Filters close
Released: 12-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
U of Minnesota research puts glacier theory of evolution on ice
University of Minnesota

Glaciers have been regarded as catalysts for the multiplication of species around the globe. Now, new research at the University of Minnesota casts doubt on this general theory and points to a more complicated evolutionary history for birds and other animals.

Released: 12-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Purdue business course makes students cyber-savvy
Purdue University

A new course in electronic commerce at Purdue University's Krannert Graduate School of Management is preparing students to do business in the 21st century.

Released: 12-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
New Oral Insulin Delivery System Shows Promise
Purdue University

Researchers at Purdue University have developed an oral delivery method for insulin that may eliminate a diabetic's need to take insulin injections.

Released: 12-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Emergency Physicians Convention in San Francisco: Focus on Clinical and Technological Innovations, the Future of Emergency Medicine, and Managed Care
American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)

The American College of Emergency Physicians, a medical specialty association of more than 19,000 members, will hold its premier annual conventionóScientific Assemblyófrom Thursday, October 16, until Sunday, October 19, in San Francisco, California. As the world's most comprehensive forum for emergency medicine education, the convention will consist of 4 days of curriculum with more than 240 presentations, more than 500 exhibits, and a Research Forum that will present poster and oral presentations of original emergency medicine research.

Released: 12-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Vital Statistics Report Shows Significant Gains In Health
National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS, CDC)

Broad gains in the nation's health, including a dramatic decline in the AIDS death rate as well as continued decline in the teen birth rate, was reported today by HHS' Centers for Disease control and prevention.

Released: 12-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
ORNL-developed technology means business for Lambda
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The Vari-Wave microwave heating system, an award-winning technology developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, provides controlled and selective features not possible with conventional heating or traditional microwave techniques.

Released: 12-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Hopkins Researchers Study Space Flight's Effects on Blood Vessels
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Are astronauts at risk of developing coronary artery disease from spending time in space, or can their blood vessels adapt to the change in gravity? To find out, Johns Hopkins researchers are preparing a cargo of special cells to board the shuttle Atlantis for a 10-day trip including a stop at space station Mir. The shuttle is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Sept. 25.

   
Released: 12-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Study Casts Doubt on Effectiveness of TB Vaccine
Stanford Medicine

The tuberculosis vaccine known as BCG has been given to more people worldwide than any other vaccine, yet its effectiveness remains controversial. A new analysis by researchers at Stanford School of Medicine suggests that the bacterial strains used in current BCG vaccines have evolved in the laboratory and are now considerably weaker -- and less likely to provide protection from tuberculosis -- than the original vaccine developed about 75 years ago in France.

Released: 12-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Intercourse Not a Risk Factor for Premature Labor
University of Illinois Chicago

Some expectant parents fear that intercourse during pregnancy may cause premature labor. But a study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine found that there is no direct and clear link between sexual intercourse and spontaneous labor.

12-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Better Maternal Nurturing Mean Better Physical and Physiologic Response to Stress for Adult Rats, Reported in Science
Emory University Woodruff Health Sciences Center

The more newborn rat pups are licked and groomed by their mothers, the better equipped they are to handle acute stress in adulthood, report Emory University's Paul M. Plotsky, PhD, and his McGill University colleagues in the week's issue of Science.

Released: 11-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
New Scientist Press Release
New Scientist

Press release of issue dated 13 September for New Scientist, the international science and technology weekly news magazine.

Released: 11-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
New Research Confirms Green Tea Supplement Provides Best Antioxidant Protection
Pharmanex

Researchers at the University of Kansas have found new evidence confirming that a compound in a green tea supplement provides stronger damage protection of cells and their genetic material (DNA) than the well-known antioxidants vitamins E and C and the antioxidant compound in red wine. Announced today at the American Chemical Society annual meeting, the first side-by-side comparative antioxidant study led to an investigation of the protective power of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) against that of vitamins E and C, in addition to red wine and other teas.

Released: 11-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Presidential Awards For Mentoring Announced
National Science Foundation (NSF)

Ten individuals and nine institutions will receive the second annual Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) at a ceremony Sept. 11. The awards are administered and funded by the National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency responsible for supporting scientific research and education programs in science, mathematics, engineering and technology.

