Giant 'IceCube' could take snaps of Earth’s core
A huge neutrino detector buried in ice at the South Pole could one day create pictures of the Earth’s core, say researchers
12:45 23 November 2007
Public Release: 26-Nov-2007
Journal of Consumer Research
U of Minnesota researcher finds materialism in children and adolescents linked to self-esteem
In one of the first studies to focus on the development of materialism among children, Deborah Roedder John, a professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, reveals that a young person’s level of materialism is directly connected to their self-esteem.
Contact: Patty Mattern
matte016@umn.edu
612-624-2801
University of Minnesota
Addiction: Lowering Nicotine Levels May Help Cut Smoking
By ERIC NAGOURNEY
Smokers who were given nicotine-reduced cigarettes for five weeks and then allowed to return to their regular brands ended up smoking less, according to the authors of a small study.
Wageningen Journal
In the Netherlands, Eat, Drink and Be Monitored
By MARLISE SIMONS
While it looks like a normal restaurant, a Dutch facility is devoted to exploring one question: What makes people eat and drink the way they do?
British Firms Urge Action on Climate
By JULIA WERDIGIER
In an unprecedented joint effort, 18 of Britain’s top companies, including carmakers, airlines, retailers and banks, are pledging a push to reduce carbon emissions.
Were 'cursed' rams the first biological weapons?
Ancient texts hint that the Hittites sent rams carrying plague to their enemies in what could be the first recorded instance of bioterror
08:00 26 November 2007
Men motivated by 'superior wage'
On receiving a paypacket, how good a man feels depends on how much his colleague earns in comparison, scientists say.
'Super' scanner shows key detail
A new CT scanner produces 3D images of the body's organs in unprecedented detail.
Public Release: 26-Nov-2007
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
UF botanists: Flowering plants evolved very quickly into 5 groups
University of Florida and University of Texas at Austin scientists have shed light on what Charles Darwin called the "abominable mystery" of early plant evolution.
Contact: Pam Soltis
psoltis@ufl.edu
352-392-1721
University of Florida
Public Release: 26-Nov-2007
Archives of Internal Medicine
Undocumented Latinos visit physicians less often than US-born counterparts
Undocumented Mexicans and other undocumented Latinos report less use of health care and poorer experiences with the health care system compared with their counterparts who were born in the US, according to a report in the Nov. 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Contact: Sarah Anderson
310-825-6381
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 26-Nov-2007
Geology
Planting carbon deep in the earth -- rather than the greenhouse
University of Leeds research shows how storing carbon dioxide deep below the earth's surface could be a safe, long-term solution to one of the planet's major contributors to climate change.
Natural Environment Research Council
Contact: Simon Jenkins
s.jenkins@leeds.ac.uk
44-113-233-4031
University of Leeds
Public Release: 26-Nov-2007
FASEB Journal
Omega-3 fatty acids protect against Parkinson's, study says
Omega-3 fatty acids protect the brain against Parkinson's disease, according to a study by Université Laval researchers published in the online edition of the FASEB Journal. This study is the first to demonstrate the protective effect of a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids against Parkinson's.
Contact: Jean-François Huppé
jean-francois.huppe@dap.ulaval.ca
418-656-7785
Université Laval
Public Release: 26-Nov-2007
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Gene study supports single main migration across Bering Strait
A new analysis of genetic variation among more than two dozen native populations bolsters the theory that the ancestors of modern native peoples across the Americas came via a northwest land bridge some 12,000 years ago.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Anne Rueter
arueter@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System
Vital Signs
Nutrition: Beta Carotene May Help Men Maintain Their Edge
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
The antioxidant beta carotene may help prevent mental decline in men, a new study reports, but only with long-term use.
November 27, 2007
Vital Signs
Remedies: ‘Dragon’s Blood’ May Fight an Ulcer Bacterium
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
Researchers have discovered that a plant widely used in traditional Chinese medicine contains compounds that slow the growth of the germ that causes most peptic ulcers.
Public Release: 26-Nov-2007
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
Environmental researchers propose radical 'human-centric' map of the world
Ecologists pay too much attention to increasingly rare "pristine" ecosystems, say researchers from McGill University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Professor Erle Ellis of UMBC and professor Navin Ramankutty of McGill assert that the current system of classifying ecosystems into biomes (or "ecological communities") like tropical rainforests, grasslands and deserts may be misleading. Instead, they propose an entirely new model of human-centered "anthropegenic" biomes.
Contact: Mark Shainblum
mark.shainblum@mcgill.ca
514-398-2189
McGill University
Personal Health
A Common Casualty of Old Age: The Will to Live
By JANE E. BRODY
When someone says life isn’t worth living, pay attention.
Public Release: 27-Nov-2007
Journal of Neuroscience
Research suggests new direction for ALS treatment
A research team from Wake Forest University School of Medicine is the first to show that injections of a protein normally found in human cells can increase lifespan and delay the onset of symptoms in mice with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease.
Contact: Shannon Koontz
shkoontz@wfubmc.edu
336-716-2415
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
Public Release: 27-Nov-2007
Federation of Infection Societies Conference 2007
MRSA in the community: A new threat to children's health?
Although hospital superbugs like MRSA -- methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus -- are now a widespread and recognised problem, new MRSA strains that have emerged and are spreading amongst the wider public in the USA may pose a bigger threat, according to Exeter researchers speaking today (Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007) at the Federation of Infection Societies Conference 2007 at the University of Cardiff, UK, which runs Nov. 28-30, 2007.
