They say that history is written by the winners, but if that's true, then natural history is written by those who can write. Our ancestors split from the ancestors of chimpanzees some 6 or 7 million years ago, and since then they've given rise to perhaps twenty known species of hominids (and potentially many more waiting to be discovered). Today only our own species survives, and only ours has acquired the intelligence to learn things about the distant past--such as the fact that we are the product of evolution. Our survival and our intelligence sometimes blur together, with the result that a lot of the research on human evolution (and most of the popular accounts of it) revolve around what makes our own lineage unique and successful. All the other branches of hominid dynasty become our foil--the losers who, through their extinctions, reveal what is most glorious about ourselves. As a way of thinking, this is both unfair and foolish. We become satisfied with our own false assumptions about other hominids, and may miss some lessons they have for us. Exhibit A: our ancient thick-headed cousin Paranthropus. Paranthropus, which existed from about 2.5 to 1.5 million years ago, was among the first hominids to be discovered by paleoanthropologists. In 1938, a young South African schoolboy led Robert Broom to a spot where he had found fossils of jaws and teeth. Broom dug up more pieces of the skull and realized that it belonged to some kind of ape. A closer look revealed that it was more like humans than chimps or gorillas. For example, the hole at the base of the skull was far forward like humans, suggesting that the creature could walk upright. But compared to the other hominids that had been found at that point, Paranthropus was peculiar for its big frame and its massive jaws and teeth. If paleoanthropologists had to pick a hominid that looked like our direct ancestor, Paranthropus was definitely not it.

Keyword: Evolution
Link ID: 4766 - Posted: 01.07.2004

NewScientist.com news service American footballers sustain a blow to the head equivalent to a severe car crash in every game, a new study has found. Furthermore, players sustain an average of 50 knocks to the head, each equal to a boxer's punch, in every match, according to the first results from researchers at Virginia Tech, North Carolina, US. Stefan Duma and colleagues used helmet sensors on their college football team to measure the movement of the head due to blows. The average force of a blow was 40G - 40 times the force of gravity. "That's loosely analogous to a boxer punching another boxer with a gloved hand," says Duma, director of the Center for Injury Biomechanics. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Brain Injury/Concussion
Link ID: 4765 - Posted: 06.24.2010

A research biologist at Wright State University is studying rhythmic cycles in birds to learn if we have a physiological clock in our stomach that determines when we get hungry. Thomas Van’t Hof, Ph.D., an assistant professor of biological sciences, recently returned from Japan, where he presented lectures and conducted research on circadian (24-hour) rhythms in birds. He visited Okayama University of Science, a sister university of Wright State, plus the University of Tokyo and Nagoya University. “We often think of our stomachs as having a clock,” he said. “We anticipate food, and our gastrointestinal tract is prepared for food when it arrives. Our research investigates how this happens.”

Keyword: Obesity; Biological Rhythms
Link ID: 4764 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Scientists believe the may have found a way to protect people against every strain of meningitis. Researchers at the University of Surrey have developed a vaccine which protects mice against the deadly disease. While much more research is needed, they believe it could be an important first step towards creating a single vaccine to protect humans. A vaccine against the A and C strains of the disease exists. However, there is no jab against the lethal B strain. It infects around 3,000 Britons a year and kills hundreds. One in 10 children who contract the disease die from it. Many others are left severely handicapped. The scientists used genetic engineering technology to create a strain of meningitis B that is incapable of causing disease. (C) BBC

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 4763 - Posted: 01.06.2004

Blame biology, not parenting, new theory suggests By Ellen Ruppel Shell, Globe Correspondent, Anorexia, she contends, is not primarily a psychological condition brought on by a troubled childhood -- as is often thought -- but a disorder based in biology, specifically in the appetite regulation mechanism in the brain. Her theory postulates that anorexics have a biological adaptation to weight loss that causes their bodies to shut off hunger signals, and to ratchet up physical activity, even as their flesh melts away. "Anorexics are often told to stop dieting, to listen to their body and to give it what it wants," Guisinger said. "But the reality is that they are listening to their bodies, and their bodies are telling them not to eat. The truth is, they have to stop listening." Guisinger, who has treated eating disorders in private practice in Missoula, Mont., for nearly two decades, trained in evolutionary biology in the late 1970's before getting a doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of California at Berkeley. This background, coupled with her upbringing on a farm in Washington state, convinced her that Freudian and other purely psychological explanations for anorexia were inadequate. © Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.

