Science
Mars Express: Hummocky And Shallow Maunder Crater
The High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA's Mars Express orbiter has obtained pictures of the Noachis Terra region on Mars, in particular, the striking Maunder crater. Read more…
Waterpipe Smoking Of Tobacco Is Increasing, But Research Still Lags Behind
With the increased use of waterpipes (also known as hookahs, hubble-bubbles, narghiles, shishas, gozas or narkeelas) in Western countries, many people believe that because the tobacco smoke is drawn through water, it is less harmful than other forms of smoking, but the evidence accumulated so far does not support that assumption. Read more…
Garlic Boosts Hydrogen Sulfide To Relax Arteries
Eating garlic is one of the best ways to lower high blood pressure and protect yourself from cardiovascular disease. A new study shows this protective effect is closely linked to how much hydrogen sulfide is produced from garlic compounds interacting with red blood cells. The researchers found this interaction triggered red blood cells to release H2S, which then led to the relaxation of blood vessels. Read more…
Tonsillectomy Associated With Improved Sleep And Behavior In Children With Breathing Disorders
Children diagnosed with sleep-disordered breathing appear to sleep better and have improved behavior following removal of their tonsils and adenoids, according to a new report. Read more…
Accuracy Of Breast Cancer Prognoses Improved
One of the many unknowns facing women who are diagnosed with breast cancer is predicting the likelihood that the cancer will spread to other parts of the body -- metastasize. Researchers are looking to change that. They are pioneering a more accurate approach for predicting the risk of breast cancer metastasis in individual patients. Read more…
Once-a-day Epilepsy Drug Is Effective For Partial Seizures, Study Suggests
The epilepsy drug lamotrigine is effective in controlling partial seizures when taken once a day as an added therapy, according to a new study. The study involved 239 people from the United States and several other countries. Read more…
Engineering Lab Helping Ensure Safety Of Minibuses
Minibuses are a fairly common sight on the roads of many American communities. Public transit and social service agencies, among others, often use the 16- to 20-seat vehicles in order to provide access to public transportation to people with disabilities, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. It may come as something of a surprise, then, that minibuses buses in the United States are exempt from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, the rules developed to ensure occupants' safety during vehicular accidents and to minimize the severity of their injuries. Read more…
Suicide, Coronary Heart Disease Contribute To Increased Risk Of Death Following Bariatric Surgery
Approximately 1 percent of Pennsylvania residents who underwent bariatric surgery between 1995 and 2004 died within one year of the surgery and nearly 6 percent died within five years, according to a new report. Death rates overall, as well as deaths from heart disease and suicide, were higher than those of the general state population. Read more…
Giant Wave Experiment Reveals Poorly Understood Behavior Of Tsunamis
With the goal of saving lives and preventing environmental and structural damage during real tsunamis, Princeton Engineering researchers have been creating experimental mini-tsunamis. Existing models for predicting the impact of tsunamis focus on the incoming rush of water while largely ignoring the effect of the powerful forces that a tsunami wave can exert on the earth beneath when it draws back into the ocean. Read more…
Tuna Fishing Fleets In The Pacific Pose Danger To Wildlife At Sea
Thousands of seabirds and significant numbers of sharks and marine turtles are being caught and killed each year in long-line fishing nets targeting southern bluefin tuna, reveals a new WWF report. Japan's long-line southern bluefin tuna fleet, for example, killed between 6,000 and 9,000 seabirds per year in the 2001 and 2002 fishing seasons. About three-quarters were albatrosses and one-fifth petrels. Read more…
