A special court ruled Thursday that evidence presented in three cases by parents of children with autism did not prove a link between autism and certain early childhood vaccines.
The ruling closes one chapter in a long feud that has pitted families with autistic children against the bulk of the scientific establishment. Those who believe passionately that routine childhood shots are to blame for the rising toll of autism feel they are locked in a David-and-Goliath struggle against vaccine manufacturers, corrupt scientists, federal agencies and the mainstream media. It remains to be seen whether yesterday’s ruling will end the controversy — or be seen as just more evidence of what some call a conspiracy. Washington Post
The ability to empathize with others is partially determined by genes, according to research on mice from UW-Madison and Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU).
In the study, a highly social strain of mice learned to associate a sound played in a specific cage with something negative simply by hearing a mouse in that cage respond with squeaks of distress. A genetically different mouse strain with fewer social tendencies did not learn any connection between the cues and the other mouse’s distress, showing that the ability to identify and act on another’s emotions may have a genetic basis. The new research was published (Feb. 11) in the Public Library of Science ONE journal. [continue reading…]
A study by a University of Glasgow psychologist, examining whether personality is related to facial appearance, has found that women’s faces are easier to read than men.
Published today (Thursday 12 February) in the New Scientist magazine, the experiment reveals that women’s faces “give away far more than men”. [continue reading…]
In today’s Telegraph the effectiveness of brain-training computer games is under the spotlight. A study commissioned by US health organization Lifespan and published in the health journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia discusses the negative effects of ignoring the benefits of physical exercise in favour of the games
Prof Snyder, of Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, said: “Brain ageing products sold today can be a financial drain, decrease participation in more proven effective lifestyle interventions, like exercise.”
He added that they could also give false hope to the “worried well” about the chances of holding back the onset of mental decline. Link to article Source: Telegraph
