Archaeologists have discovered a 12,000-year-old iron oxide mine in Chile that marks the oldest evidence of organized mining ever found in the Americas, according to a report in the June issue of Current Anthropology. A team of researchers led by Diego Salazar of the Universidad de Chile found the 40-meter trench near the coastal town of Taltal in northern Chile. It was dug by the Huentelauquen people—the first settlers in the region—who used iron oxide as pigment for painted stone and bone instruments, and probably also for clothing and body paint, the researchers say. ...

TradingFloor.com, the home of Saxo Bank's trading commentary, financial research and analysis, has released a video discussing the first quarter earnings wrap and specifically what happened to margin pressure. It seems margin pressure hardly emerged and that its effects (on the back of higher commodities), especially for consumer driven companies, will instead first kick in later in the year. The underlying momentum for stocks remains strong. Pro-cyclical companies, in particular, posted good results largely driven by emerging markets), and this was  confirmed in their ...

Researchers at the University of Oxford have developed a cheap and reliable diagnostic test for a rare form of cancer. The test involves screening tumour samples for a particular molecular fingerprint unique to this type of cancer. Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC) is a disorder which causes the development of benign but often painful tumours in the skin and, in females, in the uterus. Between one in six and one in ten people affected by the disorder will go on to develop an aggressive form of kidney cancer called papillary renal cell cancer. The ...

Chronic lower back pain is a major problem for society – behind only headaches as the most common neurological ailment – and is frequently caused by degeneration of the intervertebral disc. Researchers have worked for many years to find a way of repairing the wear and tear on the lower back. Now, in results published in the journal Soft Matter, they have discovered how to permanently replace the workings of the invertebral disc. It is estimated that back pain affects 80% of people at some point in their lives. In the United States it is the most common cause of job-related ...

Europcar, the UK's leading vehicle hire company, continues to bring travellers the best rates with the launch of Privilege, its new loyalty programme. Membership is free, allowing frequent hirers to benefit from tailor made discounts, including up to 30% off all leisure rentals. Reflecting its understanding of the time pressures on travellers - especially independent business travellers - Privilege provides members with crucial time-saving benefits. It eliminates queuing and paperwork and guarantees reservations. Plus, as well as saving money on car hire, Privilege ...

Are the dark spots on a patient's skin malignant? In the future, doctors will be able to take a closer look at suspicious blemishes using a new microscope – with results in just a few fractions of a second. It examines to a resolution of five micrometers; it's also flat and lightweight, and it records images so quickly that the results are not blurred even if the doctor is holding the microscope in his or her hand. For results with comparable resolution values, a conventional microscope would either be restricted to a tiny field forced to scan the surface: conventional ...

"We believe our business practices are compliant with the law and are working to resolve this disagreement with the appropriate government agencies. Our companies give consumers the opportunity to buy a variety of products and services at significant savings. Our business is based on the loyalty and longevity of our customer relationships. For example, we are proud to report that a large percentage of our customers continued to use our products after twelve months of use - a tremendous achievement given the global competition in the Internet marketplace. This loyalty, ...

What effect does climate change have on our local forests? What types of trees will be suitable for which geographic location? And how great is the pollution level here? Forestry scientists are conducting „forest monitoring" procedures: They continuously record parameters such as soil humidity or pollutant penetration at permanently installed monitoring stations. The results of such examinations contribute to maintaining the ecological stability of the forests over the long term. The problem: Not only are the wired measuring devices complex to install and maintain, they ...

Naltrexone reduced inflammation in Crohn's patients in a research study at Penn State College of Medicine. Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract causing abdominal pain, diarrhea, gastrointestinal bleeding and weight loss. Treatments for Crohn's disease are designed to reduce the inflammation but may be associated with rare but serious side effects, including infections and lymphoma. Research suggests that endorphins and enkephalins, part of the opioid system, have a role in the development or continuation of inflammation. Naltrexone ...

Jaws made of bone are commonplace in the animal kingdom. However, how jaws developed in the course of evolution is still a mystery. Under the direction of paleontologist Nicolas Goudemand, a team of researchers from the University of Zurich and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility set about solving this puzzle. Living and extinct jawless animals can yield clues as to the development of the jaw. The researchers studied fossilized conodonts – extinct, eel-shaped animals whose precise relationship with the actual vertebrates is still a matter of debate. For their project, ...

Tang Marketing Group, a growing marketing and branding consulting firm with offices in the West an East Coast United States, announced today the launch of their new website www.tangmarketinggroup.com. The Orange County-based firm specializes in branding, social media marketing, stylish business concepts, publications, online marketing and public relations. As expressed by Tang Marketing Group's President, Christina Tang, "By applying the power of branding, we work to create positive images and credible brand language that both ignites brand recognition and ...

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona researchers have discovered that Viagra® drastically reduces multiple sclerosis symptoms in animal models with the disease. The research, published in Acta Neuropathologica, demonstrates that a practically complete recovery occurs in 50% of the animals after eight days of treatment. Researchers are confident that clinical trials soon will be carried out in patients given that the drug is well tolerated and has been used to treat sexual dysfunction in some multiple sclerosis patients. Multiple sclerosis is the most common chronic inflammatory ...

