Hybridizing blind cave fish from different cave populations can partially restore the vision of their offspring, biologists have found. The study suggests that genetic engineering can override, at least in part, half a million years of evolutionary change in one generation.

  A ninety minute daytime nap helps speed up the process of long term memory consolidation. Long term memory is defined as a permanent memory that doesn't disappear or that disappears after many years. This part of our memory is divided into two types -- memories of "what"(for example: what happened yesterday or what one remembers from an article one read yesterday) and memories of "how to"(for example: how to read Hebrew, how to drive, play basketball or play the piano).

  2008 is set to be cooler globally than recent years say Met Office and University of East Anglia climate scientists, but is still forecast to be one of the top-ten warmest years. Each January the Met Office, in conjunction with the University of East Anglia, issues a forecast of the global surface temperature for the coming year. The forecast takes into account known contributing factors, such as El Niño and La Niña, increasing greenhouse gas concentrations, the cooling influences of industrial aerosol particles, solar effects and natural variations of the oceans.

  Here's another reason not to smoke, especially for women: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This disabling breathing disorder is increasingly becoming a problem for women. The most important risk factor for COPD is long-term cigarette smoking.

  A device designed to eliminate mistakes made while mixing compounds at a hospital pharmacy was 100 percent accurate in identifying the proper formulations of seven intravenous drugs. Five potentially serious medication errors were averted over an 18-month period in a test at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in the University of Michigan Health System by using the technology.

  A study of nearly 4,500 men finds that circumcision does not adversely affect sexual performance and satisfaction. Adult studies have been problematic and contradictory because of highly selective study participants, small sample sizes and short follow-up periods. Satisfaction rates in this study -- which compared circumcised and non-circumcised men -- topped 98 percent.

  Research on a treasure trove of amber has yielded evidence that France once was covered by a dense tropical rainforest with trees similar to those found in the modern-day Amazon. The 55-million-year-old pieces of amber was discovered in the Oise River area in northern France.

  The same vitamin D deficiency that can result in weak bones now has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, Framingham Heart Study researchers report. Researchers also found an increase in cardiovascular risk with each level of vitamin D deficiency.

  A team of US, Israeli and German scientists used computational biology techniques to discover 480 genes that play a role in human cell division and to identify more than 100 of those genes that have an abnormal pattern of activation in cancer cells.

  Parents of overweight children often desire a 'quick fix'for the problem and request thyroid tests, but, unfortunately, screening for hypothyroidism is not the answer, says a new study. Children treated for hypothyroidism aren't likely to drop pounds with treatment for the condition says a new study in the Journal of Pediatrics.

  Samples of the material picked up during the NASA Stardust mission indicate that parts of the comet Wild 2 actually formed in an area close to the sun. Analysis suggests that some of the Stardust grains match a special type of carbonaceous material found in meterorites; hence both must have spent time in the same gas reservoir, which was close to the sun.

  Stress and fear in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks may be making Americans sicker, according to a groundbreaking new study. Participants who reported high levels of acute stress immediately after the attacks were about twice as likely to report being diagnosed with hypertension and about three times as likely to report a diagnosis of heart problems over the following two years.

  A new study suggests that the benefits of moderately increased exposure to sunlight -- namely the production of vitamin D, which protects against the lethal effects of many forms of cancer and other diseases -- may outweigh the risk of developing skin cancer in populations deficient in vitamin D.

  Which at-risk teens will cross the line from having risk factors for psychosis to actually developing a psychotic illness? Researchers have improved the ability to predict who will cross the threshhold from 35 percent accuracy to 65-80 percent accuracy, based on the specific combinations of risk factors a teen has. This level of accuracy is comparable to that for major medical diseases, like diabetes.