11-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Study Finds Osteoporosis Drug Prevents Additional Fractures in the Spine
Fleishman-Hillard, New York

Women with established osteoporosis who have already experienced a vertebral fracture may be able to reduce their risk of additional fractures in the spine by taking calcitonin-salmon, a currently available medication delivered via nasal spray, according to a new study presented this week at the annual scientific meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

Released: 11-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Basin traps air pollution in Mexico City -- International Study has implications for U.S. cities
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

The first detailed measurements in Mexico City of pollutants such as peroxyacetal nitrate show concentrations similar to those that burned eyes and lungs in Los Angeles in the early 1970s, according to preliminary results of a field study conducted earlier this year. Peroxyacetal nitrate also is implicated in the production of ozone, another irritant that makes breathing difficult. The international study has implications for U.S. cities

Released: 11-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Electrically based technologies heat up the cleanup market
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Technologies that promise faster, cheaper and more effective cleanup of certain contaminated soils now are available commercially through a new company formed jointly by Battelle and Terra Vac Corporation of Irvine, Calif.

Released: 11-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource Reports--September Issue
Mayo Clinic

1) How to control heartburn; 2) Many solutions are available for stress urinary incontinence; 3) Later-age pregnancy means greater risks and greater benefits.

9-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
More Proof that Green Tea may Postpone Cancer, Heart Disease
University of Kansas

An antioxidant found in green tea is at least 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times better than vitamin E at protecting cells and their genetic material, DNA, from damage believed to be linked to cancer, heart disease and other potentially life-threatening illnesses, University of Kansas research shows.The antioxidant, known as epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, carries twice the antioxidant punch of resveratrol, found in red wine, according to the study.

6-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Fossils Show British Columbia Was Once 2,000 Miles South
University of Washington

Extinct sea creatures have provided evidence that about 80 million years ago the west began to wander. University of Washington paleontologist Peter Ward and his collaborators report in Science that the discovery of pearly fossil shells of ammonites on two islands off the coast of Vancouver Island indicate that British Columbia and southern Alaska were once where Baja California is today.

Released: 10-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
National Science Foundation Tipsheet 9-5-97
National Science Foundation (NSF)

1) Scientists will meet next week in California to plan an international experiment they hope will answer a pivotal question in climate change, 2)The National Science Board (NSB) continues this year to examine how the agency manages its proposal review process, 3) The National Science Foundation-supported ocean drilling vessel JOIDES Resolution has been roaming the African coastline so that scientists may better understand the climate of southern Africa.

Released: 10-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Pioneering Team Spending Winter Atop Greenland Ice Sheet
National Science Foundation (NSF)

Winter has already begun for a crew of four who will spend the entire season atop the Greenland ice sheet studying the weather at a remote outpost called Summit. The camp at the apex of the ice sheet, where the sun will set in November and not reappear until late January, is the first attempt supported by the National Science Foundation to over-winter in Greenland.

Released: 10-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Permanent Implants for Prostate Cancer, Radiation Therapy
American College of Radiology (ACR)

Studies covering topics ranging from the quality of life after permanent prostate implants to using radiation therapy to treat soft tissue sarcomas in children will be presented at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. The meeting will be held in Orlando, FL October 19-23 at the Orange County Convention Center.

Released: 10-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
University's Turnaround Cited As National Model
University of Evansville

The University of Evansville in Indiana as being cited as a case study of how a university on the brink of disaster 10 years ago has turned itself into an academically and financially sound institution. Educational Securities, Inc., is using the University of Evansville's successful 10-year turnaround as the first document in its just-released Best Practices briefing series, designed to help other educational institutions overcome similar problems.

5-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Relaxing News About Damaged Hair
American Chemical Society (ACS)

Whether you perm, straighten, style or just brush your hair, you're eroding its protective cuticle layer and, eventually, breaking hair strands. Now scientists have, for the first time, figured out the step-by-step chemical effect of hair relaxers on curly hair, leading to new uses for polymers to protect your hair. The new research was presented here today at a national meeting of the American Chemical Society. Embargoed for 9-9-97, 7:00 PM EDT

5-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Attic Dust Probed For Nuclear Fallout
American Chemical Society (ACS)

People are always amazed at what they find in their attics, but the latest discovery is that dust in the attics of some older homes in Nevada and Utah contain trace amounts of radioactivity left over from above-ground nuclear testing northwest of Las Vegas in the 1940s and 1950s. The researchers stressed that the radioactivity is low enough that the dust poses no direct danger to area residents. Embargoed for 9-10-97, 1:00 PM EDT

Released: 9-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Causes of Heart Disease a Mystery to Many
University of Illinois Chicago

Many patients with heart ailments do not recognize smoking, high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels as risk factors for their own condition, according to a study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and two other institutions.

