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Oct. 28, 2008 — “I want to go away soon and live away by the pond,” wrote Henry David Thoreau, “But my friends ask what I will do when I get there? Will it not be employment enough to watch the progress of the seasons?”

Indeed, it has proved useful employment for modern climate researchers. From 1852 to 1858, Thoreau kept meticulous records of the plants that bloomed in the Concord, Mass., woods near Walden Pond. Researchers who recently repeated those measurements have compared the findings, old and new, revealing the signature of climate change in Thoreau’s woods.

Richard Primack and graduate student Abraham Miller-Rushing of Boston University surveyed the plants in woods near Concord from 2003 to 2007, recording the abundance of various species and what day they flowered each season. They combined these results with data collected by Thoreau in the 1850s and another naturalist in the late 1800s.

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The pair found that 27 percent of the species appearing in Thoreau’s surveys have disappeared from the area, and another 36 percent are now so rare they may be gone soon. Over the last 100 years, the average annual temperature in Concord has risen by 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit.

Charles Davis and colleagues at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. then projected these findings onto a “tree of life”– a phylogenetic tree that groups closely related species together, to see which groups of plants have won and lost over time as temperatures warmed.

“Plants in Concord aren’t really responding to climate change in the same way,” Davis told Discovery News. “Some are able to adjust their flowering time by upwards of three weeks, and others are not.”

“The species that have very flexible flowering times with respect to temperature have tended to flourish,” Primack said. “Those that have a very rigid flowering time are the ones which have tended to decline or go extinct on the landscape.”

“For the first time, it shows that climate change is not impacting these plants in a uniform or random way,” Davis added. “It is major branches in the tree of life that are being lost. It happens to be the most charismatic plants — groups that we all know and love: the dogwoods, the orchids, members of the lily family, members of the rose family.”

Oct. 28, 2008 — “I want to go away soon and live away by the pond,” wrote Henry David Thoreau, “But my friends ask what I will do when I get there? Will it not be employment enough to watch the progress of the seasons?”

Indeed, it has proved useful employment for modern climate researchers. From 1852 to 1858, Thoreau kept meticulous records of the plants that bloomed in the Concord, Mass., woods near Walden Pond. Researchers who recently repeated those measurements have compared the findings, old and new, revealing the signature of climate change in Thoreau’s woods.

Richard Primack and graduate student Abraham Miller-Rushing of Boston University surveyed the plants in woods near Concord from 2003 to 2007, recording the abundance of various species and what day they flowered each season. They combined these results with data collected by Thoreau in the 1850s and another naturalist in the late 1800s.

Related Content:

Calif. Plants Squeezed by Warming
Discovery News Blog: Earth Impacts
Slide Show: Walden Pond Re-Visited

The pair found that 27 percent of the species appearing in Thoreau’s surveys have disappeared from the area, and another 36 percent are now so rare they may be gone soon. Over the last 100 years, the average annual temperature in Concord has risen by 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit.

Charles Davis and colleagues at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. then projected these findings onto a “tree of life”– a phylogenetic tree that groups closely related species together, to see which groups of plants have won and lost over time as temperatures warmed.

“Plants in Concord aren’t really responding to climate change in the same way,” Davis told Discovery News. “Some are able to adjust their flowering time by upwards of three weeks, and others are not.”

“The species that have very flexible flowering times with respect to temperature have tended to flourish,” Primack said. “Those that have a very rigid flowering time are the ones which have tended to decline or go extinct on the landscape.”

“For the first time, it shows that climate change is not impacting these plants in a uniform or random way,” Davis added. “It is major branches in the tree of life that are being lost. It happens to be the most charismatic plants — groups that we all know and love: the dogwoods, the orchids, members of the lily family, members of the rose family.”

