health

Cloned Food to Go Unmarked

Dec 28, 2006
The Food and Drug Administration is set to approve food products derived from cloned animals and their offspring. Though eating beef from a cloned cow may seem incredibly creepy, the FDA has decided the manufactured twin is just as safe as the original animal, and requires no special identification once in the food supply.

Kansas Abortion Doctor Gets Scrooged

Dec 23, 2006
A prominent Kansas abortion provider has been charged with 30 misdemeanor violations of state law by the outgoing state attorney general. Dr. George Tiller and his supporters believe that Attorney General Phill Kline (above), who lost the November election and has only three weeks left in office, issued the charges as a farewell act of malice. Update: A judge dismissed all charges only hours after they were filed (h/t: Frank in comments).

No Cancer Risk From Cell Phones

Dec 17, 2006
Researchers from the Danish Institute of Cancer Epidemiology have found that cell phone use does not increase the risk of cancer. The study looked at more than 420,000 cell users, some 56,000 of whom had used a mobile phone for more than 10 years. (h/t: Engadget Mobile)
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Study Links Higher IQ to Vegetarianism

Dec 15, 2006
A study emerging from Britain claims the IQs of kids who grew up to become vegetarians were an average of five points higher. There was no difference measured between full-blown vegetarians and those who ate chicken or fish (does that even count as vegetarianism?).

Circumcision Reduces AIDS Risk

Dec 14, 2006
According to officials from the National Institutes of Health, circumcision reduces the risk in men of contracting HIV through heterosexual sex by roughly 50%. The announcement was based on several recent studies conducted in Africa.

Pelosi Mulls Smoking Ban

Dec 8, 2006
D.C. may be smoke-free, but Congress gets to set its own rules. Unfortunately for nicotine-craving lawmakers (25% of Congress), the Democrats' victory may lead to change for more than Iraq and the minimum wage -- Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi is considering a ban on smoking in the U.S. Capitol.

A Long but Drunken Life

Nov 2, 2006
A new study found that obese mice given massive doses of a substance found in red wine enjoyed improved health and increased longevity. Although the results are promising, a human would have to drink between 750 and 1,500 bottles of wine a day to achieve the dose of resveratrol given to the rodents.