Obesity is heart disease killer in its own right, irrespective of other risk factors
Obesity is associated with fatal coronary heart disease independently of traditional risk factors and deprivation
NIH study finds 2 pesticides associated with Parkinson's disease
New research shows a link between use of two pesticides, rotenone and paraquat, and Parkinson's disease. People who used either pesticide developed Parkinson's disease approximately 2.5 times more often than non-users.
Passionate Love in the Brain, as Revealed by MRI Scans [Web Exclusive Graphic]
A dozen brain regions, working together, create feelings of passionate love.
Your Brain in Love
Cupid's arrows, laced with neurotransmitters, find their marks
Kepler's Exoplanets Visualized
Sure, we all have a grasp as to what it would mean if astronomers found an exoplanet roughly the same size as the Earth, orbiting within the "Goldilocks Zone" of its parent star -- i.e., it's not too hot or too cold for liquid water to exist on the surface.
Losing hair at 20 is linked to increased risk of prostate cancer in later life
Men who start to lose hair at the age of 20 are more likely to develop prostate cancer in later life and might benefit from screening for the disease, according to a new study published online in the cancer journal, Annals of Oncology today.
Zinc reduces the burden of the common cold
Zinc supplements reduce the severity and duration of illness caused by the common cold, according to a systematic review published in The Cochrane Library.
Obesity and knee osteoarthritis shorten healthy years of life
Researchers estimate healthy years of life losses due to obesity and knee osteoarthritis in Americans 50-84 years of age
Mutant Stem Cells Can Cause Skin Cancer at Cuts
Cells meant to fix injuries can trigger tumours in cancer-prone mice.
Can Polio Be Eradicated? A Skeptic Now Thinks So
Two weeks ago, at the end of an interview about whether polio really can be eradicated, Bill Gates muttered aloud to an aide escorting the interviewer: “I’ve got to get my D. A. Henderson response down better.”
Pacemaker, 1933
On Sunday, June 11, 1933, The New York Times reported on a meeting of the American Medical Association that would begin the next day.
Knocking Out a "Dumb" Gene Boosts Memory in Mice
We like to think of our brain as an incredibly sophisticated thinking machine that has been fine-tuned by evolution.
Jewel-toned organic phosphorescent crystals: A new class of light-emitting material
Pure organic compounds that glow in jewel tones could potentially lead to cheaper, more efficient and flexible display screens, among other applications.
World phosphorous use crosses critical threshold
Recalculating the global use of phosphorous, a fertilizer linchpin of modern agriculture, a team of researchers warns that the world's stocks may soon be in short supply and that overuse in the industrialized world has become a leading cause of the pollution of lakes, rivers and streams.
Researchers provide genetic evidence that antioxidants can help treat cancer
Researchers from Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center have genetic evidence suggesting the antioxidant drugs currently used to treat lung disease, malaria and even the common cold can also help prevent and treat cancers because they fight against mitochondrial oxidative stress -- a culprit in driving tumor growth.
Shedding a Protective Cocoon, Woven by Delusions
The woman described the sensation as a delicate flicker, like a moth trapped in a small gauze bag. She ran her slender fingers repeatedly over the spot in her slightly distended abdomen and said, “Doctor, right here.”
Researchers find brain insulin plays critical role in the development of diabetes
Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered a novel function of brain insulin, indicating that impaired brain insulin action may be the cause of the unrestrained lipolysis that initiates and worsens type 2 diabetes in humans. The research is published this month in the journal Cell Metabolism.
Geologists get unique and unexpected opportunity to study magma
Such molten rock could become sources of high-grade energy, says UC Riverside's Wilfred Elders
Enzyme helps prepare lung tissue for metastatic development
A Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) study has identified a new role for an important enzyme in preparing lung tissue for the development of metastases.
Oldest fossils of large seaweeds, possible animals tell story about oxygen in an ancient ocean
Almost 600 million years ago, before the rampant evolution of diverse life forms known as the Cambrian explosion, a community of seaweeds and worm-like animals lived in a quiet deep-water niche under the sea near what is now Lantian, a small village in Anhui Province of South China.
GW researchers reveal first autism candidate gene that demonstrates sensitivity to sex hormones
George Washington University researcher, Dr. Valerie Hu, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and her team at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, have found that male and female sex hormones regulate expression of an important gene in neuronal cell culture through a mechanism that could explain not only higher levels of testosterone observed in some individuals with autism, but also why males have a higher incidence of autism than females.