Americans are divided about divided government, according to a new Gallup poll. According to the survey, registered voters prefer a Republican-controlled Congress by a 48-to-47 percent margin if Barack Obama is elected president (that’s within the +/-3 percent margin of error and so is a tie). But they really don’t want Republicans in charge if John McCain pulls a Truman and wins—in that case, they’d prefer Democrats by a 57-to-38 percent margin.

If you haven’t already, check out our debate between Paul Begala and Tom DeLay on this issue. And of course: Let us know what you think.

• Click here to read more by Robert Schlesinger.
• Click here to read more about John McCain.
• Click here to read more about Barack Obama.

In this week’s issue of the magazine, I write about a new trend in retail: stores willing to customize products to your specifications instead of selling the same thing to everyone. Examples include wine, M&Ms, jewelry, and sneakers. There was one development that didn’t make it into the article—RFID tags that let companies know exactly who you are and where you’re looking.

Researcher and consultant Amudhanvel "Vel" Dhinagaravel says that in the not-so-distant future, we’ll all have some kind of card in our wallets that lets stores know when we walk in. The stores will then customize their advertising to target whoever is walking by. Imagine, for example, that you often buy high-end orange juice. When you walk into a store, the displays post advertisements for expensive orange juice listed at full price. But when someone else—who tends to go for discount orange juice—walks by, the advertisements switch to emphasize sales in the orange juice section.

If this concept makes you uncomfortable because it sounds a bit too much like Big Brother watching your every move, you can take comfort in two facts: First, you are not alone. Companies are well aware that consumers don’t like the feeling that they are being watched, so will very likely tread carefully. Second, this "new" technology isn’t really that new. If you have a loyalty card at a grocery store, for example, the company is already tracking your purchases and marketing to you accordingly. Coupons at the end of receipts are often tailored to customers based on their purchases. So, in some ways, Big Brother is already watching.

What do you think—is new technology like this creepy or useful?

(CNN) — Calling him "arrogant and defiant," a Wayne County Circuit Judge on Tuesday sentenced former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to four months in jail with no early release under the terms of a plea deal.

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick listens as he is sentenced Tuesday in Wayne County, Michigan.

Kilpatrick pleaded guilty last month to two felony obstruction of justice charges stemming from his efforts to cover up an extramarital affair. He also pleaded no contest to charges of assaulting a police officer attempting to serve a subpoena on a Kilpatrick friend in that case.

In imposing the sentence, Judge David Groner harshly criticized Kilpatrick for his conduct, particularly for a televised speech that aired hours after he entered his pleas.

"That night, the community expected to hear a message of humility, remorse and apology," Groner said. "Instead, we heard an arrogant and defiant man who accused the governor, among others, for his downfall." Watch the judge issue the sentence »

While a presentencing report submitted to the court said Kilpatrick accepts responsibility for his actions, Groner said he questioned the former mayor’s sincerity.

"Many defendants have stood before this court. However, this case is different, and you are not the typical defendant," the judge said. "… You were expected to lead from the front and set an example."

Kilpatrick was accused of blocking a criminal investigation into his office and firing a police deputy to cover up an affair with his then-chief of staff, Christine Beatty. When that deputy, Gary Brown, filed a whistle-blower suit last summer, Kilpatrick and Beatty denied under oath that an affair had taken place.

Groner noted that after a jury found in Brown’s favor, Kilpatrick publicly vowed to appeal, only to do a "180-degree" turn after he found out the plaintiffs were in possession of text messages that gave evidence of the affair. Brown then urged the City Council to approve settlements, which cost the city $8.4 million — closer to $9 million after legal costs.

In January, the Detroit Free Press revealed the text messages that contradicted Kilpatrick’s and Beatty’s testimony.

After the text messages were made public, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy charged Kilpatrick and Beatty with multiple counts of perjury, obstruction of justice and misconduct in office. The most serious charges would have carried a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison upon conviction.

Beatty resigned her post after the text messages were made public, but the case against her remains pending, Worthy said. The Free Press reported Beatty has rejected several plea deal offers, the last of which would have required her to serve 150 days in jail.

