- ScienceDaily
- 12/11/5 03:08
An experimental device that converts energy from a beating heart could provide enough electricity to power a pacemaker. Such pacemakers could eliminate the need for surgeries to replace pacemakers with depleted batteries.
An experimental device that converts energy from a beating heart could provide enough electricity to power a pacemaker. Such pacemakers could eliminate the need for surgeries to replace pacemakers with depleted batteries.
A new book finds that the Nile river, together with its associated tributaries and rainfall, could provide 11 countries -- including a new country, South Sudan, and the drought-plagued countries of the Horn of Africa -- with enough water to support a vibrant agriculture sector, but that the poor in the region who rely on the river for their food and incomes risk missing out on these benefits...
SUNDAY 4. NOVEMBER 2012
The Hergenrother comet is currently traversing the inner-solar system. Amateur and professional astronomers alike have been following the icy-dirt ball over the past several weeks as it has been generating a series of impressive outbursts of cometary-dust material. Now comes word that the comet's nucleus has taken the next step in its...
Medical researchers have new information on drugs being tested in patients with diabetes or kidney disease.
In one of the largest and longest trials involving patients with kidney failure, a study led by an international team of researchers found that cinacalcet -- a drug commonly prescribed to patients with kidney failure and a disturbance of bone and mineral metabolism known as secondary hyperparathyroidism -- does not significantly reduce the risk of death or major cardiovascular...
Participants in a "crowdsourcing" challenge in Philadelphia used a smart phone application to locate, photograph and map more than 1,400 automated external defibrillators in public places. Although more AEDs are being placed in gyms, schools, shopping malls and public buildings, their exact location is often unknown, and their use remains...
A drug therapy shows promise for treating an inherited form of kidney disease called autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, researchers say.
SATURDAY 3. NOVEMBER 2012
The brain holds in mind what has just been seen by synchronizing brain waves in a working memory circuit, an animal study suggests. The more in-sync such electrical signals of neurons were in two key hubs of the circuit, the more those cells held the short-term memory of a just-seen object. The work demonstrates, for the first time, that there is information about short term memories reflected in...
Some high mountain meadows in the Pacific Northwest are declining rapidly due to climate change, a study suggests, as reduced snowpack, longer growing seasons and other factors allow trees to invade these unique ecosystems that once were carpeted with grasses, shrubs and...
Men with employment-contingent health insurance who suffer a health shock, such as a cancer diagnosis or hospitalization, are more likely to feel "locked" into remaining at work and are at greater risk for losing their insurance during this critical time as compared to men who are on their spouse's insurance plan or on private insurance plans, according to a new...
Contrary to popular perception, stressors don't cause health problems -- it's people's reactions to the stressors that determine whether they will suffer health consequences, according to new research.
Young birds can get "drunk" on fermented berries and exhibit all the symptoms familiar to people who overindulge, indicates a small study.
FRIDAY 2. NOVEMBER 2012
New studies reinforce the American Heart Association's recommendation to limit daily sodium (salt) intake to less than 1,500 milligrams. Suggestions by some groups that healthy people can consume more sodium are based on incorrect analyses of observational studies and misinterpretations of clinical research. Because most dietary sodium comes from processed and prepared foods, the American Heart...
Satellite imagery from Nov. 2 showed that Sandy's remnant clouds continue to linger over Canada and the northeastern U.S.
Income inequality has become a major topic of discussion over the last year and yet consensus on what (if anything) should be done about it seems elusive. New research suggests that a simple manipulation of language might be able to influence support for policies aimed at addressing income...
Chris Hummel, a concussion researcher and longtime athletic trainer, says coaches, parents and referees need to be educated in recognizing and managing concussions in young athletes. Those adults also need to know when to step in and enforce mandated safety rules.
Experts caution against heralding the use of brain imaging scans to diagnose autism and urges greater focus on conducting large, long-term multicenter studies to identify the biological basis of the disorder.
The ability of fluorescence microscopy to study labeled structures like cells has now been empowered to deliver greater spatial and temporal resolutions that were not possible before, thanks to a new method. Using this method, they were able to study the critical process of cell transport dynamics at multiple spatial and temporal scales and reveal, for the first time, properties of diffusive and...
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope offers an impressive view of the center of globular cluster NGC 6362. The image of this spherical collection of stars takes a deeper look at the core of the globular cluster, which contains a high concentration of stars with different...
Compared to a survey conducted nearly 20 years ago, about twice the proportion of addiction counselors now find it acceptable for at least some of their patients to have a drink occasionally -- either as an intermediate goal or as their final treatment goal, according to a new...
Partisans beware! Some of your most cherished political attitudes may be malleable! Researchers report that simply answering three "why" questions on an innocuous topic leads people to be more moderate in their views on an otherwise polarizing political issue.
For decades, "bigger is better" has been the conventional path to efficiency in industries ranging from transportation to power generation. Food once grown on small family plots now comes overwhelmingly from factory farms. Vessels that carried 2,000 tons of cargo have been replaced by modern container ships that routinely move 150,000 tons. But now, new research shows, we are on the cusp of a...
Liberals and conservatives who are polarized on certain politically charged subjects become more moderate when reading political arguments in a difficult-to-read font, researchers report in a new study. Likewise, people with induced bias for or against a defendant in a mock trial are less likely to act on that bias if they have to struggle to read the evidence against...
Do costly seawalls provide a false sense of security in efforts to control nature? Would it be better to focus on far less expensive warning systems and improved evacuation procedures? A father-son team have developed new strategies to defend society against natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy and the effects of climate change. The approach, which considers costs and benefits while identifying...
Some 4.567 billion years ago, our solar system's planets spawned from an expansive disc of gas and dust rotating around the sun. While similar processes are witnessed in younger solar systems throughout the Milky Way, the formative stages of our own solar system were believed to have taken twice as long to occur. Now, new research, suggests otherwise. Indeed, our solar system is not quite as...