Specific Changes in the Brain Associated With Sleep Deprivation Described in New Study

ScienceDaily for November 4, 2010 reported
on sleep deprivation and our brains.

The study, available in Frontiers in Neuroscience, has created an extensive and detailed map of gene activity, known as gene expression, in the mouse brain across five behavioral conditions including sleeping, waking and sleep deprivation. Activity of approximately 220 genes responding to these conditions was examined in detail, down to the cellular level, throughout the brain. Additionally, seven brain areas were examined by DNA microarray analysis, which reports the expression levels of tens of thousands of genes and allows a genome-wide analysis of the consequences of sleep deprivation.

High School Biology Teachers in U.S. Reluctant to Endorse Evolution in Class, Study Finds

ScienceDaily for January 28, 2011 reported on classroom teaching of evolution.

The majority of public high school biology teachers in the U.S. are not strong classroom advocates of evolutionary biology, despite 40 years of court cases that have ruled teaching creationism or intelligent design violates the Constitution, according to Penn State political scientists. A mandatory undergraduate course in evolutionary biology for prospective teachers, and frequent refresher courses for current teachers, may be part of the solution, they say.

Parental Divorce Linked to Suicidal Thoughts

ScienceDaily for January 19, 2011 reported on divorce and suicides among children.

In a paper published online in the journal Psychiatry Research, investigators examined gender specific differences among a sample of 6,647 adults, of whom 695 had experienced parental divorce before the age of 18. The study found that men from divorced families had more than three times the odds of suicidal ideation in comparison to men whose parents had not divorced. Adult daughters of divorce had 83 per cent higher odds of suicidal ideation than their female peers who had not experienced parental divorce.

Smoking May Be Associated With Increased Risk of Breast Cancer

ScienceDaily for January 24, 2011 reported on smoking and breast cancer.

"Smoking before menopause was positively associated with breast cancer risk, and there were hints from our results that smoking after menopause might be associated with a slightly decreased breast cancer risk," the authors write. "This difference suggests an antiestrogenic effect of smoking among postmenopausal women that may further reduce their already low endogenous estrogen levels."

Close-Knit Pairs of Supermassive Black Holes Discovered in Merging Galaxies

ScienceDaily for January 19, 2011 reported on black holes and merging galaxies.

These black-hole pairs, also called binaries, are about a hundred to a thousand times closer together than most that have been observed before, providing astronomers a glimpse into how these behemoths and their host galaxies merge -- a crucial part of understanding the evolution of the universe. Although few similarly close pairs have been seen previously, this is the largest population of such objects observed as the result of a systematic search.

No Direct Link Between Black Holes and Dark Matter, Scientists Find

ScienceDaily for January 20, 2011 reported on black h0les and dark matter.

Massive black holes have been found at the centres of almost all galaxies, where the largest galaxies -- who are also the ones embedded in the largest halos of dark matter -- harbour the most massive black holes. This led to the speculation that there is a direct link between dark matter and black holes, i.e. that exotic physics controls the growth of a black hole.

Montrealers Are Feeding Fish Prozac; Research Shows Influence on Brain Activity While Long-Term Consequences Are Unclear

ScienceDaily for January 22, 2011 reported on pollution of water in Montreal.

Sauvé was quick to point out that there is no immediate danger to humans. "The amount of anti-depressants being released into our river works out to roughly the equivalent of a grain of salt in an Olympic-size swimming pool," he said. "That's not enough to affect people, should they are brave enough to go fishing out there -- I'd be more worried about the trace metals! Nevertheless, we are seeing an impact on the river's ecosystem, which should concern cities everywhere." Further research by other teams will look at exactly what the consequences might be.

When Video Games Get Problematic So Do Smoking, Drug Use and Aggression

ScienceDaily for January 19, 2011 reported on gaming by adolescents.

A new study on gaming and health in adolescents, conducted by researchers at Yale School of Medicine, found some significant gender differences linked to gaming as well as important health risks associated with problematic gaming. Published November 15 in the journal Pediatrics, the study is among the first and largest to examine possible health links to gaming and problematic gaming in a community sample of adolescents.

Eating More Fruit and Vegetables Is Linked to a Lower Risk of Dying from Ischemic Heart Disease

ScienceDaily for January 19, 2011 reported on the eating of fruits and vegetables and heart disease.

