Public Release: 8-Dec-2006
Psychological Science in the Public Interest Why teens do stupid things
Teens take a lot of risks, but not because they think they're
invulnerable or haven't thought about the consequences. They just
decide the benefits, says Cornell's Valerie Reyna in a new study.
Contact: Press Relations Office pressoffice@cornell.edu
607-255-6074 Cornell University News Service Public Release: 8-Dec-2006 Bonuses boost performance 10 times more than merit raises
Giving a 1 percent raise boosts performance by roughly 2 percent, but
offering that same money instead in the form of a bonus for a job well
done should improve job performance by almost 20 percent, finds a new
Cornell study.
Contact: Press Relations Office pressoffice@cornell.edu
607-255-6074 Cornell University News Service Public Release: 10-Dec-2006
American Society for Cell Biology Annual Meeting Muscle and bone from an ink-jet printer
At the 2006 American Society for Cell Biology conference, scientists
present the first research findings of a system that can pattern the
formation of multiple tissues from a single population of adult stem
cells.
Contact: John Fleischman jfleischman@ascb.org
513-929-4635 American Society for Cell Biology Public Release: 11-Dec-2006
Archives of Internal Medicine Swedish massage benefits osteoarthritis patients
Massage therapy is a safe and effective way to reduce pain and improve
function in adults with osteoarthritis of the knee, researchers at the
Yale Prevention Research Center and at the University of Medicine and
Dentistry of New Jersey report in the first clinical trial to assess
the effectiveness of this treatment.
Contact: Karen N. Peart karen.peart@yale.edu
203-432-1326 Yale University Public Release: 11-Dec-2006
Neurology Number of siblings predicts risk of brain tumors
How many brothers and sisters you have, especially younger ones, could
predict your chances of developing a brain tumor, according to a study
published in the December 12, 2006, issue of Neurology, the scientific
journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Contact: Angela Babb ababb@aan.com
651-695-2789 American Academy of Neurology Public Release: 11-Dec-2006
Archives of Internal Medicine Alcohol and health: Those 2 glasses a day that lengthen your life
A study performed by the Research Laboratories of the Catholic
University of Campobasso (Italy), published on Archives of Internal
Medicine, confirms the beneficial effects of moderate consumption of
alcohol. Not just cardiovascular disease gets advantage from this, but
drinking in moderation reduces all-cause mortality. The research
assembled 34 studies using the statistic procedure of meta-analysis. In
this way it has been possible to examine data concerning over a million
of people.
Italian Ministry of University and Research
Contact: Antonio Mascioli amascioli@rm.unicatt.it
39-087-431-2272 Catholic University Public Release: 11-Dec-2006
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention Successful lung cancer surgery not enough to break nicotine dependence in many smokers
A new study has found that close to half of 154 smokers who had surgery
to remove early stage lung cancer picked up a cigarette again within 12
months of their potentially curative operation, and more than one-third
were smoking at the one year mark. Sixty percent of patients who
started smoking again did so within two months of surgery.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Staci Vernick Goldberg goldberg@aacr.org
215-440-9300 American Association for Cancer Research Public Release: 11-Dec-2006
Archives of Internal Medicine Weight loss through calorie restriction, but not exercise, may lead to bone loss
Men and women who lose weight by cutting calories also may be losing
bone density, but weight loss through exercise does not seem to produce
the same effect, according to a report in the December 11/25 issue of
Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Contact: Jim Dryden
314-286-0110 JAMA and Archives Journals Public Release: 11-Dec-2006
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Novel brain areas associated with the recognition of gender, ethnicity and the identity of faces
Researchers in Southern California have isolated brain regions that
respond selectively to the cues of gender, ethnicity and identity in
faces.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Jon Weiner jon.weiner@usc.edu
323-442-2830 University of Southern California Public Release: 11-Dec-2006
American Geophysical Union 2006 Fall Meeting
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions Regional nuclear war could devastate global climate
Even a small-scale, regional nuclear war could produce as many direct
fatalities as all of World War II and disrupt the global climate for a
decade or more, with environmental effects that could be devastating
for everyone on Earth. A team of scientists at Rutgers University, the
University of Colorado at Boulder and UCLA conducted rigorous
scientific studies reported at an AGU press conference today.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Joseph Blumberg blumberg@ur.rutgers.edu
732-932-7084 x652 Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey Public Release: 11-Dec-2006 Volcanic blast likely killed and preserved juvenile fossil plesiosaur found in Antarctica
Amid 70-mile-an-hour winds and freezing Antarctic conditions, an
American-Argentine research team has recovered the well-preserved
fossil skeleton of a juvenile plesiosaur -- a marine reptile that swam
the waters of the Southern ocean roughly 70 million years ago.
