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. A recent study determined there is a significant risk of seizure for individuals who currently smoke cigarettes. Boston-based researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School also found that long-term, moderate intake of caffeine or alcohol does not increase the chance of having a seizure or developing epilepsy. This is the first prospective study to examine the potential risks associated with cigarette smoking, caffeine intake, and alcohol consumption as they independently relate to epilepsy. Full findings of this study are currently available online and will appear in the February 2010 issue of Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy. http://www.physorg.com/news177763536.html Medicine & Health Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:20:02 EST news177763536 (PhysOrg.com) -- Dreams have long been assumed to have psychological functions such as consolidating emotional memories and processing experiences or problems, but according to a Harvard psychiatrist and sleep researcher the real function may actually be physiological. http://www.physorg.com/news177232375.html Medicine & Health Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:50:02 EST news177232375 Neal Iverson opened his laboratory's walk-in freezer and said the one-of-a-kind machine inside could help scientists understand how glaciers slide across their beds. And that could help researchers predict how glaciers will react to climate change and contribute to rising sea levels. http://www.physorg.com/news177084249.html Space & Earth Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:30:01 EST news177084249 They may only be 1.5mm in size, but the tiny wasps that pollinate fig trees can travel over 160km in less than 48 hours, according to research from scientists at the University of Leeds. The fig wasps are transporting pollen ten times further than previously recorded for any insect. http://www.physorg.com/news177006844.html Biology Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:37:06 EST news177006844 (PhysOrg.com) -- Atoms have the habit of jumping through solids - a practice that physicists have recently been able to follow for the first time using a brand new method. This scientific advance was made possible thanks to the utilisation of cutting-edge X-ray sources, known as electron synchrotrons. The detailed findings of the project, backed by the Austrian Science Fund, were recently published in the prestigious journal Nature Materials. The work unlocks new potential for the study of material ageing processes at the atomic level. http://www.physorg.com/news172141084.html Physics Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:01:18 EST news172141084 Strawberries are America's fifth-favorite fruit, according to consumption rates. California and Florida grow more than 95% of the nation's strawberries; an additional 12,000 acres are planted in other states. Strawberries are increasingly grown on small-scale farms in direct-to-consumer markets, which are gaining popularity as part of the emerging "local food movement". But how do growing methods designed to ensure successful strawberry production in colder climates affect the environment? http://www.physorg.com/news171285093.html Space & Earth Sat, 05 Sep 2009 08:20:01 EST news171285093 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new research laboratory at the UT Dallas Callier Center for Communication Disorders is for the first time investigating speech movements in children with cerebral palsy, and the researchers have created an out-of-this-world experience to reflect the lab`s name. http://www.physorg.com/news170953066.html Medicine & Health Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:10:02 EST news170953066 (PhysOrg.com) -- Whitetail deer bounding across campus is an all-too-familiar scene. In recent years, however, Cornell's deer population has skyrocketed, leading to such hazards as collisions with cars, destruction of agricultural research plots and reduced biodiversity in natural areas and plant collections. http://www.physorg.com/news169312019.html Biology Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:30:03 EST news169312019 New research shows that training your brain may be just as effective as training your muscles in preventing ACL knee injuries, and suggests a shift from performance-based to prevention-based athletic training programs. http://www.physorg.com/news167651105.html Medicine & Health Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:10:01 EST news167651105 Proteus syndrome is a complex disorder associated with varied, disproportionate, asymmetric overgrowth of many body parts and unregulated adipose tissue. The overgrowth seen in Proteus syndrome is progressive and difficult to manage. Patients with Proteus syndrome require repeated treatment for the progressive overgrowth of tissue over a long period. Aggressive treatment may cause severe functional and cosmetic consequences, so surgical intervention is often delayed until it is absolutely necessary. http://www.physorg.com/news167475954.html Medicine & Health Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:08:45 EST news167475954 To control mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, researchers need to look at the behavior of people, not just the insect that transmits the disease, according to new research by Steven Stoddard of the University of California, Davis, and intercollegiate colleagues. The study, published July 21 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, exhibits work by an international, multidisciplinary team of vector biologists, sociologists and virologists studying dengue in Iquitos, Peru. http://www.physorg.com/news167380740.html Medicine & Health Tue, 21 Jul 2009 08:20:02 EST news167380740 (PhysOrg.com) -- Martin Schepers of the University of Twente, The Netherlands, has developed a new intelligent shoe. It has four sensors that measure pressure and movement during walking, giving doctors a fast and accurate image of the walking pattern and enabling them to plan the right method of treatment. http://www.physorg.com/news165589174.html Technology Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:00:02 EST news165589174 (PhysOrg.com) -- "Jellyfish are one of the most awesome marine animals, doing a spectacular and psychedelic dance in water," explain engineers Sung-Weon Yeom and Il-Kwon Oh from Chonnam National University in the Republic of Korea. Recently, Yeom and Oh have built a jellyfish robot that imitates the curved shape and unique locomotive behavior of the living jellyfish. http://www.physorg.com/news165234976.html Electronics Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:38:18 EST news165234976 Adding an antiviral agent to corticosteroids for treatment of Bell's palsy (a condition characterized by partial facial paralysis) is not associated with improved recovery of facial movement function, according to a meta-analysis of previously published studies in the June issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. http://www.physorg.com/news164302509.html Medicine & Health Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:51:19 EST news164302509 Research led