A European study investigating the links between diet and disease has found that people who consume more fruit and vegetables have a lower risk of dying from ischaemic heart disease -- the most common form of heart disease and one of the leading causes of death in Europe. However, the authors point out that a higher fruit and vegetable intake occurs among people with other healthy eating habits and lifestyles, and that these factors could also be associated with the lower risk of dying from IHD.

More Asteroids Could Have Made Life's Ingredients

ScienceDaily for January 19, 2011 reported on amino acids in asteroids.

Amino acids are used to build proteins, which are used by life to make structures like hair and nails, and to speed up or regulate chemical reactions. Amino acids come in two varieties that are mirror images of each other, like your hands. Life on Earth uses the left-handed kind exclusively. Since life based on right-handed amino acids would presumably work fine, scientists are trying to find out why Earth-based life favored left-handed amino acids.

Scitable Library

There is an online science library that offers free use by visitors to the site. The library is called Scitable and it currently focuses on genetics but will be expanding into other areas of science.

Patients Using Warfarin Have Higher Risk of Death After Trauma, Study Finds

ScienceDaily for January 18, 2011 reported on stress among persons using Warfarin.

"The prevalence of warfarin use in the United States is unknown, but the Food and Drug Administration estimates that more than 31 million prescriptions for warfarin were written in 2004," according to background information in the article. "Warfarin is a commonly used anticoagulant [prevents the formation of blood clots] for the long-term management and prevention of thromboembolic (blood clot formed in one vessel carried by the blood stream to occlude another vessel) events associated with atrial fibrillation (abnormal heart rhythm), mechanical heart valves, deep venous thrombosis (clot formed in a vein deep in the body), pulmonary embolism (clot that causes blockage of a blood vessel in the lung), the antiphospholipid syndrome (condition that increases the risk of blood clot formation) and occasionally, myocardial infarction (heart attack)."

Smoking Accounts for Up to 60 Percent of Gender Gap in Deaths Across Europe, Research Finds

ScienceDaily for January 18, 2011 reported on smoking and death.

The reasons why women have been outliving men in developed European countries since the mid to late 18th century, in some cases, have been hotly contested.

Vitamin D Absorption Is Diminished in Patients With Crohn's Disease, Researchers Find

ScienceDaily for January 18, 2011 reported on vitamin D levels.

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have for the first time shown that reduced vitamin D absorption in patients with quiescent Crohn's disease (CD) may be the cause for their increased risk for vitamin D deficiency. The findings, which currently appear online in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, also showed that the only way to determine absorption efficiency is to perform a vitamin D bioavailability test.

Vitamin D Levels Lower in African-Americans, Research Finds

ScienceDaily for October 1, 2010 reported on vitamin D levels in African-Americans.

"We know that darker skin pigmentation acts somewhat as a block to producing vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, which is the primary source of vitamin D in most people," said Susan Steck, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor of epidemiology at the University of South Carolina.

Smoking Causes Genetic Damage Within Minutes After Inhaling

ScienceDaily for January 17, 2011 reported on the genetic effects of smoking.

Stephen S. Hecht, Ph.D., and colleagues point out in the report that lung cancer claims a global toll of 3,000 lives each day, largely as a result of cigarette smoking. Smoking also is linked to at least 18 other types of cancer. Evidence indicates that harmful substances in tobacco smoke termed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, are one of the culprits in causing lung cancer. Until now, however, scientists had not detailed the specific way in which the PAHs in cigarette smoke cause DNA damage in humans.

Why Coffee Protects Against Diabetes

ScienceDaily for January15, 2011 reported on coffee and diabetes.

Reporting with colleagues in the current edition of the journal Diabetes, first author Atsushi Goto, a UCLA doctoral student in epidemiology, and Dr. Simin Liu, a professor of epidemiology and medicine with joint appointments at the UCLA School of Public Health and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, show that women who drink at least four cups of coffee a day are less than half as likely to develop diabetes as non-coffee drinkers.

Risks Associated With Second-Hand Smoke in Cars Carrying Children

ScienceDaily for January 14, 2011 reported on second-hand smoke in automobiles.

