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Consumers choose locally grown and environmentally friendly apples

November 23, 2009

URBANA - When asked to compare apples to apples, consumers said they would pay more for locally grown apples than genetically modified (GMO) apples. But in a second questionnaire consumers preferred GMO apples -- that is, when they were described, not as GMO, but as having a Reduced Environmental Impact.

Exposures to metals and diesel emissions in air linked to respiratory symptoms in children

November 23, 2009

November 23, 2009 -- Exposure shortly after birth to ambient metals from residential heating oil combustion and particles from diesel emissions are associated with respiratory symptoms in young inner city children, according to a new study by researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

Study highlights from November issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

November 23, 2009

OAK BROOK, Ill. -- November 23, 2009 -- In the November issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), a study out of Stanford University found that Barrett's esophagus was detected in six percent of asymptomatic women undergoing endoscopic screening.

Bioengineers succeed in producing plastic without the use of fossil fuels

November 22, 2009

A team of pioneering South Korean scientists have succeeded in producing the polymers used for everyday plastics through bioengineering, rather than through the use of fossil fuel based chemicals.

Researchers begin to decipher metabolism of sexual assault drug

November 20, 2009

It's a naturally occurring brain chemical with an unwieldy name: 4-hydroxybutyrate (4-HB). Taken by mouth, it can be abused or used as a date-rape drug.

WPI researchers take aim at hard-to-treat fungal infections

November 19, 2009

WORCESTER, Mass. -- A team of researchers at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center at Gateway Park has developed a new model system to study fungal infections.

UCR plant scientist's research spawns new discoveries showing how crops survive drought

November 18, 2009

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Breakthrough research done earlier this year by a plant cell biologist at the University of California, Riverside has greatly accelerated scientists' knowledge on how plants and crops can survive difficult environmental conditions such as drought.

Penn study finds that antioxidant found in vegetables has implications for treating cystic fibrosis

November 16, 2009

PHILADELPHIA -- Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discovered that a dietary antioxidant found in such vegetables as broccoli and cauliflower protects cells from damage caused by chemicals generated during the body's inflammatory response to infection and injury.

Scientists guide immune cells with light and microparticles

November 16, 2009

New Haven, Conn. -- A team led by Yale University scientists has developed a new approach to studying how immune cells chase down bacteria in our bodies. Their findings are described in the November 15 issue of Nature Methods Advanced Online Publication.

Tiny bubbles clean oil from water

November 16, 2009

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 16, 2009 -- Small amounts of oil leave a fluorescent sheen on polluted water. Oil sheen is hard to remove, even when the water is aerated with ozone or filtered through sand.

Pilot study relates phthalate exposure to less-masculine play by boys

November 16, 2009

A study of 145 preschool children reports, for the first time, that when the concentrations of two common phthalates in mothers' prenatal urine are elevated their sons are less likely to play with male-typical toys and games, such as trucks and play fighting.

The University of Rochester Medical Center-led study is published in the International Journal of Andrology.

Simple test could offer cheap solution to detecting landmines

November 16, 2009

Scientists have developed a simple, cheap, accurate test to find undetected landmines.

Students from the University of Edinburgh have created a custom-made bacteria that glows green when it comes into contact with chemicals leaked by buried explosives.

Thoughtful words help couples stay fighting fit

November 13, 2009

Couples who bring thoughtful words to a fight release lower amounts of stress-related proteins, suggesting that rational communication between partners can ease the impact of marital conflict on the immune system.

"Previous research has shown that couples who are hostile to each other show health impairments and are at greater risk of disease," said Jennifer Graham, assistant professor of

Amphibians as environmental omen disputed

November 11, 2009

New Haven, Conn.

Workplace BPA exposure increases risk of male sexual dysfunction

November 11, 2009

November 11, 2009 (Oakland, Calif.) -- High levels of workplace exposure to Bisphenol-A may increase the risk of reduced sexual function in men, according to a Kaiser Permanente study appearing in



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