Even in recession, CES to have stuff worth seeing
The recession figures to tone down the flashiness of this week’s International Consumer Electronics Show, but the lineup of innovative products likely will measure up to those of past years.

Physicists Squeeze Light To Quantum Limit
A team of University of Toronto physicists have demonstrated a new technique to squeeze light to the fundamental quantum limit, a finding that has potential applications for high-precision measurement, next-generation atomic clocks, novel quantum computing and our most fundamental understanding of the universe.

Popping Smart Pills: The Case for Cognitive Enhancement
In a recent editorial in Nature, a group of bioethicists argue for using stimulants to enhance cognitive performance

‘Recovery Coaches’ Effective In Reducing Number Of Babies Exposed To Drugs
[A] groundbreaking study led by Joseph P. Ryan, a faculty member in the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois, indicates that recovery coaches can significantly reduce the number of substance-exposed births as well as help reunite substance-involved families, saving state child-welfare systems millions of dollars in foster-care and other placement costs.

Maternity Leave Linked To Fewer C-sections And Increased Breastfeeding
Two new studies … suggest that taking maternity leave before and after the birth of a baby is a good investment in terms of health benefits for both mothers and newborns. One study found that women who started their leave in the last month of pregnancy were less likely to have cesarean deliveries, while another found that new mothers were more likely to establish breastfeeding the longer they delayed their return to work.

Childhood Trauma Tied to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Finding means condition could be biologically driven, researchers say

New Insight Into Aggressive Childhood Cancer
A new study reveals critical molecular mechanisms associated with the development and progression of human neuroblastoma, the most common cancer in young children. The research … may lead to development of future strategies for treatment of this aggressive and unpredictable cancer.

Brains of Bulimia Patients Wired Differently
Study found regions related to impulse control were less active.

Study: Exercise Won’t Cure Obesity
It strengthens bones and muscles, improves mental health and mood, lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, breast cancer and colon cancer. Exercise is also good for your brain.

Researchers Report Progress in Fight Against Fat
Two drugs and a genetic variation are focus of promising studies

Cell Biologists Identify New Tumor Suppressor For Lung Cancer
Cancer and cell biology experts at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have identified a new tumor suppressor that may help scientists develop more targeted drug therapies to combat lung cancer.

New Hope For Cancer Comes Straight From The Heart
Digitalis-based drugs like digoxin have been used for centuries to treat patients with irregular heart rhythms and heart failure and are still in use today… [R]esearchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine now report that this same class of drugs may hold new promise as a treatment for cancer.

Implanted Defibrillators Benefit Older People
Improved survival seen in those 75 and older, study says

Scientists See Brain Aging Before Symptoms Appear
UCLA scientists have used innovative brain-scan technology developed at UCLA, along with patient-specific information on Alzheimer’s disease risk, to help diagnose brain aging, often before symptoms appear.

Deep Brain Stimulation Helps Those With Advanced Parkinson’s 
Study found both physical function and quality of life improved.

Diabetes Epidemic Now Poses Challenges for Nursing Homes
Care for aging people with the disease falls short, study finds

Milky Way is bigger than thought, study says
Take that, Andromeda! For decades, astronomers thought when it came to the major galaxies in Earth’s cosmic neighborhood, our Milky Way was a weak sister to the larger Andromeda. Not anymore.

Surprise Star Formation Found Near Black Hole
LONG BEACH, Calif. — Two embryonic stars discovered just a few light years away from the Milky Way’s center show that stars can form in the potentially destructive reach of the powerful black hole at our galaxy’s center.