Channel 42
Science is the answer to everything.

According to psychologists from the University of Toronto and the Radboud University Nijmegen, distractions may be helpful in coming up with creative solutions to a certain problem, but must be followed by a period of conscious thought to ensure that we are aware of those solutions and can apply them. Likewise, while distractions are more useful in solving difficult problems, it may be better to stay focused on finding the solution when confronted with easier problems.

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In a large group of Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes, depression was linked with a higher death rate from all causes in a two-year study period.

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Neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have taken one of the first direct looks at one of the human brain’s most fundamental “foundations:” a brain signal that never switches off and may support many cognitive functions.

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The United Nations estimates that 1.1 billion people across the globe lack access to sustainable, clean drinking water. How can science help provide more drinkable water for a growing population on an Earth with limited fresh surface-water and groundwater resources? David Kreamer, University of Nevada, says that desalinization — removing salt from ocean water to create fresh water — is a practical way to meet the growing human need.

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With childhood obesity expanding to epidemic proportions in the United States, educators, researchers and health practitioners are actively seeking to identify effective means of addressing this public-health crisis.

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A study published in the October 2008 print issue of the FASEB Journal, shows the brain, just like muscles, works harder during strenuous exercise and is fueled by lactate, rather than glucose. This helps explain why the brain is able to work properly when the body’s demands for fuel and oxygen are highest. It also goes a step further to show that the brain shifts into a higher gear in terms of activity.

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Black bears that live around urban areas weigh more, get pregnant at a younger age, and are more likely to die violent deaths, according to a study by the Wildlife Conservation Society.

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Thousands of feet below the bottom of the sea, off the shores of Santa Barbara, single-celled organisms are busy feasting on oil.

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For only the second time in presidential debate history, a female nominee will take the stage to spar with a male opponent. A revealing study by a University of Missouri researcher has found that male and female candidates, when debating head-to-head, actually adopt each other’s traditional communication styles.

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A new article published online in The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) suggests that pregnant women should think twice about high-fat foods. Scientists found that female mice fed high-fat diets were more likely to have oversized offspring (a risk factor for overweight and obesity) because fat causes the placenta to go into “overdrive” by providing too many nutrients to the fetus. This also suggests the reverse may be true — high fat diets may help prevent undersized babies.

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