science wire

What's round, red, full of holiday cheer, and (dare we say it) good for you? It's the cranberry. Its powerful goodness, coupled with cruciferous vegetablessuch as broccoli, bok choy, and kaleand fest

ANN ARBOR-The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which ripped through southern Haiti in October, will extend beyond destruction and injury.

HERSHEY, Pa. Overweight women are not receiving proper advice on healthy weight gains or appropriate exercise levels during their pregnancies, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

University of Illinois entomology professor Barry Pittendrigh (back right) and his colleagues create animated educational videos as part of the Scientific Animations Without Borders project.

04 Dec 2012 The team from the Universities of Manchester, Delhi, Cape Coast and Arkansas say the large sector of the economy relying on low wages and physically demanding work hinders improvement in nutrition across rural areas.

To improve the productivity of cassava - a rough and ready root crop that has long been the foundation of food security in Africa - and plant breeding in sub-Saharan Africa, the Bill & Melinda Ga

CHAMPAIGN, lll. Researchers have created an interactive website, called Antkey , which includes more than 1,150 images and 70 video clips to help users determine an ant's identity from more than 100 invasive and commonly introduced global species. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, $1 billion in cross-border commerce between the United States and Mexico takes place each day.

The University of Sydney has launched an international recruitment campaign for 10 new chair and professorial positions to spearhead its unique cross disciplinary research into obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Food experts at The University of Nottingham have helped Heston Blumenthal scientifically answer a question that has bothered him since childhood — yes, chocolate biscuits do taste better after they've been dunked in tea.

The most interesting research sometimes comes from taking the road less travelled, writes ANDREW WALKER.

It is often assumed that those on low incomes and with low levels of education are overly represented in the major increase in obesity of recent decades.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. An ingredient in green tea that helps reduce blood sugar spikes in mice may lead to new diet strategies for people, according to Penn State food scientists. Mice fed an antioxidant found in green tea - epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG - and corn starch had a significant reduction in increase in their blood sugar - blood glucose - levels compared to mice that were not fed the compound, according to Joshua Lambert, assistant professor of food science in agricultural sciences.

Scientists from the University of Bristol have been awarded a £1.1 million share of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)'s strategic Longer and Larger Awards in Synthetic Biology, announced today.

Children need a minimum of seven minutes a day of vigorous physical activity, according to recently published findings by University of Alberta medical researchers and their colleagues across Canada. "If you watch late-night television or look in the backs of magazines, you'll see magical ads saying you need just five or 10 minutes a day of exercise to stay fit.

ANN ARBOR-Researchers at the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and Environment are leading a five-year, $4 million study of disparities in access to healthy food across the state.

A touch-screen computer to help detect illness from malnutrition in older adults has been created by researchers from the University of Sheffield.

A team of University of Alberta researchers will use existing technology infrastructure to engage with farmers in Sri Lanka and help them share information that could improve their quality of life.

Experts from around the globe are to gather in Shanghai, China, to discuss the challenges and solutions to the biggest question facing the world - how do we achieve global food security?

How can farmers battle marmorated stink bugs in vineyards or late blight threatening a tomato crop? Can urban trees help mitigate climate change? What breeding programs will keep American crops compe

The Bariatric Metabolic Institute (BMI) at University of California, San Diego Health System has been accredited as a Level 1 facility by the Bariatric Surgery Center Network (BSCN) Accreditation Program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS).

News Release MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (10/25/2012) —Organic dairy farmers and University of Minnesota experts will collaborate on a new study aimed at improving dairies' profitability thro

It can take 20 years of research, resources and effort to bring a new grape variety to market. VitisGen, a multidisciplinary research project co-led by Cornell grape breeder Bruce Reisch, will soon provide breeders tools they can use to develop more and better varieties in that time.

Eating more legumes can significantly lower blood pressure, blood glucose levels and risk for cardiovascular disease in patients with Type 2 diabetes, says new research led by the University of Toronto's David Jenkins . "We know from our previous research that foods low on the glycemic index scale are helpful in lowering blood glucose levels," said Jenkins, lead author of the study and professor in U of T's Departments of Nutritional Sciences and Medicine.