Released: 9-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Hopkins professor makes career choices his job
 Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins sociologist John Holland has been working since the 1950s on the theory of career choices, why people choose the jobs they choose.

Released: 9-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Anti-Cancer Tablet Tested at UIC Institute
University of Illinois Chicago

As the University of Illinois at Chicago's Institute for Tuberculosis Research celebrates its 50th anniversary, researchers here are moving forward to identify components of the tuberculosis vaccine, BCG, that are effective in the treatment of cancers when taken orally.

Released: 9-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
UIC Study Finds Sleep Apnea Problems in African-American Children
University of Illinois Chicago

African-American children with obstructive sleep apnea have significantly lower blood-oxygen levels compared to other groups, according to a study by sleep disorder researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.

Released: 9-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
'He Says - She Says' sells books, but doesn't stand up to research
Purdue University

If there is life on Mars, it won't include those insensitive men popularized in best-selling books and on talk shows, a Purdue University communication expert says. "The popular notion that men and women are from different planets so to speak ó and thus they have trouble communicating with each other ó is a fallacy," says Brant Burleson, professor of communication.

5-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Evidence Of Tobacco Carcinogen In Non-Smokers Passively Exposed To Cigarette Smoke
American Chemical Society (ACS)

New research shows, for the first time under real-life conditions, evidence of a cancer-causing substance in non-smokers who work in smoke-filled rooms. That substance, called NNK, was biologically processed and its metabolite detected in their urine. The study is being presented here today at a national meeting of the American Chemical Society. Embargoed for 9-9-97, 4:30 PM EDT

5-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Honey heads off Meat's 'Warmed Over' Flavor, Boosts Shelf Life
American Chemical Society (ACS)

Honey has been used to cure meat for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. In modern times, food chemist Paul Dawson and his group at Clemson University in South Carolina are discovering this natural preservative also confers excellent protection against oxidation and boosts shelf life in popular processed meats. Their research was presented here today at a national meeting of the American Chemical Society. Embargoed for 9-8-97, 11:00 PM EDT

27-Aug-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Strict blood pressure control needed to stall kidney disease progression in African-Americans
American Heart Association (AHA)

African-Americans may need to become even stricter in controlling blood pressure if they hope to fight kidney disease, warn researchers today in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension.

Released: 8-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Paracel

Paracel Inc. today announced a new class of scientific computing for drug discovery that accelerates the analysis of genes that cause disease by as much as 1,000 times over traditional computing alternatives. The GeneMatcherô computer system will be introduced at the Ninth Genome Sequencing and Analysis Conference, Hilton Head, S.C., Sept. 13-16. Embargoed: Sept. 13

   
5-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Enzymes,Ethnicity Create Dramatic Differences In Codeine's Effectiveness In Humans
American Chemical Society (ACS)

The pain-relieving drug codeine is totally ineffective in some ethnic groups -- including one in ten whites -- according to new findings presented here today at a national meeting of the American Chemical Society. The report shows a variety of differences in the drug's effectiveness and side effects, based on a person's ethnicity. Embargoed for 9-8-97, 7:00 PM EDT

5-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Move Over, Red Wine: Peanuts Contain Heart-Healthy Compounds
American Chemical Society (ACS)

You've heard that small doses of red wine may be good for your health. Now, United States Department of Agriculture scientists say that peanuts may contain the heart- healthy chemical compound --resveratrol -- important in red wine. The latest findings that edible peanuts also contain resveratrol were presented here today at a national meeting of the American Chemical Society. Embargoed for 9-8-97, 11PM EDT

27-Aug-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Dental health, chronic infections double brain attack risk
American Heart Association (AHA)

Dental infections and other chronic infections such as bronchitis more than double the risk of having a stroke or "brain attack," according to a study by German researchers reported in today's American Heart Association journal Stroke.

Released: 5-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Forecast Outlook For Women In Chemistry
American Chemical Society (ACS)

Chemist and former U.S. Department of Commerce Undersecretary Mary L. Good, Ph.D., will address a historic gathering of women chemists at the national meeting of the world's largest scientific society, the American Chemical Society, in Las Vegas Sept. 9. To honor 70 years of actions by the Society's Women Chemists Committee, Dr. Good, a past president of the Society, will speak on the historic and future challenges faced by women chemists as they enter the 21st century.

