Demography is the scientific study of human population dynamics. It encompasses the study of the size, structure and distribution of populations, and how populations change over time due to births, deaths, migration and ageing. Demographic analysis can relate to whole societies or to groups defined by criteria such as education, nationality, religion and ethnicity. Most countries' demography is regarded as a branch of either economics or sociology. Formal demography limits its object of study to the measurement of populations processes, while the more broad field of population studies also analyze the relationships between economic, social, cultural and biological processes influencing the population.Andrew Hinde Demographic Methods Ch. 1 ISBN 0340718927

The term demographics is often used erroneously for demography, but refers rather to selected population characteristics as used in marketing or opinion research, or the demographic profiles used in such research.

Data and methods

---

Demography may rely on the use of large amounts of data, including census returns and vital statistics registers, or incorporate survey data using indirect estimation techniques. The earliest modern census was carried out in the United States in 1790, although the Scandinavian countries had earlier censuses.

More on [ Demography ]

BBC News | Science & Environment | World Edition

US tourist set for space station
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 07:19:17 -0000
US space tourist Richard Garriott follows in the footsteps of his astronaut father as he blasts off into space.
Nature loss 'dwarfs bank crisis'
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:23:07 -0000
The global economy loses more money from deforestation than the current banking crisis, says an EU-commissioned report.
Nasa committed to Mars rover plan
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:26:23 -0000
Nasa pushes ahead with plans to launch its 2009 Mars mission, but acknowledges the need for extra funds to make it happen.

L.A. Times - Science

Bipolar disorder also afflicts children, study finds
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
One key to a proper diagnosis, researchers say, is recognizing grandiose behavior. Their study finds that 44% of those who had manic episodes as children continued having them as adults. A study of 54 people with bipolar disorder found that the illness, long considered an adult affliction, also affects children.
Asteroid arrival is successfully predicted for first time
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The object burned up over Sudan, posing no threat to people. The prediction shows that an alert system is working, a Jet Propulsion Laboratory expert says. Scientists for the first time were able to predict the arrival of an asteroid before it entered Earth's atmosphere.
Fans may prevent SIDS
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Using a fan to circulate air seemed to lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in a study of nearly 500 babies, researchers reported Monday.

Reuters: Science News

Researchers find easier way to make stem cells
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:10:18 -0400
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers trying to find ways to transform ordinary skin cells into powerful stem cells said on Sunday they found a shortcut by "sprinkling" a chemical onto the cells.
U.S. space tourist blasts off in Russian rocket
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:19:37 -0400
BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (Reuters) - U.S. video game magnate Richard Garriott blasted off into space aboard a Russian rocket on Sunday watched by his father, a NASA astronaut who went into space at the height of the Cold War.
Two more genes linked to common skin cancer
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 14:04:21 -0400
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have found two new genetic variations that appear to increase the risk of the most common skin cancer among people of European descent.

AP Top Science News At 3:18 p.m. EDT

Efforts on global warming chilled by economic woes
By DINA CAPPIELLO Sun, 12 Oct 2008 14:22:41 -0000
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The economic free fall gripping the nation may bring down one of the main environmental objectives: capping the greenhouse gases that are blamed for global warming....
US game designer blasts into space with DNA cargo
By PETER LEONARD Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:08:50 -0000
BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AP) -- An American computer game designer reached space Sunday, fulfilling a long-deferred childhood dream that began with the flight of his astronaut father....
NASA presses ahead for Mars rover launch in 2009
By ALICIA CHANG Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:54:49 -0000
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- NASA said Friday it will press ahead with plans to launch a supersized rover to Mars next year despite spiraling costs and schedule pressures....

NOVA scienceNOW | PBS

NOVA scienceNOW: Phoenix Mars Lander
NOVA Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:00:00 -0500
NASA's latest robot has already found frozen water and is looking for more signs that the Red Planet could support life.
NOVA scienceNOW: Brain Trauma
NOVA Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:00:00 -0500
Even so-called "mild" head injuries turn out to be anything but.
NOVA scienceNOW: Mammoth Mystery
NOVA Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:00:00 -0500
A pair of mammoth skeletons is found locked together by their tusks. What happened?

Newsweek Technology Headlines


Innovation

New estimates on global warming
The global climate could warm by 2.5 degrees F. by the end of the century, even if countries undertake stringent efforts to curb greenhouse-gas emissions, according to a new study from a team of climate scientists in the United States, China, Japan, and five European nations. This figure is more than ...
Horizon highlights: Rethinking the basics
Our regular roundup of sci-tech stories from across the Web includes: Professor Pogue teaches some tech basics, five Web 2.0 services that are actually worth your time, and could special lightbulbs replace Wi-Fi hubs? Let’s kick it off: Showdown: BlackBerry Storm vs. iPhone 3G "After teasing us with videos and a vague ...
Why people like cars with ‘angry faces’
One of the coolest aspects of the fabric-covered BMW GINA concept car is a little subconscious. I'm sure I was not the only person who felt, at first sight, as though the car were glaring at me. The sharp hood resembles an angry robot staring you down with its icy ...

Science News - UPI.com

Astronaut's son follows him in space
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:17:12 -0400
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- The son of a U.S. astronaut blasted off Sunday from Kazakhstan as a tourist aboard a Russian rocket headed for the International Space Station.
Clinton boosts Mich. stem-cell referendum
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 20:40:21 -0400
WATERFORD, Mich., Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Former President Bill Clinton has urged Michigan voters to approve a referendum legalizing embryonic stem-cell research when they go to the polls Nov. 4.
Space station crew might not be expanded
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:21:59 -0400
MOSCOW, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Plans to add crew members to the International Space Station might be delayed, the head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos said Saturday.

 

Subscribe to Science RSS feed