Foodies in search of organic cucumbers may find themselves in a pickle: A new strain of downy mildew is causing many organic growers to abandon the crop.

On television they are often represented as headless torsos plodding about the screen, or worse, in shows such as The Biggest Loser , fat people are humiliated and endure punishing diet and exercise routines.

HERSHEY, Pa. Losing weight does not lead to improved fertility in women, but does improve sexual function, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

With climate change and high oil prices, alternate fuel sources are more important than ever for a more sustainable future.

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (10/17/2012) —An international team of researchers, including a University of Minnesota scientist, has developed an integrated physical, genetic and functional seq

AUSTIN, Texas — A research team in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin has found that infant feeding patterns may increase the risk of a diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In a study currently awaiting peer review, researchers found that the risk for developing ALL increased by 16 percent for every month of formula feeding.

A ranking of the research productivity of 500 research universities around the world placed University of Wisconsin-Madison at No.

The University of Cambridge and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Gillings School of Global Public Health will pioneer collaborative research in dementia, obesity, tobacco and alcohol, as well as disease progression and treatment.

10 October 2012 One of the body’s satiation hormones, neurotensin, could raise women’s risk of suffering one of three common and serious conditions: diabetes, cardiovascular disease and breast cancer. There is also a connection between the hormone and premature death in women, especially from cardiovascular disease.

A quarter of households in refugee camps in Algeria are currently suffering from the double burden of excess weight and under-nutrition.

The Corn Returns - market data from the 19th century and beyond - represent a valuable resource for economic historians looking at the emergence of modern agricultural markets.

Nutritionists at the University of Glasgow have served up a menu showing what a balanced diet over a week looks like.

This year's weather threw several curve balls to New York growers - an early, warm spring, a sudden cold snap in April, and a hot, dry summer.

When Michael Mazourek, Ph.D. '08, was a child, he dreamed of becoming a farmer, a chef or an engineer.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.-In the first study to detail the health of Pacific Islanders living in the United States, University of Michigan researchers have found alarmingly high rates of obesity and smoking. The preliminary findings are being presented today (Sept. 24) at a conference in Los Angeles on health disparities among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

You may have seen him taking to the sky in gliders, helicopters and hot air balloons in the ABC TV program Great Southern Land which premiered last night, but University of Sydney scientist Professor Steve Simpson will also thrill audiences with his latest book.

Anyone who wants to lose weight has a wide variety of diets to choose from, but knowledge of what works is often poor.

Katherine's busy summer for bee research Biology undergraduate Katherine Fensome spent the best days of summer sitting on the grassy slopes of the beautiful Sussex Downs - but it was all in the cause of science. Katherine's JRA placement was with the Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects at the University of Sussex.

International trade in land has increased dramatically in recent years. Usually, the transactions involve poor countries selling land to companies in rich countries.

A new analysis of the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) study shows that despite considerably greater and sustained weight loss than conventionally treated controls, patients treated with bariatric surgery continued to use just as much inpatient and non-primary outpatient care than the controls during a 20 year follow-up period.

The federal government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) pays at least $2 billion annually for sugar-sweetened beverages purchased in grocery stores alone, according to a study by the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. A free mobile app developed by Penn State researchers can help dairy farmers plow through financial planning by helping them track feed costs and income.

If recent news headlines are correct, Americans are sleeping less, getting more overweight and feeling increasingly stressed compared with decades past.

This year’s Fernström Foundation Nordic Prize, worth SEK 1 million, goes to Professor Peter Arner from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, who conducts research on fat.

With over two thirds of Americans now overweight or obese, public health campaigns have emerged across the country to promote behavior that can help reduce America's waistline.

The speed at which we drink alcohol may be influenced by the shape of the glass we drink from, according to new research from the University of Bristol, published in PLoS ONE. This could be a target to help control the problematic levels of drunkenness that are becoming increasingly common in our society.

Just-released Nature paper shows more strategic use of nutrients and water on a global scale could boost production 45 to 70 percent for most crops Media Note: This paper is available via Advance Online Publication (AOP) at www.nature.com/nature. Journalists should seek to credit Nature as the source of stories covered.