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| News Briefs - April-June - Online Extra |
Mice Resist Poisons
Some house mice in Europe
have developed resistance to
the strongest poisons such as
warfarin, scientists say. German
and Spanish mice gained this
resistance by breeding with an
Algerian species. Researchers
say this type of gene transfer
between different species is
unusual and normally found in
plants and bacteria.—news.bbc.
co.uk (8/9/11)
Rabbit Ears Coming Back
One effect of the current
recession is that TV rabbit ears
are making a comeback. Indoor
antennas can be purchased for
as little as $13 and rooftop
antennas for as low as $50.
However, antennas can receive
only local noncable stations
such as those affiliated with
CBS, NBC, and ABC. On the
other hand, costly cable and
satellite bills will be things of
the past.—Bottom Line
Personal (2/1/12)
Bread and its Sodium
The food item that is the No. 1
source of salt in the American
diet is bread and rolls. Bread
and rolls account for more than
twice the salt as salty junk food
like potato chips, not because
they are saltier by nature, but
because people eat more of
them. Salt is the main source of
sodium for most people, and
sodium has been linked to
increases in heart diease and
stroke.—Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel (2-8-12)
Some house mice in Europe
have developed resistance to
the strongest poisons such as
warfarin, scientists say. German
and Spanish mice gained this
resistance by breeding with an
Algerian species. Researchers
say this type of gene transfer
between different species is
unusual and normally found in
plants and bacteria.—news.bbc.
co.uk (8/9/11)
Rabbit Ears Coming Back
One effect of the current
recession is that TV rabbit ears
are making a comeback. Indoor
antennas can be purchased for
as little as $13 and rooftop
antennas for as low as $50.
However, antennas can receive
only local noncable stations
such as those affiliated with
CBS, NBC, and ABC. On the
other hand, costly cable and
satellite bills will be things of
the past.—Bottom Line
Personal (2/1/12)
Bread and its Sodium
The food item that is the No. 1
source of salt in the American
diet is bread and rolls. Bread
and rolls account for more than
twice the salt as salty junk food
like potato chips, not because
they are saltier by nature, but
because people eat more of
them. Salt is the main source of
sodium for most people, and
sodium has been linked to
increases in heart diease and
stroke.—Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel (2-8-12)
Potassium Helps Lower
Risk of Stroke
Comparing findings from 11
different studies, researchers
have been able to link diets
high in potassium with a lower
stroke risk. An additional 1.64
grams of daily potassium—
about three pieces of fruit high
in potassium—was associated
with a 21% lower risk of stroke
as well as a lower risk of overall
cardiovascular disease. Foods
high in potassium include
bananas, tomatoes, oranges,
and many legumes and beans.
—Mayo Clinic Health Letter
(December, 2011)
Antidepressants Seem to
Help Stroke Patients
Both depressed and
nondepressed stroke patients
showed greater physical
recovery when they took an
antidepressant medication
compared to patients given a
placebo. The improvements
continued as long as nine
months after they stopped
taking the medication.—Robert
Robinson, MD, as reported in
Bottom Line Personal
(12/15/11)
China Moves Closer to
Launching Space Station
China moved one step closer to
launching its own space station
when two unmanned Chinese
spacecraft docked above Earth
successfully in November. The
Shenzhou 8 craft was launched
and docked with the already
orbiting Tiangong 1 module.
Experts see no explicit military
function for the Chinese space
station. China began its space
station program after being
turned away in its efforts to join
the 16-nation International
Space Station.—news.yahoo.
com (11/2/11)
Risk of Stroke
Comparing findings from 11
different studies, researchers
have been able to link diets
high in potassium with a lower
stroke risk. An additional 1.64
grams of daily potassium—
about three pieces of fruit high
in potassium—was associated
with a 21% lower risk of stroke
as well as a lower risk of overall
cardiovascular disease. Foods
high in potassium include
bananas, tomatoes, oranges,
and many legumes and beans.
—Mayo Clinic Health Letter
(December, 2011)
Antidepressants Seem to
Help Stroke Patients
Both depressed and
nondepressed stroke patients
showed greater physical
recovery when they took an
antidepressant medication
compared to patients given a
placebo. The improvements
continued as long as nine
months after they stopped
taking the medication.—Robert
Robinson, MD, as reported in
Bottom Line Personal
(12/15/11)
China Moves Closer to
Launching Space Station
China moved one step closer to
launching its own space station
when two unmanned Chinese
spacecraft docked above Earth
successfully in November. The
Shenzhou 8 craft was launched
and docked with the already
orbiting Tiangong 1 module.
Experts see no explicit military
function for the Chinese space
station. China began its space
station program after being
turned away in its efforts to join
the 16-nation International
Space Station.—news.yahoo.
com (11/2/11)
More Dogs Being Stolen
Dognapping is becoming more
common. Reports of stolen dogs
rose by 39% in the U.S. in the
first seven months of 2011.
Some thieves sell them or hold
on to them in hopes of getting a
reward. Dogs of all sizes can be
taken, but smaller breeds are
abducted more often. Dogs
should always be leashed
outdoors, and implanted
microchips can help to locate a
missing dog.—Bottom Line
Personal (1/1/12)
More Twins Being Born
More American women are
having twins. The reasons:
older moms and fertility
treatments. Currently one in
every 30 babies is a twin. In
1980, only 1 in every 53 babies
was a twin. It is not known why
mothers in their 30s are more
likely to have twins, but this fact
accounts for 1/3 of the increase.
The rest is due to fertility drugs
and treatments.—Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel (1-5-12)
Japan Again Claims
Fastest Computer
After falling behind rival
computer powers, the United
States and China, Japan can
again claim having the “world’s
fastest computer.” The “K
Computer,” built by Fujitsu and
the Riken national laboratory,
runs at 8.162 petaflops, or
about 70,000 faster than an X-
Box. A list of the top ten fastest
computers shows that all of
them run at a rate faster than
one quadrillion calculations per
second.—livescience.com
Dognapping is becoming more
common. Reports of stolen dogs
rose by 39% in the U.S. in the
first seven months of 2011.
Some thieves sell them or hold
on to them in hopes of getting a
reward. Dogs of all sizes can be
taken, but smaller breeds are
abducted more often. Dogs
should always be leashed
outdoors, and implanted
microchips can help to locate a
missing dog.—Bottom Line
Personal (1/1/12)
More Twins Being Born
More American women are
having twins. The reasons:
older moms and fertility
treatments. Currently one in
every 30 babies is a twin. In
1980, only 1 in every 53 babies
was a twin. It is not known why
mothers in their 30s are more
likely to have twins, but this fact
accounts for 1/3 of the increase.
The rest is due to fertility drugs
and treatments.—Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel (1-5-12)
Japan Again Claims
Fastest Computer
After falling behind rival
computer powers, the United
States and China, Japan can
again claim having the “world’s
fastest computer.” The “K
Computer,” built by Fujitsu and
the Riken national laboratory,
runs at 8.162 petaflops, or
about 70,000 faster than an X-
Box. A list of the top ten fastest
computers shows that all of
them run at a rate faster than
one quadrillion calculations per
second.—livescience.com
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