BioSpace.com News

PepsiCo to Remove Toxic Addictive From Gatorade, Will Replace With FDA Approved Ingredient

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 12:00:00 AM GMT

PepsiCo Inc is removing a controversial chemical from its Gatorade drinks following concerns from consumers and an online petition by a Mississippi teenager. Gatorade said the change was not a response to the petition, although the 15-year-old girl claimed victory.

Einstein's Brain: It Was Better Than Yours, Florida State University Study

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 12:00:00 AM GMT

Albert Einstein's brain was "unlike those of most people," according to a new study led by Florida State University evolutionary anthropologist Dean Falk.

"Although the overall size and asymmetrical shape of Einstein's brain were normal. The prefrontal, somatosensory, primary motor, parietal, temporal and occipital cortices were extraordinary," Falk says.

Gene Predicts Time of Death, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Reveals

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 12:00:00 AM GMT

A common gene variant separates early birds from night owls, and can even predict someones hour of death.

The findingspublished in the November issue of the journal Annals of Neurologycould help people schedule anything from work to medical treatments, while offering clues to the conditions of vulnerable patients.

Preterm Birth Can Be Prevented With A Few Proven Treatments, Lancet Article Says

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 12:00:00 AM GMT

Global Partners Challenge 39 High-Income Countries

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Nov. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Lowering preterm birth rates by an average of 5 percent across 39 high-resource countries, including the United States, by 2015 would prevent...

New Brain Gene Gives Us Edge Over Apes, University of Edinburgh Study Suggests

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 12:00:00 AM GMT

Scientists have taken a step forward in helping to solve one of life's greatest mysteries -- what makes us human? An international team of researchers have discovered a new gene that helps explain how humans evolved from chimpanzees.

Could Fat-Blocking Pepsi Actually Work? Don't Count On It

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 12:00:00 AM GMT

A soda that claims to prevent the absorption of fat in your body is launching in Japan this week. Whats next, cavity-reducing candy?

PepsiCo is rolling out the the new cola, Pepsi Special, which contains dextrin, an indigestible fiber ingredient that is also used in some baked goods.

Are Humans Becoming More Stupid? Stanford University Reveals

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 12:00:00 AM GMT

Human intelligence and behavior require optimal functioning of a large number of genes, which requires enormous evolutionary pressures to maintain. A provocative hypothesis published in a recent set of Science and Society pieces published in the Cell Press journal Trends in Genetics suggests that we are losing our intellectual and emotional capabilities because the intricate web of genes endowing us...

In 20s, Hypertension Risk for Low Earners, Duke University Study Reveals

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:00:00 AM GMT

Researchers examined data from more than 14,000 men and women between 24 and 32 years old, exploring why nearly one in five has high blood pressure. The results were published in the July issue of the journal Hypertension.

Is Obesity Contagious?, Arizona State University Authors Explain How Obesity "Spreads"

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:00:00 AM GMT

Researchers out of Arizona State University recently published an article in the American Journal of Public Health titled Shared Norms and Their Explanation for the Social Clustering of Obesity. It looked at why obesity seems to be common in some families and groups of friends.

Why His "Bromance" is Healthy for Him (and You), According to of University of Maryland

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:00:00 AM GMT

As far as we can tell, a guy might be involved in a "bromance" if he goes on true man-dates and openly admits to "loving" his pal. We're not talking about sporting events or getting together for beers at the local pub. More along the lines of movie nights or even dinner together at a nice restaurant sans the ladies. While these types of outings are the norm among women, until recently, they were somewhat...

Who Wants to Live Forever? Scientist Sees Aging "Cured" by Stem Cells

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:00:00 AM GMT

A biomedical gerontologist and chief scientist of a foundation dedicated to longevity research, de Grey reckons that within his own lifetime doctors could have all the tools they need to "cure" aging -- banishing diseases that come with it and extending life indefinitely.

Special Report: An End to AIDS?

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:00:00 AM GMT

For his doctors, Timothy Ray Brown was a shot in the dark. An HIV-positive American who was cured by a unique type of bone marrow transplant, the man known as "the Berlin patient" has become an icon of what scientists hope could be the next phase of the AIDS pandemic: its end.

Dramatic scientific advances since HIV was first discovered 30 years ago this week mean the virus is no longer a...