Contact: Dena Headlee dheadlee@nsf.gov
703-292-7739 National Science Foundation Public Release: 11-Dec-2006
American Geophysical Union 2006 Fall Meeting Plant a tree and save the Earth?
Can planting a tree stop the sea level from rising, the ice caps from melting and hurricanes from intensifying?
Contact: Anne Stark stark8@llnl.gov
925-422-9799 DOE/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Public Release: 11-Dec-2006
Astrophysical Journal With computers, astronomers show predicted present day distribution of elusive first stars
With the help of enormous computer simulations, astronomers have now
shown that the first generation of stars –– which have never been
observed by scientists –– should be distributed evenly throughout our
galaxy, deepening the long-standing mystery about these missing stellar
ancestors. The results are published in this week's issue of the
Astrophysical Journal.
Contact: Gail Gallessich gail.g@ia.ucsb.edu
805-893-7220 University of California - Santa Barbara Public Release: 11-Dec-2006
International Journal of Cell Differentiation and Proliferation Stem cells found in adult hair follicles may provide alternative to embryonic stem cells
A team from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee has applied
for a patent on their work to isolate, grow and identify a new and
readily-available type of adult stem cell that is found in the bulge of
hair follicles, and appears to have a potential for diversification
similar to that of embryonic stem cells.
Contact: Toranj Marphetia toranj@mcw.edu
414-456-4700 Medical College of Wisconsin Lactose Tolerance in East Africa Points to Recent Evolution By NICHOLAS WADE A surprisingly recent instance of
human evolution has been detected among the peoples of East Africa. It
is the ability to digest milk in adulthood, conferred by genetic
changes that occurred as recently as 3,000 years ago, a team of
geneticists has found. The Consumer The Energy-Drink Buzz Is Unmistakable. The Health Impact Is Unknown. By MICHAEL MASON Meet Jamey Kirby. If you’re young enough, and hip enough, he’d like to sell you some Cocaine. Arriving soon at a convenience store
near you, Cocaine is a recent and controversial entry in the burgeoning
market for so-called energy drinks. Loaded with caffeine and sugar, and
often laced with herbs, vitamins or amino acids, they have become the
fuel of choice for some thrill-seeking youngsters and, more recently,
for weary adults navigating an always-on world. Really? The Claim: Sitting Up Straight Is Best for Your Back By ANAHAD O’CONNOR Sit up straight, parents tell
their children. It’s a well-known refrain, repeated through
generations and based on the theory that anything other than a
90-degree posture places undue strain on the back. Despite its
persistence, that advice is wrong. For Getting Baby to Sleep, Sticking to a Plan Is What Counts By DAN HURLEY After years of colicky debate over
which method is best for getting babies to fall asleep by themselves,
ex-perts have a soothing new message: just about all the techniques
work, so pick one you are comfortable with and stick with it. Knowing the Ingredients Can Change the Taste By BENEDICT CAREY Some graduate students grind out
their dissertations in late-night sessions, alone with their thoughts
in the wasted fluorescent glow of a windowless lab. Others spend those
same hours drinking in bars, "discussing" their thesis over a round or
drinks or three. Dr. Lee and two M.I.T. researchers, Shane Fredrick and
Dan Ariely, found that they could change beer drinkers' taste
preferences by telling them about a secret ingredient in a beer before
they drank it. A Cryptologist Takes a Crack at Deciphering DNA's Deep Secrets By INGFEI CHEN Thirty years ago, Nick Patterson
worked in the secret halls of the Government Communications
Headquarters, the code-breaking British agency that unscrambles
