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These RSS news feeds are provided by the identified mental health resources.
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Please review for the latest in psychology, mental health, and psychiatry news.
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| Medical know-how raises suicide risk for doctors |
| Associated Press May 08, 2008 CHICAGO - There's a grim, rarely talked-about twist to all that medical know-how doctors learn to save lives: It makes them especially good at ending their own. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Mental health survey: Moms deserve a day off |
| Canada NewsWire May 08, 2008 TORONTO, May 8, 2008 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) -- Desjardins Financial Security survey shows that Canadian moms are healthy |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Kids still need post-Katrina mental health aid |
| The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss. May 08, 2008 May 8--Nearly three years after Hurricane Katrina, tens of thousands of Coast children still need mental health counseling and are not be getting help, say local mental health professionals and community organizers. This week is National Children's Mental Health Week, and all over the state people are sporting green ribbons... |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Men suffer from postpartum depression |
| United Press International May 08, 2008 WASHINGTON, May 8, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A U.S. psychologist said a study of fathers who suffer postpartum depression suggests the condition can hurt child development. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Too much, too little sleep tied to obesity |
| Associated Press May 07, 2008 ATLANTA - People who sleep fewer than six hours a night - or more than nine - are more likely to be obese, according to a new government study that is one of the largest to show a link between irregular sleep and big bellies. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Post-Katrina mental health issues continue |
| The Mississippi Business Journal May 07, 2008 Originally Published:20080421. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Suicides take toll as financial crisis deepens |
| International Herald Tribune May 07, 2008 Increased volatility is gripping the stock markets, big investment banks are adding up their losses and jobs are being cut across the financial industry. Being a trader has seldom been more stressful. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Aromas are emotionally charged |
| Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News May 07, 2008 May 7--Areas of the brain that handle emotions and memories are intricately tied to aromas and smells, a reason why one person will be brought to tears when served a plate of food like Mom used to make -- and another will turn away. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Psychological disorders more likely in adopted teens |
| Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News May 06, 2008 May 6--Adolescents adopted as infants are twice as likely to have behavioral disorders as those who are not adopted, according to research published Monday that is the deepest analysis yet of the larger mental health burden carried by some adopted children. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Breastfeeding boosts children's intelligence |
| Xinhua News Agency May 06, 2008 PARIS, May 6, 2008 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Prolonged breast-feeding promotes cognitive development and greater intelligence among children, according to the findings of a Canadian study conducted on a large sample of 14,000 children in Belarus published Monday. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Anti-psychotic drug use soars in UK children, too |
| Associated Press May 05, 2008 CHICAGO - American children take anti-psychotic medicines at about six times the rate of children in the United Kingdom, according to a comparison based on a new U.K. study. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| New breed of business gurus rises |
| Associated Press May 05, 2008 The guru game is changing. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Texas mental hospitals charged with systemic abuse |
| Associated Press May 04, 2008 DALLAS - Employee disciplinary records show abuse and neglect are systemic in mental hospitals in Texas, which has worked over the past year to revamp its juvenile prison system because of similar allegations, according to a report published Sunday. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Fear of unemployment leads workers to seek counseling |
| Omaha World-Herald, Neb. May 03, 2008 May 3--Today's slowing economy can be stressful as people lose jobs and co-workers who are left behind work harder -- and worry about losing their positions. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Researchers find that forest walk has real benefits |
| Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News May 02, 2008 May 2--For stressed-out workers, this may someday be a doctor's prescription: Walk around in the woods. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Is mathematics invented or discovered? |
| "There is an article up at Science News on a question that, remarkably, is still being debated after a few thousand years: is mathematics discovered, or is it invented? Those who answer "discovered" are the intellectual descendants of Plato; their number includes Roger Penrose. The article notes that one difficulty pointed out with the Platonic view is that, if mathematical ideas exist in some way independent of humans or minds, then human minds engaged in doing mathematics must somehow be able to connect with this non-physical state. http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/31392/title/Still_debating_with_Plato ... |
| Read More...(Source: CogNews) |
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| Brain activity predicts errors |
| "A team of researchers from laboratories in America, Britain, Germany and Norway used an imaging machine to scan the brains of a group of volunteers who were set a flanker test. This measures performance in the presence of distracting information: they were asked to respond as quickly as possible to the direction of an arrow flanked by other arrows that point in the same or opposite direction. Although the task is simple and repetitive, to keep providing the right answer demands a fair bit of brain power: people make a mistake about 10% of the time.When performing correctly the volunteers' brains showed increased levels of activity in those parts associated with cognitive effort, as would be expected. However, these areas gradually became less active before errors were made. At the same time another set of regions in the brain became more active. These regions are part of a so-called default mode network and show increased used when people are resting or asleep. "http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11088585 ... |
| Read More...(Source: CogNews) |
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| When it comes to emotions, Eastern and Western cultures see things very differently |
| Researchers from Canada and Japan have uncovered some remarkable results on how eastern and western cultures assess situations very differently. According to Takahiko Masuda, a professor from the University of Alberta: "Our results demonstrate that when North Americans are trying to figure out how a person is feeling, they selectively focus on that particular person's facial expression, whereas Japanese consider the emotions of the other people in the situation." This may be because Japanese attention is not concentrated on the individual, but includes everyone in the group, says Masuda. "East Asians seem to have a more holistic pattern of attention, perceiving people in terms of the relationships to others." (Alternative Article) ... |
| Read More...(Source: CogNews) |
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| Chimp and human communication trace to same brain region |
| An area of the brain involved in the planning and production of spoken and signed language in humans plays a similar role in chimpanzee communication, researchers report online in the journal *Current Biology*. "Chimpanzee communicative behavior shares many characteristics with human language," said Jared Taglialatela of the Yerkes National Primate Research Center. "The results from this study suggest that these similarities extend to the way in which our brains produce and process communicative signals." The results also suggest that the "neurobiological foundations" of human language may have been present in the common ancestor of modern humans and chimpanzees, he said. www.physorg.com/news123423961.html ... |
| Read More...(Source: CogNews) |
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| Doctors amazed by girl's ability to describe austism from the inside |
| Carly Fleischmann has severe autism and is unable to speak a word. But thanks to years of expensive and intensive therapy, this 13-year-old has made a remarkable breakthrough. Carly Fleischman expresses feelings by typing on her laptop computer. ... |
| Read More...(Source: CogNews) |
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| Scientists "see" ghosts |
