How Breathalyzers Work
	I'm going to make this easy and simply say that a breathalyzer is a drunk driver's worst nightmare. You might have seen one on television, used on a person or even on you, but how does it work? A breathalyzer is a simple device used by law enforcements to determine whether or not a person driving a certain vehicle is intoxicated and if the alcohol concentration in the suspect’s blood falls within legal limits. The principle o ... [read more >>]
	09 July 2008, 07:36GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

How Luminol Works
	Luminol is mostly known to us as a chemiluminescent compound used by law enforcements in crime scene investigations to detect traces of blood, even after the crime scene has been thoroughly cleaned in order to conceal the violent events that took place in a particular location. What is not usually told in various shows featuring the use of luminol is that it can also turn luminescent while reacting with certain organic compounds containing ... [read more >>]
	07 July 2008, 08:48GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

How Blood Powered Batteries Work
	Aside from being very unreliable when it comes to retaining an electric charge for long periods of time, typical batteries sometimes also have problems with excessive heating that can make them either explode and start fires, or leak toxic fluids when left unused for long periods of time. Additionally, most of the time batteries come in rather bulky forms and rigid constructions. However, in August last year a team of researchers from the ... [read more >>]
	05 June 2008, 10:11GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Criminality Linked to Infantile Lead Exposure
	A new study investigating the relation between lead exposure during childhood and later antisocial behavior showed that lead contamination can be used to predict whether or not an individual will get in trouble with the law during adulthood. The investigation was led by Kim Dietrich from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine who had collected blood samples from 250 pregnant women living in the lead contaminated areas of Cincinna ... [read more >>]
	28 May 2008, 06:24GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Soon, Artificial Blood
	Blood supply (or lack thereof) is a real medical issue today, as there are never enough donors. A new research carried out at by a team led by Joseph DeSimone, a chemical engineer the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, could partially solve the problem, as NewScientist notes. Red blood cells transport oxygen to body tissues via the bloodstream, while also removing the toxic carbon dioxide. These cells squeeze in thr ... [read more >>]
	08 May 2008, 14:06GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

HIV Detected in Spit
	A breakthrough in testing for HIV has been achieved: no more blood analysis is required, since a new saliva-based test comes with results in just 20 minutes, as described in the PLoS Medicine journal. The new technique uses the oral mucosal transudate (OMT), a liquid released at the base of the gums that later turns into saliva. OMT has the same antibody amounts like blood plasma and immunochromatography is the same methodolo ... [read more >>]
	07 May 2008, 14:06GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

The Rh Factor
	Before World War II, researchers were puzzled by the eritroblastosis fetalis, a severe disease that affected newborn children and manifested through the decomposition of red blood cells. However, the disease affected certain families and only the first child (but not always) was born healthy. Researches found that the cause of the disease was the incompatibility between the antigens and antibodies. The enigma of the eritroblastosis fet ... [read more >>]
	05 May 2008, 10:19GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

New Blood Analysis Tells When a Woman Will Enter Menopause
	Every woman has her own biological clock, that tic-tac that signals to her that time has come for her to become a mom. That's because sooner or later - and this means from her 30s to her 60 - she will enter menopause, turning sterile. The age at which menopause will set in can be forecast realistically now, as revealed by a new research to be published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). A D ... [read more >>]
	30 April 2008, 14:06GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

The Best Source of Stem Cells: Menstrual Blood
	Scientists are looking for stem cell sources in hybrid cow-human embryos or bones, skin and fat tissue, and the solution could be simpler that ever thought. Menstrual blood could be an unlimited, noncontroversial, easily collectable, and inexpensive source of stem cells, as pointed out by a new research published in the Cell Transplantation. Stromal stem cells are found in connective tissues, including the endometrial ones (i ... [read more >>]
	24 April 2008, 14:06GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Chocolate Lowers Cholesterol
	Since childhood, you’ve been hearing that chocolate destroys your teeth and makes you fat, but now, a now a series of researches have been made to show the beneficial health effects of chocolate. There is only one condition though: it must have as much cocoa as possible, even up to 60-75%. Thus, we're talking about dark chocolate, not milk chocolate. A new study carried out at the University of Illinois and published in the ... [read more >>]
	22 April 2008, 02:37GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Alligator Blood Could Treat HIV
	We rather associate alligators and crocodiles with death, but these creatures could one day save your life, as a research team signaled at the 235th national meeting of the American Chemical Society. Blood proteins of the alligators could deliver new powerful antibiotics against infections accompanying diabeti ... [read more >>]
	08 April 2008, 02:47GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

