El Salvador volcano spits rock, hundreds evacuated
SAN SALVADOR, 1 Oct 2005 (Reuters) Authorities evacuated hundreds of
people living on the slopes of a volcano in western El Salvador
on Saturday after it spat large rocks and ash from its crater
during an early morning explosion. El Salvador's geological
study center said the Ilamatepec volcano, also known as Santa
Ana, spat heavy rocks as far as a mile from its crater. The
government issued a red alert to nearby villages but no
injuries were reported.
Colorado moose tests for chronic wasting disease
DENVER (Reuters) - A moose killed by a hunter in northern
Colorado has tested positive for chronic wasting disease, the
first time the deadly affliction has been found outside of wild
elk and deer herds, state wildlife officials said on Friday.
Chronic wasting disease was previously been found only in wild
deer and elk in 10 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. The
fatal neurological disease eats away at the brains of infected
animals and is similar to mad cow disease found in cattle or
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.
China drafts plan to fight bird flu
BEIJING (Reuters) - China has drafted a contingency plan to
cope with a much-feared outbreak of bird flu in the coming
winter, state media reported, only two days after it announced
a blueprint for fighting a human influenza pandemic. Bird flu,
including the deadly H5N1 strain that has killed 65 people in
Asia, is believed to be endemic in the country's poultry
population.
Seoul revives buried stream in a bid to turn green
SEOUL (Reuters) - As a top executive at Hyundai
Construction, Lee Myung-bak helped pour the concrete that
turned the South Korean capital Seoul into a massive gray city
in its headlong rush to development in the 1960s and 1970s. Now
Seoul's mayor, Lee has overseen the launch of a project which
tore down an elevated highway in the heart of the city and on
Saturday restored a stream buried underneath it for almost 50
years.
Month after storms, Louisiana still mops up spills
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (Reuters) - A month after Hurricane
Katrina struck, Louisiana was still mopping up after the storm
caused 190,000 barrels, or nearly 8 million gallons (36 million
liters), of oil to spill in waterways in southeastern
Louisiana, officials said on Friday. The extent of wildlife
damage was unclear but the state reported rescuing about 125
birds such as rails and marsh hens, along with a handful of
mammals and reptiles.
Singapore sees dip in dengue cases - experts
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore, fighting its worst dengue
epidemic, is optimistic that the number of cases had peaked and
will dip in the coming months, a panel of health experts said
on Saturday. Twelve Singaporeans have died from the
mosquito-borne disease this year and 10,951 cases of dengue
fever were reported by September 24 -- 16 percent more than the
total number recorded last year when dengue infections rocketed
to a 10-year high.
Thailand rolls out national AIDS drug plan
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand rolled out a national plan on
Saturday to give life-saving drugs to people living with
HIV-AIDS, one of the few Asian nations to offer universal
treatment in a region where the virus threatens to run rampant.
Thailand, long a model for prevention against a virus that
infects some 540,000 Thais, says 80,000 people will receive
anti-retroviral drugs under an expanded program covered by the
public healthcare plan.
Global sea levels could rise 30 cm by 2100- study
BERLIN (Reuters) - World sea levels could rise 30
centimeters (12 inches) by the end of the century and freak
weather will become more common due to rapid global warming,
according to a new study by a leading German research
institute. The Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg
said computer models it had created showed the average global
temperature could rise by as much as 4.1 Celsius by 2100,
melting sea-ice in the Arctic.
Insulation problem probably will delay next shuttle
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA plans to push back
its target for launching the next space shuttle from March to
May as it tries to fix a problem with insulating foam that
falls off the spacecraft's fuel tank, officials said on Friday.
The agency had been hoping to resume flights in March but
technical issues with the tanks, coupled with work
interruptions caused by Hurricane Katrina, likely will delay
launches until later in the spring, officials said.
ASEAN endorses anti-bird flu plan
TAGAYTAY, Philippines (Reuters) - Southeast Asian nations
vowed on Friday to curb bird flu in the next three years as the
United Nations warned the virus could mutate and kill up to 150
million people. The 10-member Association of South East Asian
Nations (ASEAN) also pledged $2 million for a regional fund to
curb animal diseases, including avian influenza.