Worthy told reporters after Kilpatrick’s hearing that she was satisfied with the result, but could not comment extensively on Kilpatrick’s case. "We have another defendant to try," she said. "I don’t want to step over that line."

Kilpatrick must also pay the city of Detroit $1 million in restitution, Groner ordered, and forfeit any future pension.

He initially refused to resign, and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm had called a hearing on whether she should remove him from office at the request of the Detroit City Council. Granholm adjourned those hearings after Kilpatrick pleaded guilty and agreed to resign.

In the speech after he pleaded guilty September 4, Kilpatrick told reporters Granholm and city officials should work for the people of Detroit as hard as they did to get him out of office.

He told the crowd his marriage is better than ever, and kissed his wife to resounding applause when he concluded his remarks. He said he decided to step down so the city could move forward.

Groner also ordered Kilpatrick to sign an order of revocation regarding his law license. Because of a pending complaint against Kilpatrick, he could not surrender the license, but instead had to agree to revocation — something his defense attorneys argued vehemently against. Groner told them the issue could be raised on appeal if necessary.

The judge did, however, deny prosecutors’ request that Kilpatrick repay $22,000 in costs unique to prosecuting his case — including the purchase of new door locks for their offices.

He also refused a prosecution request to order that Kilpatrick attend anger management counseling based on the July 24 incident involving the police officers, saying it was "an isolated incident" and he knows of no other evidence that Kilpatrick is violent or requires counseling.

Worthy said she was disappointed with that decision, but acknowledged, "It is unusual to ask for prosecutors’ costs. … A lot of judges aren’t familiar with that."

On the law license, she said, "Frankly, I’m surprised we were even having that discussion," adding that defense attorneys, prosecutors and "everybody was clear that the license should be given up. He should not practice law."

Groner imposed the sentence at the end of a lengthy hearing featuring remarks from a phalanx of prosecutors and defense attorneys. The judge grew impatient with members of Kilpatrick’s defense team, most of whom made extended remarks.

The hearing itself began more than a half hour late, as attorneys met to discuss terms of Kilpatrick’s plea bargain, according to the Detroit News. And the imposition of the sentence was punctuated by two court recesses as attorneys wrangled over conditions.

Give it up for Sen. Barack Obama, who plans to let up on the pace with some yuks on the Daily Show. We just got this notice that he’ll be the star attraction tomorrow tonight. This is Obama’s fourth time on the show. In his first, Obama, very relaxed and looking younger, had fun talking about the rookie Senate "hazing process," telling Stewart, "They make me sharpen pencils."

Does wearing the color red give you a sexual edge? Maybe, according to a new study, which found that men find women sexier if they’re sporting a crimson hue rather than, say, blue or green.

One of the images used in the study that found red clothing fans the flames of passion.

However, red won’t make you look smarter or more competent, says study author Andrew Elliot, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester in New York.

"We only found the effect for attraction, so males don’t rate females in red as more intelligent, more likable, or as having a better personality; they only rate her as sexier and more attractive," he says.

Men also were more likely to say they wanted to have sex with a woman and that they would be willing to spend more on a date if she were in red, according to the report in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

In a series of five studies, about 150 heterosexual men (homosexual men and those with red-green color blindness were excluded) rated photographs of women framed in red, white, gray, green, or blue, or with the woman in a red or blue shirt.

On a 7-point scale, with 1 being the least sexy and 7 a white-hot sex goddess, the color red added about 1.25 points to the rating, says Elliot. Read how to add a little adventure to your sex life

That’s nice, but given the looming election, one might wonder: Does wearing red make you more attractive in the voting booth too?

Elliot says the study results don’t really apply to the presidential candidates. However, he does say that red can be a negative color, depending on the setting.

"We actually have other research showing that red on the cover of an IQ test leads to worse performance, so red is actually a negative color [in some instances]," says Elliot.