intercepted messages and encrypts clandestine communications. Today, at
59, he is tackling perhaps the toughest code of all - the human genome. Fossils reveal New Zealand's indigenous 'mouse'
Bones
of a mouse-sized creature that lived about 18 million ago are the first
hard evidence that the islands once had their own mammals
22:00 11 December 2006
3rd Millennium BC Artificial Eyeball Discovered in Burnt City Discovery of an artificial eyeball belonging to 4800 years ago in the historic site of Burnt City has astounded archeologists. Pearl Harbor: The USS Arizona Dissolves Slowly Into the Sea By NED POTTER Concern is that the ship lives
as long as it can as an artifact of history. But over time, that
is becoming more and more difficult. Slowly, very slowly, the wreck of
the Arizona is dissolving back into the sea. Aboriginal language had ice age origins Judy Skatssoon
ABC Science Online Aboriginal languages may be
much older than people think, argues a linguistic anthropologist who
says they originated as far back as the end of the last ice age around
13,000 years ago. Public Release: 12-Dec-2006
JAMA Folic acid supplementation does not appear to reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases
An analysis of previous studies suggests that for people with a history
of vascular disease, folic acid supplementation does not decrease the
risk of coronary heart disease or stroke, as has been suggested in some
research, according to a review article in the December 13 issue of
JAMA.
Contact: Arthur Nead
504-247-1443 JAMA and Archives Journals Public Release: 12-Dec-2006 Price comparison sites and competition
Just as the Christmas shopping season gets into full swing, new
research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council shows that
consumers can reap big benefits from shopping online as Internet
retailers change their prices far more frequently than traditional
stores, and are more likely to cut them than to increase them.
Economic and Social Research
Contact: Annika Howard annika.howard@esrc.ac.uk
44-017-934-13119 Economic & Social Research Council Public Release: 12-Dec-2006
Journal of Neuroscience Laugh and the whole world laughs with you -- Why the brain just can't help itself
Laughter is truly contagious, and now, scientists studying how our
brain responds to emotive sounds believe they understand why.
Wellcome Trust, Action Medical Research, Barnwood House Trust
Contact: Craig Brierley c.brierley@wellcome.ac.uk
44-207-611-7329 Wellcome Trust Public Release: 12-Dec-2006 Research offers hope for alcoholics
Scientists at Melbourne's Howard Florey Institute have discovered a
system in the brain that stops an alcoholic’s craving for alcohol, as
well as prevent relapse once they have recovered from alcohol addiction.
Contact: Merrin Rafferty m.rafferty@hfi.unimelb.edu.au
61-383-441-658 Research Australia Public Release: 12-Dec-2006
Multiple Sclerosis Natural, soy-based substance might help fight MS, Jefferson neuroscientists find
A natural substance made from soy appears to have amazing restorative
powers when given to animals with a multiple sclerosis (MS)-like
disease. Using an animal model of MS, neurologists at Jefferson Medical
College found that giving a substance called Bowmann-Birk Inhibitor
Concentrate dramatically improved the animals' ability to move and
walk. The scientists say the treatment’s effects may be useful in
conjunction with more mainstream therapies such as beta-interferon in
helping patients with MS.
Contact: Steve Benowitz steven.benowitz@jefferson.edu
215-955-5291 Thomas Jefferson University
Public Release: 12-Dec-2006
American Geophysical Union 2006 Fall Meeting Cassini's infrared camera sees tall mountains on Saturn's moon Titan
The infrared-sensitive camera on NASA's Cassini spacecraft photographed
a 93-mile unbroken range of nearly mile-high mountains on Saturn's moon
Titan last Oct. 25.
