24 Sep, 2014 | by Labroots

Mysterious ‘Sailing Stones’ Findings Well Worth the Wait

Poet and philosopher G.K. Chesterton once said: “One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak.” And this couldn’t be more true for a team of researchers led by palebiologist Richard Norris of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, who together embarked upon unveiling the mystery of Death Valley’s ‘sailing stones.’ Waiting for rocks to move along the...... Read More

23 Sep, 2014 | by Labroots

Is it Too Late to Change My Blood Type?

To boost my health I’ve made sacrifices (adios mac and cheese, donuts, fries…), only sit when I must, and slather on near-triple-digit SPF—but now comes news there’s an unfixable trait. Our blood type itself. It appears that people with blood type AB may have a greater chance of experiencing memory loss when they grow old than people with other blood types, according to a study published...... Read More

22 Sep, 2014 | by Labroots

Why do Older People Sleep Less?

You might think that the stresses of daily life and increased physical challenges might cause older people to sleep more. But, as we know, often the opposite is true. People over 70 tend to have more trouble sleeping than they did in their youth. Now scientists at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Rush University in Chicago and the University of Toronto may have spread light on why this...... Read More

19 Sep, 2014 | by Labroots

Kids’ Drawings Might Predict Intelligence 10 Years Later

Those drawings your preschooler did that are hanging on the refrigerator may predict how many A’s might appear on his or her middle school report card. A study published in Psychological Science found that the accuracy of a child’s observational skills as demonstrated by their drawings is tied directly to their level of intelligence in adolescence. 7,752 pairs of 4-year old identical and non-identical...... Read More

12 Sep, 2014 | by Labroots

Cholesterol Drug Slashes Heart Attack, Stroke Risk in Initial Tests

An investigational cholesterol-reducing drug lowered patients’ levels of bad cholesterol by about 62 percent after six months, and halved their risk of premature death, stroke, and heart attack versus a placebo, researchers report. The drug, calledalirocumab, was developed by Sanofi, Paris, and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, Tarrytown, NY. The companies are encouraged by the findings, but say a...... Read More

11 Sep, 2014 | by Labroots

Ebola Pill: Supply and Demand

Ebola is starting to make an impact on people in the Western world. A recently released Harvard School of Public Health/SSRS poll shows that four in ten (39%) US adults are concerned there will be a large outbreak in the United States, and a quarter (26%) are concerned they or someone in their close family may get sick with Ebola over the next year. We can debate whether this is because more than...... Read More

10 Sep, 2014 | by Labroots

Israel-Shanghai Collaboration in Health Emergency Management

Ben Gurion University (BGU) is leading a unique workshop on emergency preparedness and response for Chinese senior officials from Shanghai.  The workshop is designed to achieve two major goals.  The first is to promote the policy initiated by the Israeli government to enhance relations between Israel and China.  The second is the firm belief that global disaster management can be best attained through...... Read More

04 Sep, 2014 | by Labroots

Street Drug 15 Times More Powerful Than Heroin

An emerging street drug that is up to 15 times more potent than heroin—sold to users as heroin—is looming on the horizon, according to an article in the journal in Annals of Emergency Medicine. The quasi-legal drug, called acetyl fentanyl, is an opiate that is brewed into street drugs. Users generally inject it intravenously. The drug has no accepted medical use, and it is not regulated. It is...... Read More

03 Sep, 2014 | by Labroots

Too Many Tomatoes? Make Car Parts!

If you’re a gardener, this is the time of year where you might be drowning in an abundance of ripe, juicy tomatoes. Don’t worry; if you’re getting tired of caprese salad and tomato sauce you can turn them into car parts. In June, the Ford Motor Company announced a partnership with Heinz to develop a plastic derived from leftover tomato skins. The plan is to use the tomato-based plastic to produce...... Read More

02 Sep, 2014 | by Labroots

Flipping a Switch to Drop the Pounds

Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in La Jolla, California have found a way to “switch on” a calorie-burning process in brown fat cells. The study, which was reported on in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looks at a process known as “brown fat thermogenesis.” Most of our fat cells are “white fat” cells used for storing fat in reserve for when energy...... Read More