The News
Dutch now taller than Americans
By Matt Crenson The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 07/16/2007 05:29:20 AM MDT
New York - America used to be the tallest country in the world.
From the days of the Founding Fathers through the Industrial Revolution and two world wars, Americans literally towered over people of other nations.
But America's predominance in height has faded. Americans reached a height plateau after World War II, gradually falling behind nations around the world.
By the time the first baby boomers reached adulthood in the 1960s, most northern and western European countries had caught up with and surpassed the U.S. Young adults in Japan and other prosperous Asian countries now stand nearly as tall as Americans. In the Netherlands, the tallest country in the world, the typical man now measures 6 feet, a good 2 inches more than his average American counterpart.
Does it really matter? Does being taller give the Dutch any advantage over, say, the Chinese (men, 5 feet, 4.9 inches; women, 5 feet, 0.8 inches) or the Brazilians (men, 5 feet, 6.5 inches; women, 5 feet, 3 inches)?
The Research
Read the research behind this story in the journal Social Science Quarterly.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Saturday, July 14, 2007
The Editorial
KOPEL: Newshounds.us keeps tabs on Fox News
Similar watchdogs good idea for other networks.
"If you hate Fox News, you will love Newshounds.us, a citizen activist Web site dedicated to criticizing Fox. I learned about the site a few weeks ago, for its coverage of Bill O'Reilly's numerous sensational untruths about Boulder High School... Some of the Newshounds write-ups on other Fox topics strike me as too conspiracy-minded or Manichean. I agree with Newshounds that Fox is slanted to the right, but to a lesser degree than CBS, ABC and NBC slant left, as detailed in a 2005 Quarterly Journal of Economics study."
The Research
Read the research behind this editorial in Quarterly Journal of Economics. See v.120 number 4 (Nov. 2005), pp. 1191-1237. A Measure of Media Bias by Tim Groseclose & Jeffrey Milyo.
KOPEL: Newshounds.us keeps tabs on Fox News
Similar watchdogs good idea for other networks.
"If you hate Fox News, you will love Newshounds.us, a citizen activist Web site dedicated to criticizing Fox. I learned about the site a few weeks ago, for its coverage of Bill O'Reilly's numerous sensational untruths about Boulder High School... Some of the Newshounds write-ups on other Fox topics strike me as too conspiracy-minded or Manichean. I agree with Newshounds that Fox is slanted to the right, but to a lesser degree than CBS, ABC and NBC slant left, as detailed in a 2005 Quarterly Journal of Economics study."
The Research
Read the research behind this editorial in Quarterly Journal of Economics. See v.120 number 4 (Nov. 2005), pp. 1191-1237. A Measure of Media Bias by Tim Groseclose & Jeffrey Milyo.
Friday, July 13, 2007
The News
CU: Trauma can be forgotten
CU study finds practice may help put painful thoughts out of mind
By Katy Human Denver Post Staff Writer Staff writer Katy Human can be reached at 303-954-1910 or khuman@denverpost.com.
Article Last Updated: 07/13/2007 06:21:55 AM MDT
There may yet be a way to erase that aching memory of the middle school snub, the deafening car crash - or the fiery explosion that killed your friend and took your leg. Forget it - with practice. "Individuals can learn to suppress emotional memories," said Brendan Depue, a doctoral candidate in psychology at the University of Colorado at Boulder and lead author of a memory study published today in the journal Science. Depue and two colleagues at CU and the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center coached 16 people to forget terrible images they'd been shown earlier - car crashes, the electric chair, a wounded soldier.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science.
CU: Trauma can be forgotten
CU study finds practice may help put painful thoughts out of mind
By Katy Human Denver Post Staff Writer Staff writer Katy Human can be reached at 303-954-1910 or khuman@denverpost.com.
Article Last Updated: 07/13/2007 06:21:55 AM MDT
There may yet be a way to erase that aching memory of the middle school snub, the deafening car crash - or the fiery explosion that killed your friend and took your leg. Forget it - with practice. "Individuals can learn to suppress emotional memories," said Brendan Depue, a doctoral candidate in psychology at the University of Colorado at Boulder and lead author of a memory study published today in the journal Science. Depue and two colleagues at CU and the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center coached 16 people to forget terrible images they'd been shown earlier - car crashes, the electric chair, a wounded soldier.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
The News
Study says ex-uninsured more costly to Medicare
New research shows that once eligible for the federal benefit, those who were never insured were hospitalized more often.
By Gina Kolata The New York Times
Article Last Updated: 07/12/2007 02:02:25 AM MDT
When uninsured adults with common chronic illnesses became eligible for Medicare, they saw doctors and were hospitalized more often and reported greater medical expenses than people who had had insurance. And their increased use of medical services continued until at least age 72, researchers are reporting today.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Study says ex-uninsured more costly to Medicare
New research shows that once eligible for the federal benefit, those who were never insured were hospitalized more often.
By Gina Kolata The New York Times
Article Last Updated: 07/12/2007 02:02:25 AM MDT
When uninsured adults with common chronic illnesses became eligible for Medicare, they saw doctors and were hospitalized more often and reported greater medical expenses than people who had had insurance. And their increased use of medical services continued until at least age 72, researchers are reporting today.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
The News
Researchers: 1 tablet may kick 2 habits
A pill already sold to help smokers quit their nicotine addiction appears to hold promise.
