Telecommuting has long been touted as an effective way to alleviate rush-hour traffic congestion (and pollution), help companies save money by using less office space and resources, and provide workers with a great deal of flexibility in their schedules. But in a case of perhaps too much of a good thing becoming a very bad thing, a federal government report released earlier this month (pdf) warns that a major emergency that keeps people confined to their homes--namely, a worsened H1N1 pandemic --could threaten to overwhelm the Internet, rendering it useless as a way for communicating and conducting transactions vital to public safety and the economy. [More]

Scientists report having used a commercially available drug to successfully "rescue" animal brain cells that they had intentionally damaged by manipulating a newly discovered gene that links susceptibility genes for schizophrenia and autism.

A new article unveils for the first time a method to accurately distinguish between all eight tuna species from any kind of processed tissue using genetic sequencing.

Could a woman's food choices during pregnancy affect not only the size and health of her children, but of her grandchildren? Yes, suggests a new study.

The same phenomenon that occurs when it's time for certain mushrooms to eject spores also occurs when dew droplets skitter across a surface that is highly water repellent.

A move from a traditional diet to the sodium-laden Western diet is fueling a spike in the blood pressure of the Inuit in Canada's North, researchers have found.

Even one cigarette has serious adverse effects on young adults, according to new research.

Brain pleasure centers became progressively less responsive in rats fed a diet of high-fat, high-calorie food, a new study has found. As the changes occurred, the rats developed compulsive overeating habits -- and became obese. The overeating continued even when it meant the rats had to endure an unpleasant consequence (a mild foot shock) in order to consume the food.

A new study suggests that video capsule endoscopy, a procedure that uses wireless technology in diagnosing intestinal disease, is safe for patients with heart devices.

Birth control pills nearly double the risk of stroke, according to a new review article. For women who take the Pill and also smoke, have high blood pressure or have a history of migraine headaches, the stroke risk is even higher.