Declines in death rates from the four leading types of cancer in the US since the early 1990s have been driven largely by progress among college-educated men and women, researchers said. The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, was the latest to illustrate how a person's health can be closely tied to socioeconomic factors such as education and income level. Researchers at the American Cancer Society and Emory University in Atlanta calculated death rates for lung, breast, prostate and colorectal cancer by level of education among US blacks and whites ages 25 to 64 for 1993 through 2001.
Obesity levels in China rising fast:
Obesity levels in China are rising fast, with more than a quarter of the adult population overweight or obese, as people add more and more meat and dairy products to their diet, causing serious health problems, a new study says. Of all the developing countries, only in Mexico is the rate of increase in obesity among adults faster than in China, the study, published in Health Affairs, says. Chinese people now derive a far larger proportion of energy from fat and animal-based foods, such as meat and eggs, compared with in the past, the study found.
Common wildlife is alien to UK kids:
UK children's knowledge of wildlife comes a poor second to their ability to identify science fiction creatures such as Star Wars characters, says a survey. The National Trust poll said that while only 50% knew what an oak leaf looked like, nine out of 10 were able to identify Jedi grand master Yoda. Only 29% of children were able to recognise a magpie, while 50% could not differentiate between a bee and a wasp. As part of its campaign, the NT plans to tour England's major cities in a specially adapted red bus, complete with an outdoor garden on the top deck.
'Green Wall' to check spread of Sahara:
Preparations for an African 'wall of trees' to slow down the southwards spread of the Sahara desert are getting underway. North African nations have been promoting the idea of a green belt since 2005. The project has been scaled down to reinforce and then expand on existing efforts, and will not be a continent-wide wall of trees, despite the name of the project. According to a report in Environmental News Network, the 'Great Green Wall' will involve several stretches of trees from Mauritania in the west to Djibouti in the east, to protect the semi-arid savannah region of the Sahel, and its agricultural land, from desertification.
BARING HER SOLE: A model presents shoes to promote 'Soulexpress', a shoe fair in Duesseldorf on Wednesday. About 100 young designers will present their latest shoe designs in the western German city
FASTER THAN A BLINK
Researchers at the University of Utah have found that certain songbirds can contract their vocal muscles 100 times faster than humans can blink an eye — placing the birds with a handful of animals that have evolved superfast muscles. They found that two types of songbirds produce tunes with superfast muscles, similar to those used by rattlesnakes, several fish and the ringdove. "We discovered that the European starling and the zebrafinch control their songs with the fastest-contracting muscle type yet described," said Coen Elemans, who conducted the study.
Researchers at the University of Utah have found that certain songbirds can contract their vocal muscles 100 times faster than humans can blink an eye — placing the birds with a handful of animals that have evolved superfast muscles. They found that two types of songbirds produce tunes with superfast muscles, similar to those used by rattlesnakes, several fish and the ringdove. "We discovered that the European starling and the zebrafinch control their songs with the fastest-contracting muscle type yet described," said Coen Elemans, who conducted the study.
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