wed, 05 Jul 2023 15:40:51 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230705154051.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230309124944.htm Fast gamers are more intelligent: Intelligence can be predicted through virtual reality games. Thu, 09 Mar 2023 12:49:44 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230309124944.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/12/221212140804.htm By breaking the laws of physics in a virtual reality environment, researchers find that changing the location of a virtual assistant's voice in specific ways can be used as a tool to build rapport with customers. Mon, 12 Dec 2022 14:08:04 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/12/221212140804.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220203083556.htm People are more comfortable talking to female rather than male robots working in service roles in hotels, according to new research. The study, which surveyed about 170 people on hypothetical service robot scenarios, also found that the preference was stronger when the robots were described as having more human features. Thu, 03 Feb 2022 08:35:56 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220203083556.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211103140105.htm To counter hacking, researchers have developed a new system based on the concept of 'zero-knowledge proofs', the security of which is based on the physical principle of relativity: information cannot travel faster than the speed of light. Thus, one of the fundamental principles of modern physics allows for secure data transfer. Wed, 03 Nov 2021 14:01:05 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211103140105.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210507112040.htm Properly understanding and responding to customer feedback on social media platforms is crucial for brands, and it may have just gotten a little easier thanks to new research. Fri, 07 May 2021 11:20:40 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210507112040.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200811163313.htm When survival over generations is the end game, researchers say it makes sense to undervalue long shots that could be profitable and overestimate the likelihood of rare bad outcomes. Tue, 11 Aug 2020 16:33:13 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200811163313.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200402110135.htm Overconfidence in one's own abilities despite clear evidence to the contrary is present and persistent in children as young as four, a new study has revealed. Thu, 02 Apr 2020 11:01:35 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200402110135.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200324131835.htm A professor says that the way spilled milk spreads across the floor can explain why economic downturns regularly occur. Because the economic prosperity derived from new ideas or inventions follows the same S-curve as the spreading of a substance over an area, it inevitably loses its return on investment toward the end of its life cycle. Tue, 24 Mar 2020 13:18:35 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200324131835.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191121141325.htm Scientists have introduced a new framework for designing machine learning algorithms that make it easier for users of the algorithm to specify safety and fairness constraints. Thu, 21 Nov 2019 14:13:25 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191121141325.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190709122014.htm Researchers have developed a technique for embedding data in music and transmitting it to a smartphone. Since the data is imperceptible to the human ear, it doesn't affect listening pleasure. This could have interesting applications in hotels, museums and department stores. Tue, 09 Jul 2019 12:20:14 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190709122014.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190206091359.htm Financial analysts whose surnames are perceived as favorable elicit stronger market reactions to their earnings forecasts, new research has found. Wed, 06 Feb 2019 09:13:59 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190206091359.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180821094304.htm Researchers have developed an economic game in which a participant is confronted with the fair behavior of one player and the unfair provocations of another player. They observed which areas were activated as the participant experienced unfairness and anger. Then scientists gave the participant the opportunity to take revenge. They thus identified the location in the brain of activations that are related to the suppression of the act of revenge in the dorsolateral prefontal cortex. Tue, 21 Aug 2018 09:43:04 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180821094304.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180726085745.htm Despite long-term profit expectations, many people shy away from investing their money in supposedly riskier forms of investment. Why? Scientists have now developed a model that makes real-life stock buying behavior comprehensible for the first time. The researchers combined socioeconomic, psychological and neuroscientific data in an innovative way. Thu, 26 Jul 2018 08:57:45 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180726085745.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180628151752.htm As demonstrated in a series of new studies, researchers show that as the prevalence of a problem is reduced, humans are naturally inclined to redefine the problem itself. The result is that as a problem becomes smaller, people's conceptualizations of that problem become larger, which can lead them to miss the fact that they've solved it. Thu, 28 Jun 2018 15:17:52 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180628151752.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171212184142.htm A new study found strong potential for consumer acceptance of a new category of foods created from discarded ingredients. But the big question has been this: Will consumers accept products made from ingredients that were destined for the garbage? Would a person actually eat -- and pay for -- a granola bar made from spent brewing grains or a relish made from vegetables unfit for the supermarket? Tue, 12 Dec 2017 18:41:42 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171212184142.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171128160247.htm Researchers have demonstrated how artificial intelligence and neural networks could one day create custom apparel designs to help retailers and apparel makers sell clothing to consumers based on what they learned from a buyer's preferences. Tue, 28 Nov 2017 16:02:47 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171128160247.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171019101008.htm When it comes to financial investments, hedge fund managers higher in 'dark triad' personality traits -- psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism -- perform more poorly than their peers, according to new personality psychology research. The difference is a little less than 1 percent annually compared to their peers, but with large investments over several years that slight underperformance can add up. Thu, 19 Oct 2017 10:10:08 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171019101008.