Boa Constrictors Can Have Babies Without Mating, New Evidence Shows

ScienceDaily for November 4, 2010 reported on reproduction of Boa Constrictors.

More strikingly, the finding shows that the babies produced from this asexual reproduction have attributes previously believed to be impossible.

Insufficient Vitamin D Levels in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Patients Linked to Cancer Progression and Death

ScienceDaily for November 4, 2010 reported on vitamin D and cancer.

Researchers at Mayo Clinic have found a significant difference in cancer progression and death in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients who had sufficient vitamin D levels in their blood compared to those who didn't.

The Large Hadron Collider Enters a New Phase

ScienceDaily for November 5, 2010 gave an update on the LHC activity during 2010.

Proton running for 2010 in the LHC at CERN came to a successful conclusion November 4 at 08:00 CET. Since the end of March, when the first collisions occurred at a total energy of 7 TeV, the machine and experiment teams have achieved all of their objectives for the first year of proton physics at this record energy and new ground has been explored. For the rest of the year the LHC is moving to a different phase of operation, in which lead ions will be accelerated and brought into collision in the machine for the first time.

If GMO Genes Escape, How Will the Hybrids Do? Fitness and Growth of Sorghum, Shattercane, and Its Wild-Crop Hybrid in Nebraska

ScienceDaily for November 2, 2010 reported on gene migration among crops.

GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, may raise concerns of genes escaping from crops and having unknown effects on natural, wild species. But what is the real risk that traits associated with GMOs will actually migrate to and persist in their wild relatives? Interest in plant ecology, crop production and weed management led John Lindquist and his colleagues from the University of Nebraska and USDA-ARS to investigate how gene flow from a cultivated crop to a weedy relative would influence the ecological fitness of a cropwild hybrid offspring.

New Approaches Needed to Gauge Safety of Nanotech-Based Pesticides, Researchers Urge

ScienceDaily for November 3, 2010 reported on nanotech-based pesticides.

Nanotechnology is about to emerge in the world of pesticides and pest control, and a range of new approaches are needed to understand the implications for public health, ensure that this is done safely, maximize the potential benefits and prevent possible risks, researchers say in a new report.

81 Percent of Hospital Patients at High Risk for Sleep Apnea, Study Finds

ScienceDaily for November 1, 2010 reported on sleep apnea.

During obstructive sleep apnea, breathing pauses as often as 30 times an hour, causing poor sleep quality and excessive daytime sleepiness. About 5 percent of the general population is reported to have obstructive sleep apnea. The prevalence is likely higher due to increasing obesity.

Daily Dose of Beet Juice Promotes Brain Health in Older Adults

ScienceDaily for November 2k 2010 reported on beet juice and our health.

High concentrations of nitrates are found in beets, as well as in celery, cabbage and other leafy green vegetables like spinach and some lettuce. When you eat high-nitrate foods, good bacteria in the mouth turn nitrate into nitrite. Research has found that nitrites can help open up the blood vessels in the body, increasing blood flow and oxygen specifically to places that are lacking oxygen.

Black Raspberries May Prevent Colon Cancer, Study Finds

ScienceDaily for November 2, 2010 reported on black raspberries and colon cancer.

Building on previous research that found black raspberries have antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-neurodegenerative and anti-inflammatory properties, the researchers looked at the fruit's ability to prevent colon cancer.

Mediterranean Diet Helps Control Cholesterol: Adding Monounsaturated Fats to a Low-Cholesterol Diet Can Further Improve Levels

ScienceDaily for November 3, 2010 reported on the Mediterranean diet and cholesterol levels.

The study included 24 patients (17 men and 7 postmenopausal women) who completed a very low saturated fat diet before being randomly assigned to either a high-MUFA diet or a low- MUFA diet. Both groups of patients were assigned to a specific vegetarian diet which included oats, barley, psyllium, eggplant, okra, soy, almonds and a plant sterol enriched margarine. In the high-MUFA group, the researchers substituted 13% of calories from carbohydrates with a high-MUFA sunflower oil, with the option of a partial exchange with avocado oil.

Did Neanderthals Make Jewellery After All?

ScienceDaily for November 1, 2010 reported on skills of Neanderthals.

'Our study raises questions about the link between Neanderthals and the tools and jewellery found in the Châtelperronian levels. This site is one of only two in the French Palaeolithic that seems to show a link between ornaments and Neanderthal remains. This has previously been interpreted as indicating that Neanderthals were not intellectually inferior to modern people but possessed advanced cognition and behaviour. Our work says there is a big question mark over whether this link exists.'

Pregnant Women Who Eat Peanuts May Put Infants at Increased Risk for Peanut Allergy, Study Finds

ScienceDaily for November 1, 2010 reported on peanuts and pregnancy.

In 2000, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that women whose infants were at increased risk of allergies based upon family history consider avoiding peanut products while pregnant and breast feeding. However, the recommendation was withdrawn in 2008 due to limited scientific evidence to support it. The Consortium of Food Allergy Research (CoFAR), which was just awarded a renewed $29.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, is conducting this ongoing, observational study to help better understand the risk factors behind a child's developing peanut allergy, as well as allergies to milk and egg. The Consortium is also studying novel treatments for food allergies.

Alcohol 'Most Harmful Drug', According to Multicriteria Analysis

ScienceDaily for November 1, 2010 reported on alcohol as a drug.

Overall, MCDA modelling showed alcohol was the most harmful drug (overall harm score 72), with heroin (55) and crack (54) in second and third places. Heroin, crack, and crystal meth were the most harmful drugs to the individual, whereas alcohol, heroin, and crack were the most harmful to others. The other drugs assessed followed in this order in terms of overall harm: Crystal meth (33), cocaine (27), tobacco (26), amphetamine/speed (23), cannabis (20), GHB (18), benzodiazepines (eg valium) (15), ketamine (also 15), methadone (14), mephedrone (13), butane (10), khat (9), ecstacy (9), anabolic steroids (9), LSD (7), buprenorphine (6), mushrooms (5).

One Egg Yolk Worse Than Some Fast-Food Meals When It Comes to Cholesterol, Canadian Physicians Say

ScienceDaily for November 1, 2010 reported on eggs and cholesterol.

Three leading physicians have published a review in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology warning about the danger of dietary cholesterol for those at risk of a heart attack or stroke. And they say one of the worst offenders is the egg yolk which, depending on size, can contain 215 to 275 mg of cholesterol. Some fast-food meals can contain as much as 150 mg of cholesterol. Patients at risk of cardiovascular disease are advised to limit their total dietary cholesterol to less than 200 mg per day.

Miniature Human Livers Created in the Lab

ScienceDaily for October 31, 2010 reported on a liver that was grown in a lab.

Researchers at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have reached an early, but important, milestone in the quest to grow replacement livers in the lab. They are the first to use human liver cells to successfully engineer miniature livers that function -- at least in a laboratory setting -- like human livers. The next step is to see if the livers will continue to function after transplantation in an animal model.

Mars Volcanic Deposit Tells of Warm and Wet Environment

ScienceDaily for October 31, 2010 reported on potential for life on Mars.

Planetary scientists led by Brown University have found a volcanic deposit on Mars that would have been a promising wellspring for life. The silica deposit clearly shows the presence of water and heat. It was formed at a time when Mars' climate turned dry and chilly, which could mark it as one of the most recent habitable microenvironments on the red planet. The finding is published in Nature Geoscience.