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News | Archive (18 December 2008)
Hubble telescope catches Ganymede going to the 'dark side'
— 14:00 GMT | AstronomyHubble telescope has caught Jupiter's largest moon Ganymede playing a game of 'peek-a-boo.' In this crisp Hubble image, Ganymede is shown just before it ducks behind the giant planet. Ganymede completes an orbit around Jupiter every seven days. Because Ganymede's orbit is tilted nearly edge-on to Earth, it routinely can be seen passing in front of and disappearing behind its giant host, only to re-emerge later…
Where did Venus's water go?
— 12:02 GMT | AstronomyVenus Express has made the first detection of an atmospheric loss process on Venus's day-side. Last year, the spacecraft revealed that most of the lost atmosphere escapes from the night-side. Together, these discoveries bring planetary scientists closer to understanding what happened to the water on Venus, which is suspected to have once been as abundant as on Earth…
Spanish droughts over past 500 years reconstructed
— 11:54 GMT | EnvironmentA Spanish research group has reconstructed the pattern of droughts in Spain between 1506 and 1900 on the basis of ceremonial records held at the Cathedral of Toledo, in order to observe how droughts have varied over the past 500 years. Short-term meteorological data and tree growth rings have also been used to supplement the records of ceremonies…
Spanish scientists develop new model to explain movements of the moon
— 11:54 GMT | AstronomyTwo researchers from the universities of Valladolid and Alicante are developing a mathematical formula to study the rotation of the moon, taking into account its structure, which comprises a solid external layer and a fluid internal core. Their work is part of an international study, which has come up with an improved theoretical model about the orbital and rotational dynamics of the Earth and its satellite, and which the scientific community will be able to use to obtain more precise measurements in order to aid future NASA missions to the moon…
Cry me a river: The psychology of crying
— 11:54 GMT | HealthWe've all experienced a 'good cry' - whether following a breakup or just after a really stressful day, shedding some tears can often make us feel better and help us put things in perspective. But why is crying beneficial? And is there such a thing as a 'bad cry?' University of South Florida psychologists Jonathan Rottenberg and Lauren M. Bylsma, along with their colleague Ad J.J.M. Vingerhoets of Tilburg University describe some of their recent findings about the psychology of crying in the December issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science…
Study finds optimal type of dialysis treatment differs among kidney disease patients
— 11:54 GMT | HealthFor kidney disease patients who need to undergo dialysis, one type of treatment is not best for all, according to a study appearing in the January 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The findings indicate that certain patient characteristics should be factored into decisions on whether to choose haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis…
Medical myths exposed
— 11:54 GMT | HealthDoes sugar make kids hyperactive? Do we lose most of our body heat through our head? Will eating at night make you fat? Do suicides increase over the holidays? Are poinsettias toxic? Hangovers cures, do they work?…
An ESC statement on gender differences in medical care and survival after myocardial infarction
— 11:54 GMT | HealthA paper published online by the journal Circulation on 8 December 2008 concluded that, while men and women have a similar in-hospital death rate following acute myocardial infarction, women with STEMI had an adjusted mortality rate almost twice as high as men (10.2% versus 5.5%). These differences were associated with a lower likelihood of reperfusion therapy in women. The paper was widely reported in the press, with suggestions of disparity in care and outcome after AMI…
Are older antidepressants better for depression in Parkinson's disease?
— 11:54 GMT | HealthA new study shows that antidepressant drugs which only affect serotonin, often used as first choice treatments, may not be best for depression in people with Parkinson's disease. The new research is published in the 17 December online issue of Neurology(R), the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Depression affects up to 50 percent of people with Parkinson's disease…
Racial tension in a 'split-second'
— 11:54 GMT | HealthInterracial and interethnic interactions can often be awkward and stressful for members of both majority and minority groups. People bring certain expectations to their interactions with members of different groups - they often expect that these interactions will be awkward and less successful in establishing positive, long-lasting relationships than interactions with members of one's own racial or ethnic group…
Massive black hole smashes record
Hubble sees the graceful dance of two galaxies