Articles by Jim Algar
Britain To See Its First Womb Transplants As Procedure Gets Official Approval
A clinical trial will see women get womb transplants in hopes of successful pregnancies. After a year of monitoring, IFV procedures could lead to the first UK babies from transplanted wombs being born in late 2017.
Earth-Like Planets Around Distant Stars Could Have Magnetic Fields That Would Protect Life
Small planets dangerously close to their parent stars could still possess a magnetic field that could protect evolving life, astronomers say. Such fields could exist despite the extreme gravitational forces coming from the star, they say.
Flea Trapped In Amber For 20 Million Years May Harbor Bacterial Ancestor Of The Black Death
The finding could be evidence the bacteria responsible for the Black Death existed for millions of years, a study says. It may even have predated the existence of humans.
Sodas And Other Sugary Beverages Can Be Bad For Your Heart Health, Review Of Studies Finds
Sweetened beverages increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, other cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, researchers say. Just one or two sugar-laden beverages a day can up the risk of heart attack 35 percent, they say.
'Shell-Crushing' Crabs May Invade Warming Antarctic Waters
Crabs that haven't been in Antarctic waters for millions of years could return to wreak havoc because of global warming, researchers say. King crabs could have devastating effects on soft-bodied inhabitants of Antarctic waters, they warn.
Pregnant Women With Cancer Shouldn't Delay Treatment Or Terminate Their Pregnancy, Experts Say
Fear of possible effects of cancer treatment on an unborn child should not keep a pregnant woman from seeking treatment, a study suggests. The findings suggest treatment, including chemotherapy, does not present risks to the child, researchers say.
Comet 67P Was Once Two Separate Cosmic Objects Now 'Conjoined,' Astronomers Say
The Rosetta spacecraft studying the comet confirms it was once two comets that collided, then stuck together, researchers say. Other comets have similar shapes, suggesting the phenomenon may be common.
Genetic Test Can Identify Women Who Could Skip Chemotherapy And Overcome Breast Cancer Just With Drugs
A test of breast cancer tumors can reliably identify those that are less aggressive and susceptible to hormone-based drug therapy, researchers find. It could allow many women and their doctors the option of skipping chemotherapy, they say.
Lung Cancer Can Hit Both Smokers and Non-Smokers, But Researchers Find Differences In The Two Groups
Comparison of smoking and non-smoking lung cancer patients finds differences in clinical signs and survival rates. Researching why such differences exist could improve diagnosis and treatment, researchers say.
Distant Black Hole Is Bigger Than Theories Say Is Possible. Back To The Drawing Board?
A black hole sitting in the middle of a distant galaxy is 30 times as large as our best theories on their formation suggest they can be, researchers say. The size of the black hole compared to the size of the galaxy is a mismatch and a puzzle, they say.
Hubble Captures Image Of Beautiful Cosmic Veil Left Behind By Star's Violent Death
A unique cosmic sight is left behind by an exploding star captured in new images from the Hubble Space Telescope. Ionized gases create a dazzling light show of red, blue and green.
One In Every 10 Pregnant US Women Admits To Drinking, Including Binge Drinking: Study
Pregnant women who smoke risk miscarriage, stillbirth or having newborns with fetal alcohol syndrome, researchers warn. Older pregnant women are even more likely to be drinking, a CDC report finds.
Ice-Age Aborigines In Australia Had To Deal With Giant Killer Lizards
A giant apex predator lizard lived in Australia at the same time as the continent's first humans, researchers say. The carnivorous creature may have been almost 20 feet long, they say.
Rosetta Spacecraft Discovers Daily Water-Ice 'Weather' Cycle On Comet
Alternating sunlight and darkness at Comet 67P creates miniature weather fluctuations, researchers find. Ice melts, disappears and then is replenished in a continuous cycle, they say.
Think Of Yourself As Overweight? Then You're Likely To Add Even More Pounds, Study Finds
People who perceive themselves as overweight are more likely to put on more pounds than people who don't see themselves that way, researchers find. A study suggests society needs to change how it portrays overweight people, they say.
Scientists Confirm A Case Of Decapitation - From 9,000 Years Ago
A skull and severed hands are evidence of the oldest-known ritual beheading in the New World, researchers say. The find in Brazil may have been part of a sophisticated funeral ritual, they say.
Astrophysicists Bring Upgraded Detector Online To Search For Ripples In Space-Time
An updated sensitive instrument will look for gravitational waves predicted by Einstein. The search will look 225 million light years into the distant universe.
Scientists Use Supercomputer To Probe Mystery Of The Universe's Brightest Galaxies
The brightest galaxies ever to exist in the universe were prodigious star creators, astronomers find. No galaxy today would compare with their brightness, they say.
Where Did The Enamel In Our Teeth Come From? Turns Out It's A Fish Story
Tough, armored scales of ancient fish sported enamel millions of years before evolution moved it to teeth, a study finds. Most vertebrates sport enamel of some form, while modern fish seem to have lost it, they say.
Do You Fidget While Working At Your Desk? You May Be Doing Your Health A Favor
A study has found that fidgeting can counter the negative health effects from long hours of sitting. Fidgeting could rouse the metabolism just enough to make a difference.
At Least One Wrong Medical Diagnosis Likely In Your Lifetime
An expert panel makes recommendations for improvement in diagnostic efforts. Incorrect or delayed diagnoses can lead to missed treatment opportunities, unnecessary treatments and sometimes tragic outcomes for patients and their families, the panel's report says.
Fewer Teens Found With Guns In States With Tighter Gun Laws
Restrictive gun laws that lower adult gun ownership mean fewer guns get into teens' hands, researchers find. However, guns are still a major factor in teen homicides and suicides, they report.
Fossil Find In Alaska Is New Species Of Dinosaur, And A Vegetarian
A new dinosaur species thrived in the cold and darkness of the Arctic region, paleontologists say. Although Alaska was warmer 69 million years ago, it certainly wasn't tropical, they say.
A Personal Microbial 'Fingerprint' Cloud You Carry Around Could Identify You: Study
Your own personal microbial "cloud" surrounding your body is distinct to you, like a fingerprint. Although we all harbor similar types of bacteria, the makeup of each person's "haze" is unique, according to scientists.
Scientists Calculate Staggering Economic Impact Of A Warming, Melting Arctic
As Arctic permafrost melts and releases vast amounts of greenhouse gases, impact on the world's economy could be in the trillions of dollars, researchers say. The region is warming at twice the global average, they warn.
NASA Hopes Students Can Help It 'Drag' Science Payloads Onto The Surface Of Mars
The space agency sought ideas from college students for safely decelerating large payloads for landing on the red planet. Concepts would revolve around aeroshells, large inflatable 'drag' devices.
US Kids' Favorite Fruit? Hint: Think 'Keeps The Doctor Away'
Apples beat out bananas and all other contenders as the favorite whole fruit of children in the U.S. The average child in the U.S. eats 10 ounces of fruit each day, researchers say.
Genetic Study May Open Way To Schizophrenia Treatment
Researchers find interaction between two genes may be a factor in developing schizophrenia. Identification of the genes may provide a target for treatment of the condition, they say.
Obesity Rates Holding Steady In Most US States But Are Still Too High, Report Says
In more than half of U.S. states, 30 percent of adults are obese, figures show. That rate is twice that seen in 1980, researchers say.
Global Warming 'Hiatus' Never Happened, Researchers Say: Evidence Was A Statistical Error
A pause in global warming cited by climate change deniers never occurred, say scientists analyzing temperature data. The supposed hiatus was not borne out of careful analysis of statistics, they say.