***********************
California Senate panel passes stem cell controls SAN FRANCISCO 28/5/2005 (Reuters)
A proposed constitutional amendment that
could put stem cell research controls on the ballot in California was passed by a state Senate committee late on Thursday
despite strong objections by the head of the $3 billion scientific program. The measure, which would give the legislature more
control over the research program approved by California voters last November, was unanimously adopted by the Senate
Appropriations Committee and now goes to the full Senate for a vote likely next week.
Kenya scientists plant trial GMO pest-proof maize NAIROBI 28/5/2005 (Reuters)
Kenyan researchers on Friday began a trial planting
of maize genetically modified to resist insects, saying it was a step toward reducing the 20 percent of crop lost every year
because of pests. The Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) says it hopes the variety will resist the Stem Borer larvae
which is blamed for the east African country dependence on maize imports, hitting the incomes of farmers and reducing food
security.
Large UK firms call on govt to do more to cut CO2 LONDON 28/5/2005 (Reuters)
A group of some of the UK's largest companies
has called on the British government to do more to help them reduce CO2 emissions, which are blamed for global warming. The
group, which includes oil giants BP Plc and Shell, utility Scottish Power and bank HSBC, said in a letter to Prime Minister Tony
Blair on Friday they wanted clearer policy and more incentives. They want the government to set targets for emissions trading
and other related policies beyond 2012, the end of the last period for when detailed targets have been published.
Biotech food debate spices up scientist meeting KANSAS CITY, Mo. 28/5/2005 (Reuters)
Critics of biotech foods spoke of stomach
lesions and dead lab rats while backers of the technology cited increased crop production and hopes for healthier foods in a
debate before a group of U.S. scientists on Thursday. 'We believe that the current version of genetically modified crops are
unsafe... they should be banned,' Jeffrey Smith, director of the Institute for Responsible Technology, told members of the
Association of Official Analytical Communities (AOAC).
***************************
Risk of eye disease cut with latest contact lenses
LONDON, March 22 (Reuters)
A new generation of contact
lenses can significantly reduce the risk of severe eye
infections, researchers said on Tuesday.
Wearers who keep their lenses in overnight can develop
keratitis inflammation or irritation of the cornea but
scientists found the new ones cut that risk fivefold.
"Those who choose to sleep in lenses should be advised to
wear silicone hydrogel lenses, which carry a five times
decreased risk of severe keratitis for extended wear compared
with hydrogel lenses," said Dr Philip Morgan of the University
of Manchester in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.
He and his colleagues studied 118 patients with different
degrees of keratitis in a year long study. Each person provided
details about the type of lens they used and whether or not they
slept with them.
Specialists determined the degrees of severity they
suffered. Four types of lenses rigid, hydrogel daily
disposable, hydrogel and silicone hydrogel were used in the
study.
The scientists found no difference in the risk of keratitis
among the four types of lenses in the people who wore them
during the day.
But patients who wore silicone hydrogel lens and slept with
them had a much lower risk of infection.
There are many types and causes of keratitis. It usually
results from bacteria or fungi after the cornea has been
scraped. It is typically treated with antivirals and
antibiotics. Untreated cases can cause permanent eye damage.
REUTERS
*****************
Reuters Science News Summary 15/3/05 Global Warming Threat Central to Policy-Britain
LONDON (Reuters)
Britain told the world's biggest
polluters including the United States Tuesday that only by
placing the environment at the heart of economic policy could
they prevent a crisis caused by global warming. Britain hosted
a two-day brainstorming on climate change by ministers and
senior officials from 20 countries in the run-up to a July
meeting of the eight most industrialized nations -- the G8
group -- currently led by London.
