The benefits of physical activity and a balanced diet are well documented and form the basis of many public health recommendations; this is because each of these factors can independently influence risks for many chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer.

Some research also suggests that exercise and diet interact to influence health. For instance, exercising after short-term fasting (such as before breakfast) may increase the amount of fat burned. Similarly, consumption of a meal eliciting a low blood glucose response prior to exercise may also boost the use of body fat (instead of glucose).

Researchers say they have uncovered new evidence suggesting factors other than genes could cause obesity, finding that genetically identical cells store widely differing amounts of fat depending on subtle variations in how cells process insulin.  Findings indicate that the faster a cell processes insulin, the more fat it stores.

Learning the precise mechanism responsible for fat storage in cells could lead to methods for controlling obesity.  

I was inadvertently exposed to the filth and depravity of VH1's "Rock of Love Bus," also known as STDs on Wheels, when I turned on my TV to watch the (relatively) innocent and science-fueled Big Bang Theory.

If you feel like dropping 150 IQ points, here's the clip in all its intellectual and classy glory. If you don't have any neurons to spare, here's a quote that sums up the few minutes' worth of the show I saw (and that's all I ever want to see), as Bret Michaels expresses his heartfelt emotions with lyricism inspired by the deep wells of pure love: "You are this rocking hot centerfold, ok?"

Molecular anthropology—you probably haven’t heard of this discipline by name but I guarantee that you already find this particular field fascinating.  Therefore, I’d like to formally introduce to you the field of molecular anthropology which includes such areas of research as; genetically reconstructing man’s ancient migration from Africa to the Americas, resurrecting Neanderthal genomes and identifying ancestral origins through DNA ancestry.

HOUSTON, April 14 /PRNewswire/ --

Endeavour International Corporation (Amex: END) (LSE: ENDV) will participate in the Oil Gas Investment Symposium hosted by the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 in New York.

William L. Transier, chairman and chief executive officer, is scheduled to speak on the company's business strategies and operational plans at 3:20 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and 8:20 p.m. British Summer Time. A web cast of the presentation will be available live by accessing Endeavour's Internet home page at http://www.endeavourcorp.com.

PALO ALTO, California, April 13 /PRNewswire/ --

"Wash that for you?" If you were a fish living in the warm turquoise waters off the coast of Bonaire, you may not hear those words, but you'd see the shrimp sign language equivalent. It seems Periclimenes yucatanicus or Spotted Cleaner Shrimp is doing a booming business in the local reefs by setting up a fish washing service.

NOVATO, California, April 13 /PRNewswire/ --

Raptor Pharmaceuticals Corp. (Raptor or the Company) (OTC Bulletin Board: RPTP) today announced the appointment of Patrice P. Rioux, M.D., Ph.D., as Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Dr. Rioux will be responsible for the clinical and regulatory advancement of Raptor's clinical-stage drug development programs.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071022/NYM074LOGO )

Raptor's clinical programs include Delayed-Release Cysteamine (DR Cysteamine) for the potential treatment of nephropathic cystinosis (cystinosis), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and Huntington's Disease (Huntington's), as well as Convivia(TM), for the potential treatment of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) deficiency.

LOMA LINDA, California, April 13 /PRNewswire/ --

Loma Linda University research just published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compares the effects of walnuts and fatty fish in the fight against heart disease, demonstrating that in healthy individuals, walnuts lower cholesterol more than fish, while fatty fish lower triglycerides. Both can reduce the overall risk of coronary heart disease.

The practical significance of the study is that eating an easy-to-incorporate amount of walnuts and fatty fish can cause meaningful decreases in blood cholesterol and triglycerides even in healthy individuals, says lead author Sujatha Rajaram, Ph.D., associate professor in the department of nutrition at Loma Linda University School of Public Health.

In honor of my daughter's first birthday, today I thought I'd write about ray weaponry.

With only a quick stop at your local box store, you can be ready to pop a conventional cap in someone’s ass; however, charring said ass to a crisp using a laser or other ray weapon is not so easy. This is because—despite many decades of government promises—laser weapons do not currently exist (despite the ubiquity of industrial cutting lasers and promises by high school tech ed teachers that one false move with a pointer will render your lab partner a cyclops).