Tag Archives: North America

Obesity Has Doubled Since 1980, Major Global Analysis of Risk Factors Reveals

By Guest PostFebruary 16, 2011Healthaustralasia, Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol, diastolic blood pressure, global problems, goodarz danaei, gretchen stevens, heart disease risk factors, high income countries, hypertension, lancet, majid ezzati, North America, obese, obesity, risk factor, southeast asia, western countries, WHO, world health organization

*Study shows western high-income countries have achieved impressive progress in lowering hypertension and cholesterol*

The worldwide prevalence of obesity has nearly doubled since 1980, according to a major study on how three important heart disease risk factors have changed across the world over the last three decades. The study, published on Feb. 4 in three papers in the Lancet, looked at all available global data to assess how body mass index, blood pressure and cholesterol changed between 1980 and 2008.

The study shows that in 2008, more than one in ten of the world’s adult population was obese, with women more likely to be obese than men. An estimated 205 million men and 297 million adult women were obese – a total of more than half a billion adults worldwide. (more…)

Online Access to the Plants of the World Is Available

By Guest PostJanuary 12, 2011Nature, Scienceafrican plants, biodiversity, digital scanner, ecologist, eldredge bermingham, Europe, flowers, global plants initiative, green tendrils, helene muller landau, herbaria, herbarium sheets, jstor, jungle, latin american, mireya correa, North America, online database, plants, pollen grains, university of panama

*The Global Plants Initiative Meets at the Smithsonian in Panama Jan. 11-13*

For centuries, jungle explorers from Europe and North America have created art of the plants they discover—pressing bright flowers and green tendrils onto herbarium sheets for prestigious museums and plant collections. But scientists in the most biodiverse countries lack easy access to this basic information needed to identify plants. The Global Plants Initiative, meeting Jan. 11-13 at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, catapults biodiversity research to a new level, sharing plant collections in a massive online database of high-resolution scans. (more…)

Wildlife Die-Offs are Relatively Common, Recent Bird Deaths Caused by Impact Trauma

By Guest PostJanuary 11, 2011Naturearkansas, arkansas bird analyses, autopsy, avian botulism, avian cholera, bat species, baton rouge, beebe, bird deaths, david e green, die off, impact trauma, internal hemorrhaging, jonathan sleeman, la, lead poisoning, louisiana, necropsies, new year eve, newcastle disease, North America, parasites, pathologist, pesticide tests, red winged blackbird, starvation, west nile virus, wildlife

Large wildlife die-off events are fairly common, though they should never be ignored, according to the U.S. Geological Survey scientists whose preliminary tests showed that the bird deaths in Arkansas on New Year’s Eve and those in Louisiana were caused by impact trauma.

Preliminary findings from the USGS National Wildlife Health Center’s Arkansas bird analyses suggest that the birds died from impact trauma, and these findings are consistent with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s statement. The State concluded that such trauma was probably a result of the birds being startled by loud noises on the night of Dec. 31, arousing them and causing them to fly into objects such as houses or trees. Scientists at the USGS NWHC performed necropsies—the animal version of an autopsy—on the birds and found internal hemorrhaging, while the pesticide tests they conducted were negative. Results from further laboratory tests are expected to be completed in 2-3 weeks. (more…)

Earth’s Lakes Warming Due to Climate Change

By Guest PostNovember 26, 2010Environmentalgal blooms, alpine lake, black, caspian seas, climate change, emerald bay, global survey, great lakes, kazakhstan, lake tahoe, lakes, lakes warming, natural ecosystem, North America, northern europe, northern hemisphere, philipp schneider, satellite data, simon hook, surface temperatures, temperature, trends

Lake Tahoe, seen here from Emerald Bay, was one of the primary validation sites for the global lake study. The lake, which straddles the borders of California and Nevada, is the largest alpine lake in North America. Image credit: NASA-JPL

WASHINGTON – In the first comprehensive global survey of temperature trends in major lakes, researchers have determined that Earth’s largest lakes have warmed during the past 25 years in response to climate change.

Philipp Schneider and Simon Hook of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., used satellite data to measure the surface temperatures of 167 large lakes worldwide.

