A new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg says middle-aged women who have large abdominal fat cells are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to women with smaller fat cells. Waist circumference divided by body height can also be used to determine which women are at risk.

The study is based on the extensive population study of women in "Gothenburg Kvinnoundersökningen i Göteborg". 

If you're concerned that too much politically-motivated action regarding the environment will end up costing a lot of money and accomplish little, you're not without rationale.  History has shown that government involvement rarely helps and is always expensive.

But merging more than a decade of atmospheric data from European satellites, scientists have compiled a homogeneous long-term ozone record that allows them to monitor total ozone trends on a global scale – and it shows an ozone recovery.  So there is at least one example where industry complained, government regulations were put into place and the environment actually improved.

Allergies are on the rise and there are a number of theories why.  Some speculate that it's due to more parents getting kids tested for allergies; allergists will find allergies thta 40 years ago would have been dismissed as inconveniences.   Other speculation is that over-hyped concern about sterility regarding babies has weakened their immune system.

A study conducted in 2008 by the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg says diet may be the culprit.  

In Västra Götaland County in western Sweden, half of all teenagers are considered affected by asthma, nasal symptoms and eczema, almost 10 percentage points higher than when a similar study was conducted in 2000.

Who is least affected?  Those who eat more fish and butter.

Microbloggers are having trouble being interesting, a new study says.    So they write more often, just to have something to say.  The top 5 most frequent postings on microblogging sites like Twitter, Jaiku and Mobile Facebook are “working,” “home,” “work,” “lunch,” and “sleeping”.  Hardly the stuff that would seem enchanting to most - and it isn't.   Most newcomers drop out soon after registering.

Some scientists believe that Mars is red due to rocks being rusted by water that once flooded the planet.

That is not the case, say recent laboratory studies which show that red dust may be formed by ongoing grinding of surface rocks and liquid water need not have played any significant role in the formation process.  The data were presented at the European Planetary Science Congress by Dr Jonathan Merrison.

SHP-2, a common biological protein molecule, is central to placental growth and could hold the key to mitigating growth restriction of babies in the womb,  according to research is published today in Endocrinology.