While trying to determine the risks involved, the authors first looked at the mixture of chemicals that make up second-hand smoke and its concentration in cars under different conditions such as volume, speed and ventilation. Second, they looked at how long a person would be in the car. Third, they observed how long a person would be exposed to the second-hand smoke. Fourth, the extent of difference between how second-hand smoke affects children compared to adults was added to the risk equation and finally, the authors looked at the health impact, which is hard to determine because of all the different chemicals and toxins a person is exposed to in their lifetime.

Energy Drinks Don't Blunt Effects of Alcohol, Study Finds

ScienceDaily for January 13, 2011 reported on the mixing of sports drinks and alcohol.

But a new study led by researchers from the Boston University School of Public Health and the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University has found that the addition of caffeine to alcohol -- mixing an energy drink with vodka, for example -- has no effect on enhancing performance on a driving test or improving sustained attention or reaction times.

High Sugar Consumption May Increase Risk Factors for Heart Disease in American Teenagers

ScienceDaily for January 11, 2011 reported on effects of high amounts of sugar in the diets of teenagers.

The American Heart Association recently recommended a specific upper limit for added sugars intake, based on the number of calories an individual needs throughout the day, according to their energy expenditure, sex and age. For example, an appropriate amount for an individual with an energy requirement of 1,800 calories per day (an average teenage girl ages 14-18 might be in this calorie range) would be no more than 100 calories from added sugars. An individual with a requirement of 2200 calories per day should eat or drink no more than 150 calories from added sugars.

Eating Vegetables Gives Skin a More Healthy Glow Than the Sun, Study Shows

ScienceDaily for January 12, 2011 reported on an effect on ones skin from eating vegetables.

Dr Stephen and his team in the Perception Lab found that people who eat more portions of fruit and vegetables per day have a more golden skin colour, thanks to substances called carotenoids. Carotenoids are antioxidants that help soak up damaging compounds produced by the stresses and strains of everyday living, especially when the body is combating disease. Responsible for the red colouring in fruit and vegetables such as carrots and tomatoes, carotenoids are important for our immune and reproductive systems.

'Thirdhand Smoke' May Be Bigger Health Hazard Than Previously Believed

ScienceDaily for January 12, 2011 reported on health hazzards from 3rd-hand tobacco smoke.

Scientists are reporting that so-called "thirdhand smoke" -- the invisible remains of cigarette smoke that deposits on carpeting, clothing, furniture and other surfaces -- may be even more of a health hazard than previously believed. The study, published in ACS' journal, Environmental Science & Technology, extends the known health risks of tobacco among people who do not smoke but encounter the smoke exhaled by smokers or released by smoldering cigarette butts.

Hard-to-Find Fish Reveals Shared Developmental Toolbox of Evolution

ScienceDaily for January 11, 2011 reported on similarities between fish and mammals.

Elephant fish, a relative of sharks, utilize the same genetic process for forming skeletal gill covers that lizards and mammals use to form fingers and toes, researchers at the University of Chicago and the University of Cambridge found. The precise timing of when and where that gene is expressed during embryonic development produces dramatic anatomical differences between elephant fish and their close relatives, the dogfish.

Smoking Around Your Kindergartner Could Raise Their Blood Pressure

ScienceDaily for January 11, 2011 reported on second-hand smoke and young children.

"The prevention of adult diseases like stroke or heart attack begins during childhood," said Giacomo D. Simonetti, M.D., first author of the study at the University of Heidelberg in Germany and currently assistant professor of pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of the University of Berne in Switzerland. "Parental smoking is not only negative for children's lung function, but poses a risk for their future cardiovascular health."

NASA's Kepler Mission Discovers Its First Rocky Planet

ScienceDaily for January 11, 2011 reported the discovery by Kepler of a rocky exoplanet.

"The discovery of Kepler 10-b is a significant milestone in the search for planets similar to our own," said Douglas Hudgins, Kepler program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Although this planet is not in the habitable zone, the exciting find showcases the kinds of discoveries made possible by the mission and the promise of many more to come."

Abstinence, Heavy Drinking, Binge Drinking Associated With Increased Risk of Cognitive Impairment

ScienceDaily for January 11, 2011 reported on alcohol and cognitive impairment.