| According to The Telegraph: Why do apparitions, bogeymen and phantoms like to lurk in the shadows? Scientists may have the answer. A team from University College London finds that when we gaze around in a poorly-lit context, it can fool our brains into seeing things that are not really there. Nobody has done a systematic study of ghosts, but computational biologists are convinced they are "all in the mind" and, in the light of the new work, it does not seem so surprising that they seem most often glimpsed in "spooky" dimly-lit circumstances. (Alternative Article) ... |
| Read More...(Source: CogNews) |
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| Brain waves pattern themselves after rhythms of nature |
| The same rules of physics that govern molecules as they condense from gas to liquid, or freeze from liquid to solid, also apply to the activity patterns of neurons in the human brain. University of Chicago mathematician Jack Cowan will offer this and related insights on the physics of brain activity this week in Boston during the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-02/uoc-bwp021208.php ... |
| Read More...(Source: CogNews) |
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| Denial makes the world go round |
| (Article Link) Everyone is in denial about something; just try denying it and watch friends make a list. Yet recent studies from fields as diverse as psychology and anthropology suggest that the ability to look the other way, while potentially destructive, is also critically important to forming and nourishing close relationships. ... |
| Read More...(Source: CogNews) |
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| The Mind Of A Rock |
| (Article Link) Confronted by the irritating problem of consciousness, some contemporary thinkers have resorted to what might seem lunacy. Did primitive mental experiences precede the evolution of brains, similar to how living cells and bodies required the existence of atoms beforehand? Or are "qualitative events" a completely brute emergent product of neural activity, without any non-biological causes whatsoever? Some skeptics respond with: Even if they did occur with matter interactions in general, how could such elemental mental states combine to form the kinds of complicated experiences we humans have? After all, when you put a bunch of people in the same room, their individual minds do not form a single collective mind. (Or do they?) ... |
| Read More...(Source: CogNews) |
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| Robot consumers, grow up! |
| (Article Link) Why can't American consumers handle the future that robotics is willing to offer? Our conception of consumer robotics is steered, almost entirely, by science fiction. Look at the best-selling book "How to Survive a Robot Uprising". With tongue firmly in cheek, Daniel H. Wilson warns that a robot uprising is inevitable. "How can all those Hollywood scripts be wrong?" he asks. ... |
| Read More...(Source: CogNews) |
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| Depression Treatments Reviewed By NeuroInvestment |
| NeuroInvestment announced the release of its May issue, which reviews novel treatments being developed for depression. Even though depression can be argued to be the success story of psychopharmacology, the current array of largely similar monoamine-targeting drugs leave 30% of patients without adequate relief, and incur significantly aversive side effects for the majority. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Thu, 08 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| Study Demonstrates Lexapro(R) Significantly Improves Depression Symptoms In Adolescents |
| Forest Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: FRX) announced that study results show Lexapro (escitalopram oxalate) significantly improved symptoms of depression as compared to placebo treatment and was well tolerated in adolescents, aged 12-17, with major depressive disorder (MDD), according to phase III data presented at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT) |
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| New Evidence-Based Guidelines For Antidepressants |
| A new revision of clinical guidelines to help doctors manage patients with depression has challenged the rationale behind the UK government's policy of rolling out of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for milder depression.According to a comprehensive review of treatments for depression, there is a lack of evidence for CBT being more helpful than other forms of psychological support in mild depression or for its efficacy in severe depression. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT) |
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| Studies Show Workplace Depression Is Significantly Under-Treated |
| The Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine (JOEM) has published a series of new studies that suggest depression in the workplace may be a much bigger problem - with more serious social and economic impacts - than employers realize. The peer-reviewed journal has devoted an entire special-edition, titled "Depression in the Workplace," to the topic, with 15 papers prepared by experts on depression and workplace health. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Wed, 07 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT) |
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| Aspect Medical Systems Presents Positive Results Of BRITE Major Depression Study At Scientific Conferences |
| Aspect Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASPM) will present study results from the BRITE (Biomarkers for Rapid Identification of Treatment Effectiveness) trial in major depression at the Society of Biological Psychiatry and American Psychiatric Association Annual Meetings in Washington D.C. this week. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Wed, 07 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT) |
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| Results Of Brodmann Area 25 Deep Brain Stimulation Pilot Study Offer Hope For Patients With Severe Depression |
| St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) announced pilot study results from the first multi-center study investigating deep brain stimulation (DBS) of Brodmann Area 25 for major depressive disorder. Results of the study, which were presented at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) meeting in Washington, D.C., found that 6 months after the procedure, 56 percent of the patients experienced at least a 40 percent decrease in depressive symptoms. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Wed, 07 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| News From The Canadian Medical Association Journal |
| 1. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors confirmed as treatment for depressionIn treating depression, a 6 to 9 month course of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors following initial recovery after a first episode of depression is confirmed by this study. This systematic review, based on six classic long-term randomized controlled trials, supports current clinical practice guidelines. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Tue, 06 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT) |
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| Seroquel Evaluation On Improvement In Short And Long-Term Symptoms |
| AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) announced new study data on SEROQUEL XR™ (quetiapine fumarate) Extended-Release Tablets (quetiapine XR) for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in adult patients. The results from the studies were presented today at the 161st Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in Washington, DC. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Tue, 06 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| Sudden Death Of A Parent Raises Risk Of Depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder For Surviving Children, Pitt Researchers Find |
| The children of parents who die suddenly - whether by suicide, accident or natural causes - are three times more likely to develop depression and are at higher risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than children who don't face such a difficult life event, according to a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study published in the current issue of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Tue, 06 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT) |
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| Low Blood Levels Of Vitamin D May Be Associated With Depression In Older Adults |
| Older adults with low blood levels of vitamin D and high blood levels of a hormone secreted by the parathyroid glands may have a higher risk of depression, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Tue, 06 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| Depressed People Have High Rates Of Physical Illness |
| People with recurrent depression have high rates of many common physical illnesses, such as gastric ulcer, rhinitis/hay fever, osteoarthritis, thyroid disease, hypertension and asthma, a new study has found. Published in the May 2008 issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, the study compared 1546 people with recurrent depression with 884 psychiatrically healthy controls in terms of past treatment for 16 different physical disorders. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Mon, 05 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| Heart Failure Patients May Suffer Similarly To Advanced Cancer Patients |
