http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified a small intracellular protein that helps cells commit suicide. The finding, reported as the "paper of the week" in the January 16th print issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, could lead to drugs for combating cancer and other diseases characterized by overproduction of cells. The research was led by the late Dennis Shields, Ph.D., a professor in Einstein's Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology for 30 years, who died unexpectedly in December. http://www.physorg.com/news151226507.html Chemistry Thu, 15 Jan 2009 07:21:47 EST news151226507 A tug-of-war between the two sides of the brain causes it to become asymmetrical, according to research published today in the journal Neuron. Asymmetry in the brain is thought to be important to enable the two hemispheres to specialise and operate more efficiently. http://www.physorg.com/news151159139.html Medicine & Health Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:38:59 EST news151159139 New research published in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that morbidly obese patients are at higher risk than normal weight patients for complications after colectomy - surgical removal of all or part of the colon - for the treatment of cancer. http://www.physorg.com/news151152642.html Medicine & Health Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:50:42 EST news151152642 Introduced in the 1960s, oral contraceptives have been used by about 80 percent of women in the United States at some point in their lives. For women without pre-existing risks for heart disease, the early formulations were generally safe, and the newer ones appear to be even safer, but all the risks and benefits are yet to be established, especially as women's lifestyles change and new forms of contraceptives become available, according to specialists in women's heart disease at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. http://www.physorg.com/news151151902.html Medicine & Health Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:38:22 EST news151151902 Vicks(R) VapoRub(R), the popular salve used to relieve symptoms of cough and congestion, may be harmful for infants and toddlers. New research appearing in the January issue of Chest, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), shows that Vicks(R) VapoRub(R) (VVR) may stimulate mucus production and airway inflammation, which can have severe effects on breathing in an infant or toddler. Research findings are consistent with current VVR labeling which indicates the product should not be used on children under 2 years of age. http://www.physorg.com/news151053183.html Medicine & Health Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:13:03 EST news151053183 A study on genetic variation led by a scientist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University was selected by Nature as one of 15 "evolutionary gems" of the past decade. The 15 studies were selected by Nature in the current issue to "illustrate the breadth, depth and power of evolutionary thinking," as part of the publication's celebration of Charles Darwin's 200th birthday and 150th anniversary of its most celebrated publication "The Origin of Species." Darwin, the father of the theory of evolution, was born on February 12, 1809. http://www.physorg.com/news150997379.html Biology Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:42:59 EST news150997379 It is common knowledge that when something becomes scarce, its value goes up. This concept does not just apply to material goods -time can be an extremely valuable commodity, especially when it is in short supply. According to a new study, thinking that we have a limited amount of time remaining to participate in an activity makes us appreciate the activity that much more and motivates us to make the most of it. http://www.physorg.com/news150993252.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:34:12 EST news150993252 German scientist Otto H. Warburg's theory on the origin of cancer earned him the Nobel Prize in 1931, but the biochemical basis for his theory remained elusive. http://www.physorg.com/news150954448.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Jan 2009 03:47:28 EST news150954448 Higher-than-normal levels of insulin place postmenopausal women at increased risk of breast cancer, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University report. Their findings, published in the January 7 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, suggest that interventions that target insulin and its signaling pathways may decrease breast cancer risk in these women. http://www.physorg.com/news150781398.html Medicine & Health Sat, 10 Jan 2009 03:43:18 EST news150781398 Many of the battles to desegregate Southern colleges and universities were fought in public, but efforts to desegregate the standardized testing that is often a prerequisite to admission have, until now, received little attention. Now, a new University of Georgia study reveals how two men traveled the Deep South, facing hostility and risking violence, to ensure that students received fair and impartial treatment. http://www.physorg.com/news150739680.html Other Sciences Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:08:00 EST news150739680 A group of Dartmouth researchers has found a new function for one of the proteins involved with chromosome segregation during cell division. Their finding adds to the growing knowledge about the fundamental workings of cells, and contributes to understanding how cell function can go wrong, as it does with cancerous cells. http://www.physorg.com/news150722564.html Biology Fri, 09 Jan 2009 11:22:44 EST news150722564 Genetic variations that can predispose children to a serious disease that damages the heart have been identified in a genome-wide association study of Kawasaki Disease, published today in PLoS Genetics. http://www.physorg.com/news150695589.html Medicine & Health Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:53:09 EST news150695589 Scientists have tricked bone marrow into releasing extra adult stem cells into the bloodstream, a technique that they hope could one day be used to repair heart damage or mend a broken bone, in a new study published today in the journal Cell Stem Cell. http://www.physorg.com/news150645110.html Biology Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:51:50 EST news150645110 (PhysOrg.com) -- Dartmouth engineering professor and entrepreneur Victor Petrenko -along with his colleagues at Dartmouth and at Ice Engineering LLC in Lebanon, N.H. -have invented a way to cheaply and effectively keep ice off power lines. http://www.physorg.com/news150566568.html Technology Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:02:48 EST news150566568 is no cure for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic disorder that causes the weakening of muscles and is the leading genetic cause of infant death, but University of Missouri researchers have discovered a new therapeutic target that improves deteriorating skeletal muscle tissue caused by SMA. The new therapy enhanced muscle strength, improved gross motor skills and increased the lifespan in a SMA model. http://www.physorg.com/news150556755.html Medicine & Health Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:19:15 EST news150556755 Just days after the first retinal cell gets infected with the common cytomegalovirus, contiguous cells start committing suicide and researchers believe their death may provide clues to better treatment of this potentially blinding infection. http://www.physorg.com/news150374176.