Scots and Irish at greater risk of drink-related death, study shows

Alcohol-related deaths in England and Wales are twice as high among people born in Scotland or Ireland compared with the rest of the population, a study has shown. Research, conducted by the University of Edinburgh and the Office for National Statistics, also found that men born in India but l...

Lower increases in global temps could lead to greater impacts than previously thought, study finds

Princeton, NJ February 23, 2009 - A new study by scientists updating some of the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2001 Third Assessment Report finds that even a lower level of increase in average global temperatures due to greenhouse gas emissions could cause signi...

Genetic differences between yeasts greater than those between humans and chimpanzees

The mapping of the entire yeast genome in 1996 marked the beginning of a revolution in biological and medical research. The human genome was mapped in 2001, and by now the number of characterised species is approaching 1000, most of which are bacteria. The next advance is only a few years away ma...

Over 1,000 species discovered in the Greater Mekong in past decade

WASHINGTON, DC, December 15, 2008 -- A rat thought extinct for 11 million years and a hot-pink, cyanide-producing dragon millipede are among a thousand new species discovered in the Greater Mekong Region of Southeast Asia in the last decade, according to a new report launched by World Wildlife Fun...

New technique sees into tissue at greater depth, resolution

DURHAM, N.C. By coupling a kicked-up version of microscopy with miniscule particles of gold, Duke University scientists are now able to peer so deep into living tissue that they can see molecules interacting. If future studies in animal models prove fruitful, the researchers believe that their...

Diversity among parasitic wasps is even greater than suspected

A tiny wasp that lays its eggs under the skin of unwitting caterpillars belongs to one of the most diverse groups of insects on Earth. Now researchers report that its diversity is even higher than previously thought. (To see an audio slide show on the research, please go to: http://publicaffai...

New population of highly threatened greater bamboo lemur found in Madagascar

Arlington, Virginia (July 22, 2008) Researchers in Madagascar have confirmed the existence of a population of greater bamboo lemurs more than 400 kilometers (240 miles) from the only other place where the Critically Endangered species is known to live, raising hopes for its survival. The disco...

Researcher provides tool to enable determination of age of anchovies with greater precision

This release is available in Spanish . Biologist Pablo Cermeo Villanueva defended his PhD thesis at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), providing a tool to determine the age of anchovies with greater accuracy on a monthly or even weekly basis, thus enabling studies of the earlie...

Clones on task serve greater good, evolutionary study shows

EAST LANSING, Mich. Dont ever change isnt just a romantic platitude. Its a solid evolutionary strategy. At least if youre among the creatures that produce scads of genetically identical offspring like microbes, plants or water fleas. These creatures provide a chance to wonder about the clones rai...

Childhood obesity indicates greater risk of school absenteeism, Penn study reveals

In the first study of how weight may affect school attendance, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University have found that overweight children are at greater risk of school absenteeism than their normal-weight peers. The study of more than a thousand 4th, 5th and 6th grade...

Global survey of lizards reveals greater abundance of animals on islands than on mainland ecosystems

A comprehensive survey of lizards on islands around the world has confirmed what island biologists and seafaring explorers have long observed: Animals on islands are much more abundant than their counterparts on the mainland. Besides confirming that longstanding observation, the study signals an ...

Anthrax attack posed greater potential threat than thought

A new study shows that more people were at risk of anthrax infection in the Oct. 2001 attack on U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle's office than previously known. The research is published in the January 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online. On the other hand, the study shows, pr...

Underweight women at greater risk of miscarriage

Women who have a low body mass index before they become pregnant are 72% more likely to suffer a miscarriage in the first three months of pregnancy, but can reduce their risk significantly by taking supplements and eating fresh fruit and vegetables, according to study findings published online toda...

Higher levels of obesity associated with greater health risks

The health risks for women who are extremely obese may be underestimated as a new study indicates they have a higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol than women at lower levels of obesity, according to a study in the July 5 issue of JAMA. Obesity diagnosis and treatment ...

The higher the hierarchy, the greater the aggression

Individual variation in social behavior is one of the most striking features of cooperative animal societies. In a new study from the June issue of American Naturalist, Michael A. Cant (University of Cambridge), Justine B. Llop (University of Cambridge), and Jeremy Field (University College London)...

The diversity of marine life in the Gulf of Maine region is much greater than previously thought

The Gulf of Maine Program of the Census of Marine Life, with the Huntsman Marine Science Center of St. Andrews, New Brunswick, announced today the first count of known marine species in the Gulf of Maine region -- more than 50% larger than previous estimates. The count is 3,317 species and incl...

Deep-rooted plants have much greater impact on climate than experts thought

Trees, particularly those with deep roots, contribute to the Earth's climate much more than scientists thought, according to a new study by biologists and climatologists from the University of California, Berkeley. While scientists studying global climate change recognize the importance of vegeta...

Forsyth scientists gain greater understanding of how embryos differentiate left from right

Researchers at the Forsyth Institute have discovered a new mechanism responsible for early left/right patterning, the process by which organs locate themselves on the left or right side of the body. The discovery of this novel mechanism, garnered through the study of three different vertebrates (...

Greasing interferon's gears may pave way to greater therapeutic benefits, fewer side effects

nterferon -- a critical protein that mediates the body's defense against a wide variety of infectious agents and tumors -- may soon have greater therapeutic value as the result of a new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "Essentially, we found a way to...

Climbing to new heights in the forest canopy

...species, possibly as a result of human-induced climate change, such as increasing carbon dioxide concentration and increasing forest fragmentation. A greater knowledge of these fascinating plants is warranted as we begin to understand the important ecological role they play in forest dynamics, structure, an...

