Allergies are on the rise and there are a number of theories why.  Some speculate that it's due to more parents getting kids tested for allergies; allergists will find allergies thta 40 years ago would have been dismissed as inconveniences.   Other speculation is that over-hyped concern about sterility regarding babies has weakened their immune system.

A study conducted in 2008 by the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg says diet may be the culprit.  

In Västra Götaland County in western Sweden, half of all teenagers are considered affected by asthma, nasal symptoms and eczema, almost 10 percentage points higher than when a similar study was conducted in 2000.

Who is least affected?  Those who eat more fish and butter.

Microbloggers are having trouble being interesting, a new study says.    So they write more often, just to have something to say.  The top 5 most frequent postings on microblogging sites like Twitter, Jaiku and Mobile Facebook are “working,” “home,” “work,” “lunch,” and “sleeping”.  Hardly the stuff that would seem enchanting to most - and it isn't.   Most newcomers drop out soon after registering.

Some scientists believe that Mars is red due to rocks being rusted by water that once flooded the planet.

That is not the case, say recent laboratory studies which show that red dust may be formed by ongoing grinding of surface rocks and liquid water need not have played any significant role in the formation process.  The data were presented at the European Planetary Science Congress by Dr Jonathan Merrison.

SHP-2, a common biological protein molecule, is central to placental growth and could hold the key to mitigating growth restriction of babies in the womb,  according to research is published today in Endocrinology.

In a survey conducted about patients’ expectations of electronic retina prostheses (retina implants) a decade ago, visually impaired or blind patients with degenerative retina conditions stated they would be happy if they were able to regain some mobility and recognize faces and read again.

According to the presentations given at the international symposium “Artificial Vision” September 19th, 2009 at the Wissenschaftszentrum Bonn, that's gotten a lot closer.

Scientists at a research institute in Austria are trying to figure out how life might evolve under different biochemistry conditions and with exotic solvents than what would exist on a world similar to Earth - think sulphuric acid instead of water.

Traditionally, planets that might sustain life are looked for in a ‘habitable zone’ - the region around a star in which Earth-like planets with carbon dioxide, water vapor and nitrogen atmospheres could maintain liquid water on their surfaces.