Studies and Analyses

Birds that migrate early in the season may have a distinct advantage when it comes to attracting the opposite sex, say researchers from Queen’s University and the Smithsonian Institution.

And it’s all about the feathers.

Researchers were surprised to discover that the timing of a male songbird’s reproduction cycle affects the colour of his feathers and may have important implications for his success in attracting mates. When migratory songbirds raise their

Despite critics who say patients’ bills of rights laws are actually designed to protect health care providers, new research published in the current issue of the American Journal of Medicine found just the opposite.

“There is little evidence these laws have much impact on providers’ economic concerns,” said Mark Hall, J.D., professor of law and public health at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

Hall reviewed managed care patient protection laws in

A new study says cancer surgery performed at a medical center designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a “center of excellence” is associated with less risk of death soon after surgery than if performed at a high-volume surgery center, but finds no difference in five-year survival rates. The full study will be published in the February 1, 2005 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. This study was supported by grants from the NCI and the Agency for

Report details the first approach in the U.S.

The U.S. government does not approve or control the “599 list” of non-tobacco chemical ingredients used to manufacture cigarettes. These additives, such as acetic acid (vinegar), chocolate, vanilla, and menthol are found in everyday foods. Scientists, supported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), generally regard these substances as safe in foods, but the risks for smokers are not known after combustion in cigarettes a

A careful analysis of the timing of over a million deaths reveals no evidence that cancer patients can intentionally postpone their demise in order to live long enough to reach an emotionally significant or meaningful event, say scientists in the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The findings, appearing in the December 22 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, run counter to the widely held belief that some people are able to “cheat deat

Ballet dancers’ brains reveal the art of imitation

Scientists have discovered that a system in our brain which responds to actions we are watching, such as a dancer’s delicate pirouette or a masterful martial arts move, reacts differently if we are also skilled at doing the move. The University College London (UCL) study, published in the latest online edition of Cerebral Cortex, may help in the rehabilitation of people whose motor skills are damaged by stroke, and suggests that at