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Tuesday, March 11, 2014

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News


Natural selection has altered the appearance of Europeans over the past 5,000 years

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 03:27 PM PDT

There has been much research into the factors that have influenced the human genome since the end of the last Ice Age. Anthropologists, geneticists and archaeologists have analyzed ancient DNA from skeletons and found that selection has had a significant effect on the human genome even in the past 5,000 years, resulting in sustained changes to the appearance of people.

Serious side effect: Several FDA-approved anti-cancer drugs induce stem cell tumors

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 12:21 PM PDT

In a surprise finding, researchers discovered that several chemotherapeutics that do stop fast growing tumors have the opposite effect on stem cells in the same animal, causing them to divide too rapidly. Not only is the finding of clinical interest, but with this study they successfully used a new non-traditional tool for assessing drugs using stem cells in the fruit fly gut, the first author says.

Outside the body our memories fail us

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 12:21 PM PDT

New research demonstrates for the first time that there is a close relationship between body perception and the ability to remember. For us to be able to store new memories from our lives, we need to feel that we are in our own body. According to researchers, the results could be of major importance in understanding the memory problems that psychiatric patients often exhibit.

How light affects our brain's performance: Photic memory for executive brain responses

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 12:20 PM PDT

It has long been known that light exerts powerful effects on the brain and on our well-being. Light is not only required for vision but is also essential for a wide range of "non-visual" functions including synchronization of our biological clock to the 24h day-night cycle. A novel photoreceptor has now been shown to be an essential component for relaying light information to a set of so-called non-visual centers in the brain. Continuous changes in light throughout the day also change us, new research suggests.

Some characteristics increase the likelihood of getting married and living together

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 11:39 AM PDT

Health economists have investigated the personal traits that influence a person's likelihood of entering into a marriage or cohabitating relationship. When it comes to romantic relationships, attributes such as health, kindness, and social status have been shown to be important qualities in choosing a partner. It may be surprising to learn, however, that certain personal traits predispose a person towards either getting married or forming a cohabitating relationship. Scoring high on attractiveness, personality, and grooming is associated with a greater probability of entering into a marital relationship for both men and women, but it does not collectively have a significant influence on entering a romantic cohabitating relationship.

U.S. cocaine use cut by half, while marijuana consumption jumps

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 11:11 AM PDT

A new study shows that the use of cocaine dropped by half across the United States from 2006 to 2010, while use of marijuana jumped by more than 30 percent during the period. Studying illegal drug use nationally from 2000 to 2010, researchers found heroin use was fairly stable throughout the decade.

Healthy eating may reduce the risk of preterm delivery

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 07:22 AM PDT

In a new study, participants completed a scientifically evaluated questionnaire about what they had been eating and drinking since becoming pregnant. The results show that the group of women with the 'healthiest' pregnancy diet had a roughly 15% lower risk of preterm delivery compared with those with the most unhealthy diet. The correlation remained after controlling for ten other known risk factors for preterm delivery.

Smokers' brains biased against negative images of smoking

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 07:22 AM PDT

What if the use of a product influenced your perception of it, making you even more susceptible to its positive aspects and altering your understanding of its drawbacks? This is precisely what happens with cigarettes in chronic smokers, according to a recent study.

Dropped your toast? Five-second food rule exists, new research suggests

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 07:22 AM PDT

Food picked up just a few seconds after being dropped is less likely to contain bacteria than if it is left for longer periods of time, according to new research. The findings suggest there may be some scientific basis to the '5 second rule' -- the urban myth about it being fine to eat food that has only had contact with the floor for five seconds or less. The study, undertaken by final year biology students monitored the transfer of the common bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus from a variety of indoor floor types (carpet, laminate and tiled surfaces) to toast, pasta, biscuit and a sticky sweet when contact was made from 3 to 30 seconds.

Lower IQ and poorer cardiovascular fitness in teen years increase risk of early-onset dementia

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 07:22 AM PDT

Men who at the age of 18 years have poorer cardiovascular fitness and/or a lower IQ more often suffer from dementia before the age of 60. This is shown in a recent study encompassing more than one million Swedish men.

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