Sequenom Inc. Announces Publication of Study Manuscript on Noninvasive Detection of Fetal RHD Genotyping in Maternal Plasma

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:00:00 AM GMT

SAN DIEGO, June 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sequenom, Inc. (NASDAQ: SQNM), a life sciences company providing innovative genetic analysis solutions, today announced the acceptance for publication of the manuscript titled, "Fetal RHD Genotype Detection from Circulating Cell-Free Fetal DNA in Maternal Plasma in Non...

Drug Companies Drive U.S. 2010 Corporate Philanthropy

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:00:00 AM GMT

Drug companies helped drive an almost 18 percent increase in corporate philanthropy last year as they gave away medicine to poor Americans still struggling in a rough economy, a survey found on Thursday.

The Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy poll of 110 companies found they gave $13 billion in cash and products last year as the United States began to emerge from recession.<...

Europe E. Coli Outbreak is Deadliest on Record: World Health Organization

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:00:00 AM GMT

E. coli that has sickened thousands in Europe has become the deadliest outbreak of the bacteria on record as a rare strain is causing kidney failure in unprecedented numbers, U.S. health officials said.

At least 16 people have died and 1,624 cases have been reported, according to the World Health Organization in Geneva. The number of reported cases is based on hospital records, and the actual...

New MRSA Strain That Eludes Usual Tests Found in Cow???s Milk, University of Cambridge Study Finds

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:00:00 AM GMT

British scientists have discovered a new strain of the drug-resistant germ known as MRSA in cows milk and some evidence that the animals could be a source of the infection in humans.

University of Cambridge researchers were led to the discovery while studying an infection of the animals udders, according to an article published today in the U.K journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases. Tests...

Assisted Suicide Advocate Dies at Age 83

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:00:00 AM GMT

Jack Kevorkian, the retired pathologist who captured the world's attention as he helped dozens of ailing people commit suicide, igniting intense debate and ending up in prison for murder, has died in a Detroit area hospital after a short illness. He was 83.

Kevorkian, who said he helped some 130 people end their lives from 1990 to 1999, died about 2:30 a.m. at William Beaumont Hospital in...

Fatty Diet Raises Newborns??? Diabetes Risk: University of Illinois

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:00:00 AM GMT

A woman who eats a high-fat diet while pregnant may be putting her unborn child at risk for developing diabetes, even if she is not obese or diabetic herself.

We found that exposure to a high-fat diet before birth modifies gene expression in the livers of offspring so they are more likely to overproduce glucose, which can cause early insulin resistance and diabetes, says Yuan-Xiang Pan...

Not Now, Fear - Female Butterfly Closes Wings to Avoid Sex:

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:00:00 AM GMT

One kind of female butterfly mates only once in its life -- and then closes its wings to avoid "harassment" when pursued by persistent and unwanted males, a Japanese researcher said.

Observations of the Small Copper Butterfly, a colorful orange and black butterfly, showed that some females closed their wings when males flew by, but only when they were males of their own species, said Jun...

Why it's So Hard to Win War Against US Oxycodone Epidemic

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:00:00 AM GMT

In the "war on drugs," Phil Price has battled crack, methamphetamine, heroin, and pot. But the newest drug epidemic abuse of prescription opioid painkillers has the narcotics agent reassessing his role in policing America's hunger for illicit highs.

As head of the narcotics squad in Cherokee County in Georgia, Mr. Price has ordered his 14 agents to shift focus from meth labs and Mexican...

Germany: Sharp Rise in E.coli Cases, Source Unknown

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:00:00 AM GMT

German health officials said on Wednesday there had been a dramatic increase in the number of people infected in an E.coli outbreak which has so far killed 16 and whose source is still unknown.

The outbreak, centered on the north German city of Hamburg, has made more than 1,500 people ill in eight European countries, and led to an international row over the source of the contamination.

World Health Organization Group Finds Cell-Phone Radiation Possibly Carcinogenic

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:00:00 AM GMT

Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields from mobile phones are possibly cancer-causing to humans, the World Health Organization said today, citing a review of past studies. The WHOs International Agency for Research on Cancer commented at a news conference in Lyon, France, where the group is based.

Smoking Could Kill 8 Million a Year by 2030: World Health Organization

Tue, 31 May 2011 12:00:00 AM GMT

Tobacco will kill nearly six million people this year, including 600,000 non-smokers, because governments are not doing enough to persuade people to quit or protect others from second-hand smoke, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

Since there is often a lag of many years between when people start smoking and when it affects health, the epidemic of tobacco-related disease...

5 Ways Americans' Allergies Are Getting Worse, Quest Diagnostics Inc. Study