5-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
One Step Closer To Ultralow-Emission Automobiles
American Chemical Society (ACS)

A new application of a chemical process called sol-gel technology shows promise for making automobile catalytic converters dramatically more efficient in reducing harmful air pollution emissions, by targeting the first minute-and-a-half in which your car is running after a cold start, according to research presented here today at a national meeting of the American Chemical Society. Embargoed for 9-9-97, 1 PM EDT

Released: 5-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Expert Scientists Advise Tomorrow's Chemists, Forecast Future Knowledge Needs
American Chemical Society (ACS)

Emerging chemistry challenges -- from new, incurable diseases to global climate change -- may have few solutions today. But they're just what tomorrow's chemists will face in the year 2020. What will the young chemists of today need to learn to be prepared for the chemistry challenges of tomorrow? That's the subject of a special Presidential symposium to be held Sept. 8 at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, in Las Vegas.

Released: 5-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
New training program to help countries stop smugglers
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Border and customs agents from Hungary, Slovakia and the former Soviet Union will be coming to Washington state this fall to participate in a new training program designed to prevent smuggling of items ranging from blue jeans to nuclear eactor components.

Released: 5-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Study finds no connection between fast food and obesity
Purdue University

Some good news is out this week for the fast food industry. A comparison of data on fast-food consumption and rising obesity has found a surprising wrinkle: There doesn't appear to be much of a link, at least in terms of large populations.

Released: 5-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Pawpaw Shows Promise In Fighting Drug-Resistant Tumors
Purdue University

A Purdue University researcher has found compounds in the bark of the pawpaw tree that have shown some success in fighting drug-resistant cancers. Details will be presented Thursday, Sept. 11 at the American Chemical Society national meeting in Las Vegas.

5-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Discovery of Genetic Pathways May Provide New Ways to Combat Candida Infections
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

A new study has uncovered the genetic wiring diagram underlying the infectiousness of Candida albicans, a fungus that causes thrush in babies, vaginal infections in women, and life-threatening infections in chemotherapy and AIDS patients. The study, led by Dr. Gerald R. Fink, Director of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, reveals that one key to Candidaís infectiousness lies in its ability to switch from a rounded form to filamentous forms. When the wiring diagram underlying this switch is inactivated, Candida infections are no longer deadly in mice.

Released: 4-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
New Scientist Press Release
New Scientist

Press release of issue dated 6 September for New Scientist, the international science and technology weekly news magazine.

Released: 4-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Hubble Telescope finds Vesta crater
Cornell University

Proving that even minor planets can survive cosmic fender-benders, astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have discovered a large crater - with an estimated diameter at 285 miles and about 8 miles deep - on the asteroid Vesta. The crater is roughly the diameter of Ohio, and may be the source of many meteorites that reach the earth.

Released: 4-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Utility deregulation could prompt innovation
Cornell University

Consumers can expect "unimagined innovation" as electric utility deregulation brings competitive suppliers to local distribution companies, Cornell University economist Richard E. Schuler is predicting. New technologies, materials and the packaging of all telecommunications and energy services in one super cable are possible outcomes of healthy competition among rival utility providers, he says.

Released: 4-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Gene Found for Crippling Neurologic Disorder
Mount Sinai Health System

A research team led by investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has identified and cloned the gene responsible for early-onset dystonia, a crippling, inherited neurological disorder that begins in childhood. The discovery, announced in the September issue of Nature Genetics, is the culmination of more than 15 years of work and contains important clues that could lead to better understanding of the disease and possible preventive treatments.

Released: 4-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Female fruit flies pay a high cost for mating but not for egg-laying
University of Georgia

When it comes to reproductive fitness, it seems that mother knows best -- at least when mother is the common fruit fly. But two scientists have found that the act of mating is far more harmful to females than the act of egg laying. The study may give clues to how females help control their own reproductive fitness, according to a University of Georgia geneticist who is co-author of the research, to be published in the journal Evolution.

Released: 4-Sep-1997 12:00 AM EDT
Heart problems in victims of tropical disease may not be caused by autoimmune rejection; new treatment indicated
University of Georgia

New evidence by scientists from the University of Georgia indicates that victims of a common tropical disease may be receiving inadequate treatment because of a major misunderstanding of how the illness progresses.



close
5.11187