Regrowing hair: UCLA-VA researchers may have accidentally discovered a solution
It has been long known that stress plays a part not just in the graying of hair but in hair loss as well.
Dwarfism gene linked to protection from cancer and diabetes
Long-term study of remote community finds almost no cancer or diabetes in individuals with genetically low growth hormone activity
Therapy for depression can be delivered effectively by non-specialists
Depression can be treated effectively with psychotherapy by mental health nurses with minimal training, according to new preliminary research findings.
'Sacred' rules of engagement defeat rationality in war
Do you believe that some principles are sacred? If you do, it could make you a hawk rather than a dove in time of war.
Climate change raises flood risk, researchers say
Greenhouse gas emissions are making extreme rainfall events more common, scientists say - and in the UK, have increased the risk of flooding.
Negative experiences can stop painkillers working
A patient's belief that a drug will not work can become a self fulfilling prophecy, according to researchers.
Dumped drugs lead to resistant microbes
A continual discharge of antibiotic-contaminated water has created a hotspot of bacterial antibiotic resistance in an Indian river.
Asthma tied to bacterial communities in the airway
Asthma may have a surprising relationship with the composition of the species of bacteria that inhabit bronchial airways, a finding that could suggest new treatment or even potential cures for the common inflammatory disease, according to a new UCSF-led study.
First-of-its-kind study shows benefits of electrical stimulation therapy for people paralyzed by spinal cord injury
Findings have implications for quality of life and independence
World's first skyscraper was a monument to intimidation
Tel Aviv University describes how Jericho's 11,000-year-old 'cosmic' tower came into being
Total knee replacement patients functioning well after 20 years
Research shows high functionality even after two decades
Machines beat us at our own game: What can we do?
Machines first out-calculated us in simple math. Then they replaced us on the assembly lines, explored places we couldn't get to, even beat our champions at chess. Now a computer called Watson has bested our best at "Jeopardy!"
Foreshocks may warn that a big quake is coming
Advance warning is the ultimate prize for earthquake studies. Now, for the first time, one study offers tantalising evidence that it may be possible to build such a system to warn of some impending large quakes about an hour before they strike.
Study examines why innocent suspects confess to a crime
Why would anyone falsely confess to a crime they didn't commit? It seems illogical, but according to The Innocence Project, there have been 266 post-conviction DNA exonerations since 1989 -- 25 percent of which involved a false confession.
Hudson River Fish Evolve Toxic PCB Immunity
This story is part of a special National Geographic News series on global water issues.
Bottom-feeding fish in the Hudson River have developed a gene that renders them immune to the toxic effects of PCBs, researchers say.
1 person of 1,900 met AHA's definition of ideal heart health, says University of Pittsburgh study
Only one out of more than 1,900 people evaluated met the American Heart Association (AHA) definition of ideal cardiovascular health, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Their findings were recently published online in Circulation.
Back to the roots of the solar system
Planets form in disks of dust and gas that surround young stars. A look at the birth places means a journey into the past of the earth and its siblings.
Juggling languages can build better brains
Once likened to a confusing tower of Babel, speaking more than one language can actually bolster brain function by serving as a mental gymnasium, according to researchers.
Key breast cancer 'driver' gene found
Cancer experts have identified a gene which can cause a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer to develop.
Protein dose reverses learning problems in Down's mice
LEARNING and memory problems have been reversed in mice with a syndrome that mimics Down's.
Dogs Probably Feel Sorry For Us
Dogs appear to empathize with us, to the point that some therapy dogs even seem to take on the emotions of their sick or distressed human charges, according to a new paper in the latest issue of Biology Letters.
Cosmic census finds crowd of planets in our galaxy
Scientists have estimated the first cosmic census of planets in our galaxy and the numbers are astronomical: at least 50 billion planets in the Milky Way.
Groundbreaking technology will revolutionize blood pressure measurement
Pioneering new technology will lead to better treatment decisions and better outcomes for patients
Monkeys 'show self-doubt' like us
Monkeys trained to play computer games have helped to show that it is not just humans that feel self-doubt and uncertainty, a study says.
China Mars probe set for November launch
China's first Mars probe will be launched from a Russian rocket in November, two years later than originally planned, state media reported Monday.
Researchers fabricate first large-area, full-color quantum dot display
For more than a decade, researchers have been trying to make TV displays out of quantum dots.