How many emails arrive in your inbox on a daily basis? If you're running a business I would guess the number might be into 3 digits. How do you deal with these? How do you detect and eliminate spam and focus on the messages you really need? Well, what do you know, the recipients of your emails use the same filters! Email is now the dominant means of business communication; some people might like a phone call, but for the most part email is the preferred form of communication. Unlike a phone call, you have a written record of what has been said so there is no confusion ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Dozens of studies on whether moderate exercise can curb the nicotine cravings of women smokers have added up to an apparent contradiction: it seems to work in short-term, well controlled lab experiments, but then fizzles out in treatment trials. A new study may explain why and help researchers devise a practical therapy. The explanation suggested in the results of research led by David Williams, an assistant professor of community health at Brown University, is that while exercise does help improve the mood of smokers and curtail ...

After corn is processed to make ethanol, what's left of the corn looks something like slightly dampened cornmeal, though a somewhat darker yellow, and not as finely ground. Known as "wet distiller's grains with solubles" (WDGS), this byproduct is sometimes used as a cattle feed ingredient. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists in Clay Center, Neb., are studying the pros and cons of that practice. WDGS are rich in protein, and also provide calories and minerals, according to James E. Wells, a microbiologist with USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Since ...

Digital marketing agency Venn Digital has announced the formation of a new partnership with email marketing agency Profunnel to deliver new "Marketing Automation" software to boost the success of their clients' email marketing campaigns. Venn Digital has built a strong reputation as a digital marketing agency that delivers the desired results of their clients. Their wide experience and expertise in creating effective digital marketing strategies enables them to build bespoke campaigns tailored to attain the exact goals of their clients. Profunnel are equally ...

BATON ROUGE – They say that time and tide wait for no man – well, neither does the mighty Mississippi River. As the already gargantuan body of water swells beyond its normal manmade boundaries, the state of Louisiana is starting to see impact after having seen the damage already done to states from Missouri to Mississippi. While near record-breaking water levels are expected any day now and safety precautions are being taken, one LSU professor explained how the river's meandering historic path and silty contents might offer a future ray of hope. "Historically, the Mississippi ...

It's all about the money. To make solar electricity affordable on a large scale, scientists and engineers worldwide have long been trying to develop a low-cost solar cell, which is both highly efficient and easy to manufacture with high throughput. Now a team at Empa's Laboratory for Thin Film and Photovoltaics, led by Ayodhya N. Tiwari, has made a major step forward. "The new record value for flexible CIGS solar cells of 18.7% nearly closes the "efficiency gap" to solar cells based on polycrystalline silicon (Si) wafers or CIGS thin film cells on glass", says Tiwari. He ...

GENEVA, 19 May 2011: Today 16 countries announced new commitments to dramatically reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality, as part of the Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health. "Political and financial support for action on women's and children's health is reaching new and encouraging heights. The commitments build on the momentum of recent months, and prove that saving the lives of the most vulnerable can attract support at the highest levels," says Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations Secretary-General, who is leading the Every Woman Every Child campaign ...

Bethesda, MD—The trip to Mars just got a little more difficult now that French researchers have discovered that antibodies used to fight off disease might become seriously compromised during long-term space flight. In a new report published online in the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org), the scientists show that antibodies produced in space are less effective than those produced on terra firma. The reduced effectiveness of antibodies makes astronauts more susceptible to illness, while increasing the danger posed by bacteria and viruses likely to coexist with wayfaring ...

Among likely voters surveyed across the nation, 66 percent support additional funding for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to carry out new responsibilities related to food safety, according to a Pew-commissioned poll released today by the bipartisan team of Hart Research and American Viewpoint. In addition, 74 percent feel it is worth a one-to-three percent increase in the cost of food to pay for new safety measures in the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, which became law this year. Further, 70 percent of those surveyed favor food companies paying an average ...

The newly approved Tiffalina's HCG Diet Safe Lotion is the first of its kind to meet the strict guidelines of the HCG Diet. According to Dr. A.T.W. Simeons, the creator of the HCG Diet Protocol, products that contain fats or oils such as lotion, liquid foundation, lip balm, etc., will hinder the rapid weight loss typically achieved on the HCG Diet. In Dr. Simeons' manuscript, Pounds and Inches Away: A New Approach to Obesity, he states that "...fats, oils, creams and ointments applied to the skin are absorbed and interfere with weight reduction by HCG just as if ...

A human drug that both prevents and cures kidney failure in mice sheds light on disabling human mitochondrial disorders, and may represent a potential treatment in people with such illnesses. "There are no effective cures for mitochondrial diseases, even in animals," said study leader Marni J. Falk, M.D., who cares for children in the Mitochondrial-Genetics Disease Clinic at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "So these striking results in mice may suggest a novel therapy of direct relevance for humans." Falk and colleagues published their study online May 5 in ...

This release is available in French. Montreal, May 19, 2010 – Caring for a family member with a mental illness can be a taxing experience marked by personal sacrifices and psychological problems. A new study from Concordia University, AMI-Québec and the University of British Columbia has found family caregivers can experience high levels of stress, self-blame, substance abuse and depressive symptoms – unless they refocus their priorities and lighten their load. "Being the principal caregiver to a mentally ill family member is a stressor that often creates high ...

ATLANTA – May 19, 2011 – A new report from the American Cancer Society details cancer control efforts and outlines improvements as well as gaps in preventive behavior that contribute to cancer mortality. Increasing rates of obesity observed since the early 1980s appear to have slowed in the past decade, particularly among women and girls, but nearly one in five adolescents and about one in three adults is obese. Vaccination against the virus that causes cervical cancer is up, but smoking declines have stalled. Meanwhile, proven cancer screening tests remain underutilized, ...