EPA to Let Utilities Trade Mercury Emissions -WPost
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Environmental Protection Agency
will issue a rule on Tuesday to cut U.S. utilities' emissions
of toxic mercury through a cap-and-trade system, The Washington
Post reported in Tuesday editions. The system would allow some
power plants to make deep pollution cuts while others make none
and was likely to be contested in court by environmental
groups, the newspaper said.
Bare Australian Sheep Might Spell End of Mulesing
SYDNEY (Reuters) - An apparent genetic mutation that has
left some Australian sheep with bare backsides could provide an
alternative to the controversial practice of 'mulesing' that
has outraged global animal rights groups. U.S. animal rights
group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has
called for a worldwide boycott of Australian wool over
mulesing, where folds of skin are cut away from a lamb's
backside so that a bald area develops.
Forget the Breath Mints, Eat Yogurt Instead
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)
New study findings suggest that
yogurt may be another weapon in the battle against bad breath.
'Yogurt intake may improve oral hygiene, namely tongue-coating
bacteria and halitosis,' study author Dr. Kenichi Hojo of
Tsurumi University in Yokohama, Japan told Reuters Health.
More Children May Be More Cavities for Mom
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For women, a bigger brood
brings a bigger risk of dental problems, new research reports.
The study found that U.S. women who had more children were more
likely to have periodontal disease, more missing teeth and more
untreated cavities.
Wyeth to Streamline Some Fen-Phen Claim Payments
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) Drugmaker Wyeth on Tuesday said a
U.S. District Court judge approved an amendment to a national
settlement of lawsuits over its recalled 'fen-phen' diet drugs
that would streamline the payment of $1.275 billion for the
least serious claims. The May 2004 amendment, which is still
subject to appeal, would create a new claims processing
structure, funding arrangement and payment schedule for the
least serious but most numerous claims, according to Wyeth.
Scientists Put Skin Cancer Cells Into Endless Coma
LONDON (Reuters) Instead of removing skin cancer cells
with surgery or killing them with drugs, scientists said
Tuesday they have tricked them into a permanent coma that could
open up a new way to treat the disease. In laboratory studies,
researchers at the Marie Curie Research Institute in Britain
reactivated a natural self-defense mechanism that is shut off
in skin cancer cells and forced them into a state of
senescence, or coma, stopping them from dividing and growing.
Most Women Ill Informed About Stroke
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Despite the fact that stroke is
one of the most common killers, most women -- and particularly
minority women -- can't recognize its warning signs, according
to new research released Tuesday. U.S. investigators found that
only one quarter of women 65 or older -- who are most at risk
-- were well informed about the warning signs of stroke and how
to prevent it.
Study Says Mountain Living Good for Heart and Health
LONDON (Reuters) - If you want to live longer and lower the
risk of heart disease, a move to the mountains may help.
Research by scientists in Greece shows that mountain dwelling
is good for the heart and longevity. People living at higher
altitude have lower odds of dying from heart disease than those
closer to sea level, even if they have factors that could
increase their risk.
Diabetes Not Tied to Increased Lung Cancer Risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - While studies have shown that
the rate of some cancers is increased in patients with
diabetes, the risk of lung cancer apparently is not, according
to UK researchers. Dr. Gillian C. Hall of Grimsdyke House,
Barnet, and colleagues investigated the hypothesis that the
rate of lung cancer is elevated in patients with diabetes.
EU Obesity Taskforce to Fight 'Expanding Waistline'
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU regulators joined forces with
Europe's advertisers and food industry Tuesday to tackle an
alarming rise in obesity, particularly among children.
Agri-food companies, consumer bodies and nutrition experts from
the EU's executive Commission will all contribute to a new
think-tank set up to study obesity and recommend remedies.
Malt Liquor Drink of Homeless and Unemployed -Study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Malt liquor, a type of beer that is
higher in alcohol than other brews, is largely a drink of the
homeless and unemployed, and is likely to be abused, U.S.
researchers reported on Monday. And malt liquor is heavily
marketed to black and Hispanic youth, the team at Charles R.
Drew University of Medicine and Science in California found.
