‘Spam King’ pleads guilty to wire fraud
A man once described as one of the world’s top e-mail spammers pleaded guilty Friday to federal charges of mail fraud, wire fraud and failure to file a tax return.

Diamond’s got just a little, itty-bitty bling
Scientists have created the world’s smallest diamond ring.  It won’t get any ‘oohs’ or ‘ahhs’ from admiring friends, but it can help scientists who are developing quantum information processing.

Starved for Sleep? Watch Your Waistline
Not enough slumber can contribute to weight gain, experts say

New method finds networks of genes behind obesity
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Overeating disrupts entire networks of genes in the body, causing not only obesity, but diabetes and heart disease, in ways that may be possible to predict, researchers reported on Sunday.

Therapy Could Save Limbs After Frostbite
Angiography plus anti-clotting drug keep tisue viable, researchers say.

DEET works by masking body odor from bugs
The bug repellent DEET works by making mosquitoes and their brethren unable to smell the sweet aroma of human sweat that alerts them that a meal of blood is nearby, scientists said on Thursday.

New drug holds promise for parasitic worm disease
CHICAGO (Reuters) – U.S. researchers have discovered a promising new drug for schistosomiasis — a parasitic worm disease that affects more than 200 million people in 70 countries.

Self-Management Program Helps Diabetics
31 employers in 10 cities waive co-pays if diabetic is “coached” by pharmacist

Soy Compound May Halt Spread Of Prostate Cancer
ScienceDaily (Mar. 17, 2008) — A compound found in soybeans almost completely prevented the spread of human prostate cancer in mice, according to a study published in the March 15 issue of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Post Brain Injury: New Nerve Cells Originate From Neural Stem Cells
ScienceDaily (Mar. 16, 2008) — Most cells in the human brain are not nerve cells, but supporting cells (glial cells). They serve as a framework for nerve cells and play an important role in the wound reaction that occurs with injuries to the brain. However, what these ‘reactive glial cells’ in the brains of mice and men originate from, and which cells they evolve into was unknown until now.

Light Waves Can Detect Alzheimer’s Disease Early On, Study Suggests
ScienceDaily (Mar. 17, 2008) — A team of researchers in Bedford, Mass. has developed a way of examining brain tissue with near-infrared light to detect signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

Zoo beasts must battle the bulge, too
CHICAGO – Gorillas on Weight Watchers? Polar bears slurping sugar-free Jell-O shots? Giraffes nibbling alfalfa biscuits?

Birds take ‘power naps’ to keep their senses alert all day
Hamburg – Just like busy executives who work 14-hour days, birds take power naps to keep their senses alert for predators, according to German researchers.

Experts link Leonardo da Vinci to chess puzzles
Experts say the Renaissance genius may have illustrated the puzzles in a long-lost chess treatise recently recovered in the library of an aristocratic family in northern Italy.
Chess, of course, was the first virtual reality game.

Pre-Inca Temple Discovered in Peru
LIMA, Peru (AP) – Archaeologists have discovered the ruins of an ancient temple, roadway and irrigation systems at a famed fortress overlooking the Inca capital of Cuzco, according to officials involved with the dig.

Garage sale: Mastodon skeleton up for auction
California resident Nancy Fiddler has put for sale on eBay a mastodon skeleton that takes up most of her garage. The minimum bid — $115,000.

Spacewalkers to kit handyman robot with tools
HOUSTON (Reuters) – NASA astronauts prepared for a spacewalk on Monday to outfit the International Space Station’s new robotic handyman after tests showed it to be in good working order.

Venus and Mars: Surprising Similarities Found
Mars and Venus, those seemingly contrasting planets of self-help book fame, have more in common than you might think. Two nearly identical spacecraft around Mars and Venus have compared the two worlds’ atmospheres and found them to be surprisingly similar.

Puzzling ‘Eye Of A Hurricane’ On Venus
ScienceDaily (Mar. 17, 2008) — Venus Express has constantly been observing the south pole of Venus and has found it to be surprisingly fickle. An enormous structure with a central part that looks like the eye of a hurricane, morphs and changes shape within a matter of days, leaving scientists puzzled.