They reported an average warming rate of 0.45 degrees Celsius (0.81 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade, with some lakes warming as much as 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade. The warming trend was global, and the greatest increases were in the mid- to high-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. (more…)

Made in IBM Labs: McKesson Taps IBM to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Boost Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Efficiency

By Guest PostNovember 15, 2010Technologycarbon dioxide emissions, CO2 emissions, dave lubowe, don walker, drug, fortune 500, ibm, information technology, mckesson, mckesson corporation, North America, refrigeration facility, scsm, supply chain sustainability management solution

*Collaborative Research Project Uses Analytics Technology to Improve Effectiveness of North American Pharmaceutical Distribution Network*

ARMONK, N.Y. – 15 Nov 2010: McKesson Corporation and IBM are teaming on an initiative aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions and trimming drug distribution costs. Working with IBM researchers and business consultants, North America’s largest distributor of prescription drugs is bringing a new level of intelligence to the pharmaceutical supply chain as well as its own business operations.

McKesson supplies one-third of the prescription drugs used by hospitals and pharmacies in North America every day. The company provides pharmaceuticals to more than 40,000 health locations in the U.S., ranging from hospitals and health systems to community pharmacies and national chain stores to the Department of Veterans Affairs. (more…)

Yahoo! to Appoint Wayne Powers to Head North American Advertising Sales

By Guest PostNovember 10, 2010Technologyadvertising sales, digital network, madison avenue, media group, new york, North America, ohio state university, ross levinsohn, time, wayne powers, Yahoo

SUNNYVALE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Yahoo! Inc. announced today that the company will appoint Wayne Powers as senior vice president, Advertising Sales for North America. Powers, who previously served as President of the Time Inc. Media Group, will report directly to incoming Executive Vice President of the Americas, Ross Levinsohn. Powers will be based in Yahoo!’s New York office.

“Wayne is a proven leader and innovator who will bring a wealth of operating expertise and advertiser relationships to Yahoo!,” said Levinsohn. “His record of brand building with advertisers and his focus on driving revenue through creative executions will serve both Yahoo! and Madison Avenue well.” (more…)

comScore Ranks Among Fastest Growing Companies in North America on Deloitte’s 2010 Technology Fast 500™

By Guest PostOctober 20, 20101 commentTechnologyclean technology, companies, Comscore, deloitte, deloitte & touche llp, deloitte ranking of 500, deloitte technology fast 500, economic environment, life sciences, magid abraham, mark jensen, Media, North America, phil asmundson, Technology, technology fast 500, telecommunications

*Attributes its 154 Percent Revenue Growth Since 2005 to Strong Track Record of Innovation*

RESTON, VA, October 20, 2010 – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today announced that it ranked on the Technology Fast 500™, Deloitte’s ranking of 500 of the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in North America. Rankings are based on percentage of fiscal year revenue growth during the period from 2005–2009. comScore grew 154 percent during this period. comScore’s President, CEO and co-founder, Dr. Magid Abraham, credits a strong track record of innovation and the exceptional efforts of comScore employees with the company’s 154 percent revenue growth. (more…)

What Did T. Rex Eat? Each Other.

By Guest PostOctober 20, 2010Sciencecanada, cannibalism, carnivore, dinosaurs, fossil, gregory erickson, john horner, largest terrestrial carnivores, majungatholus, mammal tooth, marks, museum, nick longrich, North America, paleontologists, philip currie, scavengers, t rex, tyrannosaurus rex, united states, yale researcher

T. rex was the only big carnivore in western North America 65 million years ago that was capable of making such large gouges. Image credit: Nicholas Longrich

It turns out that the undisputed king of the dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus rex, didn’t just eat other dinosaurs but also each other. Paleontologists from the United States and Canada have found bite marks on the giants’ bones that were made by other T. rex, according to a new study published online Oct. 15 in the journal PLoS ONE.

While searching through dinosaur fossil collections for another study on dinosaur bones with mammal tooth marks, Yale researcher Nick Longrich discovered a bone with especially large gouges in them. Given the age and location of the fossil, the marks had to be made by T. rex, Longrich said. “They’re the kind of marks that any big carnivore could have made, but T. rex was the only big carnivore in western North America 65 million years ago.” (more…)