More people live behind bars in the United States than in any other country, but the American prison system punishes more than just its inmates—it also takes a toll on the health of friends and loved ones left behind. In the first known study of its kind, University of Michigan researchers found that people with a family member or friend in prison or jail suffer worse physical and mental health and more stress and depressive symptoms than those without a loved one behind bars. Moreover, these symptoms worsen the closer the relationship to the person incarcerated. The study results could help explain health disparities between minorities and whites, says Daniel Kruger, research professor at the U-M School of Public Health and lead researcher on the study. African Americans are more likely to know someone in prison and to feel closer to the person incarcerated than whites do, Kruger says. ‘It’s like a double whammy,’ he said. Forty-nine percent of African Americans in the study report having a friend or relative in prison during the past five years, compared to just 20 percent of whites. According to the study, those who knew someone in prison […]
For scary speculation about the end of civilization in 2012, people usually turn to followers of cryptic Mayan prophecy, not scientists. But that’s exactly what a group of NASA-assembled researchers described in a chilling report issued earlier this year on the destructive potential of solar storms. Entitled ‘Severe Space Weather Events - Understanding Societal and Economic Impacts,’ it describes the consequences of solar flares unleashing waves of energy that could disrupt Earth’s magnetic field, overwhelming high-voltage transformers with vast electrical currents and short-circuiting energy grids. Such a catastrophe would cost the United States ‘$1 trillion to $2 trillion in the first year,’ concluded the panel, and ‘full recovery could take four to 10 years.’ That would, of course, be just a fraction of global damages. Needless to say, shorting out the electrical grid would cause major disruptions to developed nations and their economies. Worse yet, the next period of intense solar activity is expected in 2012, and coincides with the presence of an unusually large hole in Earth’s geomagnetic shield, meaning we’ll have less protection than usual from the solar flares. The report received relatively little attention, perhaps because of 2012’s supernatural connotations. Mayan astronomers […]
LINTHICUM, MD — Pomegranate juice may slow the progression of post-treatment prostate cancer recurrence, according to new long-term research results being presented at the 104th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA). Researchers found that men who have undergone treatment for localized prostate cancer could benefit from drinking pomegranate juice. The two-stage clinical trial followed a total of 48 participants over six years. Eligible participants had a rising PSA after surgery or radiotherapy, a PSA greater than 0.2 ng/ml and less than 5 ng/ml and a Gleason score of 7 or less. These patients were treated by drinking eight ounces of pomegranate juice daily. Currently, in the sixth year of treatment, active patients who remain on the study have a median total follow-up of 56 months. These participants continue to experience a significant increase in PSA doubling time following treatment, from a mean of 15.4 months at baseline to 60 months post-treatment, with a median PSA slope decrease of 60 percent, 0.06 to 0.024. Researchers compared active patients, who remain on the study, with non-active patients, who no longer remain on the study. Though these two groups demonstrated similar mean PSA doubling times at baseline, both […]
The natural world across Europe is suffering a crisis as serious as the threat of climate change, Europe’s environment chiefs are to warn this week. A report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) to be published next month sounds the alarm that most species and habitats across the continent are in poor condition and the risk of extinction continues to rise. New figures for the UK also show that even the most important and rare plants and animals are suffering: eight out of 10 habitats and half of species given the highest level of European protection are in an ‘unfavourable’ condition. Species at risk in the UK range from insects like the honeybee and swallowtail butterfly, to mammals and birds at the top of the food chain such as the otter and the golden eagle, said the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH). The losses threaten to undermine vital ecosystem services like clean water and fertile soils, which underpin both quality of life and the economy, said Jacqueline McGlade, the EEA’s executive director. ‘Much of our economy in Europe relies on the fact we have natural resources underpinning everything,’ McGlade told the Guardian. The losses […]
WASHINGTON — Top Democrats tentatively agreed on a plan that would fast-track President Barack Obama’s health-care initiative and ensure it couldn’t be bogged down by a Senate filibuster. The health-care protection would be at the heart of a compromise version of the fiscal 2010 budget, which Democratic leaders in the House and Senate hope to push through both chambers early next week. That would provide Mr. Obama with a symbolic victory in time to mark his 100th day in office Wednesday. Congressional aides who described the deal Friday cautioned that a few details of the blueprint remain to be finalized, including the amount of spending on education. But they stressed that the essential framework of the budget had been hammered out in a late-night negotiating session Thursday, and top Democrats were busy Friday briefing colleagues. Even after a budget is adopted, action will be required on separate legislation to spend the money on specific items. But the outline is significant, particularly in the legislative protections it confers on priorities such as Mr. Obama’s health-care plan. Overhauling the nation’s health-care system is a top Obama goal, and Democrats in the House and Senate are determined to begin […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
