Press monitoring
Metabolite levels may be able to improve diabetes risk prediction
22.3.2011 | Press monitoring
Measuring the levels of small molecules in the blood may be able to identify individuals at elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes as much as a decade before symptoms of the disorder appear. In a report receiving advance online release in Nature Medicine, a team led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers describes finding that...
Some Blind People 'See' With Their Ears, Neuropsychologists Show
18.3.2011 | Press monitoring
Dr. Olivier Collignon of the University of Montreal's Saint-Justine Hospital Research Centre compared the brain activity of people who can see and people who were born blind, and discovered that the part of the brain that normally works with our eyes to process vision and space perception can actually rewire itself to process sound information...
Could Giftedness Be Linked to Prenatal Exposure of Higher Levels of Hormones?
17.3.2011 | Press monitoring
University of Alberta researcher Marty Mrazik says being bright may be due to an excess level of a natural hormone.
Mouse Nose Nerve Cells Mature After Birth, Allowing Bonding, Recognition With Mother
16.3.2011 | Press monitoring
For rodent pups, bonding with mom isn't hard-wired in the womb. It develops over the first few weeks of life, which is achieved by their maturing sense of smell, possibly allowing these mammals a survival advantage by learning to identify mother, siblings, and home.
New parasitic fungi found that turn ants into zombies
15.3.2011 | Press monitoring
Scientists from the US and UK have discovered four new species of parasitic fungi in the Brazilian rainforests. The fungi attack four distinct species of ants and release mind-altering chemicals that gradually turn the ants into zombies and then kills them.
Sunlight can influence the breakdown of medicines in the body
14.3.2011 | Press monitoring
A study from Karolinska Institutet has shown that the body's ability to break down medicines may be closely related to exposure to sunlight, and thus may vary with the seasons. The findings offer a completely new model to explain individual differences in the effects of drugs, and how the surroundings can influence the body's ability to deal with...
The foundations of empathy are found in the chicken
11.3.2011 | Press monitoring
A study has gained new insight into the minds of domestic hens, discovering, for the first time, that domestic hens show a clear physiological and behavioural response when their chicks are mildly distressed. The study is the first to demonstrate that birds possess one of the important attributes that underpins empathy, and the first study to use...
Health Benefits of Eating Tomatoes Emerge
10.3.2011 | Press monitoring
Eating more tomatoes and tomato products can make people healthier and decrease the risk of conditions such as cancer, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease, according to a review article the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine (published by SAGE). The researchers found that tomatoes are the biggest source of dietary lycopene; a powerful...
Rising Carbon Dioxide Is Causing Plants to Have Fewer Pores, Releasing Less Water to the Atmosphere
9.3.2011 | Press monitoring
As carbon dioxide levels have risen during the last 150 years, the density of pores that allow plants to breathe has dwindled by 34 percent, restricting the amount of water vapor the plants release to the atmosphere, report scientists from Indiana University Bloomington and Utrecht University in the Netherlands in an upcoming issue of the...
Eating Apples Extends Lifespan of Test Animals by Ten Percent
8.3.2011 | Press monitoring
Scientists are reporting the first evidence that consumption of a healthful antioxidant substance in apples extends the average lifespan of test animals, and does so by 10 percent. The new results, obtained with fruit flies -- stand-ins for humans in hundreds of research projects each year -- bolster similar findings on apple antioxidants in other...