This Woman Had All the Abdominal Organs Removed
	This is really remarkable: a woman had all her abdominal organs removed, for the extirpation of a tumor. Brooke Zepp, 63, from South Florida, was found, in May 2007, to have leiomyosarcoma, a rare cancer type, located deep inside her abdomen. The tumor had wrapped itself around woman's aorta and other arteries delivering blood to vital organs like the stomach, intestines and spleen. Doctors refused to operate saying that the abdom ... [read more >>]
	27 March 2008, 14:21GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Gory WiiWare Title Announced
	With the announcement of Last Flight, we now have the bloodiest Wii game in sight – a title that is being developed for Nintendo's WiiWare that will be launched in Japan during the day. It remains to see how the Wii community is going to react to such ... [read more >>]
	25 March 2008, 20:06GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

An Unhappy Marriage Can Kill You
	It is well known that being lonely pays more for your health than living in an unhappy marriage. For example, for your blood pressure, as shown by a preliminary study published on-line in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine. "That second finding is a surprise because prior studies have shown that married people tend to be healthier than singles. It would take further study to sort out what the results mean for long-term health," ... [read more >>]
	24 March 2008, 15:36GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

The Umbilical Cord Can Regenerate Your Brain
	The umbilical cord can make more than the belly button: it regenerates your brain. Human umbilical cord blood cells (UCBC) injected into old lab rats caused an improvement in the microenvironment of the hippocampus nucleus of the brain, accompanied by a rejuvenation of neural stem cells. The study carried out at the University of South Florida (USF) was published online at BMC Neuroscience. "Brain cell neurogenesis decreases drama ... [read more >>]
	17 March 2008, 05:14GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Breakthrough: The Molecule Causing Priapism Has Been Detected
	Many men cannot maintain an erection even for a few seconds. Others cannot get rid of it. Priapism is prolonged penile erection in the absence of sexual arousal; the penis does not return to its flaccid state, even if there is no excitation, within about four hours. Even kings have been affected by this, like Carol II of Romania. A new research has connected priapism to adenosine, a molecule involved in energy transfers inside the cell. ... [read more >>]
	14 March 2008, 14:06GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Saw Game Coming in Fall 2009
	Brash Entertainment, a publisher specialized in publishing movie-related games, has said that Zombie, the studio behind recruitment tool and free shooter America's Army, will be the developer of an upcoming game built around the ... [read more >>]
	25 February 2008, 02:33GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

A Snoring Partner Shortens Your Life
	A snoring partner means more than a bad night sleep. A new research published in the European Heart Journal shows that it can increase your blood pressure, no matter if you are awake or asleep. Hypertension is a risk factor for heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and dementia. In fact snoring can reach 90 decibels, the same value like in the case of as a passing train. Other health risky sounds are aircraft noise and heavy ... [read more >>]
	15 February 2008, 14:06GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Blacks, Twice More Likely Than Whites to Die of Severe Blood Infection
	Every race has a different gene pool impacting the vulnerability or resistance to various diseases. A new research published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine shows that blacks are twice more likely to die of severe sepsis (a general blood infection connected to acute organ dysfunction) as compared to whites. "The difference in incidence was evident by age 20 and continued throughout the ad ... [read more >>]
	05 February 2008, 07:03GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Mystery Solved: How Can a Crocodile Eat a Cow at Once?
	Crocodiles do deserve they reputation: they hunt and eat everything, from fish and other small preys to buffalo and cattle; even lions were drawn and eaten by crocodiles. All this without mentioning the threat they pose to people. And a large meal can be enough for them for one year: crocodiles can ingest up to 23% of their body weight at once, including bones, teeth, hooves and all kind of stuff. Can you imagine an 80 kg (180-pound) man d ... [read more >>]
	05 February 2008, 02:59GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

UNIQUE: Girl Changes Blood Type and Immune System After a Transplant
	You have heard about blood groups. And you've been told about blood incompatibility: put A, B or AB blood type into an O type receiver, and you will kill him/her. But this new case published in The New England Journal of Medicine has amazed the scientific world and it is an absolute first. A 15 years old Australian girl spontaneously changed blood groups and took her donor's blood group following a liver transplant. ... [read more >>]
	25 January 2008, 02:39GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