by a leading expert on the positive benefits of napping at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine suggests that Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep enhances creative problem-solving. The findings may have important implications for how sleep, specifically REM sleep, fosters the formation of associative networks in the brain. http://www.physorg.com/news163700544.html Medicine & Health Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:23:50 EST news163700544 It is well known that people use head motion during conversation to convey a range of meanings and emotions, and that women use more active head motion when conversing with each other than men use when they talk with each other. http://www.physorg.com/news162451415.html Medicine & Health Mon, 25 May 2009 06:24:07 EST news162451415 A genetic variant that substantially improves survival of individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, has been indentified by a consortium of researchers led by John Landers, PhD, Associate Professor of Neurology and Robert Brown, MD, DPhil, Chair and Professor of Neurology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Discovery of the KIFAP3 gene variant is reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://www.physorg.com/news161315545.html Medicine & Health Tue, 12 May 2009 02:53:46 EST news161315545 In the first neuroimaging study to examine motor execution in children with autism, researchers at the Kennedy Krieger Institute have uncovered important new insight into the neurological basis of autism. The study, published online in the journal Brain's April 23 Brain Advanced Access, compared the brain activity of children with high functioning autism and their typically developing peers while performing a simple motor task -- tapping their fingers in sequence. http://www.physorg.com/news160235365.html Medicine & Health Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:50:12 EST news160235365 Jet lag is the bane of many travelers, and similar fatigue can plague people who work in rotating shifts. Scientists know the problem results from disruption to the body's normal rhythms and are getting closer to a better understanding that might lead to more effective treatment. http://www.physorg.com/news159106695.html Medicine & Health Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:18:41 EST news159106695 After about seven months growing in the womb, a human fetus spends most of its time asleep. Its brain cycles back and forth between the frenzied activity of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and the quiet resting state of non-REM sleep. But whether the brains of younger, immature fetuses cycle with sleep or are simply inactive has remained a mystery, until now. http://www.physorg.com/news158861665.html Medicine & Health Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:14:54 EST news158861665 (AP) -- Into the Antarctic enigma, the puzzle of a place with too few researchers chasing too many climate mysteries, slowly waddles the elephant seal. http://www.physorg.com/news158223826.html Space & Earth Mon, 06 Apr 2009 08:04:32 EST news158223826 University of Queensland Master of Science student Maren Dammann is aiming to uncover what makes a koala's wish list when it comes to choosing a place to live. http://www.physorg.com/news155941528.html Biology Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:06:14 EST news155941528 (PhysOrg.com) -- University of Washington (UW) researchers are helping to write the operating manual for the nano-scale machine that separates chromosomes before cell division. The apparatus is called a spindle because it looks like a tiny wool-spinner with thin strands of microtubules or spindle fibers sticking out. The lengthening and shortening of microtubules is thought to help push and pull apart chromosome pairs. http://www.physorg.com/news155569966.html Biology Fri, 06 Mar 2009 13:53:16 EST news155569966 When Evo Morales, Bolivia's first president of Indian origin, was appointed in 2006 he initiated a "decolonising revolution". In a new thesis in social anthropology at the University of Gothenburg, Anders Burman examines how the Government policy for decolonization has been interwoven with the rituals and cosmology of the indigenous population. http://www.physorg.com/news154958230.html Other Sciences Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:58:28 EST news154958230 Research on the sleeping brain has revealed some fascinating stage-dependent interactions between areas involved in formation and storage of long term memories. The study, published by Cell Press in the February 26th issue of the journal Neuron, may also provide a framework for further understanding the role of sleep in memory. http://www.physorg.com/news154787161.html Medicine & Health Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:26:43 EST news154787161 High levels of certain proteins in the spinal fluid could signal the onset of Lou Gehrig's disease, according to researchers. The discovery of these biomarkers may lead to diagnostic kits for early diagnosis, accurately measuring the progression of the disease and monitoring the effects of treatment. http://www.physorg.com/news152370759.html Medicine & Health Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:13:00 EST news152370759 Flies expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) in their retina cells or other tissues can be tracked by specially modified video cameras, creating a real time computer record of movement and gene expression. The new technique, described in the open access journal BMC Biotechnology, will allow detailed analyses of correlations between behavior, gene expression and aging. http://www.physorg.com/news148624566.html Biology Tue, 16 Dec 2008 04:36:06 EST news148624566 Feeling threatened? Hungry? Looking for a mate? Move! Tracking and remote sensing data are making it easier to locate organisms and find out what they are up to. However, general theories of movement are lacking. In a special feature on Movement Ecology in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers present integrative models for movement of organisms as diverse as gut bacteria, tree seeds, ants, marine larvae and cheetahs. http://www.physorg.com/news147374493.html Biology Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:21:33 EST news147374493 A UCLA study shows for the first time how microscopic crystals form sound and gravity sensors inside the inner ear. Located at the ends of cilia - tiny cellular hairs in the ear that move and transmit signals - these crystals play an important role in detecting sound, maintaining balance and regulating movement. http://www.physorg.com/news147360927.html Biology Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:35:27 EST news147360927 A hand moves forward, but is it a friendly gesture or one meant to do harm? In an instant, we respond -- either extending our arm forward to shake hands or raising it higher to protect our face. But what are the subtle cues that allow us to interpret such movement so we can properly respond to others? http://www.physorg.com/news142703214.html Medicine & Health Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:46:54 EST news142703214