NASA, European Space Agency, Italian Space Agency
Contact: Lori Stiles lstiles@u.arizona.edu
520-626-4402 University of Arizona Public Release: 13-Dec-2006
Contraception Year-round contraceptive, elimination of menstrual cycles safe, study shows
Researchers for the first time have demonstrated the safety and
effectiveness of continuous-use oral contraceptives that can eliminate
menstrual cycles.
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
Contact: Greg Raver-Lampman RaverGH@evms.edu
757-446-6070 Eastern Virginia Medical School Public Release: 13-Dec-2006
Heart Over 500 sudden unexplained deaths every year, mostly in young men
Every year there are potentially more than 500 sudden unexplained
deaths in England, reveals a nationwide study published ahead of print
in the journal Heart. This figure is around eight times higher than
previously thought, the data suggest.
Contact: Emma Dickinson edickinson@bmj.com
44-020-738-36529 BMJ Specialty Journals Public Release: 13-Dec-2006
Injury Prevention Massive gun 'buyback' doubled fall in Australian gun deaths
The chances of gun death in Australia dropped twice as steeply after
700,000 guns were destroyed in a national firearm "buyback" and
amnesty, reveals a decade long study in Injury Prevention.
The study tracks the 10 years following the introduction of gun law
reform in Australia between 1996 and 1998.
Contact: Emma Dickinson edickinson@bmj.com
44-020-738-36529 BMJ Specialty Journals Public Release: 13-Dec-2006
Psychological Science New dyslexia theory blames 'noise'
Kids with dyslexia can't block out distractions, say a group of new
studies. The results cast doubt on an influential neurological model of
dyslexia developed in the 1970s.
NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Contact: Carl Marziali marziali@usc.edu
213-740-4751 University of Southern California Public Release: 13-Dec-2006 Male circumcision reduces HIV risk, study stopped early
A University of Illinois at Chicago study has been stopped early due to
dramatic preliminary results indicating that medical circumcision
reduces the risk of acquiring HIV during heterosexual intercourse by 53
percent.
Contact: Sherri McGinnis Gonzalez smcginn@uic.edu
312-996-8277 University of Illinois at Chicago Public Release: 13-Dec-2006
Physical Review Letters UCR-led research team detects 'top quark,' a basic constituent of matter
A group of 50 international physicists, led by UC Riverside’s Ann
Heinson, has detected for the first time a subatomic particle, the top
quark, produced without the simultaneous production of its antimatter
partner -- an extremely rare event. The heaviest known elementary
particle, the top quark is one of the fundamental building blocks of
nature and understood to be an ingredient of the nuclear soup just
after the Big Bang.
US Department of Energy
Contact: Iqbal Pittalwala iqbal@ucr.edu
951-827-6050 University of California - Riverside Public Release: 14-Dec-2006
American Geophysical Union 2006 Fall Meeting
Science Stardust findings override some commonly held astronomy beliefs
Stardust provides evidence that material from inner solar nebular
traveled to edge of solar system; as much as 10 percent of comet
material might have originated near the sun.
NASA
Contact: Vince Stricherz vinces@u.washington.edu
206-543-2580 University of Washington Public Release: 14-Dec-2006
Science Scientists propose alternate model for plume on enceladus
What's causing all the commotion on Enceladus?
Last year, when the Cassini spacecraft discovered an enormous plume
erupting on Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons, scientists speculated
that liquid water lay at shallow depths beneath the icy surface.
Now, as reported in the Dec. 15 issue of the journal Science,
researchers have proposed an alternate model to account for this
spectacular plume.
NASA
Contact: James E. Kloeppel kloeppel@uiuc.edu
217-244-1073 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Public Release: 14-Dec-2006
Cell Two central mysteries in genome inheritance solved at UCSD
The molecular nature of a key component of cell division, the
"chromosome-spindle" connection, which is critical for the inheritance
of genetic information as cells divide, has remained elusive.
