An analysis of public opinion polls and terrorist activity in 143 pairs of countries has shown for the first time that when people in one country hold negative views toward the leadership and policies of another, terrorist acts are more likely to be carried out.

The proportion of Americans rated low on key heart disease risk factors expanded during the 1980s and 1990s, but is now declining, according to national surveys. Only about 1 in 12 US adults had a low risk profile for cardiovascular disease during 1994-2004. While fewer adults are smoking, an increasing proportion are developing high blood pressure or diabetes or becoming overweight or obese.

Cases of restored vision after a lifetime of blindness, though exceedingly rare, provide a unique opportunity to address several fundamental questions regarding brain function. After being deprived of visual input, the brain needs to learn to make sense of the new flood of visual information. Very little is known about how this learning takes place, but a new study by neuroscientists suggests that dynamic information — that is, input from moving objects — is critical.

As if a bad hangover wasn't enough of a deterrent, new research has shown how binge drinking weakens the body's ability to fight off infection for at least 24 hours afterwards. The study focused on the effect of heavy drinking on toll-like receptor 4, a protein that has an important role in immune system activation.

When computers, servers and digital storage devices began to find their way en masse into businesses and homes in the late 1970s and early 80s, industrious users figured out these systems could be linked together into local area networks (LANs) that enabled the rapid exchange of information from machine to machine. Medical technology makers are now hoping to scale this model down to the personal level by connecting wireless sensors placed on (or even under) a patient's skin to create "medical body area networks" (MBANs) that provide doctors with real-time info about their patients. [More]

Juvenile delinquency may be a result of misunderstood social cues. Research shows that male juvenile delinquents frequently misinterpret facial expressions of disgust as anger, providing a possible cause for their aggressive behavior.

Most successful vaccines stimulate antibodies that attack and kill viruses as they scoot from one cell to another. But what about viruses and other pathogens that never leave the cell? A new theory of how the immune system recognizes pathogens suggests ways to make vaccines that trigger both antibodies and a T cell response, targeting extracellular as well as intracellular pathogens. Scientists now report results supporting the new hypothesis.

A recent study offers good news for families of children afflicted with the rare genetic disorder, cystinosis. In research that holds out hope for one day developing a potential therapy to treat the fatal disorder, the study shows that the genetic defect in mice can be corrected with stem cell transplantation.

When it comes to writing the pen apparently is mightier than the computer keyboard. Second, fourth and sixth grade children with and without handwriting disabilities were able to write more and faster when using a pen than a keyboard to compose essays, according to new research.

Researchers have taken an important step in understanding the role of stem cells in development of liver cancer. Using a unique approach that involves study of individual cells, the team has demonstrated for the first time a population of cancer stem cells in the liver prior to tumor formation.