Archive for August 23rd, 2012
The Algorithm That Finds Connections Scientists Never See
August 23rd, 2012 | 
Author: Hundreds of complex variables can obscure a drug’s dangerous or lethal side effects. But a new mathematical trick can cut through the confusion.
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The Sexual Prowess of Wilt Chamberlain: 20,000 Women?
A legend both on and off the court, Chamberlain would have turned 76 [August 21st]. Even if he had lived that long, does his (in)famous claim add up?
30 Minutes Of Daily Exercise As Good As 60 For Weight Loss
A new study from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark found that sedentary, slightly overweight healthy young men who worked up a sweat exercising 30 minutes daily for three months lost a similar amount of weight and body fat as those who did 60 minutes of daily exercise.
The researchers describe the findings of their randomized controlled trial in a study reported online recently in the American Journal of Physiology.
Fat tax: Denmark's answer for unhealthy foods
Fat tax – imposed on butter, oil, other fatty foods – could be world's first. Denmark's fat tax would raise price of a hamburger by 15 cents; small package of butter, 40 cents.
AP/Christian Science Monitor — October 8, 2011
Abbott is sued over improper marketing of cholesterol drug TriCor
Amy Bergman, a former saleswoman at Abbott Laboratories, filed a lawsuit accusing the drugmaker of giving kickbacks to physicians and promoting cholesterol treatment TriCor for unapproved use. The action aims to retrieve "hundreds of millions of dollars" on behalf of Medicare and Medicaid, Bergman's attorneys said. Abbott marketed the treatment for heart risk in diabetic patients despite lacking FDA approval for that use, according to the lawsuit.
TriCor Side Effects — drugs.com
Your brain on sugar
A new study suggests that a diet high in fructose – that is, sugars commonly derived from sugar cane, beets and corn – can slows your brain, hampering your memory and learning. Fortunately, this same study also suggests that eating foods that contain nutrients called omega-3 fatty acids – like walnuts, salmon, flax seeds and sardines – can counteract these negative effects.
Study probes link between “screen time,” obesity rates
Information and communications technologies have improved living standards around the world. But the increased amount of time that people devote to using computers, watching TV and playing video games- so-called "screen time" -is a significant factor in the global rise of obesity.
In Waistlines of the World: the Effect of Information and Communications Technology on Obesity, Institute researchers establish a direct connection between spikes in technology adoption and subsequent increases in obesity rates. The report charts the dramatic rise in obesity in 27 OECD countries.
Milky Way Now Has a Twin (or Two): Astronomers Find First Group of Galaxies Just Like Ours
Research presented Aug. 23, 2012 at the International Astronomical Union General Assembly in Beijing has found the first group of galaxies that is just like ours, a rare sight in the local Universe.
The Milky Way is a fairly typical galaxy on its own, but when paired with its close neighbours — the Magellanic Clouds — it is very rare, and could have been one of a kind, until a survey of our local Universe found another two examples just like us.