Contact: Lucy Goodchild
l.goodchild@sgm.ac.uk
44-011-898-81843
Society for General Microbiology
Public Release: 27-Nov-2007
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
Blood-vessel blocker aids cancer-killing virus
Cancer-killing viruses are a promising therapy for incurable brain tumors, but their effectiveness has been limited in part because immune cells rapidly eliminate them. That immune response might be slowed, and the virus given more time to kill cancer cells, by blocking the growth of blood vessels in the tumor, new Ohio State research suggests. The study indicates that pretreatment with a drug that blocks blood-vessel growth might improve the effectiveness of cancer-killing viruses. National Brain Tumor Foundation, NIH/National Cancer Institute, American Association for Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons
Contact: Darrell E. Ward
darrell.ward@osumc.edu
614-293-3737
Ohio State University
Public Release: 27-Nov-2007
NASA-conceived map of Antarctica lays ground for new discoveries
A team of researchers from NASA, the US Geological Survey, the National Science Foundation and the British Antarctic Survey unveiled a newly completed map of Antarctica today that is expected to revolutionize research of the continent's frozen landscape.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Grey Hautaluoma
grey.hautaluoma-1@nasa.gov
202-358-0668
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Public Release: 27-Nov-2007
Fear is stronger than hope for worriers trying to get fit, says research
Fear of looking unattractive can be a stronger motivation for keeping people going to the gym than the hope of looking good, a study says.
Contact: Tony Trueman
t.trueman@bath.ac.uk
44-012-253-84220
University of Bath
Public Release: 27-Nov-2007
AIDS
Studies suggest HIV subtype more deadly than others
Two studies led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that people infected with HIV in Thailand die from the disease significantly sooner than those with HIV living in other parts of the world. According to the researchers, the shorter survival time measured in the studies suggests that HIV subtype E, which is the most common HIV subtype in Thailand, may be more virulent than other subtypes of the virus.
National Institutes of Health Office of AIDS Research, Thailand Research Fund, National Institutes of Health Fogarty International Center, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Contact: Tim Parsons
paffairs@jhsph.edu
410-955-6878
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
Cellphone's slosh and rattle reveal its contents
Mobile phone users could soon tell when their handset is running low on juice or laden with new messages simply by giving it a quick shake
18:00 27 November 2007
New Findings Underscore an Earth-Venus Kinship
By KENNETH CHANG
Other than the hellish heat, a crushing carbon dioxide atmosphere and corrosive clouds of sulfuric acid, Venus is a lot like Earth, scientists said yesterday.
Rattling elevators reveal a building's health
Just running a lift up and down provides the vibrations necessary to test a building for structural weaknesses, a new study shows
13:56 28 November 2007
Male topi antelope's sex burden
Scientists shed new light on the aggressive sexual pursuit of males by female topi Antelope in Kenya.
Nasa outlines manned Mars vision
By Paul Rincon  Science reporter, BBC News
Nasa has released details of its strategy for sending a human crew to Mars within the next few decades.
Public Release: 30-Nov-2007
Science
Helium isotopes point to the best sources of geothermal energy
Unknown to most, the US has enough geothermal energy below its surface to supply three times the amount of energy that the US consumes annually. Up until this point no one has tapped this source because finding the geothermal hot spots is too expensive. Recently researchers discovered that surface indicators can predict if geothermal energy sources are below the ground -- now no more expensive drilling is required.
Contact: Nikki Staab
nstaab@asu.edu
602-710-7169
Arizona State University\
Public Release: 30-Nov-2007
Social Forces
University of Iowa research: Even today, couples put more emphasis on husband's career
Sociological research has shown that when couples move, the husband's career gets a boost, while the wife's career suffers. A University of Iowa professor investigated the reason behind the phenomenon and discovered that couples tend to put more emphasis on the man's career, even if the wife works full-time and is college-educated.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Nicole Riehl
nicole-riehl@uiowa.edu
319-384-0070
University of Iowa
Public Release: 30-Nov-2007
Journal of Environmental Monitoring
Between water and rock -- a new science
Scientists are discovering that aquatic nanoparticles, from 1 to 100 nanometers, influence natural and engineered water chemistry and systems differently than similar materials of a larger size.
US Department of Energy, National Science Foundation
Contact: Susan Trulove
STrulove@vt.edu
540-231-5646
Virginia Tech
Public Release: 30-Nov-2007
Advances in Life Course Research
Aging improves parent, child relationships, research shows
The majority of relationships between parents and their adult children improve as parents transition to old age, a Purdue University researcher has found. The study showed that a majority of parents and children mentioned positive changes in their relationship, even as parents experienced declines in health.
Brookdale Foundation, NIH/National Institute on Aging
Contact: Tanya Brown
tanyabrown@purdue.edu
765-494-2079
Purdue University
Public Release: 1-Dec-2007
Journal of Women's Health
Study links blood transfusions to surgery complications in women
Women die and get infections more often than men after heart surgery because they tend to receive more blood transfusions, which boost the risks of bad outcomes, according to a study published in the December Journal of Women's Health.
Contact: Leslie Orr
Leslie_Orr@urmc.rochester.edu
585-275-5774
University of Rochester Medical Center
Algae Emerges as a Potential Fuel Source
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Driven by renewed investment as oil prices push $100 a barrel, scores of scientists around the world are racing to turn algae into a commercially viable energy source.
Anti-smoking drug linked to violent behaviour
The US Food and Drug Administration is to investigate the use of the drug Chantix after reports of dangerous side effects
08:34 02 December 2007
Early Human Ancestors May Have Had "Harem" Societies
 Brain Handwerk  for National Geographic News
November 29, 2007
Some early human ancestors may have lived in "harem" societies much like those of modern gorillas and orangutans, a new fossil study suggests.