Dengue fever is a nasty disease found all over the tropics, with names like break-bone fever referring to the severity of the pain it causes.  It is carried mostly by the mosquito Aedes aegypti, but also by related species.  I have just read three reports on the BBC science site of techniques aimed at controlling the fever by attacking the mosquito in its sex life.

People who have survived severe trauma such as events during war, torture or sexual assault can experience after-effects, a condition called posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The symptoms may include anxiety, uncontrolled emotional reactions, nightmares, intrusive memories, sleep and concentration difficulties, evasion of situations that resemble the trauma, and feelings of shame or even  amnesia.

For many, the condition fades away with time but for some PTSD is a chronic condition that needs treatment, which typically involves drugs that help with anxiety and depression and/or psychotherapy.

A solution to the puzzle which came to be known as ‘Darwin’s Dilemma’ has been uncovered by scientists at the University of Oxford in a paper published in the Journal of the Geological Society. 

‘To the question of why we do not find rich fossiliferous deposits belonging to these…periods prior to the Cambrian system, I can give no satisfactory answer’, Charles Darwin wrote in On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life in 1859, summarizing what came to be known as ‘Darwin’s Dilemma’ – the lack of fossils in sediment from the Precambrian (c. 4500 – 542 Mya).

Orientation is a puzzle to neuroscience researchers and ever more puzzling to us.   If you've ever been lost, or even just in a strange place, you know the feeling of mild panic.  But once you get your bearings, that feeling goes away.   

Disorientation is unpleasant but our brain quickly sorts it out.  Some researcher suggests that animals and young children mainly rely on geometric cues (e.g. lengths, distances, angles) to help them get reoriented while adults can also make use of feature cues (e.g. color, texture, landmarks) in the surrounding area.

Your brain has two methods to compile detail and help you regain orientation, a built-in Global Positioning System (GPS).   But the question for psychologists is which method do we use more often?

Many of the battles to desegregate buses, water fountains and colleges were fought in public but some were virtually unknown and are just now getting attention.  

A new University of Georgia study reveals how two men traveled the Deep South, facing hostility and risking violence, to ensure that students received fair and impartial treatment when it came to standardized testing, an important barrier to getting into many universities even then.

LEEDS, England, January 9 /PRNewswire/ --

- 1st - 7th January 2009 Sees 25% Increase in Figures From Last Year!

MYA Cosmetic Surgery, one of the UK's leading cosmetic surgery providers, has reported a staggering 25% increase in enquiries compared to the same period last year. MYA looked at figures from the 1st - 7th January 2009 and compared them to the previous year. These figures support statements made last year from various companies in the industry that the current economic situation is having little or no impact in the demand for information, consultations made and cosmetic surgery procedures booked. In further support of this MYA also reports an increase in booked surgery in December 2008 compared to December 2007.

LONDON, January 9 /PRNewswire/ --

- With Photo

Looking for an extra source of income? Need a second job as the credit crunch bites? Start earning hard cash now on your own website, selling whatever you want with your own secure online shop.

PARIS, January 9 /PRNewswire/ -- In light of the turbulence that has hit US financial markets with global repercussions, Maurel Prom has decided to reassure its shareholders about its choice of investments.

A cautious approach has protected the company from the recent troubles. However, in such a difficult environment, the company will be pursuing a prudent policy in 2009.

Further information: http://www.maureletprom.com

LONDON, January 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Halcyon Software has today announced the launch of the latest version of Job Scheduler systems management application for the IBM System i range of servers. Job Scheduler v 4.0 is designed to enable systems operators of all levels to create and run advanced scheduling patterns tailored to suit a company's specific business operations. V6R1 compliant and including advanced FTP scripting language, Job Scheduler v 4.0 also offers automated conversion from the proprietary JBA Job Scheduler to Halcyon's more versatile equivalent making it the most flexible yet robust product of its kind currently on the market. New additions enable multiple dependencies, allowing the user to submit jobs which spawn and monitor other jobs in their own entities.

CHICAGO, January 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Manthan Systems, a leading provider of retail analytics and business intelligence solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with LakeWest Group, a premier independent retail management consulting firm, to offer Manthan's ARC Merchandise Planning system to US retailers.

With capabilities like allocation and assortment planning, grading and clustering, range planning, forecasting and optimization, OTB management for seasonal and non-seasonal merchandise, ARC Merchandise Planning provides a complete range of planning capabilities in retail merchandising.