Archive for July 12th, 2012
Americas “settled in three waves”
July 12th, 2012 | 
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The biggest survey of Native American DNA has concluded that the New World was settled in three major waves.
But the majority of today's indigenous Americans descend from a single group of migrants that crossed from Asia to Alaska 15,000 years ago or more …
The second and third migrations have left an impact only in Arctic populations whose languages belong to the Eskimo-Aleut family and in the Canadian Chipewyan who speak a language that belongs to the Na-Dene family.
However, even these populations have inherited most of their genome (the DNA sequence contained in the nuclei of cells) from the earliest migration.
Eskimo-Aleut speakers derive more than 50% of their DNA from what the researchers call "First Americans", and the Chipewyan around 90%. This reflects the fact that the two later streams of migration from Asia mixed with the populations descended from the first wave.
"There are at least three deep lineages in Native American populations," said co-author David Reich, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School.
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Less TV time is associated with healthier diets
Survey data from more than 14,000 adults and children show that those who watched TV for a maximum of one hour per day had healthier diets than did those who logged four hours or more, researchers reported in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Why patients are reluctant to disagree with their doctors
A survey of 1,340 adults found that most are reluctant to disagree with doctors over medical treatments. The respondents said contradicting their doctor's recommendation would be socially unacceptable and could hurt their relationship, researchers reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Here's to being "socially unacceptable" at times. It could save you a lot of pain if not your life. It has ours. On a couple of occassions.
Diabetes Risk: White Rice Joins White Bread
Patients who ate the greatest amounts of the grain had a 27% greater risk of developing the disease than those who ate the least, and the relative risk was higher among Asian patients, Qi Sun, PhD, of Harvard, and colleagues, reported in BMJ
Low-fat diet, weight loss may ease menopausal symptoms
Data from a Women's Health Initiative study showed that weight loss using a low-fat diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables helped reduce or eliminate hot flashes and night sweats among menopausal women who weren't taking hormone-replacement therapy. The findings appear on the website of the journal Menopause.
Lack of Sleep May Raise Risk of Diabetes
In a 39-day experiment with healthy volunteers, shortened sleep time and varying bedtimes — meant to mimic shift work — led to impaired glucose regulation and metabolism, according to Orfeu Buxton, PhD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues.
TV News Staffing Way Up, More Hiring Expected
According to the annual RTDNA-Hofstra University survey on the state of TV news staffing and profitably, TV news employment is up to the second highest level ever and more hiring is expected over the next year.
Interesting.
We noted a story yesterday about “Confidence In TV News At All-Time Low” & today we read “TV News Staffing Way Up.”
Well, interesting but not too surprising.
After a long history of basically “stealing” stories produced by print reporters in newspaper newsrooms across the nation, seems broadcasters are finally needing to hire their own reporters to replace the news & feature stories they were getting for free. For decades.
Good.