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News articles on Health

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Mongabay.com news articles on health in blog format. Updated regularly.

Forest fires have high cost to health
(8/10/2006) Forest fires have a huge impact on human health according to a new study from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada which attempted to put a pricetag on the actual economic losses caused by a 2001 fire that burned 116,000 hectares of forest land and settlements Chisholm, Alberta.


Mushroom Extract May Help Fight Infection, Cancer
(8/9/2006) Can the extract of a mushroom that is commonly found in the woods of North America, Asia and Europe have a beneficial impact on the human immune system? A small study using Turkey Tail mushroom (Trametes versicolor) extract, has found that it may.


Aquarium Fish May be the Key to New Therapies for Birth Defects
(8/9/2006) A humble aquarium fish may be the key to finding therapies capable of preventing the structural birth defects that account for one out of three infant deaths in the United States today.


Physically active kids are better students
(8/3/2006) Physically active middle school students tend to do better in school than their more sedentary classmates, according to a new study published by researchers from Michigan State University and Grand Valley State University.


Biomimicry of Scorpion Venom Fights Cancer
(7/31/2006) A new method of delivering a dose of radioactive iodine -- using a man-made version of scorpion venom as a carrier -- targets deadly brain tumors called gliomas without affecting neighboring tissue or body organs.


Global Warming to Have Significant Impact on California
(7/31/2006) A new report from the state of California warns that climate change could have a significant impact on the state's economy and the health of its residents. The release of the report comes on the day that British Prime Minister Tony Blair and California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a climate pact agreeing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.


Bicycle riders worse for the environment than car drivers?
(7/22/2006) A new paper argues that bicycling may be more damaging to the environment than driving a car, but not for the reason you might think. Karl T. Ulrich, a professor at the Wharton School of the Business at the University of Pennsylvania, argues that there are environmental costs associated with increased longevity of those who engage in physical activity. Ulrich reasons that because cyclers live longer they will produce more carbon emissions over the course of their extended life.


Increased hantavirus risk in the US southwest
(7/13/2006) The Four Corners region of the United States will be at greater risk for hantavirus outbreak this year than in 2005, say scientists at Johns Hopkins University, the University of New Mexico, and other institutions.


Secrets of hallucinogenic mushrooms uncovered by scientists
(7/11/2006) Using unusually rigorous scientific conditions and measures, Johns Hopkins researchers have shown that the active agent in "sacred mushrooms" can induce mystical/spiritual experiences descriptively identical to spontaneous ones people have reported for centuries.


Frog extinction crisis requires unprecedented conservation response
(7/6/2006) The world's leading amphibian experts are calling for dramatic steps, including the formation of an Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA), to prevent the massive extinction of amphibians worldwide. Scientists say amphibians -- cold-blooded animals that include frogs, toads, salamanders, newts and caecilians -- are under grave threat due to climate change, pollution, and the emergence of a deadly and infectious fungal disease, which has been linked to global warming. According to the Global Amphibian Assessment, a comprehensive status assessment of the world's amphibian species, one-third of the world's 5,918 known amphibian species are classified as threatened with extinction. Further, at least 9, and perhaps 122, have gone extinct since 1980.


Land use, land cover affect human health, food security
(7/5/2006) A Kansas State University geography professor is using satellite imagery to research how land use and land cover changes affect human health and food security.


Documentary explores Borneo for possible anti-HIV medicine
(6/27/2006) Rainforest plants have long been recognized for their potential to provide healing compounds. Indigenous peoples of the rainforest have used medicinal plants for treating a wide variety of health conditions while western pharmacologists have derived a number of drugs from such plants.


Buffet to give nearly $31 billion to Gates foundation
(6/25/2006) In an interview with Fortune magazine, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett announced he will give nearly $31 billion -- most of his wealth -- to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The decision comes shortly after Mr. Gates said he would leave Microsoft to work full time with his philanthropic organization, which is dedicated to bringing innovation to global health and education.