"In terms of the election, I will say that if a politician wears a red tie he — or she — may be viewed as more dominant and that might have an effect, but again, that’s way beyond our data," he explains. "Red in competence and achievement settings has a negative effect, so these things are really hard to talk about and predict right now."

Why is red so sexy? The researchers have a couple of theories. Read four myths about healthy sex

One is cultural: From red roses to Valentine’s Day, red is the universally recognized sign of romance; it makes sense that men may subconsciously associate the color red with sex.

"We think that red, due to the association with hearts and Valentine’s Day and lingerie and things like that, takes on a sexy meaning," says Elliot. "There’s also a possibility — a rather provocative possibility — that there’s a deeply embedded sort of tendency for heterosexual men to see red as an attraction cue because that’s what happens in the wild."

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For example, the rumps of some primates turn red during ovulation, so it’s possible that men have some tiny portion deep in their brain that recognizes red as a mating symbol — even though it’s an association that hasn’t come in handy for a few million years.

And it’s not just men. The researchers think that women will find the color sexy too (tests are under way), possibly because red symbolizes dominance in male primates. Read why some women don’t want sex

However, it’s all speculation at this point. The study can’t determine if red is sexy because we’re all just a bunch of animals running around in business suits, or if red is a culturally determined sex symbol. It also can’t determine if wearing red has an effect outside the laboratory.

Oct. 28, 2008 — Someone in your house have the sniffles? Watch out for the refrigerator door handle. The TV remote, too. A new study finds that cold sufferers often leave their germs there, where they can live for two days or longer.

Scientists at the University of Virginia, long known for its virology research, tested surfaces in the homes of people with colds and reported the results Tuesday at the nation’s premier conference on infectious diseases.

Doctors don’t know how often people catch colds from touching germy surfaces as opposed to, say, shaking a sick person’s hand, said Dr. Birgit Winther, an ear, nose and throat specialist who helped conduct the study.

Two years ago, she and other doctors showed that germs survived in hotel rooms a day after guests left, waiting to be picked up by the next person checking in.

For the new study, researchers started with 30 adults showing early symptoms of colds. Sixteen tested positive for rhinovirus, which causes about half of all colds. They were asked to name 10 places in their homes they had touched in the preceding 18 hours, and researchers used DNA tests to hunt for rhinovirus.

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“We found that commonly touched areas like refrigerator doors and handles were positive about 40 percent of the time” for cold germs, Winther said.

All three of the salt and pepper shakers they tested were contaminated. Other spots found to harbor the germ: 6 out of 18 doorknobs; 8 of 14 refrigerator handles; 3 of 13 light switches; 6 of 10 remote controls; 8 of 10 bathroom faucets; 4 of 7 phones, and 3 of 4 dishwasher handles.

(CNN) — A Florida TV anchor became an Internet sensation this week when she pressed Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden about whether Sen. Barack Obama’s policies were Marxist.

WFTV-TV anchor Barbara West tells Larry King she was doing her job as a reporter when she interviewed Sen. Joe Biden.

Critics said WFTV-TV anchor Barbara West of Orlando had an agenda and was asking biased questions. Biden responded, "Is this a joke?"

CNN’s Larry King on Monday talked with West about the interview on "Larry King Live."

Larry King: Your recent grilling of Joe Biden has stirred up a lot of controversy. Let’s take a look at part of it, and we’ll get your comments. Watch.

[Video clip begins] Watch as West interviews Biden »

Barbara West: You may recognize this famous quote. "From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs." That’s from Karl Marx. How is Sen. Obama not being a Marxist if he’s intending to spread the wealth around?

Sen. Joe Biden: Are you joking? Is this a joke?

West: No.

Biden: Or is that a real question?

West: That’s a question.

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Biden: He is not spreading the wealth around. He’s talking about giving the middle class an opportunity to get back the tax breaks they used to have.