Previous research regarding the association between alcohol consumption and dementia or cognitive impairment in later life suggests that mild to moderate alcohol consumption might be protective of dementia. However, most of the research has been conducted on subjects already rather elderly at the start of the follow-up.

Scientists Construct Synthetic Proteins That Sustain Life

ScienceDaily for January 7, 2011 reported on the development of synthetic proteins.

The team of researchers created genetic sequences never before seen in nature, and the scientists showed that they can produce substances that sustain life in cells almost as readily as proteins produced by nature's own toolkit.

Stem Cell Discovery Could Lead to Improved Bone Marrow Transplants

ScienceDaily for January 7, 2011 reported on a discovery about stem cells.

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have identified a key molecule for establishing blood stem cells in their niche within the bone marrow. The findings, reported in the January issue of Cell Stem Cell, may lead to improvements in the safety and efficiency of bone marrow transplants.

Tomatoes Found to Contain Nutrient Which Prevents Vascular Diseases

ScienceDaily for January 7, 2011 reported on tomatoes and vascular diseases.

The team led by Dr Teruo Kawada, from Kyoto University and supported by the Research and Development Program for New Bio-industry Initiatives, Japan, focused their research on extracts which tackle dyslipidemia, a condition which is caused by an abnormal amount of lipids, such as cholesterol or fat, in the blood stream.

High Dietary Fat, Cholesterol Linked to Increased Risk of Breast Cancer

ScienceDaily for January 7, 2011 reported on cholesterol and breast cancer.

The study, published in the January issue of The American Journal of Pathology, examines the role of fat and cholesterol in breast cancer development using a mouse model. The results show that mice fed a Western diet and predisposed to develop mammary tumors, can develop larger tumors that are faster growing and metastasize more easily, compared to animals eating a control diet.

Exercise May Lower Risk of Death for Men With Prostate Cancer

ScienceDaily for January 6, 2011 reported on exercise and Prostate cancer.

The results showed that both non-vigorous and vigorous activity were beneficial for overall survival. Compared with men who walked less than 90 minutes per week at an easy pace, those who walked 90 or more minutes per week at a normal to very brisk pace had a 46% lower risk of dying from any cause.

Evolution in Action: Lizard Moving From Eggs to Live Birth

National Geographic Daily News for September 1, 2010 reported on evolution in Australian lizzards.

Along the warm coastal lowlands of New South Wales (map), the yellow-bellied three-toed skink lays eggs to reproduce. But individuals of the same species living in the state's higher, colder mountains are almost all giving birth to live young.

Vitamin D Accelerates Recovery from Tuberculosis

ScienceDaily for January 7, 2011 reported on vitamin D and Tuberculosis.

In a trial led by Dr Adrian Martineau of the Centre for Health Sciences at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry -- and funded by the British Lung Foundation -- 146 patients with drug-sensitive TB were recruited from 10 National Health Service Trusts in London and randomly and evenly assigned to receive either four oral doses of 2.5mg of vitamin D, or a placebo. All participants received standard antibiotic treatment for their condition.

BMJ: Vaccine-Autism Researcher Andrew Wakefield Is a “Fraud”

Discover Blogs reported on the "research" of Andrew Wakefiele.

More than a dozen years have passed since the 1998 study in The Lancet in which researcher Andrew Wakefield argued his case that vaccines are the cause of autism. We here at DISCOVER have long considered his claims to be dubious and damaging to public health, but in the last few years the edifice upon which the anti-vaccination movement was built has been falling down. In 2004 most of the coauthors on the Wakefield study retracted the interpretation section of the paper, and early last year The Lancet officially retracted the entire paper. Now, this week, target="_self">the British Medical Journal’s investigation calls Wakefield an out-and-out “fraud.”

A Third of 9-Month-Olds Already Obese or Overweight

LiveScience for December 31, 2010 reported on obesity in babies.

Almost one-third of 9-month-olds are obese or overweight, as are 34 percent of 2-year-olds, according to the research, which looked at a nationally representative sample of children born in 2001. The study is one of the first to measure weight in the same group of very young children over time, said lead researcher Brian Moss, a sociologist at Wayne State University in Detroit. The results showed that starting out heavy puts kids on a trajectory to stay that way.

Vitamin D Deficiencies May Impact Onset of Autoimmune Lung Disease

ScienceDaily for January 5, 2011 reported on vitamin D and lung disease.

Researchers evaluated 118 patients from the UC ILD Center database -- 67 with connective tissue disease-related ILD and 51 with other causes of lung fibrosis -- for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, which indicate levels of vitamin D in the body. Then, they evaluated associations between these serum levels and the patients' conditions.

Resiliency on the Battlefield: Soldiers With a Positive Outlook Less Likely to Suffer Anxiety, Depression

ScienceDaily for January 5. 2011 reported on anxiety and depression in combat soldiers.

The study, which surveyed Army troops fighting in Iraq, could have implications for police officers, firefighters and others who regularly deal with traumatic events such as death. Training these first-responders to think in less catastrophic terms could help them better cope with distressing events and function more effectively in the long term, said MSU's John Schaubroeck, lead researcher on the project.

Oceanic 'Garbage Patch' Not Nearly as Big as Portrayed in Media

ScienceDaily for January 5, 2011 reported on discarded plastics in the oceans.

"The amount of plastic out there isn't trivial," White said. "But using the highest concentrations ever reported by scientists produces a patch that is a small fraction of the state of Texas, not twice the size."

Building Blocks of Life Created in "Impossible" Place

style="font-style: italic;">NASA Science News for December 15, 2010 reported on amino acids found in a meteorite.

"This meteorite formed when two asteroids collided," said Dr. Daniel Glavin of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. "The shock of the collision heated it to more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough that all complex organic molecules like amino acids should have been destroyed, but we found them anyway." Glavin is lead author of a paper on this discovery appearing December 15 in Meteoritics and Planetary Science. "Finding them in this type of meteorite suggests that there is more than one way to make amino acids in space, which increases the chance for finding life elsewhere in the Universe."

Astrobiology Top 10: First Super-Earth Atmosphere Analyzed

Astrobiology Magazine for December 27, 2010 reported on the atmosphere surrounding an exoplanet,

The atmosphere around a super-Earth exoplanet has been analyzed for the first time by an international team of astronomers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope. The planet, which is known as GJ 1214b, was studied as it passed in front of its parent star and some of the starlight passed through the planet’s atmosphere. We now know that the atmosphere is either mostly water in the form of steam or is dominated by thick clouds or hazes. The results appear in the 2 December 2010 issue of the journal Nature.

The Top 10 Life Forms Living on Lady Gaga (And You)

Scientific American for January 4, 2011 reported on the trillions of life forms inhabiting our bodies.

A new truth about Lady Gaga’s health has recently been revealed. She is covered in other life forms—“her little monsters” you might call them. Contrary to statements otherwise in the media, these life forms have nothing to do with Lady Gaga’s meat bikini. (For those who need the extra explanation, Lady Gaga is perhaps the most popular music personality in the world. A meat bikini is, well, unfortunately just what it sounds like.) Long before she strapped on her sirloin, her prevailing condition was contaminated. You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the bacteria out of the girl’s large intestine. But before you get holier than thou, I should point out that the condition with which Gaga is afflicted is the human condition. We are all covered in other species, gowns of life far more outrageous than a few strips of wayward meat. Here then are the ten life forms you (and Lady Gaga) are most likely to be wearing this spring.

The Top 10 Life Forms Living on Lady Gaga (And You)

Scientific American for January 4, 2011 reported on the trillions of life forms inhabiting our bodies.

A new truth about Lady Gaga’s health has recently been revealed. She is covered in other life forms—“her little monsters” you might call them. Contrary to statements otherwise in the media, these life forms have nothing to do with Lady Gaga’s meat bikini. (For those who need the extra explanation, Lady Gaga is perhaps the most popular music personality in the world. A meat bikini is, well, unfortunately just what it sounds like.) Long before she strapped on her sirloin, her prevailing condition was contaminated. You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the bacteria out of the girl’s large intestine. But before you get holier than thou, I should point out that the condition with which Gaga is afflicted is the human condition. We are all covered in other species, gowns of life far more outrageous than a few strips of wayward meat. Here then are the ten life forms you (and Lady Gaga) are most likely to be wearing this spring.

7 Amazing Exoplanets [Interactive]

Science American for November 23, 2010 gave video descriptions of what exoplanets might be like.