First signs of Alzheimer's may be physical not mental
(5/23/2006) The first signs of dementia -- including Alzheimer's disease -- may be physical, rather than mental, according to a joint study between Group Health Cooperative and the University of Washington reported in the May 22 Archives of Internal Medicine. This study followed 2,288 Group Health members age 65 and older for six years. At the start, none showed any signs of dementia or Alzheimer's disease. The researchers contacted the participants every two years, assessing physical and mental functioning. By six years, 319 participants had developed dementia, including 221 with Alzheimer's disease. The participants whose physical function was higher at the start of the study were three times less likely to develop dementia than were those whose physical function was lower.


China leading the way in reducing undernutrition
(5/2/2006) A worldwide study released today by UNICEF reveals that some 5.6 million children die every year in part because they are not getting enough of the right nutrients. And 146 million children are at risk from dying early because they are underweight.


Cure for cancer, AIDS may be lost with Borneo's forests says WWF
(4/26/2006) Plants that could help treat or cure diseases such as cancer, AIDS and malaria have been found in the forests of the heart of Borneo, according to a new WWF report. But the global conservation organization says this medical treasure trove is threatened and calls for its long-term protection. The report reveals that scientists are currently testing samples collected in the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, as well as in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo. They hope to develop drugs that could contribute to the treatment of major, deadly human diseases.


Life expectancy below 40 for some African countries, global population growth rates slow
(4/16/2006) Children born in six African countries can expect to die before their 41st birthday while kids born in 16 countries can expect to live past 80 according to an annual report released by the UN's World Health Organization. The report, "World Health Report 2006 - Working together for health", released earlier this month reveals a widening between the quality of life for the world's poorest and richest people. Most of the world's shortest life expectancies occurs in Africa where the AIDS epidemic, malnutrition, curable diseases, and civil strife have taken a tremendous toll on human life. In all, of the 29 countries where life expectancy at birth is 50 years or less, 28 are in Africa. The only outlier is warn-torn Afghanistan, where life expectancy is 42 years. Of the 40 countries with the shortest life expectancy, 38 are in Africa.


Avian Flu Threat to Biological Diversity
(3/23/2006) A far wider range of species including rare and endangered ones may be affected by highly virulent avian flu than has previously been supposed. Experts attending the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) conference say there is growing evidence that the H5N1 virus can infect and harm big cats like leopards and tigers, small cats such as civets and other mammals like martens, weasels, badgers and otters.


Medicinal value of chocolate explored by scientists
(2/9/2006) The cocoa plant (Theobroma cacao) holds tremendous potential to impact public health and improve the socioeconomic and ecological landscape of the countries where it's grown, according to leading world scientists who convened at the National Academies today to examine the latest scientific advances in cocoa research.


Fungus may be devastating amphibian populations worldwide
(2/6/2006) Her most likely culprit is a hugely infectious disease caused by a fungus. In just four months -- from mid-September of 2004 to mid-January of 2005 -- Lips and her colleagues saw more than half the amphibian population of El Cope, Panama, sicken and die from this disease.


Malaria linked to Amazon deforestation
(2/2/2006) A pair studies in the Amazon rainforest suggest a link between deforestation and an increased risk of malaria. The first study, conducted in the Peruvian Amazon and published in January's issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, found that malaria epidemics in the region were correlated with deforestation. The later research, released in last week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicates that forest clearing around settlements in the Brazilian Amazon increases the short-term risk of malaria by creating areas of standing water in which mosquitoes can lay their eggs.


Natural disasters of 2005 partly man-made says WHO
(1/9/2006) The high death toll in 2005 from tsunamis, hurricanes, typhoons, mudslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, locusts and pandemics can not necessarily be blamed on "natural" disaster, according to the United Nations health agency which today pointed to a complex mix of human and natural factors that led to tragedy in those events.


Can dogs smell cancer?
(1/5/2006) In a society where lung and breast cancers are leading causes of cancer death worldwide, early detection of the disease is highly desirable. In a new scientific study, researchers present astonishing new evidence that man's best friend, the dog, may have the capacity to contribute to the process of early cancer detection.


Study shows lonely seniors prefer playtime with dog over people
(1/4/2006) Study shows lonely seniors prefer playtime with dog over people.


