Women wondering whether or not to take the next step with a new man in their life should heed the advice of Russian scientists – and take a deep whiff. Sniffing a potential partner’s scent could tell if Mr Right has a sexually transmitted disease, according to a new study. The research found that gonorrhea-infected men smelt ‘putrid’ to women, reports MSNBC.com.’Our research revealed that infection disease reduces odor attractiveness in humans’ wrote Mikhail Moshkin, a professor at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Russia, and the lead author of research...

Some people cry over the hue of their eyes. If only they were blue, rather than muddy brown. And, well, brown eyes don’t look so good with your dyed-blonde hair. An inventor in California believes he has found the solution. Gregg Homer, founder of Stroma Medical, says that, in a mere 20 seconds, he can turn old brown eyes into old blue eyes. Or even young ones. The way Homer told it to KTLA News, brown eyes are actually blue. Well, beneath the brown pigment that covers the iris, there is apparently a blue-looking orb. Read more…

Yellow markings on the eyelids are a sign of increased risk of heart attack and other illnesses, say researchers in Denmark. A study published on the BMJ website showed patients with xanthelasmata were 48% more likely to have a heart attack. Xanthelasmata, which are mostly made up of cholesterol, could be a sign of other fatty build-ups in the body. Cardiologists said the findings could be used by doctors to help diagnose at-risk patients. The research team at the Herlev Hospital in Denmark started following 12,745 people in the 1970s. At the start of the study, 4.4% of patients had xanthelasmata....

A group of scientists in Japan has been able to restore fertility in infertile mice, the Wall Street Journal reported. The scientists took early sperm cells, which were made from embryonic cells, and implanted them in infertile mice. The resulting sperm enabled the mice to father pups that were not only healthy, but also fertile. This is the first time that laboratory-created sperm has successfully created healthy animals. Mitinori Saitou, the team leader, reported that “the mouse babies are just fine and they’ve had normal, fertile babies of their own.” The team of scientists...

Discs with shock-absorbing pads behave like real thing It is one of the most common causes of sick leave and long-term disability, causing misery for millions of people. But now, back pain could be solved by man-made spinal discs, which could be available within a decade. The ‘living’ discs are packed with shock-absorbing cells and, in preliminary trials, behaved just like the real thing when implanted into bad backs. So far, they have only been tested on animals using cells taken from sheep, but the U.S. research team believe the approach holds hope for people. Dr Lawrence Bonassar, a biomedical...

Smoking, drinking and eating fast food will not stop you living to a ripe old age – if you have the right genes. A study of hundreds of centenarians revealed they were just as likely to have vices as other people – and in some cases they indulged in them more. Some of them had smoked for 85 years, others got through more than two packets of cigarettes a day. They also exercised less than their shorter-lived counterparts but were less likely to become obese. The bad news is it is almost impossible to be sure if you are one of the lucky few blessed with the longevity genes. This means, say the...

* Risk higher among children exposed during pregnancy CHICAGO, Aug 1 (Reuters) – Children whose mothers had high exposure to electromagnetic fields while pregnant may have an increased risk of developing asthma, U.S. researchers said on Monday in a study that adds to an ongoing debate. Many prior studies have failed to consistently show that chronic exposure to electromagnetic fields — from power lines and appliances such as microwaves ovens, hair dryers and vacuum cleaners — are harmful to human health. But many of these studies required people to estimate their exposure levels...

The first antibody which can fight all types of the influenza A virus has been discovered, researchers claim. Experiments on flu-infected mice, published in Science Express, showed the antibody could be used as an “emergency treatment”. It is hoped the development will lead to a “universal vaccine” – currently a new jab has to be made for each winter as viruses change. Virologists described the finding as a “good step forward”. Read more…

(Reuters Health) – Swedish teenagers who consumed more folic acid got better school grades, a small study published in the journal Pediatrics has found. But don’t run out and stock up on the B vitamin with the rest of your school supplies just yet, one expert warns. “There is very little deficiency of folic acid in North America,” Deborah O’Connor, a nutrition researcher who was not involved in the study, told Reuters Health. “If you’re already sufficient, there is not a lot of evidence that taking more supplements will help.” Read more…

Saliva Science Crime scene investigators could soon use saliva left behind at crime scenes to determine the ages of those involved at the scene Thinking of pulling off the perfect crime? Here’s one more thing you now need to take into account (thanks for nothing, science): your saliva. Yes, it’s no longer enough to keep track of every single hair, every last skin cell, and and absolutely everything you touch at the scene of your nefarious scheme. Researchers at UCLA have figured out how to determine age to within five years from nothing more than a saliva sample. The method relies on a process...