A computer model estimate says it might be easier than previously thought for a planet to overheat into the scorchingly uninhabitable "runaway greenhouse" stage. That may mean some planets thought to be habitable right now actually are not.

Fibromyalgia, widespread general muscle pain and fatigue, has no known causes or effective treatments but small-fiber polyneuropathy (SFPN) has a clear pathology and is known to be caused by specific medical conditions, some of which can be treated and sometimes cured.  

In a small group of patients with fibromyalgia, about half were found to have damage to nerve fibers in their skin and other evidence of small-fiber polyneuropathy. 

Researchers can argue about the accuracy of old thermometers and how to pick the datapoints of numerical models, but radio waves can help clear some things up.

The ionosphere, one of the regions of the upper atmosphere ionized by solar radiation, is used for the transmission of long-wave communications, like radio waves. And it turns out that radio waves reflecting back to Earth from the ionosphere offer valuable news on climate change.

Satellite observations made from 1982 to 2010 found that warm, arid regions are getting greener. 

Breast reduction surgery has been linked to measurable improvements in several important areas of both physical health and quality of life, according to a new paper.

The study used the BREAST-Q© questionnaire, a well-validated survey instrument, to document the physical and psychosocial health benefits of breast reduction surgery. "The improvement in physical well-being is important for justification of insurance coverage," according to Dr. Michelle Coriddi and colleagues of Wexner Medical Center at the Ohio State University.

Researchers writing in Cell Regeneration report that they used induced pluripotent stem cells from urine to create a human tooth structure.

The integration-free human urine induced pluripotent stem cells were differentiated to epithelial sheets ( from the Greek meaning 'upon breast', since it was first considered the skin on the breast), one of the four types of tissue (others are nervous, muscle and collective tissue) and after 3 weeks they were able to get tooth-like structures using 8 different lines with a success rate of up to 30%. 

Though Oregon voters gave a thumbs down to a 2010 ballot measure to create state-certified marijuana dispensaries, the Legislature bucked that tyranny of the majority and made them legal this month.

Now the real work starts: how to certify them. 

Taxes reduce consumption and usage of the products being targeted, it is just often the case that it isn't reducing consumption among the people being targeted.

As a way to spur consumption of 'healthier' eating, societal food advocates have sought to tax sugary drinks. A paper by RTI International, Duke University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture instead finds that heavier taxes on sodas and juices is simply creating a government subsidy for other unhealthy foods - the reduction in sugary beverages due to a soda tax would likely lead consumers to substitute those calories by increasing their calorie, salt and fat intake from untaxed foods and beverages. 

A Toronto patient has become the second known person to have acquired synesthesia as a result of a brain injury, in this case a stroke. 

Synesthesia is a neurological condition in which people experience more than one sense at the same time. They may "see" words or numbers as colors, hear sounds in response to smells or feel something in response to sight. Most synesthetes are born with the condition. Famous authors and artists include composer Franz Liszt, painter Vasily Kandinsky, singer-songwriter Billy Joel and author Vladimir Nabakov.

Psychotherapy done over the Internet work is just as effective as face-to-face psychotherapy according to a new paper.

The authors from the University of Zurich assumed that the two forms of therapy were on a par but found that the results for online therapy even exceeded their expectations.