Risk/benefit analysis of farmed versus wild salmon
(12/23/2005) A new study shows that the net benefits of eating wild Pacific salmon outweigh those of eating farmed Atlantic salmon, when the risks of chemical contaminants are considered.


Better dancers attract more women says study
(12/21/2005) A new study says men judged to be better dancers tended to have a higher degree of body symmetry, a factor that has been linked to overall attractiveness and health in other research. Researchers at Rutgers speculate that higher body symmetry might indicate better neuromuscular coordination as well as serving as a subtle advertisement of genetic quality and health.


Environmental damage linked to new diseases says WHO
(12/9/2005) The rise of deadly new diseases such as SARS, Nipah virus and bird flu could be linked to the degradation and destruction of the environment says a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO).


Dancing monkeys could be a risk to your health
(12/8/2005) Some urban performing monkeys in Indonesia are carrying several retroviruses that are capable of infecting people, according to a new study led by University of Washington researchers. The results indicate that contact with performing monkeys, which is common in many Asian countries, could represent a little-known path for viruses to jump the species barrier from monkeys to humans and eventually cause human disease. Performing monkeys are animals that are trained to produce tricks in public.


Congo rainforest - 600,000 sq km slated for logging
(12/5/2005) The World Bank will meet Thursday to decide whether it will fund large-scale logging in the Democratic Republic of Congo's rainforests. The country, home to the second largest rainforest in the world after Brazil, is emerging from years of civil strife which resulted in the deaths of some 3.8 million people from violence and disease.


Biosensor Could Help People with Parkinson's, Alzheimer's Disease
(12/1/2005) An engineering researcher at the University of Arkansas has developed a wireless, implantable biosensor that may one day help physicians treat patients with neurological brain disorders such as Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease and epilepsy. Made of carbon nanotubes, the sensor monitors and controls chemicals in the brain and communicates with other sensors to control tremors or direct the movement of prosthetic limbs.


Young women smokers have higher risk of breast cancer
(11/30/2005) Researchers outline in the November issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings their study of postmenopausal women, which supports the hypothesis that women who smoke cigarettes before first full-term pregnancy have a 20 percent increased risk of breast cancer compared with women who began smoking after the birth of their first child or were never smokers.


Rise in deer ticks put East Coast hikers at risk says Penn State entomologist
(11/30/2005) Every year it seems the tick identification laboratory in Penn State's entomology department receives more submissions from residents around the state than the year before. But Steven Jacobs, the extension entomologist who oversees the lab, said this year is different.


Vaccination can prevent bird flu epidemic
(11/28/2005) Vaccinating chickens against avian flu can prevent a major outbreak of the disease by preventing birds from passing on the virus, according to research published by Dutch scientists on Monday.


"Health" beer could help prevent cancer
(11/26/2005) A compound found only in hops and the main product they are used in - beer - has rapidly gained interest as a micronutrient that might help prevent many types of cancer.


Children spread malaria most says new study
(11/24/2005) Children should be the focus malaria control efforts as they are ones most likely to be bitten by mosquitoes carrying the parasite, according to new research published in Nature.


Developing countries to suffer worst global warming impacts
(11/18/2005) In a recent chilling assessment, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that human-induced changes in the Earth's climate now lead to at least 5 million cases of illness and more than 150,000 deaths every year.


Genetic defenders protect crops from fungal disease
(11/17/2005) Like waves of soldiers guarding a castle gate, multiple genetic defenders cooperate to protect plant cells against powdery mildew disease, according to a new study. Powdery mildew is a common fungal infection in plants that attacks more than 9,000 species, including many crops such as barley and wheat, and horticultural plants such as roses and cucumbers. The researchers, including Shauna Somerville and Monica Stein of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Plant Biology, are the first to document how these defense genes team up in plants. The discovery could help combat fungal parasites that devastate crops and cost growers billions of dollars in pesticides every year.


Demise of passenger pigeon linked to Lyme disease
(11/14/2005) Traditionally, the passenger pigeon has been held as one of the more beloved animal species to fall prey to humankind's often relentless expansion into and disregard for the natural world and its creatures. Once abundant, the bird experienced a rapid decline in the late 1800s, due almost entirely to rampant hunting, and the last passenger pigeon died in 1914. In light of new findings however, this image of a naturally plentiful species laid to waste by man is now being tested. Evidence collected over the past few years from a significant number of Native American archeological sites is beginning to upset long-accepted beliefs about one of the most famous extinct species in modern history.


