The study, based on questioning the mothers of over 13,000 children born in the late 1990s, found that…

“… mothers who did use the handsets were 54 per cent more likely to have children with behavioural problems and that the likelihood increased with the amount of potential exposure to the radiation. And when the children also later used the phones they were, overall, 80 per cent more likely to suffer from difficulties with behaviour. They were 25 per cent more at risk from emotional problems, 34 per cent more likely to suffer from difficulties relating to their peers, 35 per cent more likely to be hyperactive, and 49 per cent more prone to problems with conduct.”

These results were unexpected and took the scientists by surprise.  Three and a half years ago, UCLA’s Professor Leeka Kheifets, one of the lead scientists on this study, had written that studies “…to date give no consistent evidence of a causal relationship between exposure to radiofrequency fields and any adverse health effect”.

But the authors of this study acknowledge many other variables – diet, smoking, family mental history – at play that could just as easily suggest reasons for the children’s behavioral problems.

They also acknowledge that there is a strong possibility that the children’s behavioral problems  have less to do with the radio frequency fields and more to do with the fact that mothers who are constantly on the cell phone pay less attention to their children, causing them to ‘act out’.

But while the fndings from this new study are not conclusive, it has brought into focus yet again the question “are cell phones hazardous to our health”?

Further reading:

Do Cell Phones Harm Unborn Babies?

Post from: Healthbolt

But what about lying around in bed for three months and getting paid $5000 a month for doing so?

Well, according to Wired Science that’s just what NASA is asking people to volunteer for.

NASA is running a ‘Bed Rest Study’ at it’s Human Test Subject Facility at Johnson Space Center to examine the effects of microgravity on the human body.

Want to know more – check out this Q&A with a NASA Scientist about the study.

It might sound like a dream but it could easily turn into a nightmare…

On the other hand, if you combined it with the Getting Paid to Eat Chocolate research, it might just be worth it!!!

Post from: Healthbolt

Sounds bizarre but researchers at the University of Washington are hoping that Foldit, a new computer game will help uncover the key to medical mysteries ranging from Alzheimer’s Disease to vaccines.

There are more than 100,000 different kinds of proteins in the human body. These proteins form cells, make up the immune system, and determine the speed of chemical reactions.

Scientists already know the genetic sequence of many of the proteins but not how they fold up into the complext shapes that play the crucial biological roles within the human body.

This is where Foldit comes in.

This computer game will allow players to manipulate on-screen images of protein chains and attempt to predict their folding patterns. Points are earned for every chemically stable folded protein they create. The more they create, the more they earn. The reward – maybe one day the Nobel Prize in Medicine according to the game’s creators.

In recent game trials, hundreds of players were provided with 40 protein puzzles (the folding solutions already known to the game makers) to solve and most of the players were able to find the correct structure faster than the computer could.

The next step is to provide players with proteins with unknown folding patterns and let them do the research in protein structure prediction through game playing.

Sounds like a unique form of scientific outsourcing.

This might be the one computer game that parents will encourage their children to play…

You can download it here.

(Source)

Post from: Healthbolt

Free Viagra

Now here’s a politician that really cares about his constituents. Gonzalo Navarette Munoz, mayor of a municipality near the Chilean capital Santiago, wants to improve the quality of life for the older people in the working class suburb of Lo Prado by handing out potency pills.

Jailhouse Menu – could this be the next new diet?

Do you believe this? An inmate in an Arkansas jail awaiting trial on a murder charge is suing the county jail for weight loss. Apparently he’s lost over 100 pounds in the last eight months because of the food he is being given. Now he only weighs 308 pounds. You’d think he’d be happy with the weight loss. Go figure…

Wanted: Women to eat chocolate for a year

Personally, I think the heading says it all. Just tell me where to sign up…

‘Pixie Dust’ From Pig’s Bladder Regrows Man’s Finger

Okay, so it’s not really ‘pixie dust’. The experimental powder that has helped a man’s severed finger regrow to its original length in just four weeks is really ‘extra-cellular matrix’ made from a dried pig’s bladder. But doesn’t ‘Pixie Dust’ sounds so much more magical.  No matter what you call it, it seems to be working.

And finally…

Dinosaur Dung as a motivational tool ?

Post from: Healthbolt