| Heart failure outpatients have similar numbers of symptoms and levels of depression and spiritual well-being as patients with advanced lung and pancreatic cancer, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's 9th Scientific Forum on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Mon, 05 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| Depressed Heart Failure Patients May Benefit From Exercise Plus Psychological Counseling |
| Aerobic exercise combined with cognitive behavioral therapy may improve physical function, reduce depressive symptoms and enhance quality of life in depressed heart failure patients, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's 9th Scientific Forum on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Mon, 05 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| Multiple Sclerosis Activity May Be Affected By Prozac |
| A new study published in the Journal ofNeurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry finds that Prozac, acommonly prescribed antidepressant, may be an agent in slowingdown the disease process of the relapsing remitting form of multiplesclerosis (MS).Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease where the immune systemattacks the central nervous system. In the relapsing remitting form,new symptoms occur in discrete attacks. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Sat, 03 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT) |
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| Depression Turns Off The Music In The Mother-Baby Dance |
| Your newborn is crying. If it's a cry of pain, you're going to respond more strongly than you would to a cry of hunger - that's the normal pattern. But if you suffer from post-partum depression, the difference between your response to the pain cry and the hunger cry is going to be even greater. And this, says psychologist Alison Fleming, isn't necessarily a good thing. As part of a study funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Dr. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Wed, 30 Apr 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| Women & Depression |
| The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has released a new brochure, Women and Depression, about the many dimensions of major depression in women. It can be downloaded at http://www.nami.org/womendepression. - 1 in 8 women experiences depression in their lifetime; twice the rate as men, regardless of race or ethnic background. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:00:00 PDT) |
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| Deep Brain Stimulation May Offer Hope For Select Patients With Treatment Resistant Major Depression |
| Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic, Brown University, and Massachusetts General Hospital will present results of a long-term outcome study that builds on previous promising research, which has shown that deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a potentially effective treatment option for people with treatment resistant major depression.The World Health Organization rates major depression as the top cause of disability worldwide. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PDT) |
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| According To Research From The University Of Navarra, Smokers Have A 41% Higher Risk Of Suffering Depression |
| The risk of suffering depression increases 41% in smokers, in comparison with non-smokers. This was the conclusion of a study undertaken with 8,556 participants by scientists of the University of Navarra, in collaboration with the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the Harvard School of Public Health (USA), and which demonstrates, in a pioneering way, the direct relationship between tobacco use and this disease.The article, whose first author is Prof. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Fri, 25 Apr 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| Biovail Receives FDA Approval For Aplenzin (BVF-033) For The Treatment Of Depression |
| Biovail Corporation (NYSE: BVF) (TSX: BVF) announced that it has received Approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its New Drug Application (NDA) for Aplenzin™ (formerly known as BVF-033), a once-daily formulation of bupropion hydrobromide developed by Biovail for the treatment of depression in adults. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| Having A Baby Isn't Blissful For All New Mothers |
| For many women, the lovely images of life with a new baby don't jive with their reality. Instead of feeling happy, they feel overwhelmed.University of New Hampshire researcher Kathleen Kendall-Tackett says there are a myriad of treatments available to new mothers experiencing postpartum depression. She is the author of a new monograph, "Non-Pharmacological Treatments for Depression in New Mothers" (2008, Hale Publishing). |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PDT) |
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| Depression Research Employs Laser Dissection |
| Chinese investigators from Hefei and Dutch researchers in Amsterdam have collaborated using for the first time a combination of new elegant methodology in Depression research. They used postmortem human brain tissue that was donated to the Netherlands Brain Bank for research purposes and investigated a region in the basal part of the brain, the hypothalamus, that is known to be of crucial importance for the development of symptoms of depression. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Wed, 23 Apr 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| Social Form Of Bullying Linked To Depression, Anxiety In Adults |
| Spreading rumors and gossiping may not cause bruises or black eyes, but the psychological consequences of this social type of bullying could linger into early adulthood, a new University of Florida study shows. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Wed, 23 Apr 2008 02:00:00 PDT) |
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| How To Recognize The Signs And Symptoms Of Anxiety And Depressive Illnesses |
| Each year more than 40 million Americans will suffer from an anxiety disorder and more than 19 million Americans will suffer with a depressive illness. The most common signs of anxiety and depression include feelings of being down or blue, phobias, uncontrollable worrying, poor concentration, loss of pleasure, sleeping problems, panic attacks, unexplainable aches, pains or headaches, obsessions, rituals and ongoing feelings of nervousness or tension. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| St. Jude Medical Awarded U.S. Patent For Neurostimulation Therapy For Depression |
| St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) announced it has been awarded a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for treating depression using neurostimulation therapy in an area of the brain known as Brodmann Area 25. Brodmann Area 25 is a structure within the subcollosal gyrus region of the brain. It is the focus of the St. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| Depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Service Members Will Cost U.S. Up To $6.2B Over Two Years, According To Report |
| Nearly one in five, or about 300,000, soldiers who has served in Iraq or Afghanistan has post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression -- illnesses that could cost the U.S. as much as $6.2 billion over two years in care, lost productivity and lost lives through suicide, according to a RAND report released on Thursday, the |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:00:00 PDT) |
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| Fritzl Says He Knew He Was Hurting His Daughter, "it Was Like An Addiction" |
| Joseph Fritzl says he knew Elizabeth did not want him to do what he was doing to her - having sex with her - but it was "like an addiction". We added that he wanted to have children with her. He said he knew the whole time that was he was doing was wrong. He sometimes wondered whether he was crazy for doing such acts. However, his double life became quite "matter of fact", he says. He had two families, one upstairs and the other downstairs - two parallel lives. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Thu, 08 May 2008 13:00:00 PDT) |
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| VA Director Denies Being Intentionally Vague Regarding Veterans' Suicide Data, Says E-mail Was 'Unfortunate' |
| Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health Director Ira Katz on Tuesday during a House Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing denied that he was intentionally vague during a committee hearing last year about the high rates of suicide among VA patients, |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Thu, 08 May 2008 06:00:00 PDT) |
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| Call For 'Serious Commitment To Improve Mental Health' |
| "We need to move ahead with a serious commitment to improve mental health," said Pan American Health Organization Deputy Director Dr. Cristina Beato at the launch of The Lancet's Global Mental Health series in the Americas. "The key messages are clear: Mental health has been neglected, and the resources for it are inadequate, insufficient, and inadequately distributed," Dr. Beato said. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT) |
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| Depression Treatments Reviewed By NeuroInvestment |
