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Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World

Thursday 20 September 2012

Italian Study Shows Male Genitalia Is Shrinking - 10 percent smaller than it was 50 years ago -

Italian Study Shows Male Genitalia Is Shrinking - 10 percent smaller than it was 50 years ago - 



If size matters, male private parts are shrinking, according to a new Italian study on sexuality.

The study’s leaders claim to have bona fide research that says the average size of a penis is roughly 10 percent smaller than it was 50 years ago.

The study doesn’t say how the research was conducted or give numbers. But it does provide several reasons for the shrinkage, including: weight gain, stress, smoking and alcohol.

Researchers also say air pollution has also been shown to “negatively impact penis size.”

Read more - 
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/09/19/italian-study-shows-male-genitalia-is-shrinking/

Snake venom could be used to treat cancer, diabetes -

Snake venom could be used to treat cancer, diabetes - 


Snakes are able to convert their venom back into harmless molecules that scientists say could help find a cancer cure.
A joint British-Australian study of venom and tissue gene sequences in snakes showed that venom not only evolved from regular cells but could be turned back into harmless proteins.
Gavin Huttley, from the Australian team, said it was the first time snakes' venom had been shown to evolve back into regular tissues and was a significant finding for the development of drugs for conditions like cancer or diabetes.
Snake venom typically targets the same physiological pathways as many human diseases and Huttley said understanding how the venom molecule changed form could help scientists develop new drug cures.
Some snake venoms, for example, cause the cells that line blood vessels to separate and die, including the kinds that feed cancerous tumors, and Huttley said mapping how that worked could lead to more effective cancer treatments.
"It highlights that venom molecules, these things that actually kill us, in fact are just derivatives of normal proteins," said Huttley, from the Australian National University.
"By studying the molecular events you get an idea about what it takes to make a protein to target those specific physiological functions," he said.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/09/20/snake-venom-could-be-used-to-develop-drugs-for-cancer-diabetes/?test=latestnews

Yogurt eaters less likely to have high blood pressure -

Yogurt eaters less likely to have high blood pressure - 



A new study has revealed that people who eat low-fat yogurt over a long period of time are less likely to develop high blood pressure, UPI.com reported.
Researchers tracked more than 2,000 people over 15 years, measuring their yogurt consumption with questionnaires given at three different intervals during the study.  None of the participants had high blood pressure at the start of the research.
Those who consumed at least one 6-ounce cup of low fat yogurt every three days – or 2 percent of their daily calories came from yogurt – were 31 percent less likely to develop high blood pressure.
Funded by the National Institutes of Health and by a grant from Dannon Co. Inc., the findings were presented at the American Heart Association’s High Blood Pressure Research Scientific Sessions in Washington


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/09/20/yogurt-eaters-less-likely-to-have-high-blood-pressure-study-finds/?test=latestnews