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171004142706.htm Many manufacturing jobs require a physical presence to operate machinery. But what if such jobs could be done remotely? Researchers have now presented a virtual-reality (VR) system that lets you teleoperate a robot using an Oculus Rift headset. Wed, 04 Oct 2017 14:27:06 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171004142706.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170816100329.htm Testosterone directly impacts financial decisions that drive prices up and destabilize markets, research has shown for the first time. Wed, 16 Aug 2017 10:03:29 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170816100329.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170725122031.htm The Twitter messages of Donald J. Trump, the entrepreneurial businessman turned US president, show that he is creative, competitive and a rule-breaker, but also has neurotic tendencies. An analysis of Trump's tweets and what implications his personality traits have for political leadership are the focus of a new study. Tue, 25 Jul 2017 12:20:31 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170725122031.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170705095312.htm Seemingly any behavior can be 'gamified' and awarded digital points these days, from tracking the steps you've walked to the online purchases you've made and even the chores you've completed. Tracking behavior in this way helps to spur further action and new research shows that even meaningless scores can serve as effective motivators, as long as those scores are accelerating. Wed, 05 Jul 2017 09:53:12 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170705095312.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170328092405.htm Love is a major motivator both for parents and entrepreneurs, research shows. A multidisciplinary study asks whether entrepreneurs love their companies like parents love their children. The study used functional MRIs to study the brain activity of fathers and high-growth entrepreneurs. Fathers were shown pictures of their own children as well as other children they knew. Entrepreneurs were shown pictures of their own companies and other companies that they were familiar with. Tue, 28 Mar 2017 09:24:05 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170328092405.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170124111324.htm A new study has found that the level of smile intensity in marketing photos influences how consumers perceive the marketer's competence and warmth, which can lead to different results depending on the context. Tue, 24 Jan 2017 11:13:24 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170124111324.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161203154532.htm A researcher wants to scrap the traditional electronic and paper survey approaches to gathering marketing and information systems data in favor of scanning your brainwaves. Sat, 03 Dec 2016 15:45:32 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161203154532.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161017083925.htm New research is calling for inventions by computers to be legally granted patents. The research states that the rapid increase in computer power is posing new challenges when it comes to patenting an invention. Artificial intelligence is playing an ever larger role in innovation -- with major players such as IBM, Pfizer and Google investing heavily in creative computing -- but current patent law does not recognize computers as inventors. Mon, 17 Oct 2016 08:39:25 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161017083925.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160907082129.htm When science fiction heroes communicate, they don‘t use landlines or cell phones. The caller simply appears in virtual form in the middle of the room; full sized and three dimensional. This vision is already within reach, say researchers. Wed, 07 Sep 2016 08:21:29 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160907082129.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160721073012.htm Physicists have discovered that the timing of electronic orders on the stock market can be mathematically described in the same way as the lifetime of a light bulb. Thu, 21 Jul 2016 07:30:12 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160721073012.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160701183552.htm Researchers have taken a unique approach to explain the way in which technologies evolve in modern society. Borrowing a technique that biologists might use to study the evolution of plants or animals, the scientists plotted the "births" and "deaths" of every American-made car and truck model from 1896 to 2014. Fri, 01 Jul 2016 18:35:52 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160701183552.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160608104402.htm What happens if people increasingly rely on automated machines to carry out the socially essential work of communicating with one another? Automation of communication raises broad social, economic, and political concerns. Wed, 08 Jun 2016 10:44:02 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160608104402.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160519121514.htm Misconduct within an organization is generally seen as a predicament at best, a catastrophe at worst. But a new study shows that such misconduct, or “deviance,” can prove beneficial by causing “non-deviant” members of the group to work harder in order to alleviate their own discomfort with the organization’s tarnished image. Thu, 19 May 2016 12:15:14 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160519121514.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160509191847.htm A new study provides empirical evidence for the mistrust and erosion of social capital that exists in regions worldwide due to witchcraft accusations. Mon, 09 May 2016 19:18:47 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160509191847.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160317105724.htm Imagine a scenario where sensor-laden vehicles pass through intersections by communicating with each other, rather than grinding to a halt at traffic lights. A newly published study claims this kind of traffic-light-free transportation design, if it ever arrives, could allow twice as much traffic to use the roads. Thu, 17 Mar 2016 10:57:24 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160317105724.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160316140547.htm When Joseph Hyman ‘11, mechanical engineering, was a student at UMBC, he was sitting in the library craving a fresh, hot cup of coffee, when an idea struck him: Wouldn’t it be great if a travel mug could brew its own coffee? Wed, 16 Mar 2016 14:05:47 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160316140547.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160126110910.htm New research has found, for the first time, a scientific solution that enables future Internet infrastructure to become completely open and programmable while carrying Internet traffic at the speed of light. Tue, 26 Jan 2016 11:09:10 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160126110910.