20 Cigarettes Daily Means 39 % Increased Risk of Impotence!
	The cancer or heart attack may not convince men to quit smoking, but this one hurts: a recent research published in the 'Tobacco Control' journal reveals that men smoking one pack a day are 39 % more vulnerable to impotence than non-smokers. "Smoking delivers nicotine and other vasoconstrictors that close down the penile blood vessels", said Dr Jack Mydlo, chairman of urology at Temple University School of ... [read more >>]
	23 January 2008, 14:06GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Top 8 Heart Diseases
	Hypertension, high cholesterol, diet, lack of exercising and smoking are factors favoring heart disease. 1. The coronary disease is the most common heart disease. It is caused by the obstruction of the coronary arteries carrying oxygenated blood to the heart's muscle. It can be caused by fat (especially cholesterol) deposits on the coronary arteries walls or by the thickening and hardening of their walls. Angina pectoris is a ... [read more >>]
	18 January 2008, 17:31GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

8 Issues About Blood and Circulation
	1. Blood has the role of transporting food and oxygen to the cells, and to remove toxic wastes, including carbon dioxide. An average human adult has 5 liters of blood which comprises about one liter of oxygen, a quantity which, in resting conditions, would be enough for 4 minutes (in case of intense effort, just 1 minute). Moreover, not all the oxygen is passed to the cells, the blood allowing the passing of a certain oxygen amount, but it ... [read more >>]
	18 January 2008, 17:21GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Garlic Has Been Found to Combat Arsenic Poisoning
	It may not be the choice food when going to a date (and not only), but beyond the scent, garlic is a panacea. It is rich in manganese, phosphorous, selenium, calcium, potassium, iron and copper, and also in vitamins B1, B6 and C. Garlic contains sugar, and this is more evident in cooked garlic. Garlic has heart protective effect, reducing blood pressure, thinning the blood, preventing clots, and lowering bad cholesterol. The garlic che ... [read more >>]
	16 January 2008, 04:55GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

HIV Art: He Paints Using a HIV Positive Blood
	If some people immortalize their own semen in their paintings, others go deeper into the morbid side. Artist Robert Sherer, from Georgia, makes his painting using HIV positive and negative blood, to trigger a warning signal on the HIV epidemic. Last week, Sherer opened an exhibition featuring his masterworks made of blood, which will be available for the visitors in Cobb County, for two months. He attended the opening at Kennesa ... [read more >>]
	15 January 2008, 14:06GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

What Was the Black Death?
	In a few years, it wiped out a quarter of Europe's population. It looked like the end of the world. The Black Death or Plague caused tremendous headaches, great fever, sweating and shivering. But unlike in other cases of fever, the victims had swellings filled with pus on the axillary areas, neck or even inguinal area, that's why the disease was also called Bubonic Plague. The bumps were first pink, then reddish and in ... [read more >>]
	04 January 2008, 10:26GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Meet the Man With no Face!
	This is unique in the world of medicine: a facial tumor of 12 lb (5.4 kg) in weight and 15 cm (6 in) in diameter. Its victim is the Portuguese Jose Mestre, 51, the man that really lacks a face. "Children see me and start crying. They probably think I'm an animal," Mestre told The Sun. But the huge flesh piece is beyond of impairing his social life: the man could die suffocated if not immediately operated. ... [read more >>]
	03 January 2008, 14:06GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

7 Things About Heart and Blood Vessels
	1.All the blood vessels of the human body have a total length of 100,000 km (62,000 mi): they could encompass the Earth by 2.5 times. 2.The blood forms 8% of your body mass. For a man of 70kg (155 pounds), this means about 5.6 litters of blood. 3.The heart has the size of a fist and pumps daily about 9,500 litters of blood throughout the body. This is like lifting a weight of 10 tons to a height of 10 m (33 ft) every day! 4.The ... [read more >>]
	10 December 2007, 14:06GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Paint Made of Blood!
	Many ancient African or American rites involved blood sacrifices. But finding proofs of this in the ancient artifacts is not that easy. And what about a paint based on blood? Now, a new technology allowed a French team to show the existence of blood from ritual animal sacrifice in the paint of ancient sculptures coming from the Mali empire (early 13th century to late 15th century), as revealed in an issue of Analytical Chemistry. Anthropol ... [read more >>]
	30 November 2007, 04:18GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

How to Avoid Fainting
	About 3 % of the people will faint after donating blood for analysis or eye inspection. In case you suffer from this, you could try to do something to prevent it, but it is all in vain. You could try going to toilet in order to avoid being seen by anyone, but you could faint on the way and get hurt. The cause of fainting is the so-called vasovagal reaction, involving the vague nerve (vagus in Latin means wandering). It is bel ... [read more >>]
	27 November 2007, 18:49GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Top 6 Health Benefits Delivered by the Lymphatic Massage
	The lymphatic massage is a delicate, light form favoring the lymph flow. It is based on light, rhythmic and constant movements, only touching the skin, with an almost non-perceptible pressure. Being so fine, the patient may perceive it as useless, but after two-three sessions, its benefits can be seen. A lymph massage session lasts at least for one hour. Unlike the blood, the lymph is not pumped by the heart, moving slowly due to stimu ... [read more >>]
	23 November 2007, 14:06GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Pulling Out Strong Hearts: An Aztec Medicinal Secret
	Now we know how the Aztecs had such vigorous hearts to be pulled out from the chests of the unfortunate victims as an offering to the gods. Their cardiac secret was salba or chia, a grain related to mint. A new Canadian research suggests that people with type 2 diabetes could decrease their cardiovascular risk by consuming whole grain salba originating from the Valley of Mexico, in a research published in Diabetes Care. The c ... [read more >>]
	23 November 2007, 05:49GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Where Does the Terrible Lyme Disease Come from?
	AIDS sounds familiar to you, while Lyme may not, but after AIDS, it is the disease with the most rapid development, spreading rapidly in US, Asia, Europe and South America. A new research published online this week in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B shows that mice may not be the main source of Lyme disease in US. Two shrew species and chipmunks, too, seem to be involved and should be taken into account for controlling Lyme disease. ... [read more >>]
	23 November 2007, 05:05GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Five Things About Blood
	1.The blood of all humans and animals is salty. Why? Because all animals started to evolve in the ocean, at least 3.8 billion years ago, under the form of unicelular creatures. Thus, the enzymatic systems sustaining life evolved during millions of years in watery conditions of high salt amounts. The content of the sodium chlorine (table salt) in the blood is just a third less than in the seawater. 2.A man who is 70 kg (155 pounds) heav ... [read more >>]
	19 November 2007, 14:11GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

The Best Stem Cells - Discovered in the Menstrual Blood!
	Cloning poses a huge ethic debate. That's why scientists have been focusing on various sources for getting stem cells, necessary for technologies of organ replacing. We have witnessed tests made on stem cells coming from skin, fatty tissue, bones, testicles, and now, from an unsuspected source: menstrual blood! The thickened womb wall during a woman's menstrual cycle has been found to comprise stem cells, as mentione ... [read more >>]
	19 November 2007, 04:43GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Dog Blood Banks on the Way?
	For some of us a dog is more important than a human. It is easier to interact with a dog. The animal cannot criticize or underappreciate you. But the more frequent tendency to own a pet has revealed that British vets signal there is an increasing need for a national blood bank for dogs. What's working for humans can also work for dogs: open-heart surgery, chemotherapy for cancer, hip replacement and cataract surgery, with ... [read more >>]
	15 November 2007, 06:45GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

LiLo The Stalker: This Time, She's After Blood. Literally
	Yes, well, I was actually wondering what was going on with Lindsay Lohan these days. And the answer is, she's still reformed (or doing a very good job acting as if she were...reformed, that is), still apparently boring and still trying to act out that principle according to which every day is a blessing. The problem here is that suddenly acting like every day is a blessing – especially in a diva who we know used to be so won ... [read more >>]
	14 November 2007, 04:20GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Type O Blood Protects People Against Malaria!
	500 million people in the tropics are infected by malaria, a disease caused by a protozoa spread by the female of the Anopheles mosquito. The parasite triggers fever, shivering, articulation pains, severe headache and vomit. Each year, 1.5 million people die of malaria, a child every 30 seconds. It is endemic in 101 countries, mainly tropical, in Africa, Asia and America, and perhaps this one killed most people in history, of all infec ... [read more >>]
	09 November 2007, 03:25GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

This Woman Can Have 200 Orgasms a Day! Even Without Having Sex...
	There are women who do not even know what an orgasm feels like. Others must exhaust a man, squeezing it like a lemon to achieve one. And here is the British Sarah Carmen, 24, which can have up to 200 daily without even having sex. That's because she slightest vibrations are enough for her, even the rumble of the train, the purr of a hairdryer, or the rhythmic drone of a photo-copier. "Anything can set me off. Even the hairdry ... [read more >>]
	06 November 2007, 14:06GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Not Just Oxygen Transporter: Hemoglobin is also an Erection Booster!
	We know that hemoglobin, the iron-rich pigment of the blood's red cells is the carrier of the oxygen from lungs to tissues and carbon dioxide from tissues to lungs. Now, a team from Wake Forest University, the National Institute of Health and other institutions has found, in a research published online on Nov. 4 in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, that hemoglobin acts as a catalyst in turning nitrite salt to the vasodilator nitric ... [read more >>]
	06 November 2007, 04:11GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