People Eat More Stale Popcorn If Served In A Big Bucket
(11/14/2005) A new Cornell University study found that large portions push people to overeat -- even to when they don't even like a food. The finding comes a month after the National Institutes of Health reported that 90% of American men were overweight or became overweight during the course of a 30-year study.


Plague could worsen with global warming
(11/14/2005) Warmer, wetter weather brought on by global warming could increase outbreaks of the plague, which has killed millions down the ages and wiped out one third of Europe's population in the 14th century, academics said.


Learning and memory can become toxic with neurodegenerative diseases
(11/7/2005) Scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center have targeted a new culprit and method of attack on neurologic functions in diseases such as HIV-1-associated dementia and Alzheimer's.


Aspirin Found to Reduce Skin Cancer Risk
(11/7/2005) Epidemiologists have found that aspirin may assist in reducing the risk of developing skin cancer, reveals a recent scientific publication, following research undertaken at the Suncorp Skin Cancer Laboratories at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR).


Flu pandemic "inevitable" and to cost $800 billion say World Bank, WHO
(11/7/2005) The potential economic cost of a pandemic of human influenza -- which the World Health Organization (WHO) now says is "inevitable" -- would top $800 billion according to a World Bank report released today.


Vampires kill 23 in Brazil, deforestation blamed
(11/7/2005) Rabid vampire bats killed 23 people and attacked more than 1,000 Brazilian officials confirmed last week. The bats have been displaced from their normal rain forest environment by worsening deforestation in the region. In an attempt to slow deaths, health agencies have treated 1,350 people with anti-rabies medication in the past two months.


Medicinal Plants could help poverty alleviation in Sub-Saharan Africa -- World Bank report
(11/3/2005) Dryland areas in Sub-Saharan Africa have a niche opportunity to use selected multipurpose medicinal plants to halt land degradation, and at the same time provide culturally acceptable healthcare, food, and a sustainable source of income by developing niche markets, according to the new World Bank report Capitalizing on the Bio-Economic Value of Multi-Purpose Medicinal Plants for the Rehabilitation of Drylands in Sub-Saharan Africa.


Avian flu vaccine under development with help of WCS
(11/3/2005) Avian influenza virus samples collected from wild birds in Mongolia by field veterinarians from the New York City-based Wildlife conservation Society (WCS) have been selected by the World Health Organization to be part of a new human pandemic influenza vaccine currently in development. The samples, collected in the midst of an outbreak in August killing wild ducks, geese and swans in northern Mongolia have unique genetic characteristics which make them a valuable addition to a human vaccine based on a variety of strains of influenza.


Monkeys protected from HIV-like virus using vaginal gel
(11/3/2005) Experiments in female monkeys have for the first time shown that when used in combination, vaginal gels known as microbicides can protect against an HIV-like virus. The research, funded largely by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), suggests that similar combination microbicides could potentially provide a safe, effective and practical way to prevent HIV transmission to women, according to study investigators.


Global warming to fuel rise in asthma, malaria
(11/2/2005) The Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, along with co-sponsors Swiss Re and the United Nations Development Programme, today released a study showing that climate change will significantly affect the health of humans and ecosystems and these impacts will have economic consequences.


Tamiflu shortage may be overcome by drug combo
(11/2/2005) A report in Nature suggests that the global shortage of the flu drug Tamiflu could be partially overcome by combining it with probenecid, a widely available drug that helps make Tamiflu treatment more effective by slowing the removal of the drug by the kidneys.


Exotic pet trade controls needed to fight bird flu says Greenpeace
(10/31/2005) A thriving trade, both illegal and legal, in exotic birds like parrots is undermining Mexico's otherwise strict measures against bird flu, Greenpeace said on Thursday. Mexico prohibits imports of all birds and bird products from countries with confirmed outbreaks of the virus, but the environmental group wants a blanket ban, saying the nature of the trade makes it hard to know where birds come from.



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