Anti-Cancer Compound in Green Tea Identified
LONDON (Reuters) - Spanish and British scientists have
discovered how green tea helps to prevent certain types of
cancer. Researchers at the University of Murcia in Spain (UMU)
and the John Innes Center (JIC) in Norwich, England have shown
that a compound called EGCG in green tea prevents cancer cells
from growing by binding to a specific enzyme.
**********************
CANCER
By Maggie Fox. WASHINGTON, March 15 (Reuters)
Lung cancer patients given Genentech Inc.'s targeted drug Avastin along with standard
chemotherapy lived longer, the U.S. National Cancer Institute
said on Monday, sending the company's shares up 25 percent and
raising hopes for treatment of an almost always fatal cancer.
Patients who got Avastin along with the standard chemo
drugs paclitaxel and carboplatin lived a median of 12.5 months
compared to 10.2 months for patients given standard
chemotherapy alone, said the NCI, which sponsored the study.
The results were published early because they were so
important for a cancer that has a dismal cure rate, the NCI
said. Additional details of the trial will be released at a
meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in
Orlando, Florida, in May.
The news prompted a buying frenzy in Genentech
shares, during which about $11.5 billion was added to the
company's market value during the final hour of trading.
The stock closed up 24.77 percent, or $10.92, at $55 on the
New York Stock Exchange. It carried along share prices in
general and biotechnology stocks in particular, boosting the
American Stock Exchange Biotechnology index <.BTK> by nearly 5
percent.
The gains bled over into shares of Biogen Idec and
Imclone Systems , which closed 3.6 percent on Monday.
Shares of Protein Design Labs , which earns royalties
on sales of several antibody-based drugs, including Avastin,
rose 14 percent to close at $16.41 on Nasdaq.
'EXCITING RESULTS'
"The exciting results of this randomized study reveal, for
the first time, an improvement in survival with the addition of
a targeted agent to standard chemotherapy in this patient
population," said Dr. Alan Sandler, of Vanderbilt University
Medical Center in Nashville, who led the study.
Avastin, known generically as bevacizumab, is a monoclonal
antibody -- a laboratory-made immune system protein designed to
interfere with vascular endothelial growth factor. Tumors use
VEGF to build blood vessels to feed themselves.
This class of drug may hold promise for treatment of a
number of different kinds of cancer, experts said. "In
combination with standard therapies, they (monoclonals) can be
used for a variety of cancers, leading to increased patient
survival," said NCI Director Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach.
Dr. Hal Barron, Genentech's senior vice president, said the
company would seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval
to market Avastin for lung cancer.
The company also said it would test Avastin against
advanced kidney, breast and ovarian cancers, and as an early
therapy against a range of tumors and blood cancers.
For the study, 878 patients with advanced non-squamous,
non-small cell lung cancer who had not been given any
chemotherapy were given either standard treatment -- six cycles
of paclitaxel and carboplatin -- or got Avastin as well.
Patients who got Avastin were slightly more likely to
suffer life-threatening or fatal bleeding, mostly from the
lungs, the NCI said.
"This was a subpopulation of patients with non-small-cell
lung cancer so it doesn't apply to all patients with
non-small-cell lung cancer," cautioned the NCI's Dr. Scott
Saxman, who oversees clinical trials. Patients with squamous
cell cancers tended to bleed when given Avastin in earlier
trials, and no one knows why, he said.
BIGGEST CANCER KILLER
Lung cancer is by far the biggest cancer killer in the
United States and much of the world, affecting an estimated
172,570 people in the United States alone and killing more than
163,000. The World Health Organization says more than 1.2
million people get lung cancer each year and 1.1 million die.
Avastin is also approved for colon cancer.
"This puts fuel behind Avastin," said Sena Lund, an analyst
at Cathay Financial LLC.
He projected peak Avastin sales of $500 million to $700
million sales in lung cancer alone. The drug, launched just
over a year ago, had sales of $554.5 million in 2004. **********************
Reuters Science 21 february 2005
Environmental Change May Be Boosting Diseases - UN
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Environmental changes wrought by
population movement, destruction of habitats and other factors
may be behind a resurgence of infectious diseases, a United
Nations study says. A rise in cases of diseases such as malaria
and dengue fever, and the recent crossover to humans of others
such as the Nipah virus, are linked to a host of changes that
create more favorable conditions for their spread, according to
a report by the U.N. Environmental Programme (UNEP) issued on
Monday.