New Laser Could Cure AIDS!
	You may have been thrilled by the spectacular fights with laser weapons in the "Stars War". But our worst enemies cannot be cut with a laser sword…heck, we can’t even see them! Bacteria and viruses have killed more humans than any other factor did along history. And if a cure against HIV and other plagues of the 21st century is the focus of many scientific researches nowadays, here comes the laser: this technology could provi ... [read more >>]
	02 November 2007, 06:59GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

The "Love Pill": Viagra Makes You Fall in Love!
	Oh, come on…you know it's all about love in the case of Hugh Hefner and his herd of sexy blond bimbos. That's for sure, as an American research has showed that impotence drugs like Viagra act in more ways than producing an erection: they also boost the levels of the "love hormone". The team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison reported in the Journal of Physiology that rats on Viagra (sildenafil) presented higher ... [read more >>]
	01 November 2007, 10:10GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

The Odd Blood
	The sickle cell anemia is one of the worst hereditary conditions connected to the African race. The mutant gene that causes it is delivered by both parents. In Nigeria, out of a population of 120 million, 1 million people suffer of the sickle cell anemia and 60,000 die annually of it. Haematids or blood's red cells have the role of transporting oxygen from lungs to tissues and carbon dioxide from tissues to lungs. They do this wit ... [read more >>]
	01 November 2007, 03:26GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

How Can the Tibetans Live at Such High Altitudes?
	You would get sick and disabled in the low oxygen conditions that are to be found at a hight of 14,763 feet (4,500 meters), which is the average altitude of the Tibetan Plateau. Yet, the Tibetans ruled empires from the ‘roof’ of the world. Such heights have defeated many mountain climbers, as the shortage of oxygen into their lungs and blood during the ascend caused them nausea and dizziness, which often proved to be fatal in such condi ... [read more >>]
	30 October 2007, 03:52GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Biological View: What Do Dying People Feel?
	Have you ever wondered what a dying person feels? It sounds morbid, but science and accounts from lucky survivors have helped us make an idea about it. Still, only the dead know exactly how it feels and the sensations you experience at that moment. A report released by New Scienti ... [read more >>]
	22 October 2007, 14:06GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

10 Amazing Facts About Camels
	1. The oldest known camel is Protylopus, appeared 40-50 million years ago (Eocene) in North America. It had the size of a rabbit and lived in forests. Later, camels spread to the savanna and increased their size. In Oligocene, 35 million years ago, Poebrotherium had the size of a roe deer, but already resembled a camel. Between 24 and 12 million years ago, various types of camels evolved. Stenomylus was a gazelle like camel. Alticamel ... [read more >>]
	19 October 2007, 15:56GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

Blood Controls Our Thinking
	'Thinking with the heart' and 'hot blooded' can get a new real meaning now. Besides, ancient Greeks, like Aristotle, were convinced that the circulatory system dictates thoughts and emotions. The new Hemo-Neural Hypothesis, brought forth by a team led by Christopher Moore, a principle investigator in the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT and an assistant professor in MIT's Department of Brain and Cog ... [read more >>]
	18 October 2007, 06:10GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

How Does Garlic Protect Your Heart?
	It may not be recommended to eat garlic before going on a date, but a new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has found it to be one of the best methods to decrease high blood pressure and defend yourself against cardiovascular disease. This protective effect could be due to the interaction between garlic chemicals and red blood cells. This makes red blood cells release hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which de ... [read more >>]
	17 October 2007, 05:55GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia

10 Things You Did Not Know About the Human Skin
	Can you imagine a coat tailored from a sole piece, covering the body from head to feet, protecting against wind, being water-proof, strong but still elastic, and continuously renewing itself? Well, this is your skin! 1. The skin is our largest organ. Extended, it has a surface of about 2 square meters (18 sq ft), about the size of a normal sheet. It weighs on average 3 kg (8.5 pounds), about 5 % of our body weight. Its thickness varies ... [read more >>]
	10 October 2007, 14:36GMT | (c) 2008 Softpedia