By going to the tropics to look for ice, scientists have been able to paint a new picture of what the tropical South American climate was like over the past 20,000 years.
During the last ice age, it appears that the Amazon River basin was a drier, cooler place with a vegetation profile somewhat like that of Oklahoma today.
Researchers from Ohio State and Louisiana State universities studied significant ice cores taken from glaciers in the South American Andes mountains to reach these conclusions. They analyzed things such as the ratios of different forms of oxygen trapped in the ice as well as pollen deposits and nitrate compounds. Findings from the studies, published in a recent issue of the journal Science, conflict with earlier conclusions about past climatic changes in the tropics.
INJECTIONS OF TOXIN CAN ERASE WRINKLES
Deep wrinkles between the eyes, often called "worry lines," can be safely erased with small doses of the botulin toxin, a poison sometimes found in contaminated canned or preserved foods, according to University of Michigan researchers.
The toxin kills people by progressively paralyzing a victim's muscles, including those used for breathing. But the tiny amount used to eliminate wrinkles only affects muscles under the skin that are causing the brow to furrow. The muscles are weakened by the toxin, causing the skin above to flatten.
The toxin, called botox, has been used since the '70s to treat a number of muscle disorders, said Dr. Shan R. Baker, director of the U. of M.'s Center for Facial Cosmetic Surgery. The wrinkle-removing effect of the toxin lasts about three to six months, and when the wrinkles come back they usually are not as deep, Baker said. Each session costs about $250
MORE EVIDENCE ASPIRIN AIDS THE HEART
Aspirin, which already has been shown to decrease the risk of suffering a heart attack, can also reduce the damage from a heart attack once it occurs.
Of 332 patients who took aspirin before having a heart attack, 30 percent sustained small attacks compared to 22 of non-aspirin users, Dr. Nananda F. Col reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine.