Source : UPI | 20 Sep 2012

Long-term yogurt-eaters were less likely to develop high blood pressure than those who didn't eat yogurt, U.S. researchers found.

Source : BBC | 19 Sep 2012

The most powerful sky-scanning camera yet built has begun its quest to pin down the mysterious stuff that makes up nearly three-quarters of our Universe.

The Dark Energy Survey's 570-million-pixel camera will scan some 300 million galaxies in the coming five years.

The goal is to discover the nature of dark energy, which is theorised to be responsible for the ever-faster expansion of the Universe.

Its first image, taken 12 September, focussed on the Fornax galaxy cluster.

By Ian Sample | Guardian | 17 Sep 2012

Experiments on the division of labour in honeybee hives have revealed why some bees do the waggle dance while others nurse their queens.

The roles require drastically different behaviours, with nurses feeding the larvae and performing royal grooming duties, and foragers navigating great distances and performing complex dance routines to point others in the direction of rich sources of nectar.

Source : Agencies | 15 Sep 2012

Smokers may get fewer hours of sleep and have less restful slumber than non-smokers, according to a German study that looked at more than two thousand people.

Researchers whose work appeared in the journal Addiction Biology found that of nearly 1,100 smokers surveyed, 17 percent got fewer than six hours of sleep each night and 28 percent reported "disturbed" sleep quality.

Source | Reuters | 14 Sep 2012

People who have highly demanding jobs and little freedom to make decisions are 23 percent more likely to have a heart attack compared with their less stressed out colleagues, according to research published on Friday.

But lighting up a cigarette or remaining chained to your desk rather than getting out to do some exercise is far more damaging for your heart health, researchers said.

By Dr. Heather Hawthorne | ABC News | 12 Sep 2012

Fish oil -- a supplement taken daily by millions of Americans -- may not help you live longer, a new study released today suggests.

The study is the latest piece of research feeding the debate over whether regularly taking omega-3 supplements -- most commonly in the form of fish oil -- helps the heart.

Source : Agencies | 11 Sep 2012

Scientists have found nature's way of creating colour that never fades, a technique they say could replace pigments used in industry with natural plant extracts in products from food colouring to security features in banknotes.

Layers of cellulose that reflect specific wavelengths of light - 'structural colour' found in peacock feathers, scarab beetles and butterflies - make a particularly intense blue in the Pollia condensata plant, scientists say.

By Elizabeth Weise | USA Today | 05 Sept 2012

Organic products have no significant nutritional advantage over conventional foods, even though consumers can pay more for them, a new study finds.

The findings suggest that a key reason behind why many people buy organic products -- a $28.6 billion market last year -- may not be borne out by the science.

The four-year project began when two doctors wondered what advice they should give their families and patients about whether to buy organic or conventional foods.

Source : Reuters | 12 May 2012

People who eat plenty of fish may have a lower risk of colon cancer and, even more, rectal cancer, according to an analysis of 41 studies from around the world.

The analysis, which appeared in the American Journal of Medicine, is the latest report that ties fish consumption to a number of possible health benefits.

By Nina Chestney | Reuters | London | 28 Mar 2012

The world is close to reaching tipping points that will make it irreversibly hotter, making this decade critical in efforts to contain global warming, scientists warned on Monday.

Scientific estimates differ but the world's temperature looks set to rise by six degrees Celsius by 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions are allowed to rise uncontrollably.