Neolithic humans had gum habit
* Helen Carter
* The Guardian
* Monday August 20 2007
A 5,000-year-old piece of chewing gum - one of the oldest ever to be discovered - has been found by a British archaeology student.

Were seafarers living here 16,000 years ago?
Randy Boswell, CanWest News Service
Published: Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Site off Queen Charlottes could revolutionize our understanding of New World colonization
Personal Health
Cutting Cholesterol, an Uphill Battle
By JANE E. BRODY
There are dozens of measures that, individually or together, can help to lower cholesterol.
August 21, 2007
Washing After Sex May Raise H.I.V. Risk
By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN
A study in Uganda has come up with a surprising finding about sex and H.I.V. Washing the penis minutes after sex increased the risk of acquiring H.I.V. in uncircumcised men.
Really?
The Claim: Eating Ginger Can Cure Motion Sickness
By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
Published: August 21, 2007
Ginger has been shown to be effective in treating the nausea associated with motion sickness.
Deadly virus linked to fruit bat
US and Gabonese scientists say a common type of fruit bat could be the source of an outbreak of the deadly Marburg disease in Africa.
Diamond record of ancient Earth
Tiny diamonds found in Australia suggest the early Earth was not a hellish world for as long as previously supposed, the journal Nature reports.
Fossils belong to new great ape
By Liz Seward
Nine fossilised teeth found in Ethiopia are from a previously unknown species of great ape, Nature journal reports.
Planet Uranus rings the changes
Astronomers have captured remarkable new images of the rings of Uranus.  The rings are currently edge-on to Earth, in an event that only happens every 42 years.
Great 'cosmic nothingness' found
 The result comes from a sky survey by the VLA in New Mexico
Astronomers have found an enormous void in space that measures nearly a billion light-years across.
Ancient Protein Tells a Story of Changing Functions
By KENNETH CHANG
Published: August 21, 2007
Offering insight into how evolution progresses inside a gene, scientists have pinpointed mutations in an ancient protein that transformed its shape and function more than 400 million years ago.
Studies Report Inducing Out-of-Body Experience
By SANDRA BLAKESLEE
Using virtual-reality goggles, a camera and a stick, scientists have induced out-of-body experiences in healthy people.
Public Release: 20-Aug-2007
Glycobiology
UGA study finds common component of fruits, vegetables kills prostate cancer cells
A new University of Georgia study finds that pectin, a type of fiber found in fruits and vegetables and used in making jams and other foods, kills prostate cancer cells. The study, published in the August issue of the journal Glycobiology, found that exposing prostate cancer cells to pectin under laboratory conditions reduced the number of cells by up to 40 percent.
Georgia Cancer Coalition-Georgia Department of Human Resources, University of Georgia-Medical College of Georgia Joint Intramural Grants Program, US Department of Energy
Contact: Sam Fahmy
sfahmy@uga.edu
706-542-5361
University of Georgia
Journal of Neuroscience
Area responsible for 'self-control' found in the human brain
The area of the brain responsible for self-control -- where the decision not to do something occurs after thinking about doing it -- is separate from the area associated with taking action, scientists say in the Aug. 22 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.
Contact: Sara Harris
sharris@sfn.org
202-962-4000
Society for Neuroscience
Public Release: 20-Aug-2007
Journal of Virology
St. Jude influenza survey uncovers key differences between bird flu and human flu
Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have found key features that distinguish influenza viruses found in birds from those that infect humans.
American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities
Contact: Summer Freeman
summer.freeman@stjude.org
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Public Release: 20-Aug-2007
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Your gut has taste receptors
Researchers in the Department of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have identified taste receptors in the human intestines. The taste receptor T1R3 and the taste G protein gustducin are critical to sweet taste in the tongue. Research now shows these two sweet-sensing proteins are also expressed in specialized taste cells of the gut where they sense glucose within the intestine.
NIH/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Contact: Mount Sinai Newsroom
newsmedia@mssm.edu
212-241-9200
The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Public Release: 20-Aug-2007
Naturwissenschaften
Researcher finds amorous avian anointment protects mates
University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher Hector Douglas has found that, for crested auklets, chemistry has both amorous and practical applications. The birds rub a citrus-like scent, secreted in wick-like feathers on their backs, on each other during courtship, a behavior called alloanointing.
Contact: Marmian Grimes
marmian.grimes@uaf.edu
907-474-7902
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Public Release: 21-Aug-2007
Journal of Neuroscience
Vaccine thwarts the tangles of Alzheimer's
A new study by NYU Medical Center researchers shows for the first time that the immune system can combat the pathological form of tau protein, a key protein implicated in Alzheimer's disease. The researchers, led by Einar Sigurdsson Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and pathology at New York University School of Medicine, created a vaccine in mice that suppresses aggregates of tau. The protein accumulates into harmful tangles in the memory center of the brains of Alzheimer's patients.
Contact: Pamela Mcdonell
Pamela.McDonnell@nyumc.org
212-404-3555
New York University Medical Center and School of Medicine
Public Release: 21-Aug-2007
Journal of Experimental Biology
Elephantnose fish 'see' with their chin
Originating in Central Africa, Peters' elephantnose fish finds its bearings by means of weak electrical fields. Scientists from the University of Bonn have now been able to show how well this works. In complete darkness the animals can even distinguish the material of objects at a distance or dead organisms from living ones.
Contact: Professor Gerhard von der Emde
onderemde@uni-bonn.de
49-022-873-5555
University of Bonn
Public Release: 21-Aug-2007
Psychological Science
Baby talk is universal
Regardless of the language we speak, most adults raise their voices to elicit an infant's attention and talk at a much slower rate to communicate effectively. In the scientific community this baby talk is termed "infant-directed speech." This is the first study to show that adult listeners in an indigenous, nonindustrialized and nonliterate culture can easily tell the difference between baby talk and normal adult directed speech.
Contact: Catherine West
cwest@psychologicalscience.org
202-783-2077
Association for Psychological Science
PLoS ONE
Is 4 agents decoction efficacious in treating primary dysmenorrhea?
New research by scientists in Taiwan has shown that an 800-year-old formula, Four Agents Decoction (Si Wu Tang), does not significantly reduce menstrual pain after three cycles of treatment; however, a beneficial effect may be present after a longer treatment. The dosage regimen and treatment length used in this study are not associated with adverse reactions. The results are published in the Aug. 15 issue of the online, open-access journal PLoS ONE.
Contact: Pochuan Li
pochuan@nhri.org.tw
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 22-Aug-2007
American Chemical Society 234th National Meeting
Skin-care industry skipping out on science?
The multibillion dollar global cosmetics and skin-care product industry sometimes is beset by a me-too mindset in which research and development focuses on matching the competition rather than applying sound science to improve products, a scientist who studies cosmetic ingredients said. As a result, it could be missing a golden opportunity to provide consumers with more effective products, he said. The study will be presented in August at the American Chemical Society national meeting in Boston.
Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-4400
American Chemical Society
Public Release: 22-Aug-2007
Nature
Mice provide important clues to obsessive-compulsive disorder
Mice born without a key brain protein compulsively groom their faces until they bleed and are afraid to venture out of the corner of their cages. When given a replacement dose of the protein in a specific region of the brain, or the drugs used to treat humans suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder, many of these mice seem to get better.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Richard Merritt
Merri006@mc.duke.edu
919-660-1309
Duke University Medical Center
Public Release: 22-Aug-2007
Journal of Neuroscience
New hope for Huntington's sufferers
A major breakthrough in the understanding and potential treatment of Huntington's disease has been made by scientists at the University of Leeds. Researchers in the university's Faculty of Biological Sciences have discovered that one of the body's naturally occurring proteins is preventing 57 genes from operating normally in the brains of Huntington's sufferers. In addition, the destructive nature of this protein could potentially be halted using drugs that are already being used to help cancer patients.
Wellcome Trust
Contact: Clare Elsley
clare@campuspr.co.uk
44-011-325-89880
University of Leeds
Stomach stapling really can save lives
The drastic surgery to reduce the stomach size of the severely obese markedly cuts deaths in the long-term, suggest two large-scale studies
22:00 22 August 2007
‘World's fattest mouse’ appears immune to diabetes
Genetically engineered obese mice, which overproduce a key hormone, store fat under the skin rather than in the liver, and thus retain normal sensitivity to insulin
22:00 23 August 2007
Monkeys use 'baby talk' to sooth infants not mums
Female rhesus monkeys attract other mothers' newborns with a form of vocalisation similar to the cooing sounds humans make to babies
11:44 24 August 2007
Ignition of third ion engine boosts asteroid probe
Another working engine increases the chances that the Hayabusa spacecraft will make it back to Earth -- hopefully with a payload of asteroid samples
15:08 24 August 2007
Public Release: 23-Aug-2007
American Chemical Society 234th National Meeting
Soda warning? New study supports link between diabetes, high-fructose corn syrup
Researchers have found new evidence that soft drinks sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup may contribute to the development of diabetes, particularly in children. Drinks containing the syrup had high levels of reactive compounds that have been shown by others to have the potential to trigger cell and tissue damage that could cause the diabetes, a growing epidemic. The study will be presented in August at the American Chemical Society national meeting in Boston.
Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-4400
American Chemical Society
Public Release: 23-Aug-2007
Rejuvenation Research
UF scientists reveal how dietary restriction cleans cells
Cutting calories helps rodents live longer by boosting cells' ability to recycle damaged parts so they can maintain efficient energy production, according to a University of Florida Institute on Aging study. Understanding how the process works at the cellular level in rodents could help scientists develop drugs that mimic the process in humans.
Contact: Ann Griswold
anngriswold@gmail.com
352-273-5819
University of Florida