Culture | Science Codex

Showcasing the secrets of Caistor Roman town

In December 2007 a team of experts, led by The University of Nottingham, unveiled an extraordinary set of high-resolution images that gave an insight into the plan of the Roman town of Venta Icenorum at Caistor St Edmund in Norfolk.

The new research demonstrated that Caistor is a site of international importance — and tomorrow there will be an event to showcase the work and to clarify some of the mysteries of this buried roman town and highlight the impact of the research in developing Caistor as a cultural resource for Norfolk.

Social class, gender and ethnic group determine adolescents' sexual-affective education

A new take on growth factor signaling in tamoxifen resistance

Differences in growth factor (GF) signaling may cause the poor prognosis in some breast cancer cases. A new study, published in the open access journal BMC Medical Genomics, suggests that some estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers respond poorly to tamoxifen because of increased GF signaling.

Being overweight, obese during early adulthood associated with greater risk of pancreatic cancer

Young adults who are overweight or obese have an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, and being obese at an older age is associated with a lower overall survival rate for patients with pancreatic cancer, according to a study in the June 24 issue of JAMA.

300 billion weather forecasts used by Americans annually, survey finds

BOULDER--Close to 9 out of 10 adult Americans obtain weather forecasts regularly, and they do so more than three times each day on average, a new nationwide survey by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has found. The value Americans place on these forecasts appears to be far more than the nation spends on public and private weather services.

Weather forecasts of great value to Americans, survey finds

Close to nine out of 10 adult Americans obtain weather forecasts an average of more than three times each day, a new nationwide survey by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., has found.

Afghani children suffering from post-traumatic stress

Bielefeld, Germany—June 23, 2009—Children who live in Afghanistan are particularly affected every day by a multitude of war time stressors which increase the likelihood of developing PTSD: trauma, child labor, and family and military violence. On a daily basis they are first-hand witnesses to the bombings, abuse, and the general upheaval of their home life and society as a result of war, including the effects of long-term poverty and familial turmoil.

Ontario women live longer but don't prosper: Study

TORONTO, Ont., June 23, 2009 — While Ontario women live longer than men, a majority are more likely to suffer from disability and chronic conditions, according to a new women's health study by St. Michael's Hospital researcher Dr. Arlene Bierman. What's more, low-income women have more chronic conditions, greater disability and a shorter life expectancy than women in high-income groups.

European climate change reports launched in Brussels

Two new reports examining climate change adaptation and policy making across Europe will be launched today in Brussels in the presence of Peter Gammeltoft, Head of Unit 'Protection of Water & Marine Environment' at the European Commission. The preliminary conclusions of the research were used in the European Commission's White Paper on climate change, published in April 2009.

Disney elevates heterosexuality to powerful, magical heights

In the world of Disney, falling in heterosexual love can break a spell, save Christmas, change laws, stop wars and even, in the case of The Little Mermaid, cause an individual to give up her personal identity.

While such dramatic plot twists may keep kids glued to television and movie theater screens, they send a memorable message to impressionable young viewers that heterosexual love is not only the norm, but that it is also exceptional, powerful, transformative and magical, concludes a new analysis of top-grossing G-rated children's films.

Policy transparency key to saving world's fisheries

The sustainability of fisheries depends on the transparency with which coastal states incorporate scientific advice into policies, reports a study led by researchers at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and published in the journal PLoS Biology.

Bankruptcy rates reflect state policy differences, not people ones

What do high bankruptcy rates in states like Tennessee and Utah tell us about the people that live in those places? Not much, according to a new 50-state bankruptcy study published in the latest issue of the Journal of Law and Economics.

Owning too much company stock puts workers' retirement at risk

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Congress should ban employer stock from company-sponsored retirement plans to spare workers the risk of putting too much of their nest eggs in one basket, a new study by a University of Illinois legal expert says.

Sean Anderson says employee stock ownership plans, or ESOPs, are the biggest threat, with even heavier investment in company stock than the 401(k) plan that gobbled up workers' savings when energy giant Enron Corp. collapsed amid scandal in 2001.

Physicians frequently fail to inform patients about abnormal test results

NEW YORK (June 22, 2009) -- New research shows that physicians failed to report clinically significant abnormal test results to patients -- or to document that they had informed them -- in one out of every 14 cases of abnormal results. In some medical groups, the failure rate is close to zero; in others it is as high as one in four abnormal results.

Caucasians are at higher risk of developing Ewing's sarcoma than other races

The largest analysis of its kind has found that Caucasians are much more likely than people in other racial/ethnic groups to develop a rare bone and soft tissue cancer called Ewing's sarcoma. In addition, among Caucasians with this cancer, men are more likely to die than women. Published in the August 1, 2009 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that examining the gender and racial differences related to Ewing's sarcoma could provide a better understanding of the disease and could lead to improved treatments for patients.