The Korea Herald

Tall people more likely to get cancer

Jul 24, 2011

Research suggests that tall people are at greater cancer risk as the likelihood of developing the disease rises by 16 percent for every extra 10cm in height in both sexes, the Telegraph reported.Dr. Jane Green and her colleagues, who published the finding in The Lancet Oncology, point to two reasons for such correlation.“One possible reason is fairly obvious -- tall people have more cells so there
Going into hospital far riskier than flying: WHO

Jul 22, 2011
Lack of sperm coating plays role in infertility

Jul 21, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Scientists have found a new contributor to male infertility, a protein that is supposed to coat sperm to help them swim to an egg, unless that coating goes missing.About 20 percent of men may harbor gene mutations that leave their sperm coat-free and thus lower their fertility, an international research team reported Wednesday.Today's reproductive tests cannot spot the problem, s
Sleep deprivation drives us mad

Jul 20, 2011

A new study revealed that people who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to blame others depending on the outcome as lack of sleep leads to skeptical and negative judgments, MSNBC reported. (MCT)Associate professor of psychology at the University of Arkansas, David Mastin presented the abstract of his research which linked sleepiness to alteration in people’s thoughts, at SLEEP 2011, the 25th a
Personality affects body weight

Jul 19, 2011

People with personality traits of high neuroticism and low conscientiousness are likely to go through cycles of gaining and losing weight throughout their lives, according to an examination of 50 years of data in a study published by the American Psychological Association.Impulsivity was the strongest predictor of who would be overweight, researchers found. Study participants who scored in the top
It's tough at the top for alpha males: study

Jul 15, 2011

It's tough at the top for alpha males: studyWASHINGTON (AFP) -- If you're feeling envious of your boss's paycheck, a study out Thursday shows that success comes with high stress, possibly as much as faced by those who have to struggle to find a bite to eat.The results of nine years of research on wild baboons, published in the journal Science, suggest that despite perks like easy access to mates a
Healthy to drink 8 glasses of water a day? Nonsense!

Jul 15, 2011

Drinking a lot of water has long been thought to be good for your health.But according to Glasgow-based GP Margaret McCartney, drinking eight glasses of water a day can be harmful, the Daily Mail reported.(MCT)Writing in the British Medical Journal, McCartney said the benefits of drinking a lot of water are groundless and that drinking too much water can even lead to poor concentration.She also sa
Scientists develop highly efficient industrial catalyst

Jul 15, 2011

South Korean scientists said Friday that they have developed a highly efficient nanoporous industrial catalyst that can have a considerable impact on chemical and oil-refining sectors.The team of scientists led by Ryoo Ryong, a chemistry professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), said the solid zeolite compound developed in the laboratory has a reaction speed five
State should take obese kids from parents: U.S. doctors

Jul 14, 2011

The government should have the right to remove severely obese children from their parents’ home and place them in foster care, two US doctors argued in a controversial editorial.“State intervention may serve the best interests of many children with life-threatening obesity, comprising the only realistic way to control harmful behaviors,” wrote Lindsey Murtagh of the Harvard School of Public Health
Glasses tell what others are thinking

Jul 14, 2011

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab have come up with "social x-ray specs" that can interpret others’ facial expressions, according to reports. The creator of the glasses, Rosalind Picard said that they can identify human facial expressions such as thinking, agreeing, concentrating, interest and disagreement. This is made possible with the help of a built-in camera
Scientists grow first stem cell tooth

Jul 13, 2011
Opposites attract? No!

Jul 12, 2011

The long-held theory of romance that opposites attract may be wrong a new study suggests.Researchers at University of California, Berkeley found similarity rules when people find themselves drawn to potential romantic partners, the U.K.’s Daily Mail reported. In what they refer to as “matching hypothesis,” men and women fall for the potential partners of their own or similar league and desirabilit
Iceland's Hekla volcano shows signs of activity

Jul 7, 2011

A cloud of ashes billows from the Puyehue volcano near Osorno, 870 km south of Santiago, on June 15. (AFP-Yonhap News)REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) -- Scientists are monitoring unusual underground activity that could signal an eruption at the Hekla volcano in southern Iceland.University of Iceland geophysicist Pall Einarsson said Wednesday that magma appears to be moving deep beneath the volcano. He say
Reading books aloud may disrupt learning

Jul 6, 2011

(MCT)Having children reading books aloud may not be an effective way of educating them. In fact, it may hinder students from acquiring new vocabulary, said researchers from New Zealand.When children under age 6 learn reading via sound, they tend to create a “cognitive footprint” which results in a long-term disadvantage. Phonics students also found it hard to identify real words from words that ar
Korea creates engineered pig more viable for human organ transplants

Jul 6, 2011

Korean scientists have created a genetically modified pig that has a better chance of success in animal-to-human organ transplants, a state institute said Wednesday.The new pig, named Somang-i, is designed to produce an antigen (the human lymphocyte differentiation antigen, cluster of differentiation 73 or CD 73) that will help prevent hyperacute rejection of animal organs by human bodies, accordi