For years, pear-shaped people who carry weight in the thighs and backside have been told they are at lower risk for high blood pressure and heart disease than apple-shaped people who carry fat in the abdomen. But new findings from nutrition researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggest body-shape comparisons don't completely explain risk.

In two studies, they report excess liver fat appears to be the real key to insulin resistance, cholesterol abnormalities and other problems that contribute to diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Having too much fat stored in the liver is known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

New images taken by instruments on board ESA's Venus Express provide a unique insight into the windy atmosphere of our neighbouring planet and reveal that global patterns at the Venus cloud tops are the result of variable temperatures and cloud heights.

Using the spacecraft's ultraviolet and infrared cameras, the Venus Express team, including UK scientists, have been able to compare what the planet looks like at different wavelengths, allowing them to study the physical conditions and dynamics of the planet's atmosphere. These results appear today (4th December) in the journal Nature.

Can radiation from cell phones affect memory?

The debate continues but in rat experiments done at the Division of Neurosurgery, Lund University, in Sweden, Henrietta Nittby studied rats that were exposed to mobile phone radiation for two hours a week for more than a year and says these rats had poorer results on a memory test than rats that had not been exposed to radiation.

The memory test consisted of releasing the rats in a box with four objects mounted in it. These objects were different on the two occasions, and the placement of the objects was different from one time to the other.

No one really feels left out if they don't have an iPod.  An MP3 player is nice to have but not essential to the human condition.   But Spanish researchers who have carried out a study looking into the potential future impact of robots on society say that the enormous automation capacity of robots and their ability to interact with humans will cause a technological imbalance over the next 12 years - between those who have them and those who do not.

NEW YORK, December 5 /PRNewswire/ --

IPSA International, Inc. (IPSA), an international investigative consulting firm, announced today a strategic partnership with Complinet, the leading provider of dynamic and connected risk and compliance solutions to the global financial services industry. The partnership will mutually benefit both firms by offering clients an all-inclusive risk vetting and enhanced due diligence solution to minimize a company's risk exposure.

If there is a bailout of the Big Three, it should include alternative energy metrics against which the three companies compete for better loan repayment terms. The company that most rapidly converts its’ entire fleet to an average of 45 mpg, starts mass production of electric plug in and electric hybrid cars should have significantly better terms – including forgiveness of most of the loans – than the company that comes in second. There has been much discussion about whether America can afford to allow its’ auto industry to go down the tubes. This implies that the Big Three represent the totality of America’s automotive production.

All of us have experienced being in a new place and feeling certain that we have been there before. This mysterious feeling, commonly known as déjà vu, occurs when we feel that a new situation is familiar, even if there is evidence that the situation could not have occurred previously. For a long time, this eerie sensation has been attributed to everything from paranormal disturbances to neurological disorders. However, in recent years, as more scientists began studying this phenomenon, a number of theories about déjà vu have emerged, suggesting that it is not merely a glitch in our brain's memory system. 

BROOMFIELD, Colorado, December 5 /PRNewswire/ --

Level 3 Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: LVLT), a leading international provider of fiber-based communications services, has elected Jeff K. Storey as president and chief operating officer effective December 8. Storey will be based at the company's headquarters in Broomfield, Colo., and will report to James Q. Crowe, chief executive officer. Storey brings more than 25 years of experience in the telecommunications industry to Level 3.

NEW DELHI, India, December 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Elsevier, the world's leading publisher of scientific information, announced today the winners of the third annual Scopus Young Indian Scientist Award. Prof. J J Theo Groothuizen, ST Counsellor, Embassy of Netherlands, presided over the award ceremony, held at Le Meridien in New Delhi.

REHOVOT, Israel and JERSEY CITY, New Jersey, December 5 /PRNewswire/ --

- First Tests Based on the Company's Technology Expected to be Introduced to the Market Shortly

- Initiates Research and Development of Blood-Based microRNA Tests for Various Types of Cancers Including Colon, Lung and Others

- Launches Rosetta Green, a microRNA-Based Plant Biotechnology Initiative, and Secured up to $1.5M for This Project From Private Investors Which Will be Invested as Certain Milestones are Reached

REHOVOT, Israel and JERSEY CITY, New Jersey, December 5 /PRNewswire/ --