Fear ‘ups older people’s fall risk’

LONDON – A new study has found that fear of falling is likely to lead to future falls among older people, irrespective of their actual fall risk.

This indicates that measures of both actual and perceived fall risk should be included in fall risk assessments to help tailor interventions for preventing falls in older people, … Read more : Fear ‘ups older people’s fall risk’.

Muscular dystrophy gene mystery cracked

WASHINGTON – Scientists have made a critical advance in determining the cause of a common form of muscular dystrophy known as facioscapulohumeral dystrophy, or FSHD.

They have identified a DNA sequence in individuals with FSHD that causes a gene called DUX4 to be more active.

Previous work from this research team and others has shown … Original source on Gaea Times at : Muscular dystrophy gene mystery cracked.

60 whales die in New Zealand

WELLINGTON – About 60 pilot whales died after 73 of them got stranded on a beach in New Zealand Friday.

Fifteen whales were still alive but were in a fairly poor condition, Xinhua said. A spokesman said the Department of Conservation was working out a strategy to save them.
…. Source article on Gaea Times at  : 60 whales die in New Zealand.

Human neural stem cells ‘can restore mobility in chronic spinal cord injury cases’

WASHINGTON – In a first of its kind study, researchers have shown the reversal of long-term hind-limb paralysis.

The UC Irvine study demonstrated that human neural stem cells can restore mobility in cases of chronic spinal … Original article on : Human neural stem cells ‘can restore mobility in chronic spinal cord injury cases’.

Air travel safe for breast cancer survivors: Study

WASHINGTON – Women who have survived breast cancer can fly without any worries, says a new study.

University of Alberta researcher Margie McNeely said that the theory that breast cancer survivors are at a risk of lymphedema, is outdated.

Women have often been warned that post breast cancer, pressure changes in an airplane cabin could trigger lymphedema, … Read more >>.

Yoga better than walking for driving away anxiety, depression

WASHINGTON – Feeling down in the dumps? Try Yoga, for it is superior to other forms of exercise in its positive effect on mood and anxiety, says a new study.

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) compared the brain gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) levels of yoga subjects with those of participants who spent time walking.

Low GABA …. Original article  : Yoga better than walking for driving away anxiety, depression.

Prenatal exposure to pesticides linked to attention problems later in life

WASHINGTON – A new study has found that kids who were exposed to organophosphate pesticides while still in mother’s womb are more likely to develop attention disorders later in life.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, found that prenatal levels of the pesticides were related to attention problems at age 5, with the effects apparently … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Prenatal exposure to pesticides linked to attention problems later in life.

Now, ‘magic’ drug that treats severe depression in just few hours

WASHINGTON – Yale scientists have discovered a new drug that shows anti-depressant effects in hours, rather than weeks or months.

Yale scientists found that, in rats, ketamine not only quickly improves depression-like behaviours but also actually restores connections between brain cells damaged by chronic stress.

“It’s like a magic drug-one dose can work rapidly and last for …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Now, ‘magic’ drug that treats severe depression in just few hours.

Now, rapid meningitis test that can detect the brain disease within an hour

LONDON – A groundbreaking test for meningitis and septicaemia, which can tell if a child has the deadly diseases within an hour, has been developed by researchers.

The speed of the new test is vital because the first symptoms of meningitis are similar to a viral infection and therefore difficult to diagnose at an early stage.

However, …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Now, rapid meningitis test that can detect the brain disease within an hour.

Now, ‘happy chair’ to beat winter blues

LONDON – A student in Scotland has designed a special “happy chair” to give much-needed light therapy to people suffering the winter blues.

Chuang, Meng Jung decided to take action after noticing how the weather and natural light in Scotland differed from her home country of Taiwan.

After researching the British weather and its effects on the …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Now, ‘happy chair’ to beat winter blues.

‘Aquamation’, the greenest way to dispose off mortal remains

LONDON – For those who are keen to leave a light footprint on the Earth, here’s one way to accomplish it-”aquamation”, a new eco-alternative to burial and cremation.

With land for burials in short supply and cremation producing around 150 kilograms of carbon dioxide per body – and as much as 200 micrograms of toxic [..] Read the original article: here.

Drug to reverse muscle loss due to cancer created

LONDON – Scientists have created a molecule that could fully reverse the devastating muscle loss that often accompanies advanced cancer in mice and thereby increased the lifespan of animals with the disease.

The molecule blocks the activity of a key muscle-limiting protein called myostatin by acting as a decoy.

Instead of myostatin binding to its normal receptor … Read more : Drug to reverse muscle loss due to cancer created.

AIDS virus changes in semen make it different than what it is in blood

WASHINGTON – The HIV-1 virus that causes AIDS may undergo changes in the genital tract that make it different in semen than what it is in the blood, revealed a study led by researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Much of the transmission of HIV-1 worldwide is through sexual contact, men … Read more »»».

Growers say USDA must act soon after judge’s ruling raises questions about US sugar supply

Growers: USDA must act, prevent sugar supply issue

DES MOINES, Iowa – A judge’s ruling halting planting of genetically modified sugar beet seeds has left growers feeling uncertain as they wait for federal officials to decide the next step for a crop that provides half of the nation’s sugar supply.
Duane Grant, chairman of the board at …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Growers say USDA must act soon after judge’s ruling raises questions about US sugar supply.

Brain training boosts acting skills

LONDON – Daniel Day-Lewis spent months in a wheelchair to prepare for his role in ‘My Left Foot’. Similarly, many actors go to extreme lengths to get into their characters. But for actors, who think that all this is too much of hard work, they can use brain training to prepare instead.

As part of their …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Brain training boosts acting skills.

Oil munching bacteria not breaking down giant underwater oil-plume

WASHINGTON – A new study has confirmed the presence of a gigantic underwater oil plume in the Gulf of Mexico.

The plume has formed as a result of the BP oil spill and chances are that that it will persist for a long time.

Many scientists had predicted that oil-eating bacteria already present in the Gulf area … Read more »».

NASA’s LRO shows ‘moon may be shrinking’

WASHINGTON – NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft has revealed cliffs in the lunar crust indicating that the moon shrunk in the geologically recent past and might still be shrinking today.

The results provide important clues to the moon’s recent geologic and tectonic evolution.

The Moon was formed as a result of collisions between asteroids and meteors, …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Stomach bacteria need vitamin B6 to establish and maintain infection

WASHINGTON – Scientists have found that Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium that causes peptic ulcers and some forms of stomach cancer, requires vitamin B6 to establish and maintain chronic infection.

This finding, along with the identification of the enzyme the microbe requires to utilize the vitamin, could lead to the development of an entirely new class of [..] Read the original article: here.

Yucca Mountain’s likely demise becomes an issue in Washington state, SC politics

Nuke waste dump plays role in races outside Nevada
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration’s decision to bypass Nevada’s Yucca Mountain as a nuclear waste repository should give Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid a boost in his bid for a fifth term. The action is not doing another endangered Democrat, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, [..] Read the original article: here.

Iran nuclear threat not imminent, says US

WASHINGTON – The US has told Israel that Iran is not a direct nuclear threat in near future, citing evidence of continuing troubles inside Tehran’s atomic programme.

According to American officials, it would take roughly a year, and perhaps longer, for Iran to complete what one senior official called a “dash” for a nuclear weapon, The …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Iran nuclear threat not imminent, says US.