Mom's Meth Use May Affect Kids' Behavior

Women who use methamphetamine during pregnancy may be placing their unborn children at risk for behavioral problems during childhood, as researchers have found.  During the ages of 3 and 5, children who had been exposed to meth in the womb had greater emotional re-activity and higher levels of anxiety and depression than than their unexposed peers.  Also, at the age of 5, the exposure was associated with externalizing behavior problems, and not being able to pay attention. There has been an increase in concerns about the effect of prenatal exposure to meth, which also are associated with adverse effects on fetal growth, infant neurobehavior, and fine motor function.  The meth use during pregnancy was either reported by the mothers or confirmed by a meconium screen.

  

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/meth-pregnancy-affect-kids-behavior/story?id=15953718#.T2dcXsUgf-4

$1 Billion Deal with China's Online Video Sites

In Beijing Youku Inc. is China's leading online video site, reached an agreement with the smaller competitor, Tudou, in a stock deal between the two New York-listed companies worth more than $1 billion.  This deal was announced on Monday, this deal creates an unlikely partnership between two companies that have struggled to turn a profit in China's booming Internet space.  These two websites have long been rivals, fighting in court over alleged copyright infringement.  The new company name is Youku Tudou Inc.  This would command more than a third of the online video advertising market in China.  This has been challenging domestic online giants such as Baidu Inc.  and the Tencecnt Holdings Ltd. in a country where Youtube is blocked by censors.  This has also will evolve to challenge Chinese state television.

 

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-china-online-20120312,0,4073588.story 

Workouts Can Alter Your DNA

New studies in the March issue of cell metabolism shows that when people exercise for something as little as a 20 minute workout, it can alter their DNA almost immediately.  The main genetic code isn't change, for example you won't go from having blonde to brunette hair.  This means that the DNA molecules within your muscles are structurally changed at specific locations.  The research concluded that changed, known as "epigenetic modifications," seem to be the early precursor to the genetic reprogramming of muscle for strength, structure and the metabolic benefits of exercise.  The researchers also found out hat caffeine can change muscles in the similar ways.  The ones that had been exposed to caffeine showed fewer DNA chemical marks than they did before exercise.   As said my Zierath, a researcher, "Exercise is medicine."

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57392391-10391704/20-minute-workout-can-alter-your-dna-for-the-better-study-says/ 

Inch Long Fleas

Dinosaurs also had to deal with the pest of the fleas, that were an inch long.  The oldest fleas ever found sucked dinosaur blood from 125 million to 165 million years ago. A new fossil was found in China by the Institute of Geology and Paleontology.  Diying Huang says that their disproportionately long proboscis, or straw-like mouth, had sharp weapon-like serrated edges that helped them bite and feed from their super-sized hosts, he and other researchers reported Wednesday in the journal Nature.  The ancient female fleas were twice the size of the male, this is also the case for current fleas.    

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/dinosaurs-fleas-long-fossils-show-article-1.1030881

30,000 Year Old Plant Brought Back to Life

This plant became extinct thousands of years ago, and was brought back to life by the Russia scientists.  These scientists.  They were able to grow these plants by its seed.  This seed is thought to have been frozen 30,000 years ago by the help of some Ice Age squirrels.  Experts believe that this Silene stenophylla is the oldest plant material to be brought back to life.  The fruit was found in the banks of the Kolyma River in Siberia.  It was discovered by a group that were looking for mammoth bones and came across this seed.  This is the second time that they tried to bring the Silene stenophylla back to life, as the first time failed.  They are hoping that tin the future they will be able to use the same types of techniques to bring animals like the mammoth back from extinction.    

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/17116689 

Overeating Could Cause Memory Loss? in elderly.

A new study suggests that overeating may double the risk for memory loss, or mild cognitive impairments (MCI), among people age 70 and older.  This study will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in April.  This study involved over 1,200 dementia-free people between ages 70 and 89.  Of those people 163 people had MCI.  These participants filled out a questionnaire about the amount of calories they consumed daily.  MCI, or mild cognitive impairment is the intermediate stage between the expected cognitive decline of normal aging and the more pronounced decline of dementia, according to the Mayo Clinic.  It increases a person's risk for developing later dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, but some people with MCI never get worse.    

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57376486-10391704/overeating-may-double-odds-of-memory-loss-in-elderly/

Next Supercontinent?

In about 50 to 200 million years from now, geologist are expecting that the Earth's continents are to smash into one super large continent.  This suggests that the Arctic Ocean and Caribbean Sea will be among the first to disappear.  Another point of view is that scientist have assumed that either the Atlantic Ocean will close up, and reverse what once separated these continents apart.  The current spreading zone in the Atlantic would push the land forms 180 degrees around the world to close up the Pacific instead.   The model is based on the magnetism of ancient rocks.  A doctoral student at Yale, Mitchell, took the project with other students, to record the orientation of Earth's continental plates.  Also how they have changed with respect to the magnetic poles over billions of years.  

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/08/10352397-next-supercontinent-will-amaze-you 

and the video :) =