Contact lens wearers in southern England at nine times the risk of serious eye infection
Contact lens wearers living in southern England are at nine times the risk of developing serious eye infection, finds research in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. Hard water could be to blame, suggest the authors. The research team examined feedback from the British Ophthalmic Surveillance Unit on new cases of acanthamoeba keratitis reported... view more... (2002-04-19)
Small fluctuations in solar activity, large influence on the climate
Our sun does not radiate evenly. The best known example of radiation fluctuations is the famous 11-year cycle of sun spots. Nobody denies its influence on the natural climate variability, but climate models have, to-date, not been able to satisfactorily reconstruct its impact on climate activity. view more (2009-08-28)
No place for life to hide from Mars Express
Of all missions sent to Mars only one, the Viking 26 years ago, has dared to search for life. Its only conclusive result was that finding proof of extraterrestrial life proved to be much harder than expected. Second attempts never followed. Until now. ESA`s Mars Express, the next mission to the Red Planet and the first European one, has an... view more... (2002-09-03)
Stress delays puberty
NWO research at Utrecht University has shown that when carp are subjected to stress, the development of their genital organs is delayed, so that they reach puberty later. It is likely that the stress hormone cortisol plays a major role in delaying puberty. Changes in water temperature produce stress in fish. Dimitri Consten of Utrecht University... view more... (2001-05-30)
Fuzzy logic water quality
A fuzzy logic approach to analyzing water quality could help reduce the number of people in the developing world forced to drink polluted and diseased water for survival. view more (2008-04-18)
Dartmouth study finds that arsenic inhibits DNA repair
Dartmouth researchers, working with scientists at the University of Arizona and at the Department of Natural Resources in Sonora, Mexico, have published a study on the impact of arsenic exposure on DNA damage. view more (2006-05-30)
Equations against hypothermia
Sharks are, by tradition, the eternal threat facing divers. Yet, a diver is quite a lot more unlikely to meet such a creature under the water than, at some time or another, to come up against an even greater danger - hypothermia, or exposure. To enable divers to prevent this syndrome from creeping silently up on them, two researchers from the Area... view more... (2004-09-01)
Sugar coupled to protein causes kidneys to save water
Several new mechanisms that are important for the production and transport of water channels to the cell surface of kidneys have been identified by a Dutch researcher. The water channels ensure that water in the body is reused. If these fail to work properly, you urinate too much and dehydrate. The research was a collaborative project between the... view more... (2003-10-10)
Sandia, task force to study ways ocean and wastewater can be desalinized in California
Researchers from the National Nuclear Security Administration's Sandia National Laboratories, together with fellow members of the Joint Water Reuse & Desalination Task Force, in coming months will be studying the best ways to desalinize-and make potable-ocean water, subsurface brines, and wastewater. view more (2005-09-07)
Major New CO2 Threat To Climate Stability & Water Supplies
A new report in top science magazine "Nature" shows that rising carbon dioxide or CO2, is causing a massive increase in dissolved chemicals in Britain's waters. The chemicals (called DOC or dissolved organic carbon) could harm our health and accelerate current rises in atmospheric CO2 levels. The discovery was made by a team led by... view more... (2004-07-07)
Researchers learn more about ways to regenerate the ear's hearing cells
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have made important progress in their ongoing effort to regenerate the inner ear's hair cells, which convert sound vibrations to nerve impulses. view more (2006-05-01)
Water at Martian south pole
Thanks to ESA's Mars Express, we now know that Mars has vast fields of perennial water ice, stretching out from the south pole of the Red Planet. Astronomers have known for years that Mars possessed polar ice caps, but early attempts at chemical analysis suggested only that the northern cap could be composed of water ice, and the southern cap... view more... (2004-03-18)
Is tap water safe for expectant mothers?
Drinking water disinfected by chlorine while pregnant may increase the risk of having children with heart problems, cleft palate or major brain defects, according to a study published today in BioMed Central's open access journal Environmental Health. view more (2008-06-03)
Pesticides Persist in Ground Water
Numerous studies over the past four decades have established that pesticides, which are typically applied at the land surface, can move downward through the unsaturated zone to reach the water table at detectable concentrations. view more (2008-07-02)
Fire is important part of global climate change, report scientists
Fire must be accounted for as an integral part of climate change, according to 22 authors of an article published in the April 24 issue of the journal Science. The authors determined that intentional deforestation fires alone contribute up to one-fifth of the human-caused increase in emissions of carbon dioxide, a heat-trapping gas that raises... view more... (2009-04-24)
Gullies on Mars show tantalizing signs of recent water activity
Planetary geologists at Brown University have found a gully fan system on Mars that formed about 1.25 million years ago. The fan offers compelling evidence that it was formed by melt water that originated in nearby snow and ice deposits and may stand as the most recent period when water flowed on the planet. view more (2009-03-02)
Life cycle assessment essential to nanotech commercial development
Life cycle assessment (LCA) —a cradle-to-grave look at the health and environmental impact of a material, chemical, or product—is an essential tool for ensuring the safe, responsible, and sustainable commercialization of nanotechnology, U.S. and European experts conclude in a new report issued today. view more (2007-03-21)
Waterborne disease risk upped in Great Lakes
An anticipated increased incidence of climate-related extreme rainfall events in the Great Lakes region may raise the public health risk for the 40 million people who depend on the lakes for their drinking water, according to a new study. view more (2008-10-09)
Extra support helps obese women cycle to and from work
Increased daily exercise can prevent diabetes and cardiovascular disease in obese women, but getting started and maintaining new habits is a challenge. A new study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet shows that extra support and encouragement can help more women to exercise to and from work. view more (2009-05-06)
Ancient Arctic water cycles are red flags to future global warming
Ancient plant life recovered in recent Arctic Ocean sampling cores shows that at the time of the last major global warming, humidity, precipitation levels and salinity of the ocean water altered drastically, along with the elevated temperatures and levels of greenhouse gases. view more (2006-08-14)
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