| NeuroInvestment announced the release of its May issue, which reviews novel treatments being developed for depression. Even though depression can be argued to be the success story of psychopharmacology, the current array of largely similar monoamine-targeting drugs leave 30% of patients without adequate relief, and incur significantly aversive side effects for the majority. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Thu, 08 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| Cannabis - Decision To Reclassify Is Wrong, Says Mental Health Charity Rethink, UK |
| Mental health charity Rethink has today expressed its disappointment at the government's decision to reclassify cannabis as a class B drug. Paul Corry, director of public affairs, says: "The government has made a mistake by choosing to reclassify cannabis as a class B drug. This decision goes against all the evidence. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Thu, 08 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| Schizophrenia - Risperidone Long-Acting Injection Extends Time To Relapse Compared To Oral Quetiapine |
| A new study, presented for the first time at an international psychiatric meeting, examined the time to relapse in patients with schizophrenia treated with risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI) or oral quetiapine. The data show that the mean time free from relapse for patients treated with RLAI was statistically longer than those treated with quetiapine (607 days RLAI versus 533 days with quetiapine, p |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Thu, 08 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| Studies Show Workplace Depression Is Significantly Under-Treated |
| The Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine (JOEM) has published a series of new studies that suggest depression in the workplace may be a much bigger problem - with more serious social and economic impacts - than employers realize. The peer-reviewed journal has devoted an entire special-edition, titled "Depression in the Workplace," to the topic, with 15 papers prepared by experts on depression and workplace health. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Wed, 07 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT) |
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| Mental Disorders Cost Society Billions In Unearned Income |
| Major mental disorders cost the nation at least $193 billion annually in lost earnings alone, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The study was published in the May 2008 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Wed, 07 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| Magellan Health Services Sponsors 2008 Children's Mental Health Awareness Week |
| Magellan Health Services, Inc., the nation's leading manager of behavioral health and substance abuse benefits, is helping draw attention to children's mental health issues as a national sponsor of Children's Mental Health Awareness Week, being held this week, May 4-10, by the National Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health (National Federation). |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Wed, 07 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT) |
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| NAMI Echoes Iowa State Television And Mental Health Study Findings |
| Statement of Bob CarollaNational Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Director of Media RelationsThe National Alliance on Mental Illness's Bob Carolla responded to a recent Iowa State University influence of television on mental health treatment study, "The Iowa State study is right. Television's portrayal of people who live with mental illnesses and people who work in mental health professions too often reflects negative stereotypes. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Wed, 07 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| 2008 May Is Mental Health Month: Help Kids Thrive Through Better Parent-Child Communication |
| As Americans observe 2008 May is Mental Health Month and National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day, Mental Health America asks families to recognize and promote their children's mental health and overall development through increased communication, guidance and emotional support. The theme for this year's Mental Health Month is "Get Connected" to emphasize the important role of social relationships in protecting and improving mental health and building resiliency. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Tue, 06 May 2008 14:00:00 PDT) |
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| Nondisclosure Of Mental Health Treatments Policy 'Welcome Sign' For Improved Care Of Service Members, Editorial Says |
| A new policy ending a requirement that military personnel applying for security clearance disclose any treatment they received for service-related mental health problems is a "welcome sign that the military is serious about changing how those in need of mental care are perceived and treated," a |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Tue, 06 May 2008 12:00:00 PDT) |
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| Autism In Children And Mental Disorders In Parents Linked |
| Parents of children with autism were roughly twice as likely to have been hospitalized for a mental disorder, such as schizophrenia, than parents of other children, according to an analysis of Swedish birth and hospital records by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher and colleagues in the U.S. and Europe. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Tue, 06 May 2008 06:00:00 PDT) |
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| Sudden Death Of A Parent Raises Risk Of Depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder For Surviving Children, Pitt Researchers Find |
| The children of parents who die suddenly - whether by suicide, accident or natural causes - are three times more likely to develop depression and are at higher risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than children who don't face such a difficult life event, according to a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study published in the current issue of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Tue, 06 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT) |
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| Department Of Defense Announces New Policy On Disclosure Of Mental Health Treatment For Military Personnel |
| Department of Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday announced a new policy that seeks to reduce the stigma for military personnel who seek mental health treatment, the Washington Post reports (Scott Tyson, Washington Post, 5/2). |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Mon, 05 May 2008 06:00:00 PDT) |
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| UK And Spain Top League For Common Psychological Disorders In European Study |
| There are significant differences between European countries in the prevalence of common psychological disorders, according to a new study. The highest prevalence for all disorders is found in the UK and Spain - and the lowest in Slovenia and The Netherlands. This is the first international study of common mental disorders to include countries that have entered the European Union since 2004. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Mon, 05 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| 'Quichua' Healers Of The Andes Diagnose Mental Illnesses |
| Yachactaitas (the Quichua healers of the Andes) may be identifying general psychiatric disorders in their communities, according to a study published in the May 2008 issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry. Traditional healers' practices are widespread around the world, yet their diagnostic skills have rarely been investigated. This exploratory study was carried out in Otavalo, in the province of Imbabura in the highlands of Ecuador. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Mon, 05 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| Mental Illnesses Under-treated Compared With Physical Illnesses In High-, Low- And Middle-income Countries |
| Despite often higher disability, mental illnesses are under-treated compared with physical illnesses in high-, low- and middle-income countries, a World Health Organisation study has found. The aims of this 15-country study, published in the May issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, were to establish the degree and type of disability, and level of treatment, of specific mental and physical disorders. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Mon, 05 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| Mentally Unhealthy Workplaces Taking An Enormous Toll In Canada |
| Responding to a new survey showing workplace stress, burnout and depression are on the rise in Canada, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is urging employers across the country to accept greater responsibility for the mental health of their employees. "Employers must do more to promote a healthy work/life balance, otherwise they, their workers, our economy and society will suffer serious consequences," warned Dr. Taylor Alexander, CEO of the CMHA. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Mon, 05 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| Psychological Distress, School Bullying And The 'Choking Game' |
