A study of people living with the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis (MS) has provided an idea of the economic cost of living with the incurable, life-long condition.   The independent research is one of the largest ever studies into the financial impact of MS and has revealed that the cost of being diagnosed with MS is on average nearly GBP17,000 per person.

New research says that we should be looking to the ground, not the sky, to see where climate change could have its most perilous impact on life on Earth.  Scientists at the University of Toronto Scarborough have published research findings in Nature Geoscience that says global warming actually changes the molecular structure of organic matter in soil.

Only people in the tobacco industry denial mindset realistically state that repeated exposure to sex and violence in the media does not lead to problems in children but television advocates can at least latch on to a study saying they may be the biggest but they aren't the only problem; a new study by Myeshia Price and Dr. Janet Hyde from the University of Wisconsin in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence says low self-esteem, poor relationships with parents, and low academic achievement are some of the other factors that may add up to young people having sex before the age of 15.

Drs. John Sij, Cristine Morgan and Paul DeLaune have studied nitrate levels in irrigation water from the Seymour Aquifer for the past three years, and have found nitrates can be as high as 40 parts per million. Though unacceptable for drinking, the water would benefit agricultural producers who use it for irrigation. 

This high concentration of nitrates is a concern because it exceeds the federal safe drinking water standards as the aquifer is used as a municipal water source for the communities of Vernon, Burkburnett and Electra, as well as some rural families, Sij said. 

A reconstruction of an extreme warm period shows the sensitivity of the climate system to changes in carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels as well as the strong influence of ocean temperatures, heat transport from equatorial regions, and greenhouse gases on Earth's temperature.

The researchers say the new data allow for more accurate predictions of future climate and improved understanding of today's warming because past warm periods provide insight into climate change and are natural laboratories for understanding the global climate system.

Scientists from the Pliocene Research, Interpretation and Synoptic Mapping (PRISM) group, led by the U.S. Geological Survey, examined fossils from 3.3 to 3.0 million years ago, known as the mid-Pliocene warm period.

Showing loved ones that you're thinking of them is still the main focus at Christmas time but are traditional cards becoming outmoded by technology?   Results of a survey published today conducted by Christmas video messaging site Christmasee.com shows that whilst cards remain popular, nearly one in four (23 per cent) of those surveyed intend to send fewer cards or no cards at all this Christmas.

As daily use of the internet becomes more commonplace, almost a quarter (24 per cent) of under 45's quizzed view sending Christmas cards as old fashioned and believe that there are more effective ways to share greetings.

Half of those cutting back on the number of cards they'll send this year attribute their decision to the current economic climate.