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Two Explosive Evolutionary Events Shaped Early History Of Multicellular Life
Scientists have known for some time that most major groups of complex animals appeared in the fossils record during the Cambrian Explosion, a seemingly rapid evolutionary event that occurred 542 million years ago. Now paleontologists, using rigorous analytical methods, have identified another explosive evolutionary event that occurred about 33 million years earlier among macroscopic life forms unrelated to the Cambrian animals.
| Insect Attack May Have Finished Off Dinosaurs
Asteroid impacts or massive volcanic flows might have occurred around the time dinosaurs became extinct, but a new argument is that the mightiest creatures the world has ever known may have been brought down by a tiny, much less dramatic force -- biting, disease-carrying insects.
| Blood Transfusions May Be Harmful To Some Patients
Heart attack patients in the U.S. are far more likely to receive a blood transfusion than patients in other countries with the very same condition, but the outcome of their treatment is no better. Increasing evidence suggests transfusions may not only be unnecessary but may actually be harmful to some patients.
| Catheter Chaos: Hospitals Lag In Preventing Common Infection
Right now, one in four hospitalized Americans has a urinary catheter. But despite the fact that catheter-related urinary tract infections are the most common hospital-acquired infection, and can lead to dangerous complications, a new study shows hospitals aren't using proven tactics to prevent such problems.
| Body Abnormalities Associated With Childhood Cancer
Children with cancer have a higher prevalence of body abnormalities, such as asymmetric lower limbs and curvature of the spine, suggesting that the genetic defect responsible for the abnormality may play a role in the development of cancer, according to a new study.
| Hydrogen Peroxide Has A Complex Role In Cell Health
Hydrogen peroxide, the same mild acid that many people use to disinfectant their kitchens or treat cuts and abrasions, is also produced by the body to keep cells healthy. Now, researchers have solved how part of this complex process works.
| Silence May Lead To Phantom Noises Misinterpreted As Tinnitus
Phantom noises, that mimic ringing in the ears associated with tinnitus, can be experienced by people with normal hearing in quiet situations, according to new research. Tinnitus, an auditory perception that cannot be attributed to an external source, affects at least 36 million Americans on some level, with at least seven million experiencing it so severely that it interferes with daily activities.
| Brain Imaging Shows If You Are Thinking Of Familiar Object
Researchers, using machine learning and brain imaging, have found a way to identify where people's thoughts and perceptions of familiar objects originate in the brain by identifying the patterns of brain activity associated with the objects. Scientists were also able to accurately determine which of the 10 drawings a participant was viewing based on their characteristic whole-brain neural activation patterns.
| Internists Say They Prescribe Placebos On Occasion
In the first study examining American physicians' use of placebos in clinical practice in the 21st century, 45 percent of Chicago internists report they have used a placebo at some time during their clinical practice.
| High Altitude Soccer Teams Have Significant Advantage Over Lowland Teams
Soccer teams from high altitude countries have a significant advantage when playing at both low and high altitudes, finds a new study. In contrast, lowland teams are unable to acclimatise to high altitude, reducing physiological performance.
| Cardiac Arrest: Chest Compressions Alone Work Better, Studies Suggest
Two large-scale studies report that the chances of surviving cardiac arrest are no better -- and may be worse -- when bystanders perform mouth-to-mouth breathing than if they press on the chest without interruption. The results are in line with experimental findings showing that neurologically normal survival was better with continuous chest compressions than when following the standard CPR protocol of 30 compressions and 2 ventilations.
| For Hospital Patients, Defibrillation Delays Mean Lower Survival
Hospitalized patients who suffer a cardiac arrest are more likely to survive if their hearts are shocked back into rhythm within two minutes, but 30 percent of such patients aren't getting help fast enough.
| Obesity Linked To Decreased Seatbelt Use
Obese people are less likely to use their seatbelts than the rest of the population, adding to the public health risks associated with this rapidly growing problem. Seatbelt use declined as BMI increased, with approximately 55 percent of extremely obese individuals reporting they did not use a seatbelt.
| Quest For A New Class Of Superconductors
Fifty years after the Nobel-prize winning explanation of how superconductors work, scientists are suggesting another mechanism for the still-mysterious phenomenon and exploring new superconductor candidates. Among the classes of materials that appear capable of superconductivity without phonons are the so-called heavy electron superconductors, certain organic materials, and the copper oxide materials that superconduct at up to twice the temperature at which nitrogen liquefies.
| High Triglycerides, Other Cholesterol Raise Risk Of Stroke
People with high triglycerides and another type of cholesterol tested but not usually evaluated as part of a person's risk assessment have an increased risk of a certain type of stroke, according to research published in the Dec. 26, 2007, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
| How Windproof Are Cable Cars?
A measuring system deals with the question as to the effects different wind loads have on cable cars. Two researchers have thrown light on vibration-control problems, an area little researched up to now and were able to account for the occurrence of lateral vibrations from various wind conditions right through to meteorological calm.
| Elderly At Risk For Physical Disabilities Exercise, Improve Physical Function
Elderly adults at risk for physical disabilities are able to adhere to a regular program of moderate exercise for one year, a recent study of 213 men and women suggests. Improvements in physical function were greater in participants who reported 150 minutes or more per week of moderate intensity physical activity.
| Copy Number Variation May Stem From Replication Misstep
Genome rearrangements, resulting in variations in the numbers of copies of genes, occur when the cellular process that copies DNA during cell division stalls and then switches to a different genetic "template."
| Live Operators Crucial Factor For Public Health Department Disease-reporting Hotlines
Public health departments that staff disease-reporting hotlines with live operators at all times are more likely to meet federal guidelines designed to help stop the spread of infectious diseases, according to a RAND Corp. study issued today.