Keyword: Anorexia & Bulimia
Link ID: 4762 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Scientists may have found what they hope is a less controversial way of getting special human cells that can turn into any part of the body and potentially solve many diseases. Scientists already know they can get these cells from human embryos—but many people oppose this and the federal government has banned most research. But as this ScienCentral News video reports, this new source doesn't use embryos. Stem cell research is leading scientists to investigate the possibility of regenerative or reparative medicine—treatments in which stem cells "turn into" a specific cell type required to repair damaged adult cells. It's a controversial topic because one source of stem cells is the destruction of embryos. But genetics researchers say they found a new source for stem cells—unfertilized egg cells created by a process called parthenogenesis, a form of reproduction in which the egg develops without being fertilized. © ScienCentral, 2000-2003.

Keyword: Stem Cells
Link ID: 4761 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Modern armor results in fewer deaths -- more amputees Carl T. Hall, Chronicle Science Writer Some of the more lingering effects of the war in Iraq may soon be felt in the San Francisco workshop of Charles McIntyre. He fashions prosthetic limbs for amputees -- increasingly sophisticated devices engineered of metal, high-tech carbon-fiber composites and molded plastics. Wars and their grisly aftermath have always been an important driver of medical research and clinical innovations, and the continuing insurgency in Iraq is proving no different. Already, the conflict has produced some 2,700 U. S. war wounded, including a growing roster of American soldiers returning home with missing limbs and eyes damaged by shrapnel. ©2004 San Francisco Chronicle

Keyword: Robotics; Vision
Link ID: 4760 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By MARY DUENWALD Now that ephedra is to be banned, the millions of people who have been taking the supplement to lose weight or control it may find themselves looking for an alternative. But weight-loss and nutrition experts nationwide say that no other over-the-counter supplements advertised as weight-loss aids are as effective as ephedra. "I'm not pushing ephedra, and I wouldn't recommend it to anybody, but several very good studies have shown that ephedra combined with caffeine promotes weight loss," said Dr. Ken Fujioka, director of the Nutrition and Metabolic Research Center at the Scripps Clinic in San Diego. "I don't know of any other over-the-counter preparation that has shown that kind of consistent effect." Claims that other supplements — from bitter orange to green tea extract to herbal laxatives — can promote weight loss are not backed up by long-term studies in humans. Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Obesity
Link ID: 4759 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By JUDITH BERCK — When Jacqueline Turner's daughter Riley was only 8 months old, she could let her mother know she was thirsty for milk by pumping her fingers against her palm. Or that she wanted more cereal by touching her fingertips together. Or ask for a ball, or her stuffed dog, or a book — all without saying a word. She used hand gestures taught to her by her mother. Why teach signs to a baby who is not deaf? Mrs. Turner, a Spanish-language interpreter from Beaverton, said she bought a book and video about teaching signs to babies to help eliminate the frustration Riley had in not being able to communicate, as well as Mrs. Turner's own frustration in not understanding her. "It makes her feel that she's more in control of a situation and has choices," Mrs. Turner said. Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Language; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 4758 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Research by North Carolina State University scientists, in conjunction with scientists from the Netherlands and BioResource International, an NC State spin-off biotechnology company, has shown that, under proper conditions, an enzyme can fully degrade the prion – or protein particle – believed to be responsible for mad cow disease and other related animal and human diseases. These transmissible prions – believed to be the cause of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the technical name for mad cow disease, as well as the human and sheep versions, called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and scrapie, respectively – are highly resistant to degradation, says Dr. Jason Shih, professor of biotechnology and poultry science at NC State. But the new research, which tested the effects of a bacterial enzyme keratinase on brain tissues from cows with BSE and sheep with scrapie, showed that, when the tissue was pretreated and in the presence of a detergent, the enzyme fully degraded the prion, rendering it undetectable. The research was published in the Dec. 1 edition of The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Keyword: Prions
Link ID: 4757 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Path to recovery at the brain level appears different from drug therapy Toronto, CANADA -- An imaging study by neuroscientists in Canada has found that patients who recover from depression with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) show a pattern of brain changes that is distinct from patients who recover with drug therapy. It's an important finding because it shows -- for the first time with definitive imaging evidence -- that the depressed brain responds 'differently' to different treatments. It may also help doctors better understand why a particular treatment might work for one patient and not another. The results are published in the January 2004 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. The study was led by The Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, in collaboration with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and University of Toronto.

Keyword: Depression
Link ID: 4756 - Posted: 01.06.2004

Results of a new study indicate that people who have recently stopped abusing the powerfully addictive drug methamphetamine may have brain abnormalities similar to those seen in people with mood disorders. The findings suggest practitioners could improve success rates for methamphetamine users receiving addiction treatment by also providing therapy for depression and anxiety in appropriate individuals. The study is published in the January 2004 issue of the journal Archives of General Psychiatry. "Methamphetamine abuse is a grave problem that can lead to serious health conditions including brain damage, memory loss, psychotic-like behavior, heart damage, hepatitis, and HIV transmission," says Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health, which funded the study. "Currently, no medication exists to treat abuse or addiction to amphetamines or amphetamine-like compounds; however, drug counselors and other health professionals have successfully used behavioral interventions to treat addiction. Treatment outcomes may improve if associated mental conditions are addressed concurrently with addiction." Dr. Edythe London and her colleagues at the University of California Los Angeles, the University of California Irvine, and NIDA's Intramural Research Program used positron emission tomography--PET, a technology to image brain activity--to compare glucose metabolism in the brains of 17 methamphetamine abusers who had stopped using the drug 4–7 days before their participation in the study, and 18 nonabusers.

Keyword: Drug Abuse
Link ID: 4755 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Once inexplicable, new studies now uncover some of the brain mechanisms that may underlie SIDS, a term used to describe the death of a seemingly healthy infant during sleep. These discoveries, including those that implicate a brain system that involves the chemical serotonin, could help researchers develop methods to identify babies at risk for SIDS and find new ways to prevent death. Also known as sudden infant death syndrome, SIDS describes the death of a child under the age of one that occurs during a sleep period and that can’t be explained by a complete autopsy. A leading cause of infant death, it killed some 2,500 babies in 2000, according to the most recent data from the National Center for Health Statistics. The unexpected loss of life has long perplexed parents, physicians, and scientists alike. How? Why? Now, new studies provide some insight into what may underlie these abrupt deaths. One line of work suggests that flaws in a brain system that communicates using the chemical serotonin may make some babies more susceptible to SIDS. These discoveries are leading to: Copyright © 2003 Society for Neuroscience

Keyword: Sleep
Link ID: 4754 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Two animal rights groups have lodged a High Court challenge to a UK Government decision to allow a research centre which will experiment on monkeys. Animal Aid and the National Anti-Vivisection Society (Navs) are furious that Cambridge University has been given permission to build the lab. They are appealing against Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott's decision to permit the centre after a public inquiry. It is due to be built in the spring at Girton on the outskirts of Cambridge. Mr Prescott, who has overall responsibility for planning, approved the medical research project in November after it was rejected by a local planning inspector. The proposal was also refused by planning authority by South Cambridgeshire District Council, because police raised concerns about public safety at the site, which is on a main road and close to a major motorway intersection. (C) BBC

Keyword: Animal Rights
Link ID: 4753 - Posted: 01.05.2004

Trauma is real but the cure is all in the mind. Chris Brewin assesses the evidence in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Lewis Wolpert Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Malady or Myth? by Chris Brewin I have heard a psychiatrist pronounce that post-traumatic stress disorder is the most desirable diagnosis for a patient in all of psychiatry: the patient has no responsibility and so can often sue for the condition. Indeed, as the heading of the first chapter proclaims, no other diagnosis has had a more dramatic impact on law and social justice in the United States. The idea that there is such a condition goes back to the First World War when some soldiers suffered 'shell shock'. It became well publicised in relation to Vietnam war veterans. There are those who argue that victims of psychological trauma of war, violence, terrible accidents and child abuse are at last being recognised as having a serious psychiatric illness needing special treatment, but sceptics question whether there really is evidence for the disorder. It is to unravel these issues that Brewin, a professor of clinical psychology who specialises in treating trauma patients, has written this important book. © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2003