Camera-Mounted Spectacles May Restore Sight - EU
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A small camera mounted on spectacles
and connected to the optical nerve could restore the sight of
thousands of people suffering from deterioration of the retina,
European scientists said on Monday. The medical advance has the
potential to help over 300,000 Europeans whose sight is
impaired as the thin layer of tissue which lines the eye and
processes images deteriorates, Belgian Professor Claude Veraart
told a news conference.
Bush Disappoints Europe with Climate Change Ideas
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - President Bush on Monday disappointed
European environmental activists who had hoped for a wider
commitment from the world's largest polluter to fighting global
warming. 'This is as groundbreaking as saying that Brussels has
bad weather and good chocolate,' said Greenpeace climate expert
Mahi Sideridou.
Think It's Possible to Predict Quakes? Think Again
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Think scientists are close to being
able to predict earthquakes? Think again, U.S. quake experts
said on Sunday. The magnitude 9 quake off the Indonesian island
of Sumatra that triggered December's devastating tsunami was a
potent reminder that while it is easy to say where big quakes
will happen, pinning it down to a day, a week or even a decade
has proved impossible, they said.
Shipping, Not Drilling, Main Oil Risk for Arctic
HELSINKI (Reuters) - A major oil spill from a tanker is the
main danger to the Arctic environment if oil exploration
increases in the region, not drilling which is increasingly
clean, the author of an eight-nation survey said. 'Shipping has
always had risk associated with it, mariners have known that
for centuries. There is no such thing as a safe ship -- the
Titanic was one,' said Dennis Thurston, one of two lead writers
of the study, due to be published next year.
********************** Reuters Science News Summary 11/2/05
It's a Warmer World, But Does That Mean Armageddon?
OSLO (Reuters) - When bears wake early from hibernation,
Australia suffers its worst drought in 100 years and multiple
hurricanes hammer Florida should we believe The End is nigh?
That's the nub of a debate over the human impact on global
warming that pits scientists who say such anomalies are signs
of impending doom against those who say they are evidence that
the earth's climate has always been chaotic.
NASA Still Debating Space Shuttle In-Flight Repairs
CAPE CANAVERAL (Reuters) - Just three months before
launching the first space shuttle mission in two years, NASA
is still undecided about which techniques for in-flight repair
on the heat shield to test to ensure the Columbia accident is
not repeated. After the 2003 Columbia disaster, which blew up
the spacecraft and killed seven astronauts, NASA is putting a
high priority on showing it will never be caught again without
options to repair a shuttle in orbit. The heat shield repair
techniques are a crucial part of the Discovery mission, due to
launch on May 14.
Hot and Bothered Australian Spiders Head Indoors
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australians have been warned: angry
arachnids are heading indoors. Scientists say Australia's hot,
humid and wet summer has had a bad effect on common, but
potentially deadly, redback spiders.
Asia Quake, Tsunami Moved Islands, Shortened Days
JAKARTA (Reuters) - The massive earthquake that triggered
the Asian tsunami wobbled the earth on its axis, forced
cartographers back to the drawing board and changed time by a
fraction, but there's no need to adjust your clocks. Six weeks
after the tsunami that may have killed 300,000 people on the
shores of the Indian Ocean, scientists are discovering more
about the changes wrought by the magnitude 9 quake, the
fourth-largest in the last century.
German 'Homosexual' Penguins Spark Gay Protest
BERLIN (Reuters) - A plan by a German zoo to test the
sexual appetites of a group of suspected homosexual penguins
has sparked outrage among gay and lesbian groups, who fear
zookeepers might force them to turn straight. 'All sorts of gay
and lesbian associations have been e-mailing and calling in to
protest,' said a spokesman for the zoo in the northwestern city
of Bremerhaven on Friday.