| Carbon Dioxide Emissions Linked To Human Mortality
Scientists have spelled out for the first time the direct links between increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and increases in human mortality, using a state-of-the-art computer model of the atmosphere incorporating scores of physical and chemical environmental processes. The new findings come to light just after the Environmental Protection Agency's recent ruling against states setting specific emission standards for this greenhouse gas.
| 'Golden Bullet' Shows Promise For Killing Common Parasite
Researchers in Australia report development of a new type of gold nanoparticle that destroys the parasite responsible for toxoplasmosis, a potentially serious disease acquired by handling the feces of infected cats or eating undercooked meat. Their so-called "golden bullet" could provide a safer, more effective alternative for treating the disease than conventional drug therapy, they say. Toxoplasma gondii, the parasite that causes the disease, infects more than 60 million people in the United States alone.
| Multiple Species Of Bacteria May Cause Trachoma: Implications For Treatment
Researchers have found that more than one species of bacteria may be causing the infectious eye disease trachoma. Six million people -- most of whom live in crowded and unhygienic conditions in the developing world -- are blind because of the disease and many more are actively infected. The possibility that multiple strains of the Chlamydiceae family of bacteria are involved in trachoma would involve a re-evaluation of vaccines and treatment programs.
| New Screening Strategy For Detection Of Chagas Disease In Children
A new targeted screening strategy could make the diagnosis and treatment of Chagas disease more feasible in low-resource settings, concludes a new study. Trypanosoma cruzi, the single-cell parasite that causes Chagas disease, is transmitted by triatomine bugs that infest houses in poor communities. The disease, which infects an estimated 11 million people in Latin America, kills more people than any other parasitic disease in the Americas.
| FOXO Factor Promotes Survival Of Oxygen-deprived Cancer Cells
Scientists report that an evolutionarily conserved transcription factor may have both positive and negative effects on the growth of tumors, depending on whether or not the tumor cells have enough oxygen. The research provides critical new information about how normal cells and cancer cells survive under stress.
| Walk Away Menopausal Anxiety, Stress And Depression
With more menopausal women seeking natural therapies to ease symptoms, a new study has found that simply adding a brisk walking routine can reduce a variety of psychological symptoms such as anxiety, stress and depression.
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Greater protection for marine lifeCayman Net News, Cayman Islands - Apr 30, 2008Mr Orr stressed the seriousness of violating the law, adding “all offences are arrestable under the Marine Conservation Laws, with fines up to $500000 ... |
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Annual Banquet Set for Local Conservation GroupdBusinessNews Triangle (press release), NC - Apr 28, 2008Since its inception in 1977, the nation’s largest marine conservation group has participated productively in fisheries management issues at the local, ... |
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climate change threatens koalas: expertSydney Morning Herald, Australia - 21 hours agoLab tests have revealed that global warming is stripping the goodness from eucalypt leaves, and the University of Sydney researchers behind the study say ... |
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UNICEF: Poorest children hit by climate changeEnvironmental Data Interactive, UK - 1 hour agoThe world's poorest and most vulnerable children are being hit hardest by the impact of climate change, according to a new report from UNICEF UK. ... |
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PICRC comes up with 10 things to protect coralsMarianas Variety, Micronesia - 23 hours agoBy Bernadette H. Carreon The Palau International Coral Reef Center came up with “10 things you can do” to protect corals. PICRC said that souvenirs made ... |
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8 ill with ciguatoxin poisoningNews.gov.hk, Hong Kong - 23 hours agoThe Centre for Health Protection is investigating three suspected ciguatoxin poisoning cases involving eight people who fell ill after eating coral reef ... |
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Coral keeps it in the familyScience News - May 2, 2008AAAS/Science For a few days each year, most coral in the Great Barrier Reef spawn all at once, broadcasting buoyant bundles of egg and sperm that float to ... |
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Palau states, coral reef center sign MOUMarianas Variety, Micronesia - Apr 27, 2008By Bernadette H. Carreon The Palau International Coral Reef Center on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding with the 16 states to promote coral ... |
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Whale resurfaces at Shopping ChannelMedia Guardian, UK - 48 minutes agoWhale: lost his TalkSport slot for backing Boris Johnson in the London mayoral election. Photograph: Rex Features Sacked TalkSport radio host James Whale ... |
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Whales returning in droves to Monterey BaySan Jose Mercury News, USA - 11 hours agoIt's showtime for whale-watchers on Monterey Bay this spring. After a few lean years, the whales have returned in force, drawn by a plentiful food supply, ... |
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Sacked radio host joins TV channelThe Press Association - 22 minutes agoSacked radio presenter James Whale has landed a job on a television shopping channel, it has been announced. Whale, who was fired from TalkSport following ... |
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Squid vs. WhaleThe MIT Tech, MA - May 5, 2008By Charles Lin Sam and I were thinking about the new Indiana Jones movie. I don’t know if you’re familiar with the series or not, but it’s quite popular ... |
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Whales early on annual migrationABC Online, Australia - 8 hours ago(ABC: Martin Davies) Whales have been arriving at the Head of the Bight in an early start to the annual whale-watching season in South Australia. ... |
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Preying and Praying on the HuntWashington Post, United States - May 5, 2008“He became a whale with them, and he understand their meetings and their talkings before they make their journey,” he said. According to the story, ... |
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Dolphin to take plunge on high streetDaily News Round-up (press release), UK - May 6, 2008Despite the much-publicised hardships being experienced by many high street retailers, online music specialists Dolphin Music is reportedly set to create a ... |
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Comment by Scott Simms