| Ontario's youth are experiencing a different kind of high -- approximately seven percent (an estimated 79,000 students in grades 7 to 12) report participating in a thrill-seeking activity called the "choking game", which involves self-asphyxiation or having been choked by someone else on purpose. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Sun, 04 May 2008 09:00:00 PDT) |
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| Louisiana Residents Still Face Mental Health Issues; Many Will Not Admit To Needing Help, Survey Finds |
| More than two-and-a-half years after Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, some Louisiana residents still experience negative health effects related to the storms, particularly mental health problems, according to a report released on Tuesday, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports (Gyan, Baton Rouge Advocate, 4/30). The findings were released at a forum cosponsored by the |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Fri, 02 May 2008 08:00:00 PDT) |
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| Mental Health Month Survey Explores Americans' Social Relationships |
| A new survey by Mental Health America shows that while many Americans are routinely overwhelmed by stress, most view their relationships with family, friends and others as important sources of emotional support and stress-relief, which can have positive effects on their mental and overall health. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Fri, 02 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT) |
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| Willingness To Seek Psychological Therapy Affected By Its TV Portrayal |
| Network television programming might suggest that America is fascinated with the idea of psychological counseling.Frasier Crane and his brother, Niles, both practiced psychiatry on their popular NBC sitcom "Frasier." Mob boss Tony Soprano had his therapist on HBO's hit show "The Sopranos." And HBO has even made therapy the focus of two recent shows -- "Tell Me You Love Me" and "In Treatment. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Fri, 02 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT) |
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| Making It Easier To Talk About Mental Health |
| With data suggesting that one in five Illinois residents is experiencing a mental health challenge at any one time, a new public education campaign was launched to promote good mental health and to empower those living with a mental health issue to Say it out loud. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT) |
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| Was Austrian Cellar Father Responsible For His Actions? |
| Was Josef Fritzl, who kept his daughter (Elizabeth) in a cellar for 24 years and has confessed to fathering seven children with her, responsible for his actions? That is what his lawyer, Rudolf Mayer, said experts must decide. He faces up to 15 years in prison just for rape - if he is found guilty of rape. In an interview with the BBC Mayer said Fritzl will undergo several psychological and psychiatric tests. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:00:00 PDT) |
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| Training Scientists to Run for Office [60-Second Science] |
| [The following is an exact transcript of this podcast.]Would America be a better place if more people with science training held elective office? One organization that thinks so is Scientists and Engineers for America, or SEA. On May 10th, they’re holding a day-long workshop in Washington, D.C., to teach researchers the nuts and bolts of running for office. More than 70 attendees have signed up. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:08 EST) |
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| Legislation Introduced to Spur Treatments for Brain Ailments [News] |
| Lawmakers yesterday introduced legislation designed to speed the development of new, safer therapies for brain and nervous system disorders and injuries, which affect an estimated 100 million Americans and costs an estimated $1.3 trillion annually to treat. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 08 May 2008 17:00:00 EST) |
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| Scientists Build Nano Hot Rods [News] |
| Like a team of laboratory gearheads, Arizona State University (A.S.U.) researchers have found a way to soup up microscopic "nanomachines" that may someday be used to deliver lifesaving medications or test the quality of drinking water in remote regions of the world. In place of turbochargers and high-octane gas, the scientists tweaked their engine design and used an additive to speed the oxidation of hydrogen peroxide into fuel to create nanomachines 350 times more powerful than any previously built. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 08 May 2008 16:00:00 EST) |
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| To Catch a Plutonium Thief, Try Antineutrinos [News] |
| A new more secure technology for guarding against theft from nuclear reactors has passed its first test.Researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, Calif., successfully monitored the power output of a relatively small nuclear power reactor by measuring the number of antineutrinos--ghostly particles generated by nuclear fission--that struck a refrigerator-size tank of liquid. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 08 May 2008 13:35:00 EST) |
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| What's Our Connection to the Platypus? [News] |
| The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is an odd-looking creature whose features combine the furry torso and wide, flat tail of a beaver with the rubbery bill and webbed feet of a duck. But its looks are not all that is strange about it. A new study indicates that the distinctive mammal's genetic code is an eclectic brew of bird, reptile and mammal. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 08 May 2008 13:00:00 EST) |
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| Whatever Happened to the Pioneer Spacecraft? [Scientific American Magazine] |
| Mystery Cruise ControlThe velocities of Pioneer 10 and 11, now speeding out of the solar system, are mysteriously changing, as if an extra force from the sun were tugging at them. Explanations have ranged from gas leaks and observational error to modified theories of gravity [see “A Force to Reckon With”; SciAm, October 2005]. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 08 May 2008 11:08:00 EST) |
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| An Uninsured Doctor in the House [Features] |
| One of the first things U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen (D–Wisc.) did when he took office last year was to nix his congressional health care coverage. The move stunned a human resources staffer, who, the lawmaker says, looked at him as though he were insane."I'll respectfully decline until you can make that same offer for all of my constituents," he says he told her, explaining his decision to turn down what many say is the Cadillac of U.S. health plans. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 08 May 2008 11:00:00 EST) |
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| Cloth-Eating Fungus Could Make Fuel [60-Second Science] |
| Podcast Transcript: It sounds like something out of a bad science fiction novel. During World War II, a fungus called Tricoderma reesei ate its way through US military uniforms and tents in the South Pacific. It chewed up the cloth and used special enzymes to convert the indigestible cellulose into simple sugars. Now that infamous fungus is getting some good publicity. It looks like it might hold a key to improving the production of biofuels. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 08 May 2008 10:30:08 EST) |
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| Myanmar Cyclone: Before and After [Image Gallery] |
| [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 EST) |
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| Quake Shakes Tokyo [News] |
| Japan was rocked by a series of earthquakes today about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Tokyo that injured two, cut off power to some 2,100 homes, and left the country on high alert for possible aftershocks. The largest quake hit at 1:45 a.m. local time in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the Ibaraki Prefecture and measured 6.8 on the Richter scale, but Japan's meteorological agency told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) that it does not expect the tremors to result in a tsunami. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Wed, 07 May 2008 18:00:00 EST) |
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| Evolution Enclaves: Darwin the Botanist and Origins of Life Research [Science Talk] |
| David Kohn, curator of the Darwin's Garden exhibit at the New York Botanical Garden, discusses Darwin's botanical studies. And Harvard Medical School's Jack Szostak talks about research into the origins of life. Plus we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this episode include www.nybg.org/darwin; www.hhmi.org; www.sciam.com/daily The text transcript is currently not available. Transcripts are posted about a week after the podcast airs. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Wed, 07 May 2008 14:30:08 EST) |
