A burger and fries may be the quintessential North American meal but it can also be viewed as the perfect example of humanity’s increasingly varied diet, according to researchers who have conducted a unique study of the plants used around the world for food.

“Generally speaking, we eat very broadly from the tree of life,” University of Calgary plant evolutionary ecologist Jana Vamosi said. “Others have looked at the sheer number of plant species we consume but nobody has ever examined whether the plants we eat are clustered in certain branches. It turns out that they are not.”

In the first-ever study of the “phylogenetic distribution” of the human diet, Vamosi, working with a team led by Serban Proches from Stellenbosch University in South Africa, found that humans likely stand alone when it comes to the spectrum of species we consume.

Optical clocks might become the atomic clocks of the future. Their "pendulum", i.e. the regular oscillation process which each clock needs, is an oscillation in the range of the visible light.

As its frequency is higher than that of the microwave oscillations of the cesium atomic clocks, physicists expect another increase in the accuracy, stability and reliability. In the case of one of the candidates for an optical clock which is developed at Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), strontium atoms are retained in the interference pattern of two laser beams.

DALLAS, February 5 /PRNewswire/ --

- Large Equity Investment from Kuwait Announced Today

Just as oil is reaching the US$100 per barrel mark, Dallas-based Synfuels International, Inc. announced a transaction, which will make it practical to produce millions of barrels of new petroleum products and help reduce sources of global warming.

SANTA CLARA, California, February 5 /PRNewswire/ --

- Samsung Selects Marvell Processor for Accelerated Processing and Superior Multimedia Capabilities

WELLESLEY HILLS, Massachusetts, February 5 /PRNewswire/ --

Joseph F. Finn, Jr., CPA, the Assignee for the Benefit of Creditors of ActivBiotics, announced today that The Committee for Orphan Drug Products of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation for M40403 for the prevention of oral mucositis (OM) in head and neck cancer patients receiving radiotherapy.

The development of oral mucositis during radiation therapy of head and neck cancers is the major reason for poor compliance with and early discontinuation of radiation therapy by patients being treated for their condition.

CHELMSFORD, Massachusetts, February 5 /PRNewswire/ --

- Companies team to simplify 3G home networking deployments

Airvana, Inc. (Nasdaq: AIRV), the company transforming the mobile experience, and Thomson (Euronext 18453; NYSE: TMS), a world leader in media and communications technologies, today announced that they entered into a global sourcing agreement for Airvana's Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) femtocell technology. As a result of the agreement, Thomson will use Airvana's femtocell products in conjunction with their own residential gateways.

DUSSELDORF, Germany, February 5 /PRNewswire/ --

Arnaud de Meulemeester, who for the last three years has led the telematics program for PSA Peugeot Citroen, has been named Senior Director in Europe for ATX Group, the world's largest independent telematics provider to the automotive industry.

LONDON, February 5 /PRNewswire/ -- NHS Choices (http://www.nhs.uk), the online 'front door' to the NHS, today launched a new diabetes symptom checker.

Based on NHS accredited information, the diabetes symptom checker (http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/diabetes.aspx) enables users to find out in minutes whether they are at risk of having diabetes. It also provides them with clinically approved guidance on what their results mean and what next steps, if any, may be required. This interactive tool is the latest addition to the NHS Choices' extensive tool library.

MANCHESTER, England, February 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Epistem plc (LSE:EHP) announced today that it had successfully completed a preliminary study with AstraZeneca for the use of its proprietary, minimally invasive plucked human hair biomarker technology to help steer oncology drug development. The technology includes analysing gene expression change in RNA extracted from the bulb of cells located at the base of a single human plucked hair. Changes in gene expression can be used to identify biomarkers ('core gene sets') to aid decision-making in the drug development process.

CAMBERLEY, England, February 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Siemens today revealed a new site in North Hykeham as the proposed location for its industrial gas turbine business, demonstrating a long-term commitment to manufacturing in the area.