Public Release: 10-Jul-2007
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
Researchers probe risks, benefits of folic acid fortification
Researchers at Tufts University report a temporal relationship between nationwide folic acid fortification and an increase in rates of colorectal cancer. Their analysis and resulting hypothesis adds to ongoing debate and suggests further research on total population effects of fortification.
Contact: Siobhan Gallagher
siobhan.gallagher@tufts.edu
617-636-6586
Tufts University, Health Sciences
Public Release: 10-Jul-2007
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Modified herpes virus keeps arteries 'free-flowing' following procedures
A genetically engineered herpes simplex virus, primarily known for causing cold sores, may help keep arteries "free-flowing" in the weeks following angioplasty or stent placement for patients, according to research published early in the online edition of PNAS.
American Heart Association, American College of Surgeons
Contact: Scot Roskelley
scot.roskelley@uchospitals.edu
773-795-0892
University of Chicago Medical Center
Really?
The Claim: People Shouldn't Stand Too Close to a Microwave
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR
Considering how long microwave ovens have been around, one would think that any concerns about their safety would have been resolved long ago. 
Moles 'good indicator to ageing'
The number of moles may offer an indication of how quickly the body ages, a study suggests.
Long Ago Against Diphtheria, the Heroes Were Horses
By HOWARD MARKEL, M.D.
Published: July 10, 2007
The Claremont Riding Academy shut its doors for good a few months ago. It prompted thoughts of some of New York's most heroic horses: the 13 beasts of burden used in 1894 to produce the miracle drug of their day, diphtheria antitoxin.
Balmy Weather May Bench a Baseball Staple
By MONICA DAVEY
In towns like Russell, Pa., the future of the ash tree is in doubt because of a beetle and a warming climate.
Basics
Small, Yes, but Mighty: The Molecule Called Water
By NATALIE ANGIER
Humans may have lungs rather than gills but we feel the primal tug of the tide. Consciously or otherwise, we know we’re really all wet.
Garlic 'may cut cow flatulence'
Scientists in Wales tackling the impact flatulent cows and sheep have on global warming may have an answer - putting garlic in their food.
Baby mammoth discovery unveiled
By Paul Rincon
Science reporter, BBC News
A baby mammoth unearthed in the permafrost of north-west Siberia could be the best preserved specimen of its type, scientists have said.
Joke Comprehension May Decrease With Age
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS (AP)
It's no laughing matter: a new study suggests older adults have a harder time getting jokes as they age
Public Release: 10-Jul-2007
Conservation Biology
The new wildlife refuge -- Golf courses?
Golf courses are known as centers for human recreation, but if managed properly, they also could be important wildlife sanctuaries, a University of Missouri-Columbia researcher has found.
US Golf Association, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Contact: Katherine Kostiuk
kostiukk@missouri.edu
573-882-3346
University of Missouri-Columbia
Public Release: 11-Jul-2007
Nature
Search for the water of life -- UCL astronomers find water on extrasolar planet
Researchers at UCL are part of an international team which has discovered water on an extrasolar planet for the first time. Findings will be published in this week's Nature.
Contact: Dave Weston
d.weston@ucl.ac.uk
44-020-767-97678
University College London
Public Release: 11-Jul-2007
British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
1/3 of community pharmacists don't tell parents they are dispensing off-label drugs to children
Community pharmacists don't always tell parents that their children are being given an off-label drug -- dispensed outside the terms of the drug's product license. Forty percent of pharmacists said they had dispensed off-label to a child in the last month, but researchers suspect that many more did it without realizing it.
Contact: Annette Whibley
wizard.media@virgin.net
Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Public Release: 11-Jul-2007
Journal of Environmental Quality
Plants uptake antibiotics
It is estimated that between 9 and 13 million kilograms of antibiotics are used annually in the United States for raising livestock, with the majority being used for growth advancement and disease prevention purposes. Large amounts of antibiotics fed to livestock are excreted and end up in animal manure, which is commonly applied to agricultural land to provide crop nutrients. Therefore, food crops grown on manure-altered soils are exposed to antibiotics.
Contact: Sara Uttech
suttech@agronomy.org
608-268-4948
Soil Science Society of America

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Jellyfish mucus perfect for cosmetics
Japan's soaring jellyfish populations are causing problems - now an economic reason for harvesting them may have been found
10:23 10 July 2007
Taser unveils long-range and 'scatter' weapons
The new electric stun guns may indicate a shift from law enforcement to the battlefield – raising concerns they could be used more indiscriminately
10:45 12 July 2007
Organic farming could feed the world
Doing away with pesticides and artificial fertilisers would not reduce the world's food supply and could increase food security, say researchers
13:46 12 July 2007
Public Release: 12-Jul-2007
New England Journal of Medicine
Adding folic acid to flour significantly reduces congenital malformations
Dr. Philippe De Wals of Université Laval today publishes a study clearly indicating that the addition of folic acid to flours has led to a 46 percent drop in the incidence of congenital neural tube deformation (mainly anencephaly and spina bifida) in Canada. Such deformities either result in the child's death or in major health problems, including physical and learning disabilities.
IRSC
Contact: Martin Guay
martin.guay@dap.ulaval.ca
418-656-3952
Université Laval
Whatever Happened to Sumerian Beer?
Feature Article by HorstDornbusch / 07-13-2007
Anthropologists and archaeologists believe that the first humans ever to make the great leap from a nomadic and tribal into a civilized and sedentary existence were the Sumerians, some eight to ten thousand years ago. The Sumerians are considered the world's first builders, farmers, and writers - and, as we know from archaeological finds, probably the first brewers, too. Beer was at the center of their religious rituals. Their highest deity was the goddess of beer and fertility.
New hope over 'extinct' echidna
An egg-laying mammal, named after TV naturalist Sir David Attenborough, is not extinct after all, say scientists.
Ancient horse trappings dug up at burial mound
The Yomiuri Shimbun
A set of ornamental horse trappings dating back to the early sixth century has been excavated at a burial mound in Ota Ward, Tokyo, according to researchers.
Is dark energy lurking in hidden spatial dimensions?
The mysterious entity that is accelerating the expansion of the universe might just be an invader from another dimension
17:36 13 July 2007
Women get the wrong dose of fertility drugs
A new calculator could tailor the drug dose used to stimulate a woman's ovaries before IVF, reducing the risk of side effects
10:42 15 July 2007