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Is
watching ER healthy?
ALHAMBRA, CA —
No need to feel guilty watching TV medical drama ER,
say University of Southern California researchers. Surprisingly,
it actually improves viewers' health. The study, published
in September's Journal of Health Communication,
surveyed ER viewers and non-ER viewers.
Researchers found that an ER storyline about
preventing hypertension by eating 5 servings of fruits
and vegetables a day produced an increase in viewers'
nutritional knowledge and "self-reported behaviour."
Unfortunately, however, watching ER had essentially
no effect on actual behaviour.
Caffeine-painkiller
mix dangerous?
WASHINGTON —
Caffeine consumption triples production of an acetaminophen
toxic by-product, claims a rather unorthodox study in
the October issue of Chemical Research in Toxicology.
But since the research was conducted only on genetically
engineered E coli bacteria using "megadoses"
of the two drugs, many scientists doubt that humans
are at any risk. Still, people should monitor their
intake carefully when mixing the two, insists lead author
Dr Sid Nelson.
Nike's
unusual Native aid plan
BEAVERTON, OR
— Nike wanted to do something about the
near-epidemic Native American obesity problem. Instead
of donating money or underwriting new research, though,
they're selling a new running shoe, the "Air Native
N7." The shoe is designed to fit Native Americans' naturally
wider feet, and the proceeds will be donated to tribal
programs. American native leaders commend the idea,
though some wonder whether all Native Americans really
have the same-shaped feet.
Condoms
and ARVs "laced" with HIV: archbishop
MAPUTO —
Mozambique archbishop Francisco Chimoio recently told
the BBC he believes many European-manufactured condoms
shipped to his country are being purposely-laced with
HIV. Suspicious that some ARV drugs are also being tampered
with, he suggested these deliberate infections are intended
to "finish quickly the African people." AIDS activists
and church opponents suggest the Archbishop's comments
have more to do with pushing the Roman Catholic anti-contraception
doctrine, in a country where the HIV rate is estimated
at 16% of the population.
Brain
atrophy spurs racism
BRISBANE —
Atrophy of the brain's frontal lobes, a natural effect
of aging, causes decreased inhibitions, reports a new
study published in October in Current Directions
in Psychological Science. According to the University
of Queensland, Australia author, this can lead to "unintended
prejudice, social inappropriateness, depression, and
gambling problems." "Because prejudice toward African
Americans conflicts with prevailing egalitarian beliefs,
older adults attempt to inhibit their racist feelings,
but fail," said study author Bill von Hippel.
"Barry
White effect" increases male fertility
CAMBRIDGE, MA
— Men with deeper voices have more kids,
according to new research by American and Canadian scientists
published online in Biology Letters on September
25. "Vocal sexual dimorphism," the difference in men's
and women's larynxes, has produced lower voices in men
through evolutionary selection, the researchers suggest.
The reasoning is that women tend to find deeper-voiced
men more appealing, and that this preference came about
because deep voices and male fertility have an underlying
cause in common — high testosterone.
Bacteria
can cheat and steal
CORVALLIS, OR
— Freeloading and cheating occurs even at
the simplest levels of life, a September 26 PNAS
study from Oregon State University suggests. The study
found that genetic mutations in the communal-feeding
bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginoisa cause some of
the bacteria to abandon their digestive responsibilities
and eat extra while their non-mutant peers do the hard
digestive work. The study authors wrote that treatments
to mutate all the bacteria to stop digesting could make
potent weapons against virulent species like P aeruginosa.
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