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PhysOrg.com
Archaeologists trace early irrigation farming in ancient Yemen In the remote desert highlands of southern Yemen, a team of archaeologists have discovered new evidence of ancient transitions from hunting and herding to irrigation agriculture 5,200 years ago. Gaining ground on sickle cell disease Although sickle cell disease is a single-gene disorder, its symptoms are highly variable. In a study published online July 14 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists at Children's Hospital Boston and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), in collaboration with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, report five gene variants that could potentially be helpful in predicting sickle cell disease severity, perhaps even leading to better treatment approaches in the future. Siamese twins from Morocco separated in Saudi Siamese twins from Morocco, connected since birth at the chest and stomach, were separated in a successful operation at a Riyadh hospital on Saturday, the state news agency SPA reported. Middle Eastern families yield intriguing clues to autism Research involving large Middle Eastern families, sophisticated genetic analysis and groundbreaking neuroscience has implicated a half-dozen new genes in autism. More importantly, it strongly supports the emerging idea that autism stems from disruptions in the brain's ability to form new connections in response to experience - consistent with autism's onset during the first year of life, when many of these connections are normally made. Probing Question: What is the history of tattooing? You might not think the sullen, tattooed teenager skulking around your local record store has anything in common with Winston Churchill, but you would be wrong. Sir Winston, King George V, and the slaves of ancient Greece — to name a few — all have their place in the colorful history of skin decoration. Britain outlines wind farm expansion plans Thousands of new wind turbines could be built across Britain by 2020 as part of multi-billion pound plans to switch to more sustainable energy sources, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Thursday. World must manage water carefully: experts The world's water resources must be carefully managed to meet the needs of billions of people flocking to urban centres, experts said Tuesday at a conference on sustainable development. Idle computers offer hope to solve cancer's mysteries through grid computing project A biomedical engineering professor at The University of Texas at Austin is using a concept called "grid computing" to allow the average person to donate idle computer time in a global effort to fight cancer. Screw worm outbreak in Yemen An outbreak of the insidious ´screw worm´ fly in Yemen, is threatening livelihoods, in a country where rearing livestock is a traditional way of life. In recent weeks, a Ministerial delegation was at the IAEA in Vienna, Austria, to turn to the international community for emergency assistance to fight the deadly pest. Shock at pump stems from high crude oil prices Next time you visit the gas station and fill your tank with $3.50 or more a gallon gasoline, reflect on this. Nine years ago you could have bought that same gas for 98 cents a gallon. What is going on? ... |