Looking Into the Flu-ture

UPenn scientists claim they can predict the strain of flu that will be prevalent in the future. Their study examined 40 years of flu genomes and provided them insight into predicting mutations that are likely to happen in the near future. It's like looking into the crystal ball of medicine. Details here.

Berry, Berry Good

Recently, I have been consuming a surplus of fruit smoothies due to the addition of this pretty insane Ninja Blender to my house. For the past week - as well as many more weeks to come I'm sure - the refrigerator has seemed to be stocked with an endless supply of fruit rivalling the back stock of Costco. Let's just say good thing the new appliance was a blender and not one of these puppies.

While enjoying a delicious strawberry, pineapple treat I stumbled over this compelling story. A new study performed by the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston has found that eating berries and citrus fruits can lower you risk of Parkinson's disease. The study took more that 22 years to complete as researchers followed 49,281 men and 80,336 women, studying their diet and intake of flavonoids, a dietary component believed to be the source of the "neuroprotective effects." Over the course of study, 805 participants develpoed Parkinson's disease. The top 20% of men who consumed the most flavonoids were 40% less likely to develop Parkinson's than the bottome 20%. Unfortunately there was no significant connection found in women participants. The study will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 63rd Annual Meeting in Honolulu this April.

Sorry for the abrupt ending to this entry but I'd like to enjoy the last of my Parkinson's-fighting smoothie, thanks.

The Sailor Man and Science

Remember this guy?? Looks like the pipe-smoking, ill-tempered yet lovable sailor with an incurable craving for spinach had the right idea. Whenever this full-forearmed sailor got into a tussle with Bluto, he turned to his one secret weapon, a tin can full of leafy greens to activate his superhuman strength. With every comic strip or cartoon episode, boys everywherelearned how to score babes like Olive Oyl and the importance of including vegetables in your every day diet. Unfortunately, for many kids - including myself - the only thing that first plate of spinach did for us was crush our superhuman dreams and give us a taste of reality.

But, it looks like science is once again a shining beacon of hope for all us shattered youth. It looks like the grand country responsible for irresistable meatballs and inexpensive furniture has proved that our Popeye aspirations weren't so far off. Researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden found that taking small doses of inorganic nitrates increases muscle efficiency. Inorganic nitrates are found in fruits and vegetables, leafy, green vegetable especially. Inorganic nitrates, which were thought to be toxic at one point, have proven to be an imortant molecule that opens up blood vessels and lowers blood pressure. The recent study by Eddie Weitzberg and Jon Lundberg, published in the February issue of Cell Metabolism, found that inorganic nitrates increase the efficiency of mitochondria in metabolizing oxygen. Mitochondrion in our cells, therefore, can run on less oxygen intake or run optimally at normal oxygen levels. Ultimately, this means muscle activity will be more efficient, leading to longer and more effective work outs. So after the inclusion of spinach to your everyday diet, every gym session will be one step closer to living the dream. Oh, what I wouldn't do for those forearms...

Back from Lunch

Alright, it took a little over a year, but the doctor has returned, ready to bring you more news from the scintillating world of life science. Don't be nervous, I've done this before.

Holiday Hazards

A new study from Children's Hospital Boston's Division of Emergency Medicine has found that holiday decorations, particularly glass ornaments, are one more safety hazard parents must consider during the season. A review of records from Children's Emergency Department revealed an average of five ornament-related injuries per year; more than half of these injuries involve a child eating fragments of these ornaments, including batteries and pieces of glass.

It's the greatest time of the year kids. Could you please stop eating the ornaments?! Honestly, you've got hot chocolate, pumpkin pie, egg nog, etc. Kids these days...

Have a safe holiday season! It's been great!

Even Ancient Peruvians Had Stress

When individuals are stressed, cortisol is released into every part of their body, and I mean everywhere - in the blood, saliva, urine, and even hair. In a study to be published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, researchers from The University of Western Ontario studied the hair of 10 samples from different archaeological sites throughout Peru. Of course, hair doesn't last throughout a person's entire lifetime, but the study allowed researchers to examine the period of time just before these individuals passed. The study found high levels of cortisol in portions of the hair, meaning high levels of stress just before death. Also, researchers noted that a majority of the samples experienced multiple episodes of stress throughout their final years of life. Although stress wasn't an identified physiological state until the 1930s, the cortisol tests show that stress was much a part of ancient Peruvians everyday lives. In the midst of final exams, it's good to know that even the ancients had problems.

More on the topic: Studying Hair of Ancient Peruvians Answers Questions About Stress

UCLA Takes on Gas

(NOTE: As a proud Trojan, I am a little less than enthused about today's contributor to my blog, but I will suck it up for the sake of science.) With the persistant threat of greenhouse gases that only increases with every passing day, institutions for green technology and alternative fuels have become a thriving industry, praised by the public. There've been many breakthroughs harnessing wind power, solar power, hydrogen fuel cells, etc., and it looks like a little school across town may have found may have come across another.

Researchers at UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have found a new appraoch to reduce greenhouse gases while produce alternative liquid fuel, isobutanol . Scientists have found that by genetically modifying the cyanobacterium Synechoccus elongatus, they create a new strain that metabolizes carbon dioxide, and with the use of solar power, produces isobutanol. (Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas resulting from burning fossil fuels. It is most commonly produced by automobiles and power plants.) The research will be published in this week's Nature Biotechnology journal.

GOOD JOB BRUINS! I mean, something good had to come out of you eventually...