News Scan Briefs: Hand Transplant Recipients Switch Handedness
Also: ending nerve damage from needles, "caveman" connection to humans, electromagnetic chatter, and laser beams that curve
Stories by Coco Ballantyne
Veterinarians Unleash Probiotics to Ease Doggie Discomfort
A growing number of veterinarians are prescribing supplements of friendly bacteria for dogs, but is there enough scientific evidence to justify it?
What is Morgellons Disease? Is it a physical or psychological condition?
Patients are tormented by creeping, crawling sensations in their skin, but docs say there is no evidence of bugs or parasites
How do marine mammals avoid freezing to death?
Humans would never last in the ice-cold waters these creatures call home, but they have special adaptations to battle the elements
Canadian bacon: Pigs in Canada sick with swine flu
Last Friday, we reported on Egypt's recent attempt to curb transmission of the human H1N1 epidemic by butchering all 300,000 of its pigs. Experts we interviewed said there was no sound rationale for such a move, because pigs had never been infected with the new virus, which has sickened at least 1085 people in 21 countries – until now...
Does Waterboarding Have Long-term Physical Effects?
It seems pretty obvious that waterboarding can cause emotional trauma, but does it threaten a person’s physical health?
Will Egypt's plans to kill pigs protect it from swine--sorry, H1N1 flu?
As swine flu fears sweep the world, governments everywhere are taking steps to prepare for a global pandemic, such as ramping up disease surveillance, reinforcing medicine stockpiles, and distributing infection control information to citizens...
5 Ways to Protect Yourself (and Others) from Swine Flu
Swine flu has yet to escalate into a global pandemic, but here's what to do if it does
Mystery solved: Polo ponies probably died of selenium overdose
The 21 polo ponies that dropped dead at the U.S. Open Polo Championship in Wellington, Fla., eleven days ago most likely succumbed to an overdose of selenium, used to help muscles recover after strenuous exercise, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has reported...
WHO raises pandemic alert level from 4 to 5 as swine flu spreads
Concerned over the rapidly spreading swine flu, the World Health Organization (WHO) has upped the influenza pandemic alert to phase 5, just one step short of declaring a bona fide global pandemic...
Swine flu kills child in Texas
A 22-month-old boy has died in Houston from swine flu as the outbreak continues to expand in the U.S. and abroad, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports today.
WHO braces for the worst as more swine flu cases are confirmed
The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed swine flu cases in two more countries—the U.K. and New Zealand—bringing the total number of affected countries to at least six...
WHO hikes pandemic alert to phase 4 on swine flu fears
The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the influenza pandemic alert level to phase 4, just two steps shy of a global pandemic alert, according to Keiji Fukuda, the WHO's assistant director-general for health security and environment...
