News Articles

The latest literature suggests that brain activity patterns change at an early stage in Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, there is reason to believe that, instead of being the consequence of structural damage, they might be the cause.

In the 'we must do something even if it does not work' department, it isn't always permanent; vapor recovery mandates for new gas stations in Pennsylvania are quietly dying. The Department of Environmental Protection today announced it will not enforce a requirement for new gas stations to install costly vapor recovery systems. It's still the law, current regulations require facilities in southeast and southwest Pennsylvania to maintain vapor recovery systems, which are attached to gas pump nozzles to siphon off fumes while pumping gasoline, but they are not going to endorse it. A notice regarding the issue was submitted for publication in this week's Pennsylvania Bulletin.

DNA sequencing is getting faster and cheaper, but it's still pretty scary to patients who don't understand the difference between a risk factor and 'I have a gene for this disease' - doctors are also still unclear how they will be able to use this information.
When genomic data needs is a contest.

Modern feminists pooh-pooh their ancestors and assume because they didn't dress in bulky pantsuits, women were somehow meek and timid.Not at all. A three-year study of the manuscripts compiled and written by one of Britain’s earliest known feminist figures, Lady Anne Clifford, shows that women challenged male authority plenty in the 17th century.  Basically, women of the Renaissance were not one-dimensional stereotypes, and neither were men - for allowing it. Clifford’s 600,000-word "Great Books of Record" documents the family dynasty over six centuries and her bitter battle to inherit castles and villages across northern England.

Snake Pliskin, the anti-hero of "Escape From New York", didn't get that name because of his armor, but one day there could be a lot of snake-like soldiers running around.Soldiers, and certainly civilians that can be be helped in the medical engineering sector, may one day get artificial implants with minimal abrasion, inspired by biology, or armor with all kinds of neat mechanical properties.

Everyone talks about punches to the brain but not as much research goes into the neuroscience of sports punishment delivery systems.'Researchers from Imperial College London and University College London are taking their shot at it.  They took brain scans which revealed distinctive features in the brain structure of martial arts experts, which they say could be linked to their ability to punch powerfully from close range. Those differences in the structure of white matter – the connections between brain regions – were correlated with how black belts and novices performed in a test of punching ability.

A joint study conducted by researchers from the University of L'Aquila in Italy and Mars, Incorporated says that the regular consumption of dietary cocoa flavanols may improve cognitive function in elderly subjects with early memory decline. The study shows the impact of regular cocoa flavanol consumption on cognitive function in a population with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).

Next generation toilets showcased at the Gates Foundation offer innovative sanitation solutions that can save and improve lives around the world.

Bill Gates today has announced the winners of the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge, an effort to develop "next-generation" toilets that will deliver safe and sustainable sanitation for 2.5 billion people worldwide who don't have it. The awards recognize researchers (sorry, inventors, academics only) who have developed new ways to manage human waste and help improve the health and lives of people around the world.

Want to feel good about your body image?  Go to Mississippi. They may be a lot less anti-science than people in Washington state, but they are also a lot more pro-pizza, it seems.The 2011 obesity map from the Centers for Disease Control, detailing adult obesity prevalence for all U.S. states based on Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data,  is out and it doesn't look good. Rates of adult obesity remain high, ranging from 20.7 percent in Colorado to 34.9 percent in Mississippi.

Forty hectares of remains have been found in Alken Enge bog located in in the Alken Enge wetlands near Lake Mossø in East Jutland, Denmark.

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) came out in support of U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar's proposed plan for energy development in Arctic Alaska. By protecting extensive coastal plain habitat around Teshekpuk Lake, and the foothills around the Utukok uplands, the most important Arctic wetlands and migratory corridor for caribou and migratory birds would be conserved. A final management plan for the NPR-A may be issued by the secretary after a 30-day review but  the WCS lauds the proposal because it balances conservation, subsistence rights for Alaska Natives, and energy extraction.

Triclosan, an antibacterial chemical widely used in hand soaps and other personal-care products, may impair muscle function. It hinders muscle contractions at a cellular level, slows swimming in fish and reduces muscular strength in mice, according to research from the University of California, Davis, and the University of Colorado.