2005 Could Be Warmest Year Recorded -- NASA
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A weak El Nino and human-made
greenhouse gases could make 2005 the warmest year since records
started being kept in the late 1800s, NASA scientists said this
week. While climate events like El Nino -- when warm water
spreads over much of the tropical Pacific Ocean --affect global
temperatures, the increasing role of human-made pollutants
plays a big part.
Heavy Rains Kill 130 in Pakistan, Dam Bursts
QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - More than 130 people have been
killed across Pakistan in the heaviest rains in 16 years that
caused a dam to burst, provincial officials said on Friday.
Authorities rushed thousands of troops to join rescue
operations in the remote southwestern Baluchistan province,
where some 20,000 people had been affected by the floods, said
Raziq Bugti, a government spokesman in the province said.
US Offers Guidelines for Commercial Space Travel
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Aspiring space tourists got some
proposed guidelines on Thursday from the U.S. government,
including advice to get a physical exam before traveling and to
accept the risks involved by signing a form. The draft Federal
Aviation Administration guidelines also suggest operators of
reusable space ships should inform their passengers of the
vehicle's safety record and provide safety training before the
launch, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said.
Rich Polluters Need to Show Better Example -- UN
BERLIN (Reuters) - Rich nations are setting a bad example
to the developing world by failing to cut emissions of
heat-trapping gases under a landmark U.N. plan to curb global
warning, the United Nations climate change chief said.
'Developing countries have taken the position very firmly up to
now that industrial countries should take the lead. They
haven't shown leadership and they haven't shown yet that they
are meeting their commitments,' Joke Waller-Hunter, executive
secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change, told Reuters in an interview.
Aleutian Oil Spill Now Biggest in Alaska Since 1989
ANCHORAGE (Reuters) - A cargo ship that ran aground, split
in two and poured fuel oil into the Bering Sea in December
ranks as one of the biggest spills in Alaska and the largest
since the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster, state environmental
officials said on Thursday. Among the reported environmental
impacts of the wreck of the Malaysian-flagged Selendang Ayu,
which ran aground in Alaska's Aleutian island chain, are 1,600
dead birds and oil in the plumage of bald eagles and the fur of
red foxes.
REUTERS
Summary of science 20 january 2005
National Zoo Still Struggling, Report Finds
WASHINGTON (Reuters)
- The National Zoo in Washington,
plagued by a string of animal deaths including red pandas
poisoned by rat bait, is improving but staff still needs basic
animal care training, the National Research Council said
Wednesday. The report was the last by the council, part of the
National Academy of Sciences, requested last year by Congress
to assess the institution following a series of high-profile
animal deaths at the nation's flagship zoo.
NASA Rover Finds Meteorite on Mars
LOS ANGELES (Reuters)
- The Mars rover Opportunity has
discovered what scientists said was the first meteorite of any
type ever identified on another planet. Opportunity encountered
the basketball-sized hunk of iron and nickel during a study of
its landing site on the Meridiani Planum, and used its onboard
instruments to confirm the meteorite's origins, principal
scientist Steve Squyres said on Wednesday.
Scientists Peer Into Circuitry of Live Animal Brain
LONDON (Reuters)
- Microscopic imaging techniques have
enabled scientists to delve deep into the brain of a living
animal to see how visual circuitry works. By combining two
imaging methods, researchers at Harvard Medical School in
Massachusetts produced time-lapse images that gave them a
close-up look at the inner workings of the brain -- an
achievement that could improve understanding of complex
illnesses like epilepsy, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
Global Warming Melts Winter Joy at Top Resort
GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany (Reuters)
- Global warming
is more than just a theory to Germany's most famous winter
resort, where a worrisome shortage of snow in recent decades
has forced the Alpine village to reinvent itself.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen gained worldwide fame as the venue for
the 1936 winter Olympics, but the picturesque town of 27,000
has now become more reliant on summer tourism because rain
falls more often than snow in winter.