Contact: Debra Kain ddkain@ucsd.edu
619-543-6163 University of California - San Diego Public Release: 14-Dec-2006
Science Microbe fixes nitrogen at a blistering 92 C
A heat-loving archaeon capable of fixing nitrogen at a surprisingly hot
92 degrees Celsius, or 198 Fahrenheit, may represent Earth's earliest
lineages of organisms capable of nitrogen fixation, perhaps even
preceding the kinds of bacteria today's plants and animals rely on to
fix nitrogen.
Washington Sea Grant, NASA Astrobiology Institute
Contact: Sandra Hines shines@u.washington.edu
206-543-2580 University of Washington Public Release: 14-Dec-2006
San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Decline in breast cancer cases likely linked to reduced use of hormone replacement
In 2003, breast cancer incidence in the United States dropped sharply,
and this decline may largely be due to the fact that millions of older
women stopped using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in 2002,
according to a new analysis led by researchers at the University of
Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Contact: Scott Merville sdmervil@mdanderson.org
713-792-0661 University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Public Release: 14-Dec-2006
British Medical Journal Just how useful are animal studies to human health?
Animal studies are of limited usefulness to human health because they
are of poor quality and their results often conflict with human trials,
argue researchers in a study online in the British Medical Journal
today.
Contact: Emma Dickinson edickinson@bmj.com
44-020-738-36529 BMJ-British Medical Journal Public Release: 15-Dec-2006
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Common cold virus leads to death in lung transplant patients
Human rhinovirus (HRV), the leading cause of most common colds, struck
two immunosuppressed lung transplant patients, leading to progressive
respiratory failure, graft dysfunction, and death. The two were part of
a group of 11 transplant patients who suffered clinically significant
respiratory infection from HRV in both the upper and lower airways,
overturning the long-held belief that HRV affects only upper airway
tissue.
Contact: Suzy Martin smartin@thoracic.org
212-315-8631 American Thoracic Society Public Release: 15-Dec-2006 Underground air might cause DNA damage
Our everyday environments are full of airborne particles that are
harmful to varying degrees when inhaled. Particularly damaging to our
cellular DNA are the particles from the underground system in
Stockholm, Sweden, according to a new doctoral thesis from Karolinska
Institutet.
Contact: Katarina Sternudd katarina.sternudd@ki.se
46-852-483-895 Karolinska Institutet Public Release: 16-Dec-2006
San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Use of mammograms in men is rising, but Mayo Clinic researchers find little reason to administer
Many men have breast symptoms, including enlarged or painful breast
tissue, but the majority do not need a mammogram, say researchers from
Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. Mammograms are used to check for the
presence of breast cancers, which are very rare in males.
Contact: Elizabeth Zimmermann newsbureau@mayo.edu
507-284-5005 Mayo Clinic Early Mammals Took to the Air, Fossil Suggests By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD A fossil of a gliding animal shows that mammals experimented with flight around when birds first took to the skies. Gene That Governs Pain Perception Is Found By NICHOLAS WADE Geneticists following up the
case of a 10-year-old Pakistani boy who could walk on coals without
discomfort have discovered a gene that is central to the perception of
pain. The Basics 20 Million Years and a Farewell By ANDREW C. REVKIN The baiji, the white, nearly blind dolphin of the Yangtze River in China, is no more. All but Ageless, Turtles Face Their Biggest Threat: Humans By NATALIE ANGIER The turtle is one of the
longest-lived creatures Earth has known, but at least half of all
turtle species are now in serious danger of extinction.
Type
1 diabetes may be triggered by faulty nerves in the pancreas, a new
mouse study reveals – a single injection "cured" the animals' diabetes
17:56 15 December 2006
Fish dance on sulphur cauldrons By Jonathan Amos Science reporter, BBC News, San Francisco Scientists have witnessed the extreme lifestyle of tonguefish that like to skip across pools of molten sulphur.
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