The probiotic Lactobacillus substantially cuts the rate and length of respiratory illness in professional long distance runners, reveals a small study. Intensive exercise can subdue the normal immune response, and as a result, some athletes are vulnerable to respiratory viruses, such as colds and flu. During four months of intensive winter training, 20 elite, endurance athletes were given either three freeze dried capsules twice daily of the probiotic Lactobacillus fermentum or a dummy capsule (placebo).
An unexpected radar image of airborne debris from the Feb. 6 tornado that killed four people in Lawrence County, Ala., might help scientists develop better tools for warning the public when and where strong tornadoes are on the ground. Scientists are studying radar data from the early morning tornado to see if the radar signature from the debris is so distinctive that computers can be programmed to instantly recognize it, so more timely and precise warnings might be issued.
A new American Cancer Society study of 12 types of cancer among more than 3.5 million cancer patients finds uninsured patients were significantly more likely to present with advanced stage cancer compared to patients with private insurance. The study uses national data to investigate insurance status and stage of diagnosis for a large number of cancer sites.
Scientists studying the cloudy emulsions produced by anise-flavored liquors such as Ouzo have discovered new molecular insights into their formation, findings that could lead to the design of better commercial emulsions used in making pharmaceuticals, food products, cosmetics and other materials.
In the thin, dry air of northern Chile's Atacama Desert, at an altitude of 16,500 feet, an amazing new telescope system is taking shape, on schedule to provide the world's astronomers with unprecedented views of the origins of stars, galaxies, and planets. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array will open an entirely new "window" on the Universe, allowing scientists to unravel longstanding and important astronomical mysteries.
By blasting a person's breath with laser light, scientists have shown that they can detect molecules that may be markers for diseases like asthma or cancer. Just as bad breath can indicate dental problems, excess methylamine may signal liver and kidney disease, ammonia may be a sign of renal failure, elevated acetone levels can indicate diabetes and nitric oxide levels can be used to diagnose asthma, Ye said.
Humans live in the midst of a seething, breathing microbial world. Microorganisms populate every conceivable habitat, both familiar and exotic, from the surface of the human skin, to rainforest floors, to hydrothermal vents in the ocean floors. Despite the powerful and pervasive role of microbes in sustaining life, most of the microbial world remains a mystery. This is the subject of "The Uncharted Microbial World: Microbes and Their Activities in the Environment," a new report released by the American Academy of Microbiology.
The same rules of physics that govern molecules as they condense from gas to liquid, or freeze from liquid to solid, also apply to the activity patterns of neurons in the human brain. When liquids undergo phase transitions, they evaporate into gas or freeze into ice. When the brain undergoes a phase transition, it moves from random to patterned activity.
When prescribed to children with middle ear infections, antibiotics are not associated with a significant reduction in fluid buildup in the ear, according to a meta-analysis of previously published studies.
Contrary to our previous beliefs, identical twins are not genetically identical. This surprising finding may be of great significance for research on hereditary diseases and for the development of new diagnostic methods. How can it be that one identical twin might develop Parkinson's disease, for instance, but not the other? Until now, the reasons have been sought in environmental factors. The current study complicates the picture.
The Atlantis orbiter is set to return to Earth after installing Europe's Columbus science lab on the space station. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 20 Feb 2008 | 12:34 pm
Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo are launching a project to improve security for the great apes. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 20 Feb 2008 | 11:42 am
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Space shuttle Atlantis headed for home on Wednesday with NASA pushing to get it back to Earth before the U.S. military tries to shoot a dead spy satellite out of the sky.
Nasa is to invest $170m in Orbital Sciences Corporation to develop a resupply ship for the space station. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 20 Feb 2008 | 10:05 am
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia is willing to resume sharing of bird flu virus samples only if nations agree on a fair and equitable framework, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Wednesday.
Hopes boosted by experiments showing that human embryonic stem cells could be turned into a variety of brain cells Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 20 Feb 2008 | 12:03 am
TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - Florida education officials voted on Tuesday to add evolution to required course work in public schools but only after a last-minute change depicting Charles Darwin's seminal work as merely a theory.
PARIS (Reuters) - France's Roman Catholic Church has called for embryos to be given a clear legal status following a court decision that let parents of miscarried fetuses enter them with a name in the official civil registry.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new laser analyzer might be able to help doctors detect cancer, asthma or other diseases by sampling a patient's breath, researchers reported on Tuesday.
LONDON (Reuters) - A new way to decipher a person's age by looking into the lens of the eye could help forensic scientists identify bodies, Danish researchers said on Tuesday.
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Scientists studying Antarctic waters have filmed and captured giant sea creatures, like sea spiders the size of dinner plates and jelly fish with six meter (18 feet) tentacles.
The first stars in the Universe may have been powered by dark matter, according to a new theory. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 19 Feb 2008 | 1:30 pm
HANOI (Reuters) - Dead poultry have been found in rivers and streams in northern Vietnam, a sign of a possible new bird flu outbreak during a prolonged cold spell, officials said on Tuesday.
Professor Ken Miller, a key proponent of evolution, speaks to James Randerson at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 19 Feb 2008 | 12:10 pm
The numbers and distribution of Britain's last surviving native wildcat is to be assessed. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 19 Feb 2008 | 10:59 am
