Infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus appears to be more prevalent than previously believed, affecting certain populations disproportionately and is being found more often outside of health care settings, according to a new study. Read more…

Studies show that stretching before or after exercise has little or no effect on muscle soreness between half a day and three days later. Many people stretch before starting to exercise, and some stretch again at the end of a period of exertion. The aim may be to prevent injury, to promote higher performance, or to limit the chances of feeling stiff in the days after the exercise. Read more…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Depression has long had a popular link to cardiovascular disease and death. However, only during the last 15 years scientific evidence supporting this common wisdom has been available. Since the early 1990s studies have reported prevalences of major depression between 17% and 27% in hospitalized patients with coronary artery disease. It is becoming clear that the comorbidity of depression and cardiovascular disease does not occur by chance but the mechanisms responsible for this relationship is poorly understood. Read more…

An ecologist has discovered that after ponds dry up through drought in a region, when they revive, the community of species in each pond tends to be very similar to one another, like so many suburban houses made of ticky tacky. Read more…

Populations of one of the world's strangest birds have crashed over the last decade, and surveys this summer of its breeding grounds in the remote Russian province of Chukotka suggest that the situation is now critical. The charismatic, and rather aptly named, Spoon-billed Sandpiper Eurynorhynchus pygmeus, is now worryingly close to becoming extinct. With only 200-300 pairs left, conservationists are calling for urgent help to tackle the decline. Read more…

Thirty years ago this month, researchers published a discovery that challenged basic assumptions about the broadest classifications of life. Their discovery -- which was based on an analysis of ribosomal RNA, an ancient molecule essential to the replication of all cells -- opened up a new field of study, and established a first draft of the evolutionary 'tree of life.' Read more…

Scientists have identified the transcription factor DMP1 as a pivotal tumor suppressor for both human and mouse lung cancers, especially in carcinomas that exhibit intact Arf-p53 pathways. The research may lead to development of new drug therapies for lung cancer. Read more…

Older drivers who couple classroom courses with behind-the-wheel training can significantly improve their driving performance, according to a new report. Participants were assessed on skills such as scanning side and rear views; backing up, making left turns, and changing lanes; speed regulation; and seat belt, mirror, and turn signal use. Read more…

Researchers believe they have just confirmed a controversial theory of evolution. The X chromosome is a strikingly powerful force in the origin of new species. Biologists have argued for years whether the X chromosome -- the female chromosome in most animals -- plays a special role in the process of speciation. A new study has confirmed that the X chromosome is indeed heavily influential -- and the reason may be nothing like what biologists expected. Read more…

The world's oceans are becoming more acid, with potentially devastating consequences for corals and the marine organisms that build reefs and provide much of the Earth's breathable oxygen. The acidity is caused by the gradual buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, dissolving into the oceans. Scientists fear it could be lethal for animals with chalky skeletons which make up more than a third of the planet's marine life. Read more…

Honey is enjoying a resurgence as a wound-healing solution amid rising concerns about antibiotic resistance and a renewed interest in natural healing. Researchers started to document its success in the early 20th century but the introduction of antibiotics temporary halted its use. Read more…

Fishermen are always looking for a tasty catch - but it is the fish that have a natural advantage when it comes to spotting dinner, according to new research. Individual light sensitive cells within the retina of goldfish are able to detect polarised light. Read more…

Amid growing concerns about sports "doping," researchers report development of a faster and more efficient method for detecting the presence of illegal anabolic steroids in urine. The new method takes only a few seconds and involves no time-consuming sample preparation. The study notes that use of banned substances by professional athletes to build muscle and gain a competitive advantage is a growing problem in sports such as track and field, baseball, football and cycling. Read more…

Scientists have developed a new, amazingly sensitive method for identifying the earliest stages of infection with human papilloma virus (HPV), a common virus that can increase the risk of cervical cancer in women. The test also has the potential for early identification of infection with other so-called DNA viruses, which cause a range of diseases that includes genital herpes and hepatitis. Read more…

A new DNA sequencing process is simpler, more accurate and efficient than the multiplex PCR that was previously used to sequence portions of the genome. Microarrays are used to enrich or increase the volume of specific genomic sequences. Then high throughput DNA sequencing machines quickly determine the exact genetic code of the material. Read more…