I know this has been a pretty mean campaign. I was on a television station the other day and doing a satellite feed to a major network in Florida. And the anchor quotes Karl Marx and says in a sense, "Isn’t Barack Obama Karl Marx?" You know I mean folks, this stuff you’re hearing, this stuff you’re hearing in this campaign, some of it’s pretty ugly. [Video clip ends]

King: All right, Barbara, what were you getting to, since generally the redistribution of the wealth is a graduated income tax?

West: Well, Larry, no, I don’t believe that it is just a graduated income tax. I think a lot of people who are talking to me out on the street are saying they are very, very concerned that this idea of redistributing the wealth means taking it out of somebody’s pocket who is a wage earner and putting it in somebody’s pocket who refuses to work. And they’re asking about. That’s what they don’t want. That is what they want to know, what does this really mean? My job as a journalist is to ask those questions and get those answers, and I don’t believe I got answers at all.

King: Was the implication in the question that Barack Obama is a Marxist?

West: I was asking him to tell us about how Barack Obama’s redistribution of wealth was different from that quote by Karl Marx, that’s all I wanted to know.

… I’m not here to debate the issues. I am not a political pundit. … I’m a journalist. Watch as West defends her questions »

And I — my job is to ask tough, probing questions of the candidates. I had a very short time to be able to do that, only about four minutes. There were issues that I wanted to cover, including the issues about ACORN and the abuses that they’ve done with voter registration, particularly here in Florida, and Florida is such a key state.

And also this issue of the redistribution of wealth, as well as Sen. Biden’s comments about "You mark my words, in six months, Barack Obama will be tested."

King: I got you.

West: But it was his caveat afterward that was the issue that I was questioning, and that is it may not be readily apparent as to what, as to whether or not the actions or whatever he does are in fact the appropriate ones. And so America, stand with him and trust him.

King: I got you.

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West: I just wanted answers to those questions.

King: The Orlando Sentinel reports that you are registered as a Republican; your husband is a Republican strategist. Is that true?

The first big snowstorm of the season in the Northeast shut down sections of major highways Tuesday morning and blacked out thousands of customers.

The National Weather Service posted a winter storm warning for parts of New York state, in effect until 8 a.m. Wednesday, and issued winter storm advisories for parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Vermont.

“It looked like a mini blizzard in October,” said Joe Orlando, spokesman for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. “We’re salting the roads and we haven’t even gone trick or treating yet.”

Up to a foot of snow was possible in parts of upstate New York, with wind blowing at 25 mph, and gusting to 40 mph, and as much as 9 inches of snow was forecast in Vermont’s mountains, the weather service said. Eight inches of snow had fallen by late morning in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains.

Schools closed or delayed their opening in parts of Pennsylvania and New York state.

New York’s Thruway Authority said Interstate 84 was closed for part of the morning at the New York-Pennsylvania state line in the Port Jervis area. It was reopened by late morning.

A seven-mile stretch of Interstate 80 in northeastern Pennsylvania was closed because of multiple tractor-trailer wrecks, state agencies said.

PPL Corp. said more than 25,000 of its customers in northeastern Pennsylvania lost power when the heavy, wet snow brought down trees and power lines.

We’re salting the roads and we haven’t even gone trick-or-treating yet.

Joe Orlando, spokesman for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. The unexpected wintry weather in the state interrupted baseball’s fall classic as well. The World Series won’t resume until Wednesday night at the earliest.

With rain still falling in Philadelphia, Major League Baseball decided not to attempt to complete Game 5 between the Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night. The game tentatively is scheduled for 8:37 p.m. Wednesday.

Commissioner Bud Selig says officials are watching the forecast closely and will advise fans as soon as possible.

The game was suspended Monday following a 30-minute rain delay with the Phillies and Rays tied 2-2 after 5 innings. It was the first time a World Series game that began wasn’t played to completion on the same day.

Philadelphia leads the Series 3-1 and is hoping to close out its second title, its first since 1980.