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| Are Personal Genome Scans Medically Useless? [Scientific American Magazine] |
| For $1,000 and up, several new companies will scan an individual’s entire genome for clues about ancestry, potential health limitations and the inheritance of traits such as lactose intolerance. Clients can compare their DNA with a celebrity’s or invite friends and family members to share genetic profiles. Despite the comprehensive reports and background data these Web-based services deliver, some observers believe the information is more recreational than relevant.Direct-to-consumer genetic tests have existed for at least a decade, and in recent years the number of choices has exploded. Whereas most of these offerings probe for only a small number of gene variants, advances in genome chips now allow a quick, inexpensive search for a wide range of targets all at once. Navigenics in Redwood Shores, Calif., 23andMe in Mountain View, Calif., and deCODE Genetics in Reykjavik, Iceland, recently began scanning for markers associated with as many as two dozen conditions and traits. And for upward of $350,000, Knome in Cambridge, Mass., enables customers to join J. Craig Venter and James D. Watson in the elite cadre of humans who have had their entire genome sequenced, analyzed and interpreted. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Wed, 07 May 2008 08:16:00 EST) |
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| Virus Outbreak Shakes China [Sciam Observations Blog] |
| Updated from a May 5 blog entryChinese health-care officials are scrambling to contain the outbreak of a contagious and sometimes deadly intestinal virus--known as Enterovirus 71 (EV71)--that has already claimed the lives of at least 28 children and is likely to continue spreading. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Wed, 07 May 2008 07:33:58 EST) |
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| Mind Control by Cell Phone [Mind Matters] |
| Hospitals and airplanes ban the use of cell phones, because their electromagnetic transmissions can interfere with sensitive electrical devices. Could the brain also fall into that category? Of course, all our thoughts, sensations and actions arise from bioelectricity generated by neurons and transmitted through complex neural circuits inside our skull. Electrical signals between neurons generate electric fields that radiate out of brain tissue as electrical waves that can be picked up by electrodes touching a person's scalp. Measurements of such brainwaves in EEGs provide powerful insight into brain function and a valuable diagnostic tool for doctors. Indeed, so fundamental are brainwaves to the internal workings of the mind, they have become the ultimate, legal definition drawing the line between life and death.Brainwaves change with a healthy person's conscious and unconscious mental activity and state of arousal. But scientists can do more with brainwaves than just listen in on the brain at work-they can selectively control brain function by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). This technique uses powerful pulses of electromagnetic radiation beamed into a person's brain to jam or excite particular brain circuits. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Wed, 07 May 2008 07:00:00 EST) |
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| Were Dinos on Their Way Out Before the Meteor? [60-Second Science] |
| Podcast Transcript: It’s accepted that a large meteor impact 65 million years ago was responsible for the mass extinction of the dinosaurs. Which opened up niches for birds and mammals. But last week at an evolution conference at The Rockefeller University in New York City, New Zealand biologist David Penny questioned whether the dinosaurs might not have already been on their way out. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:08 EST) |
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| New Twist on Nanowires [Image Gallery] |
| [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 EST) |
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| The Monitor, ep. 13--Colossal Squid, Narwhals and Improvisational Robotics [The Monitor] |
| [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 06 May 2008 17:15:00 EST) |
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| Toasted Bugs? Tropical Insects May Not Thrive in Warming World [News] |
| Global warming may prove worse for insects--and other cold-blooded critters--living in the steamy tropics than for their counterparts living closer to the frigid polar regions, according to a new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. Even though climate change is likely to affect areas near the poles, tropical insects are already living in conditions that verge on being too hot for them, which means they could be teetering on the edge of extinction.Take the shield bug--also known as the stinkbug for the nasty smelling liquid it spews when attacked. There are varieties of the insect in both the U.K. and Kenya. But although the shield bugs in the former may prosper as a result of a warmer climate in their region, their counterparts in Kenya (and other parts of Africa) may find themselves unable to cope with the heat, according to the research--and, if they cannot adapt or move, they may perish. "The current climate is at its optimum temperature," says study co-author and biogeochemist Curtis Deutsch of the University of California, Los Angeles. "Any warming was going to push them towards reduced fitness." [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 06 May 2008 16:20:00 EST) |
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| Can You Catch Up on Lost Sleep? [Fact or Fiction] |
| Let's do some sleep math. You lost two hours of sleep every night last week because of a big project due on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, you slept in, getting four extra hours. Come Monday morning, you were feeling so bright-eyed, you only had one cup of coffee, instead of your usual two. But don't be duped by your apparent vim and vigor: You're still carrying around a heavy load of sleepiness, or what experts call "sleep debt"--in this case something like six hours, almost a full nights' sleep. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 06 May 2008 13:10:00 EST) |
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| Chile Volcano Eruption Sends Residents Fleeing, Causes One Death [News] |
| Lava began to flow today from Chile's Chaitén volcano, chasing remaining residents out of a nearby town and putting the government of the affected Palena Province on high alert. The country had already been on edge following the volcano's initial eruption this past weekend, spewing hot ash, gas and smoke into the air for several days, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,200 residents and leading to the death of a 92-year-old woman who suffered a heart attack aboard a navy boat as she was being taken to Puerto Montt, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) north of the volcano. No lava flow, however, had been reported until Tuesday. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 06 May 2008 12:45:00 EST) |
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| How Boys Become Boys (and Sometimes Girls) [News] |
| In research that could give doctors a way to reassign sex in cases of unclear gender, scientists report this week that they have figured out why some children with genes that should make them boys are instead born as girls. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 06 May 2008 12:00:00 EST) |
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| A Dump Truck for the 21st Century [News] |
| Slideshow: View the "super tipper" [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 06 May 2008 11:00:00 EST) |
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| Why the Next President Needs a Powerful Science Adviser [Scientific American Magazine] |
| In the wake of the near panic over the launch of Sputnik in 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed James Killian, the president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to become the first special assistant to the president for science and technology. Ever since, the relationship between the nation’s chief executive and the White House’s resident authority on nuclear fission, the workings of DNA and the greenhouse effect, among an array of topics, has had its highs and lows.To be sure, advice has flowed freely at times. Eisenhower consulted frequently with Killian and other scientists, and in the Kennedy years Jerome Wiesner, another M.I.T. president, helped to coordinate the government’s response to the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, a book that spurred a national grassroots environmental movement by pointing out the dangers of pesticides. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 06 May 2008 08:19:00 EST) |
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| Cell Number Is Future Fat Fight Front [60-Second Science] |
| Podcast Transcript: Losing weight is no walk in the park. (Although a walk in the park wouldn’t hurt). Seems no matter what diet you try, those stubborn love handles just won’t go away. Part of the problem is that the bulk of your bulk is stored inside fat cells. And the number of fat cells you have is set before you reach adulthood. So if you chunked up as a child, that battalion of fat cells is with you for life. It’s enough to make you want to bury your face in a tray of brownies, I know. But hold off. Because researchers from Stockholm think they’ve found a loophole. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:08 EST) |
