L.A. Times - Science

Permanent diet may equal longer life

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 20:23:00 -0700

With a reduced-calorie diet, monkeys were less likely to die of an age-related disease -- cancer, heart disease or diabetes, reports a study in the journal Science.

For a country in which roughly 200 million people are overweight or obese, scientists today have discouraging news: Even those who maintain a healthy weight probably should be eating less.

WHO's advice: Just assume it's swine flu

Wed, 8 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The World Health Organization will recommend that nations curtail efforts to confirm swine flu cases and assume the H1N1 virus is the culprit. Meanwhile, resistance to antiviral drug Tamiflu is seen.

As the World Health Organization prepares to recommend that most countries assume that their flu cases are the result of the novel H1N1 swine flu virus, officials are seeing the first signs of resistance to the commonly used antiviral drug Tamiflu -- though so far none that are particularly disturbing.

For Jani Schofield, some progress -- and major setbacks

Wed, 8 Jul 2009 16:56:00 -0700

The 6-year-old, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, doesn't fare well after a change in her environment, and the stress of caring for her takes a severe toll on her family.

On June 29, The Times profiled Jani Schofield, a 6-year-old diagnosed with schizophrenia, and her parents in “Jani’s at the mercy of her mind.” The article examined Jani's bouts of rage, her make-believe world, and Michael and Susan Schofield's efforts to keep their family together while also safely raising Jani and her toddler brother, Bodhi. Here is an update on the Schofield family.

Genome project leader is selected to head NIH

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dr. Francis Collins is named to run the vast research agency. He guided the U.S. drive to map the human genetic code and wrote a book linking God and science.

Dr. Francis S. Collins, the geneticist who discovered the causes of half a dozen diseases, oversaw the government's efforts to map the human genome and wrote a now-famous book presenting scientific evidence for a belief in God, will be nominated to head the National Institutes of Health, the White House confirmed Wednesday.

O. Carl Simonton dies at 66; oncologist pioneered mind-body connection to fight cancer

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

He found that patients who think positively tended to live longer and have fewer side effects. His belief eventually was accepted by mainstream medicine.

Dr. O. Carl Simonton, a radiation oncologist who popularized the mind-body connection in fighting cancer and helped push the once-controversial notion into mainstream medicine, has died. He was 66.

Ethics rules expand embryonic stem cell research

Tue, 7 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The National Institutes of Health's guidelines also settle a big question over the use of old stem cell lines.

The government issued final rules Monday expanding taxpayer-funded research using embryonic stem cells, easing scientists' fears that some of the oldest batches might not qualify and promising a master list of all that do.

Buzz Aldrin on his new book, space exploration and rapping with Snoop Dogg

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The second man on the moon, at 79, says his life is 'busier than it's ever been.' He has a new book, 'Magnificent Desolation,' is Twittering and advocates the colonization of Mars.

His mother's maiden name was Moon. Buzz Aldrin, it seems, was destined from birth to travel to the rocky sphere more than 200,000 miles from planet Earth.

Roadside assistance for Mars rover

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The Spirit rover is stuck in the Red Planet's fluffy soil, so engineers at JPL have re-created the scene in a sandbox to figure out how to get it free.

Getting your car stuck is irritating enough, but what do you do when your vehicle is dug into the sand of another planet and the nearest auto club is 180 million miles away?

Science Briefing

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Myanmar fossils may mean human roots in Asia / Crucial sea grass meadows found to be declining / Multiple genetic variations linked to schizophrenia / Deep-brain stimulators help some cerebral palsy p

Ancestry in Asia?

Sheep getting smaller in Scotland due to climate change, study says

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The average weight and size of sheep on a remote island have been falling in small but steady increments since 1985. Milder winters mean smaller animals but a larger herd.

Along with polar icecaps and sandy beaches, sheep on a remote Scottish island are gradually shrinking as a result of global warming, according to a study published today in the journal Science. The finding offers unusual proof that large animals are already evolving to adapt to changes wrought by climate change, experts said.