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/12/151203140007.htm Researchers have found that everyday shoppers make assumptions about brands that use green colors. The findings hold ethical implications for environmentally friendly branding. Thu, 03 Dec 2015 14:00:07 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/12/151203140007.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151013112401.htm Sweden is on its way to becoming the world's first cashless society, thanks to the country's embrace of IT, as well as a crackdown on organized crime and terror, according to a new study. Tue, 13 Oct 2015 11:24:01 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151013112401.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150909124836.htm The concept of 'olfactory branding' has been the focus of recent research, and how in some settings, such as the hotel lobby, it can supplant or augment the more traditional audiovisual marketing signals. Wed, 09 Sep 2015 12:48:36 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150909124836.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150707120051.htm Scientists have made great strides in wireless-power transfer development. A new WPT system is capable of charging multiple mobile devices concurrently and with unprecedented freedom in any direction, even while holding the devices in midair or a half meter away from the power source, which is a transmitter. Tue, 07 Jul 2015 12:00:51 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150707120051.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150702131807.htm A researcher has created an easier email encryption method – one that sounds familiar to parents who try to outsmart their 8-year-old child. The new technique gets rid of the complicated, mathematically generated messages that are typical of encryption software. Instead, the method transforms specific emails into ones that are vague by leaving out key words. Thu, 02 Jul 2015 13:18:07 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150702131807.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150702094903.htm The hormones testosterone and cortisol may destabilize financial markets by making traders take more risks, according to a study. Thu, 02 Jul 2015 09:49:03 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150702094903.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/06/150615124717.htm That Nest thermostat on your wall could be making you money. Not saving money, mind you. That's its day job: learning your habits so it can fine-tune your energy use and lower your power bills. But most of the time, it's just sitting there with nothing much to do. Add in some code written by a group of computer researchers, however, and that Nest -- along with all the other smart refrigerators, TVs, light bulbs, sensors and more that make up the Internet of Things -- could be helping traveling businesspeople crunch data, tourists Photoshop their vacation snaps, and more. Mon, 15 Jun 2015 12:47:17 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/06/150615124717.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150521121051.htm Online customer service agents who use emoticons and who are fast typists may have a better chance of putting smiles on their customers' faces during business-related text chats, according to researchers. Thu, 21 May 2015 12:10:51 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150521121051.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150520160141.htm A false tweet from a hacked account owned by the Associated Press demonstrates the need to better understand how social media data is linked to decision making in the private and public sector, according to new research. Wed, 20 May 2015 16:01:41 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150520160141.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150513083211.htm Page views and “likes” are great for journalists' and webmasters’ egos, but they don't pay the bills. Researchers may have found a solution. They have identified a secure, anonymous way for readers, viewers and gamers to pay for online content without them having to make a cash payment. “Any online website could participate, whether they are a news site, a blog, a video streaming service, a gaming site, or social media,” remarked one of the researchers. Wed, 13 May 2015 08:32:11 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150513083211.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150501125447.htm Most new patents are combinations of existing ideas and pretty much always have been, even as the stream of fundamentally new core technologies has slowed, according to a new study. Fri, 01 May 2015 12:54:47 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150501125447.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150427145123.htm Researchers have rated the leadership skills of more than 120 characters featured in 'The Transformers' cartoon in 1984-85 and 'The Transformers: The Movie' in 1986. Their findings have implications for today's workplaces, since many leaders grew up watching those cartoons. Mon, 27 Apr 2015 14:51:23 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150427145123.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150421084403.htm We will still be using "real" money for at least the next 5 to 10 years, but financial transactions carried out using mobile electronic devices, such as smart phones and tablet computers, will increasingly become the norm during that time period, according to research. Tue, 21 Apr 2015 08:44:03 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150421084403.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150409143143.htm A new study assesses how accurately gender representations in online image search results for 45 different occupations -- from CEO to telemarketer to engineer -- match reality. Exposure to skewed image results shifted people's perceptions about how many women actually hold those jobs. Thu, 09 Apr 2015 14:31:43 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150409143143.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150310123012.htm Each year, millions of people lose billions of dollars in NCAA March Madness basketball pools. Still, most return the following year for another pummeling. Tue, 10 Mar 2015 12:30:12 EDT https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150310123012.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150304152613.htm Next time you look up at a higher shelf in a store or down at your phone when making a purchase, think about how the direction you are looking could influence your decision. According to a new study, consumers choose different products when looking up versus down. Wed, 04 Mar 2015 15:26:13 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150304152613.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150304124036.htm A business professor takes the madness out of the month with his "Dance Card" Method for determining NCAA March Madness brackets, also known as "bracketology." Wed, 04 Mar 2015 12:40:36 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150304124036.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150225094327.htm Seventy-five percent of movies earn a net loss during their run in theaters. A new study finds that brain activity visible through EEG measures may be a much cheaper and more accurate way to predict the commercial success of movies. Wed, 25 Feb 2015 09:43:27 EST https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150225094327.htm