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| The Monitor: Episode 13 [SciAm Exclusives Video] |
| [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 EST) |
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| More than 22,000 Dead, 40,000 Missing from Myanmar Cyclone [News] |
| More than 22,000 people were reported dead and 41,000 more were missing after a cyclone tore through the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar late Friday night and early Saturday morning. Over 10 hours, winds traveling up to 150 miles per hour struck Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, and dumped 20 inches of rain on the harbortown, formerly known as Rangoon. According to published reports, the country's foreign minister fears the final death toll may rise as high as 50,000. That would make the storm -- Tropical Cyclone Nargis -- one of Myanmar's most deadly natural disasters and the second largest in the region after the tsunami of 2004, which took nearly 200,000 lives. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Mon, 05 May 2008 16:00:00 EST) |
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| A Bug's Sex Life: A Q&A with Isabella Rossellini [Features] |
| Isabella Rossellini, well known as a supermodel and movie star, is now making short films for mobile devices that illustrate the sex lives of dragonflies, earthworms and other creatures. But they are not like standard nature shows. In these films, which she researched with the help of Wildlife Conservation Society experts, she not only details unusual aspects of the critters' biology but also dresses up as them and mimics sex with paper cutouts. We asked Rossellini what she hopes to accomplish with the films on invertebrate love, dubbed Green Porno, which premiers May 5 on the Sundance Channel’s Web site. A version of this story will appear in the July issue of Scientific American.How did you get started making these short films? [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Mon, 05 May 2008 13:40:00 EST) |
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| Sundance Channel Presents: Green Porno [Video] [Features] |
| Editor's Note: These videos accompany our feature "A Bug's Sex Life: A Q&A with Isabella Rossellini" an interview with Isabella Rossellini on her new series "Green Porno" [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Mon, 05 May 2008 13:35:00 EST) |
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| Hard Drive Recovered from Columbia Shuttle Solves Physics Problem [News] |
| Researchers have finally published the results of data recovered from a cracked and singed hard drive that fell to Earth in the debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia, which broke up during reentry on February 1, 2003, killing all seven crew members.The hard drive contained data from the CVX-2 (Critical Viscosity of Xenon) experiment, designed to study the way xenon gas flows in microgravity. The findings, published this April in the journal Physical Review E, confirmed that when stirred vigorously, xenon exhibits a sudden change in viscosity known as shear thinning. The same effect allows whipped cream and ketchup to go from flowing smoothly like liquids to holding their shapes like solids. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Mon, 05 May 2008 13:33:00 EST) |
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| Are There Missing Pieces to the Human Genome Project? [News] |
| If you ask the scientists at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) when the Human Genome Project wrapped up, they'll tell you it was finished in 2003. However, a new study indicates that the composite reference genome cobbled together from parts of the genetic codes of multiple people, is definitely a work in progress. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Mon, 05 May 2008 13:00:00 EST) |
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| Dog Walking Irks Birds [Features] |
| Since dogs were first trained to hunt birds, relations haven't been especially rosy between the two. Dog walkers and bird watchers have a prickly relationship too, often clashing over the use of recreation areas. And now a new study threatens to inflame tempers even more, suggesting that bird sanctuaries be off limits to even those pooches on short leashes.Currently, dogs roam triumphant in many places, although the Audubon Society lists bird habitats (in Alaska, California, Oregon, Florida, South Carolina and New Jersey) where it considers dog walking to be a threat. Other areas established to safeguard critically endangered birds, such as the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge along the Gulf Coast, currently allow pups in select pockets as long as they are leashed. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Mon, 05 May 2008 12:45:00 EST) |
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| The Lure of Bette Davis Eyes [60-Second Psych] |
| Podcast Transcript: Out of all the features in a face, we might guess the eyes hold court. And the larger, the better. Think Bette Davis, nocturnal tarsiers, babies… [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Mon, 05 May 2008 11:30:08 EST) |
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| Protein Shape Data Confirms Life's Genealogy [60-Second Science] |
| Podcast Transcript: Biologists often attempt to construct a genealogy that shows the relationships of all life on earth. One well-accepted effort compares the nucleic acid sequences that code for ribosomal RNA and a few proteins in many different organisms. The result shows clear groupings. The bacteria cluster together, the eukaryotes--that’s you and frogs and maple trees--all go together. And archae, a distinct kind of single cell, go together. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Mon, 05 May 2008 10:15:08 EST) |
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| Regulating Evolution: How Gene Switches Make Life [Scientific American Magazine] |
| At first glance, the list of animals could suggest any zoo. There’s an elephant, an armadillo, an opossum, a dolphin, a sloth, a hedgehog, big and small bats, a couple of shrews, some fish, a macaque, an orangutan, a chimpanzee and a gorilla--to name a few of the more familiar creatures. But this menagerie is not at all like any zoo that has been constructed before. There are no cages, no concession stands and, in fact, no animals. It is a “virtual” zoo that contains only the DNA sequences of those animals--the hundreds of millions to billions of letters of DNA code that make up the genetic recipe for each species.The most excited visitors to this new molecular zoo are evolutionary biologists, because within it lies a massive and detailed record of evolution. For many decades, scientists have longed to understand how the great diversity of species has arisen. We have known for half a century that changes in physical traits, from body color to brain size, stem from changes in DNA. Determining precisely what changes to the vast expanse of DNA sequences are responsible for giving animals their unique appearance was out of reach until recently, however. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Mon, 05 May 2008 08:15:00 EST) |
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| Fishing for Oxygen in Warming Oceans [News] |
| Records stretching back to 1960 prove what climate models had predicted: warmer oceans contain less oxygen. Oceanographer Lothar Stramma of the University of Kiel in Germany and his colleagues report in Science that an analysis of historical records and recent samples show that as the globe has warmed, waters with low oxygen content have expanded in the tropical Atlantic and equatorial Pacific oceans. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Fri, 02 May 2008 18:00:00 EST) |
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| News Bytes of the Week--Was the Red Baron Just Lucky? [News] |
| Was the Red Baron just lucky?Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, better known as the Red Baron, was the most feared German flying ace of World War I. He racked up 80 official air combat victories--the biggest winning streak on either side--before being shot down on April 21, 1918, over northern France. We're inclined to interpret the Baron's record as proof that he was the best of the best. But a study published in the Journal of Mathematical Sociology claims that much of Richthofen's success could be chalked up to plain old luck. German records list 2,894 WWI fighter pilots, who together scored 6,759 victories (planes shot down) and only 810 defeats. Although the win ratio seems suspiciously high, electrical engineers Mikhail Simkin and Vwani Roychowdhury of the University of California, Los Angeles, contend they can still use the numbers to analyze the pilots' defeat rate--their total chances of being shot down after each flight. That rate started off high--25 percent for the first flight--but fell sharply; by the 10th flight it had leveled off below 5 percent, consistent with the weaker pilots getting picked off and the remaining aces having similar skills in the air. At that rate, the researchers conclude that the odds of one in 2,894 pilots racking up an 80-win streak are about 30 percent--not so remarkable after all. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Fri, 02 May 2008 17:00:00 EST) |
