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Unprecedented warming in East Africa's Lake Tanganyika

Lake Tanganyika, the second-oldest and second-deepest lake in the world, could be in for some rough waters.Geologists have determined that the East African rift lake has experienced unprecedented warming during the last century; its surface waters are the warmest on record.

That finding is important, the scientists state in this week's on-line issue of the journal Nature Geoscience, because the warm surface waters likely will affect fish stocks upon which millions of people in the region depend.

Making even more obvious hospital signs

Making even more obvious hospital signs

Hospitals are large, complex institutions housing innumerable units, sections and visitor destinations. And in the United States alone, diversity is increasing within most locales, making it difficult to comply with federal requirements for text signs in patients' languages.

APS calls for House reauthorization of 2007 America COMPETES bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Physical Society (APS), a leading organization of physicists, today called for swift action on the U.S. House reauthorization of the 2007 bipartisan America COMPETES legislation, after the bill was sent back to the Science & Technology Committee for legislative changes.

Malnourishment is overrated? The surprisingly good health of Nomads

Malnourishment is overrated? The surprisingly good health of Nomads

Climate threatens trout and salmon

Trout and salmon are among the world's most familiar freshwater fishes, but numbers have fallen over recent decades – in some areas, dramatically.

Pollution, habitat loss and over-fishing have all been blamed in the past, but new evidence from Cardiff University shows that climate change could be a major factor, putting both species at risk.

Google Flu Trends not accurate

ATS 2010, NEW ORLEANS— Google Flu Trends is not as accurate at estimating rates of laboratory-confirmed influenza as CDC national surveillance programs, according to a new study from the University of Washington.

The findings will be reported at the ATS 2010 International Conference in New Orleans.

Deregulation, Tax Cuts Widen Racial Wealth Gap

WALTHAM, Mass. – The wealth gap between white and African-American families increased more than four times between 1984-2007, and middle-income white households now own far more wealth than high-income African Americans, according to an analysis released on Monday by the Institute on Assets and Social Policy (IASP) at Brandeis University.

Men with bigger wallets have bigger waistlines

Montreal, May 14, 2010 – In Canada, in stark contrast with the rest of the world, wealthy men increase their likelihood of being overweight with every extra dollar they make. The new study was led by Natalie Dumas, a graduate student at the University of Montreal Department of Sociology, and presented at the annual conference of the Association francophone pour le savoir (ACFAS).

"Women aren't spared by this correlation, but results are ambiguous," says Dumas. "However, women from rich households are less likely to be obese than women of middle or lower income."

AMP cautions consumers about direct access genetic testing

WASHINGTON, DC (May 14, 2010) – In response to recent announcements about consumer genetic tests being made available in retail drugstores, the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) todayreiterated its position that these tests should be provided to the public only through the services of appropriate health care professionals that order tests from laboratories that are certified by CLIA for high complexity testing.

Researchers define traits associated with prescription drug disorders in a primary care setting

(Boston) – Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified clinical characteristics associated with prescription drug use disorder (PDUD) in primary care patients with chronic pain. The study found that by identifying characteristics of prescription drug abuse, primary care clinicians can identify those at risk and provide appropriate treatment. This study currently appears on-line in Journal of Pain.

Trials begin on potent new hepatitis C drug

The first clinical trials have started on a new investigational drug, discovered by researchers at Cardiff University, which is being developed to treat infections caused by Hepatitis C virus.

Beer explained: Unstable chromosome regions are the origin of yeast's brewing capacity

The ability of yeast cells to convert sugar to alcohol, the key process in the production of beer and wine, can be attributed to a remarkable evolutionary process. The genes that allow yeast to digest sugars in fruits and grains have been duplicated several times over the course of time – allowing for optimal conversion of different types of sugars (such as sucrose and maltose) into alcohol. The duplications arose because the genes for sugar processing are situated close to the unstable margin of the chromosome.

Immigration correlated to drop in violent crimes, says study

Immigration correlated to drop in violent crimes, says study

Despite an upward curve for 30 years, crime rates suddenly began to drop in the 1990s. More police, said the right. Abortions by mothers who would have been poor parents and raised criminals, said the left. Basically, no one had an answer but everyone was taking some credit.

Study: Smoking bans not effective in Appalachia

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Local ordinances in Appalachian states with weak statewide smoking regulations do not offer most residents adequate protection against second-hand smoke, according to a new study.

Researchers examined smoking-related ordinances at the community level in six Appalachian states. Based on their analysis, they said that efforts should be focused on enacting strong statewide clean indoor air laws rather than relying on local ordinances to make public places smoke-free in some of these states.

IEEE-USA cites 5 engineering breakthroughs

WASHINGTON (13 May 2010) -- Five engineering breakthroughs, from software for virtual surgery to an energy saving device that detects drafts, were cited today by IEEE-USA, the U.S. career and public policy unit of the IEEE, the world's largest professional association for the advancement of technology.

The five breakthroughs, as included in television news reports recently distributed to almost 200 local U.S. TV stations, are: