Banner
Wavelengths Of Light Are Why CO2 Cools The Upper Atmosphere But Warms Earth

There are concerns about projected warming on the Earth’s surface and in the lower atmosphere...

Here's Where Your Backyard Was 300 Million Years Ago

We may use terms like "grounded" and terra firma to mean stability and consistency but geology...

Convergent Evolution Cheat Sheet Now 120 Million Years Old

One tenet of natural selection is a random walk of genes but nature may be more predictable than...

Synchrotron Could Shed Light On Exotic Dark Photons

There are many hypothetical particles proposed to explain dark matter and one idea to explore how...

User picture.
News StaffRSS Feed of this column.

News Releases From All Over The World, Right To You... Read More »

 Blogroll
Conspiracy Theories And Believing The Impossible

Conspiracy Theories And Believing The Impossible

Aug 25 2012 | comment(s)

Distrust and paranoia did not start with claims about genetically modified foods or vaccines. Concern about the motivations of government, secret societies and corporations has a long history. The belief in a conspiracy of elites fuels suspicion about all authorities and the claims they make. 

What is more of a puzzle is that the attraction of conspiracy theories is so strong that it leads people to endorse entirely contradictory beliefs, like how the government should make special regulations for genetically modified foods, though the government is supposedly dependent on lobbyist money and can't be trusted.
Mutant? Blame Your Father

Mutant? Blame Your Father

Aug 24 2012 | comment(s)

Humans inherit more than three times as many mutations from their fathers as from their mothers, and mutation rates increase with the father's age but not the mother's, researchers have found in the largest study of human genetic mutations to date.

A study based on the DNA of around 85,000 Icelanders, the largest study of human genetic mutations to date, has found that humans inherit more than three times as many mutations from their fathers as from their mothers and mutation rates increase with the father's age but not the mother's.
Are Large Earthquakes Across The Globe Linked?

Are Large Earthquakes Across The Globe Linked?

Aug 24 2012 | comment(s)

Reading media accounts, it seems the past decade has witnessed what seems to be a cluster of large earthquakes, with massive events in Sumatra, Chile, Haiti and Japan since 2004.

Some hypothesize that this cluster has occurred because the earthquakes may be "communicating" across large distances, possibly triggering each other. 
CDC On Vaccines: Measles Cases Highest Since 1996

CDC On Vaccines: Measles Cases Highest Since 1996

Aug 24 2012 | comment(s)

The anti-vaccination culture is making headway. CDC has reported 17 outbreaks and 222 measles cases from 211, mostly in unvaccinated people - the highest since 1996.

To identify areas of under-vaccination for measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases, state and local health departments monitor compliance with school immunization requirements using annual school vaccination assessment reports, supported as a CDC immunization funding objective for the 64 grantees, including the 50 states, the District of Columbia (DC), five cities, and eight other reporting areas. CDC also monitors progress toward meeting Healthy People 2020 objectives  for the vaccination of children entering kindergarten.
Ayurvedic Medications And Lead Poisoning

Ayurvedic Medications And Lead Poisoning

Aug 24 2012 | comment(s)

Despite extensive regulations and preventative efforts, lead poisoning, which can damage the brain, kidneys, and nervous and reproductive systems, still occurs in the United States.  Babies are also at risk. Fetal exposure to lead can adversely affect neurodevelopment, decrease fetal growth, and increase the risk for premature birth and miscarriage. 

Want A Tattoo? Have A Mycobacterium Chelonae Infection To Go With It

Want A Tattoo? Have A Mycobacterium Chelonae Infection To Go With It

Aug 23 2012 | comment(s)

21% of adults in the United States have at least one tattoo, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and on occasion outbreaks of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) skin infections have been reported after tattooing.

In January 2012, public health officials in New York received reports of Mycobacterium chelonae skin infections in 14 New York residents who received tattoos during September–December 2011. All infections were associated with use of the same nationally distributed, pre-diluted gray ink manufactured by "company A".