Keyword: Stress
Link ID: 4752 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By HENRY FOUNTAIN In a family, children often learn that collaboration is one way to get what they want. One child asking for the umpteenth time to have pizza for dinner may be little more than an irritant to a parent, but when two or three all plead in concert, the parent may give in. What works in human families appears to work with gulls, too. Canadian and French researchers have found that adult black-headed gulls respond more often when two or more of their chicks beg for food together than when one chick goes it alone. This means less effort for each chick, and they wise up rather quickly: the more offspring there are, the researchers say, the more they coordinate their begging. The researchers, who described their work in The Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biology Letters, observed nests with up to three chicks at a pond near St. Etienne in central France. They noted the intensity of begging behavior (approaching the parents, hunching over, stimulating the parents' beaks and calling) and the parents' response (regurgitating food). Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Animal Communication; Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 4751 - Posted: 01.05.2004

By SANDRA BLAKESLEE The nation's first case of mad cow disease has led to urgent calls for more and better tests to screen animals at the slaughterhouse door. But the universe of testing for this elusive disease is murky. The extent and nature of testing varies from country to country. The tests are not foolproof, and there are many to choose from in a heated international competition. The leading test manufacturers are Bio-Rad based in France, Prionics AG in Switzerland and U.S. Abbott Laboratories, which recently acquired rights to a test developed in Ireland. But in addition, at least 54 other companies are vying for position in the lucrative world testing market. Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Prions
Link ID: 4750 - Posted: 01.05.2004

Higher cutoffs led to more accurate identification of high-functioning Washington -- Diagnosticians would do well to raise the bar when testing high-functioning people for pre-clinical signs of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study. Higher test cutoffs, rather than the standard group average, more accurately predicted how many highly intelligent people would deteriorate over time. This finding is reported in the January issue of Neuropsychology, which is published by the American Psychological Association (APA). Early diagnosis of Alzheimer's has taken on growing importance, given new medical and psychological interventions that can slow (but not stop) the course of the disease. In addition, highly intelligent people have been found, on average, to show clinical signs of Alzheimer's later than the general population. Once they do, they decline much faster. Thought to reflect their greater mental reserves, this different pattern may call for a different approach to diagnosis. Says lead author Dorene Rentz, PsyD, "Highly intelligent elders are often told their memory changes are typical of normal aging when they are not. As a result, they would miss the advantages of disease-modifying medications when they become available."

Keyword: Alzheimers
Link ID: 4749 - Posted: 01.05.2004

Doctors have been urged not to use powerful CT scans to assess possible brain injuries in young infants. Researchers in Sweden say they have uncovered evidence that the scans may damage toddlers' brains. Their study of more than 3,000 men who had scans before they were 18 months old found many went on to develop learning problems. Writing in the British Medical Journal, the researchers called for new guidelines to warn doctors of the risk. CT or computed tomography scans use ionising radiation to take pictures of the inside of the body. They are more detailed than conventional X-rays. They are used on patients with a wide range of suspected problems, from cancer to suspected brain injuries. (C) BBC

Keyword: Brain imaging; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 4748 - Posted: 01.04.2004

By RICHARD A. FRIEDMAN, M.D. Ah, those were the days. At least that's what the nostalgic among us feel. And those hard-nosed realists who are immune to its siren call dismiss it — wrongly, of course — as cheap sentiment. I remember during a particularly grueling time of medical internship joking with a colleague that one day we would look back on that year with fondness. Clearly, he thought I must be crazy. But two years later, he was bragging to me about our having lived through the days of the giants, his bittersweet and almost nostalgic label of rough days gone by. Nostalgia now is not what it used to be. As a word, it was first coined by a Swiss medical student in the 17th century to describe mercenaries who suffered from severe homesickness. Now, we see it as a special form of memory. Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Learning & Memory
Link ID: 4747 - Posted: 06.24.2010