The Benefits of Being a Beta Male In male baboons, a higher social rank generally brings higher testosterone and lower stress hormone levels. But according to a new study, the highest-ranked (alpha) males have higher stress levels than the second-ranking (beta) males. The finding suggests that life at the very top can be more costly […]

New fund for livestock biodiversity management at FAO Will offer grants to developing countries Rome – Germany, Norway and Switzerland have contributed a first donation of $1,000,000 to a new, FAO-managed fund designed to help developing countries conserve and sustainably use their livestock breeds. The fund will provide financing for individual projects submitted by countries in support […]

Mushrooming: Diabetes Rates Double in Just Three Decades Startling new statistics published just weeks ago in the journal The Lancet suggest that nearly 350 million adults worldwide now have diabetes. Still not fazed? Consider this: That count is more than double what it was in 1980. And, while it’s clear that a now-global obesityepidemic is in large part fueling the […]

Artificial Human Liver May Speed Drug Development Scientists have devised an artificial human liver that, when implanted in mice, continues to make human proteins and break down certain drugs as the human liver would. The technique could lead to more accurate testing of potential medications. A scanning electron micrograph reveals the complexities of mouse liver […]

A Way to Burn More Calories? Scientists have uncovered a pathway in mice that allows white fat—a contributor to obesity and type 2 diabetes—to burn calories as if it were brown fat or muscle. The body uses white fat to store extra energy. Too much white fat (obesity) increases the risk of type 2 diabetes […]

Comparing Treatments for Early-Stage Prostate Cancer In a large clinical trial, short-term hormone therapy in combination with radiation therapy proved a more effective treatment than radiation therapy alone for men with intermediate-risk, early-stage prostate cancer. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing has enabled earlier diagnosis of prostate cancer. But treatments for prostate cancer were mostly developed and […]

New Graphic Labels Sap Glamour Out of Smoking Next fall, per FDA mandate, cigarette packages will sport hard-to-ignore graphic warning labels depicting corpses, a man exhaling through his tracheotomy, babies sitting in clouds of smoke. The labels don’t just deliver a perfunctory health message – they produce a visceral, emotional response that smokers must reckon with […]

A Detailed Look at Ovarian Cancer An analysis of genomic changes in ovarian cancer now provides the most comprehensive and integrated view of cancer genetics for any cancer type to date. Last year, nearly 22,000 women nationwide were diagnosed with ovarian cancer and about 14,000 women died from it. Ovarian cancer is a complex disease […]

Certain Foods Linked to Long-term Weight Gain Munching more unprocessed plant foods may help keep the middle-aged bulge away, a new study suggests. On the other hand, meat, french fries and sugar-sweetened drinks can help pack on the pounds. The findings suggest that the types of food you choose, not just calories, are important for […]

Using Light and Sound to Detect Artery Blockage Scientists have developed a 3-D imaging method that uses both light and sound waves to spot fatty deposits within tissues. The technique holds promise for noninvasively detecting atherosclerosis and possibly other disorders that involve fatty buildup. Atherosclerosis arises when fat and cholesterol accumulate along artery walls and […]