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| Do different cells in our nose respond to different smells? [Ask the Experts] |
| People can smell thousands--perhaps even millions--of different scents. Yet scientists know that in the nose, there are only about 400 different types of odor receptors--proteins that capture scented molecules so that smells can be identified. Thus, there isn’t, obviously, one type of receptor that responds to a rose, while another jumps for jasmine. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Fri, 02 May 2008 12:00:00 EST) |
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| A Silver Coating in the Fight Against Microbes [News] |
| A new technique in paint making could soon make almost any surface germfree. Researchers have made paint that is embedded with silver nanoparticles known for their ability to kill bacteria and other microbes, in the hope that hospitals will coat their walls and countertops to fight infection.According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one million people a year contract bacterial infections in hospitals. Silver itself is an excellent bacteria fighter, and in nanoparticle form it is even more potent at killing microorganisms. So far it has not shown any adverse effects in humans. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Fri, 02 May 2008 10:50:00 EST) |
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| Fishing Lines That Repel Sharks [60-Second Science] |
| Podcast Transcript: Sharks inspire fear as great predators, but their numbers are declining around the world. One way sharks occasionally meet their doom is by getting tangled up in long-line fishing gear. And they can eat the bait set out for the desired fish, which makes fishing less efficient and more expensive. But scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently noticed something unusual. They reported their findings at a workshop on shark-deterrence. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Fri, 02 May 2008 10:20:08 EST) |
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| 100 Years Ago: Whitest Printing Plant in the World [Scientific American Magazine] |
| MAY 1958SELF-- “Most of us live behind a wall or smoke-screen which in some degree hides our true thoughts, feelings, beliefs, desires, likes and dislikes. But the question of self-disclosure goes deeper than mere willingness or reluctance. People often cannot disclose themselves, even if they would, because they do not know their real selves--what they really want, feel or believe. Karen Horney has called this phenomenon of being a stranger to oneself ‘self-alienation,’ and she finds it characteristic of neurotics. It may be significant of modern society that so many people have taken to the psychoanalyst’s couch to try to know themselves.” [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Fri, 02 May 2008 10:11:00 EST) |
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| Congress Passes Bill Barring Genetic Discrimination [News] |
| The House today passed a measure by a whopping 414-to-1 margin that would prohibit health insurers from canceling or denying coverage or hiking premiums based on a genetic predisposition to a specific disease. The legislation, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), also bars employers from using genetic information to hire, fire, promote or make any other employment-related decisions. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 01 May 2008 19:00:00 EST) |
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| Charcoal in Burned Forests No Way to Store Carbon [News] |
| The boreal forests in the north of Canada, Russia and other countries that ring the Arctic burn every summer after lightning strikes their towering trees, releasing tons of carbon dioxide into the air as they turn to ash and charcoal in the flames. Some scientists have argued, however, that this climate-changing natural disaster might not be all bad from a global warming perspective: Charcoal is a stable way to store carbon in the ground, where the carbon-rich charcoal can safely stay for hundreds if not thousands of years. Or at least that's the theory of so-called biochar. A new study published today in Science shows that such charcoal may not keep as much carbon in the soil as previously believed. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 01 May 2008 19:00:00 EST) |
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| James Watson, six months later, still apologizing [Sciam Observations Blog] |
| You'd think James Watson would be pretty good at apologizing by now. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 01 May 2008 17:50:08 EST) |
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| Missing Link of Electronics Discovered: "Memristor" [News] |
| After nearly 40 years, researchers have discovered a new type of building block for electronic circuits. And there's at least a chance it will spare you from recharging your phone every other day. Scientists at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories in Palo Alto, Calif., report in Nature that a new nanometer-scale electric switch "remembers" whether it is on or off after its power is turned off. (A nanometer is one billionth of a meter.)Researchers believe that the memristor, or memory resistor, might become a useful tool for constructing nonvolatile computer memory, which is not lost when the power goes off, or for keeping the computer industry on pace to satisfy Moore's law, the exponential growth in processing power every 18 months. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 01 May 2008 12:00:00 EST) |
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| Buried Prejudice: The Bigot in Your Brain [Scientific American Mind] |
| "There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life,” Jesse Jackson once told an audience, “than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery--then look around and see somebody white and feel relieved.”Jackson’s remark illustrates a basic fact of our social existence, one that even a committed black civil-rights leader cannot escape: ideas that we may not endorse--for example, that a black stranger might harm us but a white one probably would not--can nonetheless lodge themselves in our minds and, without our permission or awareness, color our perceptions, expectations and judgments. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 01 May 2008 09:55:00 EST) |
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| Nutcracker Man Preferred Soft Fruits [60-Second Science] |
| Podcast Transcript: Some people lie through their teeth. Some lie about their teeth. Our early human cousins seem to have lied with their teeth. Or they at least misled scientists into first thinking that their diet was something other than it was. See, one of our East African relatives had chompers that looked so powerful, scientists nicknamed him “Nutcracker man.” With teeth and jaws so big and strong, everyone assumed that Paranthropus boisei was partial to nuts and seeds and other crunchy fare. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:08 EST) |
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| Puzzling Adventures: How to Make Buses More Attractive Than Cars? [Puzzling Adventures] |
| Like many cities of the North American Sunbelt, Las Gridas is a big grid of two-way roads (three lanes for each direction), some going east-west and some north-south. Most people get around by driving their cars. But gridlock and energy costs have finally driven the normally car-loving culture to reconsider its disdain for buses. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 EST) |
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| Court Orders U.S. to Stop Keeping Polar Bear Status on Ice [News] |
| A federal judge Tuesday ordered the Bush administration to stop dragging its feet on the fate of polar bears and decide by May 15 whether declining sea ice in the Arctic threatens their existence. The ruling marks a victory for a coalition of environmentalists--the Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)--which sued to force the U.S. Department of the Interior to decide whether to protect the hoary Arctic predators under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which it had committed to do by January 9. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EST) |
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| Albert Hofmann, Inventor of LSD, Embarks on Final Trip [News] |
| Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann, inventor of LSD, died yesterday at the age of 102, just 10 days after the 55th anniversary of his notorious bicycle trip while tripping on "acid". Hofmann, who suffered a heart attack at home in Basel, Switzerland, was the first person to synthesize lysergic acid diethylamide, better known as LSD, and the first human known to experience its mind-bending effects. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:00:00 EST) |
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| Researchers Make Human Flu Antibodies at Record Speed [News] |
| A new method for swiftly producing proteins to fight infections could mean the difference between life and death during future pandemics. Researchers report in Nature today that they have perfected a way to manufacture monoclonal antibodies capable of destroying diseases such the avian flu, which have the ability to swap genes with human flu varieties and jump from birds to people. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:00:00 EST) |
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