U.S. Air Force Excited About Near-Space Prospects
WASHINGTON (Reuters)
- The U.S. Air Force could start
operating aircraft in 'near space,' the no man's land above
65,000 feet but below an outer space orbit, within a year, a
top U.S. Air Force space official said on Tuesday. The Air
Force is actively exploring ways to use helium-filled
free-floating balloons and remotely controlled glider-like
aircraft to protect U.S. convoys, track friendly forces, assess
battle damage and boost communications between groups of troops
in military hot spots like Iraq.
Folic Acid May Prevent High Blood Pressure
CHICAGO (Reuters)
- Folic acid supplements, widely used by
women to prevent birth defects, also may fight hypertension in
women, perhaps because they relax blood vessels, researchers
said on Tuesday. Folic acid occurs naturally in substances such
as orange juice and leafy green vegetables and is added to some
products, but only high-dose supplements seem to affect blood
pressure, the report said.
A mystery disease is killing off
yellow-eyed penguin chicks in New Zealand in a fresh blow to efforts to conserve the world's rarest member of the
penguin family, a conservation group said on Thursday. BirdLife International said the disease, which has baffled
local scientists, had killed up to 80 percent of this spring's chick's in the worst affected areas on New Zealand's
South Island.
New Finds Unearthed at Reputed Jesus Miracle Site JERUSALEM (Reuters)
Archaeologists in Jerusalem have
unearthed a paved assembly area and water channel at the site of a pool where some Christians believe Jesus gave
sight to a blind man, Israel's Antiquities Authority said on Thursday. The discovery allows them to build a better
picture of what the Siloam Pool might have looked like nearly 2,000 years ago -- suggesting it was meant for ritual
immersion rather than for use as a reservoir as some have thought.
China's Next Manned Spaceship to Launch in Sept BEIJING (Reuters)
China plans to launch its second manned
space flight, a five-day mission with two astronauts aboard, in September next year, state media reported Thursday.
Fighter pilot Yang Liwei, who became China's first man in space in October 2003 when he circled the earth 14 times
aboard the Shenzhou V spacecraft, was among a pool of 14 astronauts in training for the new mission, to be called
Shenzhou VI.
UK-Led Team Traces Amundsen's South Pole Route LONDON (Reuters)
A team of explorers reached the
South Pole on Wednesday after becoming the first adventurers to retrace the steps of Norwegian pioneer Roald
Amundsen. By completing the journey in 37 days, they set a new standard for the route between the foot of the
Trans-Antarctic mountains and up The Devils Glacier, a path Amundsen used to become the first man to reach the
South Pole in 1911.
If Crickets Live Fast They Die Young LONDON (Reuters)
If male crickets live fast they die young, researchers
have concluded. Scientists in Australia fed one group of field crickets a protein-rich diet and another group a
protein-poor diet.
Santa Workshop Said Under Threat from N.Pole Thaw OSLO (Reuters)
Santa may have to move his workshop
from the North Pole because global warming is thawing the ice beneath his elves' and reindeers' feet. 'Santa's
workshop is in dire straits. The platform for the workshop is melting,' Stefan Norris, of the WWF environmental
group's Arctic Program, said on Wednesday.
Spacecraft Sees Infant Galaxies in Aging Universe WASHINGTON (Reuters)
Billions of years after a galactic
'baby boom,' a NASA spacecraft has detected dozens of newborn galaxies in Earth's part of the universe. These
unexpected cosmic infants were discovered with the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, which managed to spy them
because of the massive amounts of ultraviolet light they emit as they furiously form stars out of gas, astronomers said
on Tuesday.
EU Cuts 2005 Fish Quotas to Save Depleted Species BRUSSELS (Reuters)
The EU ordered minor cuts in
2005 national fish catches Wednesday, rejecting proposals to shut fishing grounds in favor of more limits on the time
trawlers can hunt for depleted species like cod. In a bid to secure a deal that would give chronically low stocks a
chance to recover, the European Commission had wanted to ban cod fishing in several areas, mainly in the North
Sea.