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:36:16 EST news150374176 In a finding that could significantly influence the way type 1 diabetes is treated, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have developed a technique for transplanting insulin-producing pancreatic cells that causes only a minimal immune response in recipients. http://www.physorg.com/news149947779.html Medicine & Health Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:09:39 EST news149947779 A new study suggests that college students may handle stressful situations better if they have a pet. Research has already shown that pets can improve the quality of life for people who are aging or those who are chronically ill. But researchers at Ohio State University recently found that many college students may also benefit from owning a cat or a dog. http://www.physorg.com/news149248731.html Other Sciences Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:58:51 EST news149248731 A groundbreaking study of popularity by a Michigan State University scientist has found that genes elicit not only specific behaviors but also the social consequences of those behaviors. http://www.physorg.com/news149142491.html Medicine & Health Mon, 22 Dec 2008 04:28:11 EST news149142491 (PhysOrg.com) -- When "superstar" academic scientists die, their collaborators experience a significant and permanent decline in productivity, according to a recent paper coauthored by MIT Sloan School of Management Professor Pierre Azoulay. Studying the role of collaboration in spurring the creation of new scientific knowledge, he found that the more the collaborators' areas of study overlapped with the superstar, the sharper the decline in output. http://www.physorg.com/news148836010.html Other Sciences Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:20:10 EST news148836010 Facebook and other social networking sites aren't just online spaces where students can connect, they're the frontier of self-definition and identity to the first generation raised with the Internet, according to a new book about online campus life by Boston College Professor Ana M. Martinez Aleman. http://www.physorg.com/news148562329.html Other Sciences Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:18:49 EST news148562329 A new study by researchers at The Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center Milwaukee, has found that African Americans and whites have identical survival rates after undergoing autologous (self donor) bone marrow transplant treatment for a common cancer of the bone marrow (multiple myeloma). However, in a previous study the researchers showed that African Americans were only half as likely as whites to actually receive a bone marrow transplant, the well-established life-prolonging treatment for the disease. http://www.physorg.com/news147968414.html Medicine & Health Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:20:14 EST news147968414 Psychiatric disorders appear to be common among 18- to 24-year-olds, with overall rates similar among those attending or not attending college, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. Almost half of college-aged individuals meet criteria for substance abuse, personality disorders or another mental health condition during a one-year period, but only one-fourth of those seek treatment. http://www.physorg.com/news147373171.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:59:31 EST news147373171 Women who are exposed to hairspray in the workplace during pregnancy have more than double the risk of having a son with the genital birth defect hypospadias, according to a new study published today in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. http://www.physorg.com/news146489261.html Medicine & Health Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:27:41 EST news146489261 Sagging college enrollments may be the next symptom of the sub-prime mortgage mess, according to a University of Michigan economist. http://www.physorg.com/news146247826.html Other Sciences Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:23:46 EST news146247826 Having a large waistline can almost double your risk of dying prematurely even if your body mass index is within the 'normal' range, according to a new study of over 350,000 people across Europe, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news145730419.html Medicine & Health Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:40:19 EST news145730419 People from black and south Asian communities in the UK are not benefiting as much as white people from doctors' interventions to reduce their blood pressure, according to a new study published today in the journal Annals of Family Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news145557214.html Medicine & Health Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:33:34 EST news145557214 (PhysOrg.com) -- As the nation watched the results of the 2008 election roll in, political devotees were faced with a host of graphs and charts reflecting polling data from around the country. Now political aficionados have a new way to dissect election statistics, thanks to a North Carolina State University computer scientist. http://www.physorg.com/news145117287.html Technology Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:21:27 EST news145117287 Using an insulin pump to manage diabetes is more convenient than managing the disease with daily insulin injections. That much, physicians already know. http://www.physorg.com/news145036712.html Medicine & Health Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:58:32 EST news145036712 (PhysOrg.com) -- As the 2008 election draws to a close, political devotees have a new way to dissect election statistics, thanks to a North Carolina State University computer scientist. http://www.physorg.com/news144954362.html Technology Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:06:02 EST news144954362