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Sense of humour research reveals secrets of what makes us laugh

A sense of humour is a much admired asset. But do the same things make people laugh all over the world? And can we measure our ability to appreciate the funny side of life?

2 Sep 2004

Survey finds half of all new medical students are women

A new survey of medical schools in the United States shows that the number of full time faculty members has increased, the number of enrolled students has remained steady, and approximately half of applicants and entering students are women.

1 Sep 2004

Students are more likely to drink, smoke cigarettes and smoke marijuana when they receive drivers’ licenses

For many high school students, obtaining a driver’s license means more fun, freedom and responsibility.

30 Aug 2004

Ephedra substitute - Seville orange may have risks

People taking “ephedra-free” weight loss products that contain the herb Citrus aurantium, or Seville orange, may be doing more harm to their body than good, according to a new review published by Georgetown University Medical Center researchers.

27 Aug 2004

Compounds break bonds holding dangerous pollutants together

Everything from the manufacture of new materials to the creation of modern medications relies on chemicals known as metal-based catalysts. Catalysts pack a double punch: Even as they greatly increase the rate of chemical processes, they regenerate so they can be used again.

25 Aug 2004

Concerns about the education of medical students

Concerns are raised about the education of medical students, as a BMA report reveals that most young doctors have never considered careers in teaching and research.

25 Aug 2004

Space theme tackles obesity and cholesterol levels in youngsters

A supplement entitled “Food and Fitness,” one of three educational guides for teachers produced by Baylor College of Medicine for the NSBRI, teaches middle school students about the importance of nutrition and exercise using intergalactic themes.

23 Aug 2004

Limb kinematics help to better understand why it’s more “efficient” to walk than to run

Your knees take the brunt of the increased demands on your lower body in terms of the amount of muscle mass used and joint flexion when you compare walking to running. By a lot. Why? Because you’re human.

23 Aug 2004

Body symmetry could be a tell tale sign of an aggressive person

Researchers may get some indication of how aggressively an angry person will react by measuring the size relationship between a person’s ears and other body parts, according to a new study.

23 Aug 2004

New era of medical capabilities for the South Pacific

A team of Health Informatics staff from the University of Otago’s Information Science Department is taking the South Pacific into a new era of medical capabilities as part of a World Health Organisation (WHO) initiative to educate medical staff in the Pacific.

23 Aug 2004

Sea snail offers natural healing powers for a range of illnesses from chronic pain to diseases of the brain

A beautiful, but often deadly, snail from the sea has been revealed as a largely untapped source of natural healing powers for a range of illnesses from chronic pain to diseases of the brain.

20 Aug 2004

Budding doctors can get the low-down on life at medical school

The Insider's Guide to Medical School 2004-5, compiled by members of the BMA's Medical Students Committee, gives a unique insight into what studying medicine is really like. It provides students considering medicine with crucial information, such as each U.K. medical school's entry requirements.

20 Aug 2004

Decreases in tobacco, drug and alcohol use by students

California's Attorney General Bill Lockyer has released the results of the 10th Biennial California Student Survey (CSS), which shows decreases in tobacco, drug and alcohol use by students in the seventh, ninth and 11th grades during 2003 and 2004.

18 Aug 2004

Wearable computer which can remotely monitor the performance of athletes

As Greece is in full swing with Olympic fever, engineers at the University of Birmingham, England, have teamed up with researchers in Athens to design a wearable computer which can remotely monitor the performance of athletes.

17 Aug 2004

Students will temporarily lose their sight in an attempt to gain an understanding of what it could be like to have vision impairment

“Students are blindfolded for a period of about one hour,” she said. “It really demonstrates how much we take for granted – suddenly activities such as eating and socialising become difficult and exhausting. There is always at least one dinner guest who feels they can’t cope and has to remove their blindfold.”

17 Aug 2004

Medical alternative to surgery for cataracts

A common age related cause of blindness is being studied by researchers in the Cataract Group of the Agricultural and Life Sciences Division at Lincoln University, New Zealand. They are working on finding out a medical alternative to surgery.

16 Aug 2004

AMA’s third report on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health

AMA President, Dr Bill Glasson, today released the AMA’s third report on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, ‘Healing Hands – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Workforce Requirements’.

12 Aug 2004

Ways to economically recover recombinant proteins from transgenic tobacco

The economics of producing biopharmaceuticals from transgenic plants such as tobacco is still a roadblock to producing large quantities of urgently needed medicines, especially for people in underdeveloped nations.

12 Aug 2004

Singapore team to bring power of virtual reality (VR) to the masses

Nanyang Technological University is bringing the power of virtual reality (VR) to the masses by making it more affordable. Once available primarily in laboratories, powerful high-performance VR systems may soon be available in ubiquitous desktop PCs now that a team from NTU has developed a compact and integrated VR system.

12 Aug 2004

New service-oriented laboratory focused on bioanalysis and pharmacokinetics

Oregon Health & Science University researchers will more quickly move benchtop discoveries toward drug discoveries with the help of a new, service-oriented laboratory focused on bioanalysis and pharmacokinetics.

11 Aug 2004