Health and Science
What Is In That Lipstick and Other Beautiful Questions
“While voluntary action on the part of manufacturers like Johnson & Johnson indicates that some in the cosmetics industry are getting the message that consumers want safer products. Only stricter regulation of this $50 billion industry will ensure that all consumers are protected.” more »
Your Mobile Phone: Reassessing Radio Frequency Exposure
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has advised that the FCC should formally reassess and, if appropriate, change its current RF energy exposure limit and mobile phone testing requirements related to likely usage configurations, particularly when phones are held against the body. By not formally reassessing its current limit, FCC cannot ensure it is using a limit that reflects the latest research on RF energy exposure. more »
Apply for Martian Citizenship While You Wait for 'Seven Minutes of Terror'
Curiosity's main assignment is to investigate whether its study area ever has offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life. By designing the aeroshell enclosing Curiosity to create lift and be steerable, engineers were able to build a system that lands much more precisely instead of dropping like a rock. Watch a video explaining the '7 minutes of terror'. more »
Were You Considering Testing Your Genetic Makeup for Disease Prediction? "The road to efficient genetic risk prediction is likely to be long.”
The Harvard team examined whether disease risk prediction would improve for breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis if they included the effect of synergy in their statistical models. They found no significant effect by doing so. “Statistical models of synergy among genetic markers are not ‘game changers’ in terms of risk prediction in the general population.” more »
