Doubts grow about plan to dispose of Hanford's radioactive waste

Experts raise concerns about the complex technology intended to turn 56 million gallons of radioactive sludge at the former Hanford nuclear facility into glass and prepare it for safe burial.



RICHLAND, Wash. — On a wind-swept plateau, underground steel tanks that hold the nation's most deadly radioactive waste are slowly rotting. The soil deep under the desert brush is being fouled with plutonium, cesium and other material so toxic that it could deliver a lethal dose of radiation to a nearby person in minutes.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/xQ7nGKSmj6o/la-na-hanford-nuclear-risks-20131130,0,2946928.story

Hypnosis: You are getting sleepy ... and calm, and thin, and ...

Hypnosis is gaining popularity in many areas. It can alleviate stress and pain, assist athletes to perform well or help dieters stick to their goals.



Ever wonder why some people, even under adverse circumstances, set goals and achieve them effortlessly? Some of them, undoubtedly, are hard-wired to succeed. They just set themselves in a direction and their mind handles the rest.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/sD5x0VRktSk/la-he-hypnosis-20131130,0,671237.story

L.A. Walks: Cascades of the California Aqueduct

In Sylmar, walkers can see the cascades of water from the Los Angeles Aqueduct spill into the San Fernando Valley. A loop hike leads to views.



One hundred years ago, water that had traveled from Central California began cascading into the thirsty San Fernando Valley. Today, this unexpected walk is one of the few L.A. hikes that features a close-up view of the great Los Angeles Aqueduct, near those historic cascades.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/zCf4sLO7kuo/la-he-la-walks-cascades-20131130,0,7796463.story

Lou Dobbs means business when it comes to keeping fit

Five Questions: An active lifestyle and a well-rounded diet have helped keep the Fox Business host on a healthful track.



Fitness comes in all shapes, sizes and ages.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/7DNkO5ePTrI/la-he-five-questions-dobbs-20131130,0,6468612.story

Lift off with the Crouch to Superman tubing exercise

Try This: The Superman crouch, demonstrated by Long Beach fitness instructor John Garey, exercises your legs, back and shoulders.



You'll feel like Superman after this press-and-pull exercise that works most of the major muscle groups in your body. Demonstrated here by Long Beach fitness instructor John Garey who uses it in his "Core Total Body Tone With Tubing" DVD, it's a great get-it-all-done move to use on days when you're short on time.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/6bl18-NBohQ/la-he-try-this-garey-superman-20131130,0,3196378.story

Comet ISON arrives at perilous encounter

Comet ISON will make its closest approach to the sun on Thursday. But will it survive to become visible in our night sky during December? Scientists are unsure.



Comet ISON's day of reckoning has arrived at last.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/VlvFpUkFa-M/la-sci-comet-ison-20131128,0,3861877.story

Naturalists take a lizard safari in San Pedro

A team is crawling the streets to learn more about Italian wall lizards, a newly arrived species that's quickly dominated natives in the area.



Greg Pauly grabs a 12-foot pole out of the back of his truck and checks to make sure the little green noose at the end is still in working order.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/yddAnsw5o3c/la-sci-c1-urban-safari-20131125-m,0,154012.story

Savor Thanksgiving, but watch the carbs: 47 easy ways to scale back

As the holiday eating season begins, here are a few tips on how to slash your carb intake and bump up the fruits and vegetables on your dish.



Thanksgiving is but one day. So just enjoy it (in moderation, of course). After all, it's what you eat the remaining 360-something days of the year that really determines your pants size.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/uXWLdg6M9bY/la-he-swaps-20131123,0,3674332.story

Gluten-free Thanksgiving: Be alert ... but enjoy!

Gluten can show up in the least expected dishes. Dinner guests who are allergic, as well as their hosts, need to keep watch, but there are alternatives.



Depending on who sits at your Thanksgiving table, you may already have figured out how to serve vegetarians or people allergic to nuts. But gluten-free is another matter. Increasing numbers of people are choosing to forgo gluten (or learning they must do without it), and the holiday — with its pie crusts and dinner rolls and stuffings — poses a challenge.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/KGCyqxMp_7s/la-he-gluten-free-thanks-20131123,0,689884.story

'Biggest Loser' resort weighs in on reality

Unlike the TV show, the emphasis at this rigorous reosrt in Malibu is on health and fitness, not drama.



The contestants on "The Biggest Loser" are just that — players in a reality show game who are subjected to harsh workouts, screeching coaches and weigh-ins on national television. The role is not for everyone, not even for everyone desperate to lose weight.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/oR7kkSG4I5I/la-he-loser-20131123,0,4006604.story

In the Mojave, a scientist-entrepreneur works to 're-create Martians'

Scientist J. Craig Venter field-tests DNA-decoding technology he says could revolutionize the search for extraterrestrial life.



MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE — The sun is fading, the temperature is dropping and this desert party is just getting started.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/SHxELyJV3TU/la-sci-mars-dna-venter-20131123,0,1437171.story

Frederick Sanger dies at 95; biochemist revolutionized DNA sequencing

The British researcher was the first person to win two Nobel Prizes in chemistry, and only the fourth ever to win two.



DNA and proteins are arguably the most important components of the cells of living creatures. Both are produced by stringing together long chains of individual molecules — amino acids in the case of proteins and nucleotides in DNA.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/vD1BcNupmZ0/la-me-frederick-sanger-20131121,0,5416488.story

Supernova blast emitted record burst of gamma rays

Astronomers have chronicled a record-setting burst of gamma rays from the violent death throes of a relatively nearby massive star that imploded into a black hole.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/34ABMtcLHns/la-sci-sn-supernova-gamma-ray-burst-20131120,0,3967903.story

Rare tiny neutrinos may have huge implications for astronomy

The 28 subatomic particles from deep space detected within an Antarctic glacier are mysterious and extremely powerful, suggesting a new way of looking at the universe, scientists say.



Together, they contain a tiny fraction of the mass of a single electron. But the 28 neutrinos from deep space detected by an icy observatory beneath the South Pole promise a revolution in the study of the universe, scientists said Thursday.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/Yq0dWM52x5E/la-sci-neutrinos-20131122,0,4562096.story

Cardiologists cast doubt on new statin recommendations

Guidelines released last week don't accurately estimate who's at enough risk of heart attack or stroke to merit the drug therapy, critics say.



Some of the nation's most influential cardiologists are challenging new recommendations that would greatly expand the number of Americans taking a statin medication to reduce their chances of a heart attack or stroke.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/qo0ASc-8s0g/la-sci-statins-risk-calculator-20131119,0,4712950.story

Multiple military deployments in families may raise teen suicide risk

Teens with family members in the military appear more at risk for suicide if those relatives are deployed abroad multiple times, a USC study finds.



Teenagers with family members in the military were more likely to contemplate suicide if their relatives were deployed overseas multiple times, according to researchers from USC.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/PQb5ZTjiyYE/la-me-military-children-20131118,0,3318240.story

NASA's MAVEN mission seeks answers about Mars' atmosphere

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN orbiter mission, due to launch Monday, will look for clues about why the Red Planet's once-thick atmosphere has thinned out.



Four billion years ago, rivers and lakes dotted the surface of Mars, their waters reflecting puffy clouds drifting in a blue sky, scientists believe.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/pYx4yIztikE/la-sci-nasa-maven-mars-20131116,0,720865.story

Weight-loss surgery as fountain of youth? For some patients, yes

The weight loss that follows a successful bariatric surgery makes most patients feel younger. But a new study suggests that following bariatric surgery, some patients show signs of being biologically younger, as well.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/sMbzS1eyjsQ/la-sci-weight-loss-surgery-anti-aging-20131115,0,4945199.story

Scientists find black hole spewing iron, nickel in powerful jets

Has a black hole mystery just been solved?



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/mxe6PeopKs8/la-sci-sn-scientists-find-black-hole-spewing-iron-nickel-in-powerful-jets-20131113,0,5163364.story

Cardiologists recommend wider use of statin drugs

Revised guidelines, which could double the number of Americans taking the cholesterol-lowering medications, emphasize statins' ability to prevent heart attacks and strokes.



Dramatically escalating the fight against heart attacks and strokes, the nation's cardiologists have rewritten the guidebook on how Americans should be treated with statins and unveiled a plan that could double the number of patients taking the cholesterol-lowering drugs to about 70 million.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/m7Z4Wn9fI9o/la-sci-statins-20131113,0,3292673.story

Huh? Scientists find a version in each of 10 languages studied

Researchers visit native speakers of 10 very different languages on five continents, and discover remarkably similar-sounding words that serve the same essential purpose: mending a broken conversation.



Humans speak many languages, but we may be united in our confusion. A new study examined languages from around the world and discovered what they say could be a universal word: "Huh?"



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/UNRHg9nz3Es/la-sci-huh-20131109,0,4266398.story

From prison isolation to a sense of doom

A former prisoner in Pelican Bay's isolation wing tells of fear and anxiety as he tries to refocus his life. But researchers disagree about the effects of prison isolation on those who endure it.



He's the older guy in class. Old enough for you to notice. But he notices you, too, like he notices everyone else — your face, your gestures, where you sit, your race.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/PBIQYajrhDU/la-sci-c1-prison-isolation-czifra-20131108-m,0,3689632.story

Milky Way may host billions of Earth-size planets

A clever analysis of Kepler space telescope data suggests 'a great leap' toward the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe.



There's no place like home, but scientists now say that Earth-size planets orbiting sun-like stars in a so-called habitable zone are so common that there could be as many as 11 billion in the Milky Way alone.



via L.A. Times - Science http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/76WsvtKj9tQ/la-sci-earth-like-planets-20131105,0,2673237.story