home
> current health news > health
news archive: May-Jun 2006
Health and longevity news archive: May-June 2006
Brain can be made to self-repair
(Jun 29, 2006)
Stimulating a protein on the surface of the brain's stem cells
helps rats recover after a stroke, US researchers have found.
The discovery suggests that in humans it could be possible to
provoke the body's own stem cells into repairing an injury, rather
than laboriously growing and transplanting new cells.
Read
more. Source: Nature |
Mother tongue may determine maths skills
(Jun 28, 2006)
The native language you speak may determine how your brain solves
mathematical puzzles, according to a new study. Brain scans have
revealed that Chinese speakers rely more on visual regions than
English speakers when comparing numbers and doing sums. Our mother
tongue may influence the way problem-solving circuits in our brains
develop, suggest the researchers.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
The brain gets 'mellow' with age
(Jun 19, 2006)
People become more "mellow" in response to negative emotions over
their lifetime, research suggests. A brain imaging study in individuals
aged 12 to 79 found that emotional stability continues to improve,
even into the seventh decade. And older people were found to be
less neurotic than teenagers.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Alzheimer's vaccine 'promising'
(Jun 14, 2006)
A potential DNA vaccine for Alzheimer's disease has produced promising
results in mice. In tests, it helped cut levels of key amyloid
proteins thought to cause the disease by up to 50% in some parts
of the brain. And unlike alternative vaccines in development,
which use viruses, it produced no side effects.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Why fast foods are bad, even in moderation
(Jun 13, 2006)
Eating a diet consisting largely of fast food could cause your
waistline to bulge more than eating the same amount of fat from
healthier sources. Monkeys fed a diet rich in trans-fats –
commonly found in fast foods – grew bigger bellies than
those fed a diet rich in unsaturated fats, but containing the
same overall number of calories. They also developed signs of
insulin resistance, which is an early indicator of diabetes.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Drinking coffee makes you more open-minded
(Jun 6, 2006)
The coffee you drink as a pick-me-up in the morning could also
make you more open to persuasion, researchers say. Evidence from
a new study suggests that this happens because caffeine revs up
the brain, not because it generally boosts mood. Previous studies
have show that consuming caffeine can improve one’s attention
and enhance cognitive performance, with 200 milligrams (equivalent
to two cups of coffee) being the optimal dose.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Inside Einstein's brain
(Jun 4, 2006)
It was, without doubt, one of the finest minds of all time. Now
scientists have found that Albert Einstein's brain was not only
unique in its ability to process concepts: it was also physically
different. New research comparing the characteristics of Einstein's
brain with that of four men of similar age has found structural
differences.
Read
more. Source: Independent |
Scientists reveal how frogs grip
(May 31, 2006)
The mystery of how frogs cling to surfaces - even if their feet
are wet - may have been solved by scientists. A study of tree
frogs has revealed their toe pads are covered in tiny bumps that
can directly touch a surface to create friction. The scientists
found this direct contact occurs even though the pads are covered
with a film of watery mucus. The findings, published in the journal
Interface, may aid the development of anti-slip devices.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Music 'can reduce chronic pain'
(May 30, 2006)
Research has confirmed listening to music can have a significant
positive impact on perception of chronic pain. US researchers
tested the effect of music on 60 patients who had endured years
of chronic pain. Those who listened to music reported a cut in
pain levels of up to 21%, and in associated depression of up to
25%, compared to those who did not listen.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
A daily drink 'only good for men'
(May 26, 2006)
Drinking alcohol every day protects against heart disease in men
but not in women, Danish research shows. A study of 50,000 people
found that men who drank daily had a 41% reduced risk of coronary
heart disease compared with a 7% drop in men who drank once a
week. In women, the risk of heart disease fell by a third with
a weekly drink but did not fall further in daily drinkers.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Pill 'reverses' vegetative state
(May 25, 2006)
A sleeping pill can temporarily revive people in a permanent vegetative
state to the point where they can have conversations, a study
finds. Zolpidem is usually used to treat insomnia. South African
researchers, writing in the NeuroRehabilitation, looked at the
effects on three patients of using the drug for up to six years.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Why some just cannot resist food
(May 17, 2006)
Scientists have discovered why some people just can't resist food.
They used scans to show the reward centres in some people's brains
are particularly sensitive to food advertising and product packaging.
Greater stimulation of this area by food images is likely to encourage
over-eating, and obesity. The study, published in the Journal
of Neuroscience, was carried out by the Medical Research Council's
Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Autistic brains 'never daydream'
(May 13, 2006)
People with autism do not daydream, a study has found. The resting
period usually gives time for areas of the brain to process emotional
and reflective thoughts. The University of California research,
in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, compared brain
scans of people with autism and those without. The scientists
said the typical social awkwardness seen in autism may be due
to this failure of this "daydreaming" brain network.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Women 'sense qualities in a man'
(May 10, 2006)
Women are fine tuned subconsciously to detect the qualities they
are looking for in a man –- just by looking at his face,
US research suggests. Women can spot subtle signs of interest
in children in a man's face, and accurately assess his level of
the sex hormone testosterone, it claims. Child-friendly men were
rated as good long-term bets, masculine men as ideal for a more
short-term fling.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Americans far sicker than English
(May 3, 2006)
Middle-aged Americans are in much worse health than their English
counterparts, suggests a trans-Atlantic comparison, and scientists
are at a loss to explain why. The new study, which compared the
health of white, 55 to 64-year-olds in the two countries, found
that diabetes is twice as common in the United States compared
with England, cancer 70% more prevalent and heart disease more
than 50% more widespread.
Read
more. Source: Nature |
BACK TO TOP
|
You
are here:
Home
> Health news
> Health news archive
May-Jun 2006
Other news sections
Latest science news
Archeo news
Eco news
Living world news
Paleo news
Robot diaries
Strange news
Tech news
Also on this site:
Encyclopedia of Science
Encyclopedia of Alternative
Energy and Sustainable Living
News archive
Bookshop
Contact
|