By Andrew Bridges The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 07/10/2007 03:47:38 AM MDT
Washington - A single pill appears to hold promise in curbing the urges to both smoke and drink, according to researchers trying to help people overcome addiction by targeting a pleasure center in the brain. The drug, called varenicline, already is sold to help smokers kick the habit. New but preliminary research suggests it could gain a second use in helping heavy drinkers quit, too.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Abstract available. Click on Full Text (PDF) for the complete study.
Researchers: 1 tablet may kick 2 habits
A pill already sold to help smokers quit their nicotine addiction appears to hold promise.
By Andrew Bridges The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 07/10/2007 03:47:38 AM MDT
Washington - A single pill appears to hold promise in curbing the urges to both smoke and drink, according to researchers trying to help people overcome addiction by targeting a pleasure center in the brain. The drug, called varenicline, already is sold to help smokers kick the habit. New but preliminary research suggests it could gain a second use in helping heavy drinkers quit, too.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Abstract available. Click on Full Text (PDF) for the complete study.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
The News
Study Questions Success of Pregnancy Technique
NPR's Morning Edition, July 4, 2007 · A new study finds that a technique called preimplantation — intended to help older women get pregnant — may not work. Kathy Hudson, director of the Genetics and Public Policy Center at Johns Hopkins University, talks with Renee Montagne.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Read an editorial about this story in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Study Questions Success of Pregnancy Technique
NPR's Morning Edition, July 4, 2007 · A new study finds that a technique called preimplantation — intended to help older women get pregnant — may not work. Kathy Hudson, director of the Genetics and Public Policy Center at Johns Hopkins University, talks with Renee Montagne.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Read an editorial about this story in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
The News
Study recommends a nip of chocolate
The dark confection lowers blood pressure in a small study that echoes other research on cocoa. The dark side: It takes only a tiny amount to have that effect.
By Lindsey Tanner The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 07/04/2007 01:28:29 AM MDT
Chicago - Here's some good and bad news for chocoholics: Dark chocolate seems to lower blood pressure, but it requires an amount less than two Hershey's Kisses to do it, a small study suggests. The new research from Germany adds to mounting evidence linking dark chocolate with health benefits, but it's the first to suggest that just a tiny amount may suffice.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Study recommends a nip of chocolate
The dark confection lowers blood pressure in a small study that echoes other research on cocoa. The dark side: It takes only a tiny amount to have that effect.
By Lindsey Tanner The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 07/04/2007 01:28:29 AM MDT
Chicago - Here's some good and bad news for chocoholics: Dark chocolate seems to lower blood pressure, but it requires an amount less than two Hershey's Kisses to do it, a small study suggests. The new research from Germany adds to mounting evidence linking dark chocolate with health benefits, but it's the first to suggest that just a tiny amount may suffice.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
The News
Alzheimer's study on the nose?
Fading sense of smell may be disease omen
By Carla K. Johnson The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 07/03/2007 02:51:08 AM MDT
Chicago - Difficulty identifying common smells such as lemon, banana and cinnamon may be the first sign of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study that could lead to scratch-and-sniff tests to determine a person's risk for the progressive brain disorder. Such tests could be important if scientists find ways to slow or stop Alzheimer's and the severe memory loss associated with it. For now, there's no cure for the more than 5 million Americans with the disease.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Alzheimer's study on the nose?
Fading sense of smell may be disease omen
By Carla K. Johnson The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 07/03/2007 02:51:08 AM MDT
Chicago - Difficulty identifying common smells such as lemon, banana and cinnamon may be the first sign of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study that could lead to scratch-and-sniff tests to determine a person's risk for the progressive brain disorder. Such tests could be important if scientists find ways to slow or stop Alzheimer's and the severe memory loss associated with it. For now, there's no cure for the more than 5 million Americans with the disease.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Monday, July 2, 2007
The News
Stress can lead to obesity, study says
By Simeon Bennett
Bloomberg News
Article Last Updated: 07/02/2007 12:24:15 AM MDT
Scientists say they have found a link between stress and obesity, which offers hope in treating the one-third of Americans who are overweight. The brain under stress releases a hormone that activates a gene in fat cells, causing them to grow in size and number, according to a study published Sunday in the journal Nature Medicine. Scientists found stressed mice gained twice as much fat as those fed the same high-calorie diet. The stressed mice didn't gain weight when the gene was removed or blocked.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in Nature Medicine.
Stress can lead to obesity, study says
By Simeon Bennett
Bloomberg News
Article Last Updated: 07/02/2007 12:24:15 AM MDT
Scientists say they have found a link between stress and obesity, which offers hope in treating the one-third of Americans who are overweight. The brain under stress releases a hormone that activates a gene in fat cells, causing them to grow in size and number, according to a study published Sunday in the journal Nature Medicine. Scientists found stressed mice gained twice as much fat as those fed the same high-calorie diet. The stressed mice didn't gain weight when the gene was removed or blocked.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in Nature Medicine.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
The News
Diaper Data Sheds Light on Intestinal Development
Talk of the Nation, June 29, 2007 · Scientists tracking the surprising things that (literally) come out of a baby over the course of a year have been able to trace a timeline of the development of bacterial ecosystems within the human gut. Scientists are learning more about how our intestinal tracts become colonized with bacteria.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in the journal PLoS Biology.
Diaper Data Sheds Light on Intestinal Development
Talk of the Nation, June 29, 2007 · Scientists tracking the surprising things that (literally) come out of a baby over the course of a year have been able to trace a timeline of the development of bacterial ecosystems within the human gut. Scientists are learning more about how our intestinal tracts become colonized with bacteria.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in the journal PLoS Biology.
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