Carrying a cell phone may cause some college students -- especially women -- to take risks with their safety, a new study suggests. A survey of 305 students at one campus found that 40 percent of cell phone users said they walked somewhere after dark that they normally wouldn't go.
Physicists have made important findings regarding gold on the nanoscale. They found that gold in this size regime can be made magnetic through oxygenation of gold nanowires. They also found that up to a certain length, oxygenated gold nanowires behave as a conducting metal, but beyond that, they become insulators.
People who suffer from egg allergies may soon be able to have their quiche and eat it too. Chemists have developed a new process that greatly reduces allergens in eggs and may lead to safer, more specialized food products for individuals with egg allergies. Although unusual in adults, egg allergies are among the leading food allergies in infants and children. These allergies can cause severe stomach aches, and rashes. In extremely rare cases, death may occur.
Probing a glowing bubble of gas and dust encircling a dying star, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope reveals a wealth of previously unseen structures. The object, called NGC 2371, is a planetary nebula, the glowing remains of a Sun-like star. The remnant star visible at the center of NGC 2371 is the super-hot core of the former red giant, now stripped of its outer layers. Its surface temperature is a scorching 240,000 degrees Fahrenheit. NGC 2371 lies about 4,300 light-years away in the constellation Gemini.
Doctors may one day be able to control alcohol addiction by manipulating the molecular events in the brain that underlie anxiety associated with alcohol withdrawal, researchers report in the Journal of Neuroscience.
The "female sex hormone" estradiol is present in both men and women. It plays various roles in addition to its gender-specific ones, including having effects on the hearing (auditory) system. In a new study, mice deficient in the estrogen receptor beta exhibited reduced recovery from auditory trauma, and treatment with ER beta-binding drugs protected mice from auditory damage, leading to the suggestion that these data might enable the development of new treatments for hearing loss.
In an advance in food safety, researchers are reporting development of a nano-sized sensor that detects record low levels of the deadly prion proteins that cause Mad Cow Disease and other so-called prion diseases. The sensor, which detects binding of prion proteins by detecting frequency changes of a micromechanical oscillator, could lead to a reliable blood test for prion diseases in both animals and humans, the researchers say.
A new haptic interface based on magnetic levitation to give computer users a feel for what's on the screen. They can perceive textures, feel hard contacts, and sense the heft of a heavy block as they lift it.
One-third of women suffer from one or more pelvic floor disorders, which include symptoms such as the frequent urge to urinate, dropped pelvic organs, and incontinence. The study consists of the broadest age range of participants to date, of which 80 percent of the 4,000 women studied had given birth. Of those 4,000 women, 25 percent suffered from anal incontinence, 15 percent from stress urinary incontinence, 13 percent from overactive bladder and six percent experienced pelvic organ prolapse, the dropping of pelvic organs.
A new population-based epidemiological study has found that elevated liver enzymes discovered during routine medical care are associated with higher future mortality.
PORONG, Indonesia (Reuters) - Gas seeping from the ground in a village hit by a mud volcano in Indonesia's East Java province is triggering safety concerns and calls for an evacuation, residents said on Wednesday.
LONDON (Reuters) - Cutting through the chatter to understand a conversation during a crowded cocktail party is a gift researchers said on Wednesday stems from how the brain distinguishes the pitch of different voices.
HONGKONG/JAKARTA (Reuters) - Bird flu virus samples that Indonesia sent to a World Health Organisation laboratory last month have not shown signs of any mutation, a health ministry spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
Our level of happiness in life is strongly influenced by the genes with which we were born, say experts. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 5 Mar 2008 | 10:50 am
Scientists claim 18,000-year- old "Hobbit" remains are not a new human species, but true modern humans with a growth disorder. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 5 Mar 2008 | 10:48 am
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Small human-like skeletons found in a cave on a remote Indonesian island were actually human and their miniature features probably due to nutritional deficiency, some researchers in Australia say.
The UK Treasury lacks "ambition and imagination" when it comes to green taxes, a report by MPs conclude. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 5 Mar 2008 | 12:11 am
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Smells so irritating they make you cough or gag may act upon a single type of cell in the nose that senses caustic chemicals and warns the brain of potential danger, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
The UK needs to shift much of its road traffic onto the railways to curb greenhouse gas emissions, a report urges. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 4 Mar 2008 | 6:18 pm
The bittern, one of Britain's rarest birds, faces a new threat to its population from rising sea levels. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 4 Mar 2008 | 5:35 pm
The Conservatives say plans for national road pricing are "in tatters" as Ruth Kelly admits they have stalled. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 4 Mar 2008 | 4:37 pm
LONDON (Reuters) - Lead is still in the race to make batteries for hybrid-powered vehicles, President Bruce Neil at privately-owned lead producer Doe Run told a conference on Monday.
LONDON (Reuters) - Nuclear power plant workers exposed to chronic radiation may face a higher risk of heart disease, according to a large British study published on Tuesday.
The only world-class astronomical facility based entirely within the UK is one of 29 science facilities at risk of closure as the physics funding council tightens its belt Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 4 Mar 2008 | 3:21 pm
Scientists are given three weeks to make a case for a series of high-profile projects which face cuts. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 4 Mar 2008 | 2:37 pm
A study of nearly 65,000 nuclear industry workers over more than 60 years has found a possible link between high radiation exposure and heart disease Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 4 Mar 2008 | 1:01 pm
Japan summons senior foreign diplomats to protest over an attack by activists on its whaling fleet. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 4 Mar 2008 | 11:26 am
Scientists believe they have uncovered a key reason why flu viruses tend to strike in cold weather. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 4 Mar 2008 | 11:18 am