Hundreds of planets around other stars have been discovered recently, but many centuries may pass before human eyes actually see them up close. Interpreting current data, Hugo award-winning artist Ron Miller takes us to seven of the most fascinating of these worlds. Text and narration by Ed Bell

Getting a Leg Up on Evolution, the Comic-Book Version

Scientific American for January 3, 2011 reported on the use of comic books to teach the principles of evolution.

Editor's note: The following is an excerpt of the graphic book, "Evolution:
The Story of Life on Earth" (Hill and Wang, 2011). It was written by noted comic-book author and professor of biology Jay Hosler and illustrated by the award-winning duo Kevin Cannon and Zander Cannon.

Report of ancient meat-fest by human ancestors disputed

World Science for November 15, 2010 reported on disagreements about claims that ancient humanoids butchered meat.

But in the new work, Man­u­el Dominguez-Rodrigo of Com­plutense Uni­vers­ity in Ma­drid and col­leagues con­clud­ed that the “tool marks” were more likely scratch­es caused by an­i­mals tram­pling across the bones, which at some point were bur­ied in shal­low, sandy soil. The re­search­ers com­pared the orig­i­nal find­ings with pre­vi­ous stud­ies that have ex­am­ined nat­u­ral pro­cesses, such as tram­pling, which of­ten leave marks on fos­sil sur­faces that can be mis­tak­en for tool marks.

Parallel: Early humans emigrated to Africa rather than evolving there

Scientists have long assumed that modern humans evolved in Africa and spread from there throughout the Eastern Hemisphere. The scientists have believed this, because the earliest fossils of early humans were discovered in Africa. However, recent scientific research indicates this assumption may not be accurate. Specifically, one report indicates the anthropoids that lived anciently in Africa may have been migrants to the area rather than being native to the area. Another report suggests that early humans may have colonized Africa instead of evolving there.

Traditional Mormon belief is that Adam lived in the general Missouri area of the US. I am listing this as a parallel, not to suggest that Mormons believe anthropoids and early humans emigrated to Africa from the US, but because of the parallelism that civilization as we know it did not originate in Africa.

I have never felt that the fossil record supported the theory that modern civilization began in Africa. The fact that the oldest fossils of ancient humans were found in Africa only shows that the oldest fossils known so far have been found there. The fossil record does not show that ancient humans originated there.

The fossil record of ancient humans goes back hundreds of thousands of years, while the Biblical record of humans only goes back about 4000 years. Latter-day Saints, who take a traditional or literal view of the Biblical scriptures, have never given a satisfactory explanation of the difference in time between their view and the view of scientists. For this reason (and other reasons) many (perhaps most) scientists do not give much credence to the view of mankind that results from a literal interpretation of the Biblical record. Latter-day Saints who take a broader view of the time-line of mankind, have a belief that is closer to the scientific view. In my essay, Reconciling the Fall of Adam and Evolution, I give my view that Adam was not the first mortal man on the earth but was the first to receive the gospel and to make covenants with God. I don't discuss the geographical domain of Adam and leave that as an open question.

Walking Slows Progression of Alzheimer's, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily for January 2, 2011 reported on the effect of walking on people who have Alzheimer's.

"We found that walking five miles per week protects the brain structure over 10 years in people with Alzheimer's and MCI, especially in areas of the brain's key memory and learning centers," said Cyrus Raji, Ph.D., from the Department of Radiology at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. "We also found that these people had a slower decline in memory loss over five years."

Protein Involved in Cystic Fibrosis Also Plays Role in Emphysema, Chronic Lung Disease

ScienceDaily for December 30, 2010 reported on possible cause of lung diseases.

A team of Johns Hopkins Children's Center researchers has discovered that a protein involved in cystic fibrosis (CF) also regulates inflammation and cell death in emphysema and may be responsible for other chronic lung diseases.

Was Israel the Birthplace of Modern Humans?

ScienceDaily for December 31, 2010 reported on the possible birthplace of modern humans.

It has long been believed that modern humans emerged from the continent of Africa 200,000 years ago. Now Tel Aviv University archaeologists have uncovered evidence that Homo sapiens roamed the land now called Israel as early as 400,000 years ago -- the earliest evidence for the existence of modern humans anywhere in the world.