University of Hawaii at Manoa researchers reveal ocean acidification at Station ALOHA

...g global climate. Were it not for the absorption of CO 2 by the oceans, the alarming growth of atmospheric CO 2 concentration would be substantially greater than it is. However, this beneficial role of the oceans as a CO 2 "scrubber" does not come without undesired consequences. When dissolved, CO 2 ac...

Women often opt to surgically remove their breasts, ovaries to reduce cancer risk

...rs. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are hereditary gene mutations that indicate an increased risk for developing breast cancer. Additionally, more than 3,500 women at greater than 25 percent lifetime risk of breast cancer without mutations also had a documented increase in risk-reduction surgery. Women who had a biopsy ...

Hybrid vehicle rebates produce scant environmental benefits, high cost

... cars, rather than large SUVs, trucks and vans, which produce substantially greater carbon emissions. "If the intention of rebate programs is to replace gas...year average life expectancy. Chandra says that governments could garner greater environmental benefits by purchasing carbon offsets (currently priced betwe...

The way you eat may affect your risk for breast cancer

...identify at risk individuals and target interventions to these people." Previous studies have shown that intermittent calorie restriction provided greater protection from mammary tumor development than did the same overall degree of restriction, which was implemented in a chronic fashion. The researchers...

August 2009 Geology and GSA Today media highlights

...istent with characteristics of the quartz vein-related high-grade zones. At greater depths, fluids would exist as one supercritical phase, with a higher propor...lly, experiments have shown that the more sulfate there is in seawater, the greater the isotopic offset between the sulfate and sulfide will be. In modern seaw...

Scientists decoding genomic sequences of H1N1 using isolates from outbreak in Argentina

...s," said Gustavo Palacios, PhD. "The changes already noted in comparing the outbreak in Argentina to the U.S. haven't previously been associated with greater virulence." ...

MU researchers create drought conditions to unearth solutions

...de variety of reasons, including domestic, industrial, leisure, landscape and agricultural uses," Fritschi said. "In light of population increases and greater demands for non-agricultural water uses, more and more emphasis must be placed on efficient use of water resources for plant production. The drought s...

Douglas-fir, geoducks make strange bedfellows in studying climate change

...ar, it can have a profound impact on both trees and marine life. In general, Black said, warmer temperatures boost metabolism in geoduck and result in greater growth rates. Warm sea surface temperatures also mean less snow in the Cascade Mountains and a longer growing season for Douglas-firs and other trees,...

A crystal ball for brain cancer?

...tumors would progress within six months and which would not. They detected greater water movement in the tumors of those persons who later responded best to Avastin. "When we realized that high levels of VEGF are linked to greater cell death and increased water movement, we were able to predict the patien...

Reducing risk of hospitalization in the elderly

...just a matter of saving health care dollars, it may also save lives. Numerous studies show that even short stays in the hospital are associated with a greater future risk of functional decline and disability. "Most methods of measuring muscle mass or density rely on complex imaging procedures, such as us...

Research shows rates of severe childhood obesity have tripled

...s 2 to 19 years. Severe childhood obesity is a new classification for children and describes those with a body mass index (BMI) that is equal to or greater than the 99th percentile for age and gender. For example, a 10-year-old child with a BMI of 24 would be considered severely obese, Skelton said, where...

Health benefits of physical activity more pronounced in women

...specific data on the cholesterol effects of physical activity, with the interesting result that women, particularly African-American women, experience greater benefits as a result of exercise than men. The analysis of this large Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, which appears in the August...

Organic food not nutritionally better than conventionally-produced food

...ort the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority. Research in this area would benefit from greater scientific rigour and a better understanding of the various factors that determine the nutrient content of foodstuffs'. ...

Wildfires set to increase 50 percent by 2050

...rch , scientists also say that the increase in wildfires will lead to significant deterioration of the air quality in the western United States due to greater presence of smoke. "Wildfires, such as those in California earlier this year, are a serious problem in the United States and this research shows t...

Nanodiamonds deliver insulin for wound healing

...eleased when it encounters basic pH levels, similar to those commonly observed in bacterially infected wounds. These basic pH levels are significantly greater than the physiological pH level of 7.4. The results of the study were published online July 26 by the journal Biomaterials. "This study introd...

Most older long-term cancer survivors have poor health habits

...ity of life. Published in the September 1, 2009 issue of Cancer , a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the research indicates that greater efforts are needed to encourage elderly cancer survivors to live healthier lives. More than half of the estimated 11 million cancer survivors in th...

DOE-funded research projects win 46 R&D 100 Awards for 2009

...ource Technologies, in Corvallis, OR. (Jointly with Perpetua) Ultrasensitive ESI-MS Source & Interface - integrates four technologies to provide greater sensitivity and precise measurements from mass spectrometry instrumentation while requiring smaller samples. Mass spectrometry instrumentation is com...

Improved air quality during Beijing Olympics could inform pollution-curbing policies

...s, including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and black carbon, or soot. Among the researchers' conclusions: Black carbon pollution is significantly greater at ground level than at higher elevations, and diesel trucks are a major source of black carbon emission during the summer in Beijing. These particles...

Noise pollution negatively affects woodland bird communities, says CU-Boulder study

...uired for repelling rivals, pairing and nesting. The study indicated birds that were intolerant of noise and nested in quiet areas were subject to greater rate of nest predation than those in noisy areas, he said. Woodland birds that prefer noisy areas may even use the clamor of civilization as cues for ...

Vaccine blocks malaria transmission in lab experiments

...ccine provided a 93 percent transmission-blocking immune response, reaching greater than 98 percent after a booster given several months later. "This is an... Plasmodium vivax, another major human malaria parasite. Malaria affects greater than 500 million people worldwide and is estimated to kill over one million...