The Korea Herald

People losing sleep over social media

Millions of Britons are losing sleep because they are updating or checking status updates on Facebook or tweeting, a survey indicated. The study commissioned by Travelodge hotels surveyed 6,000 adults in Britain indicated 72 percent spend their time in bed before falling asleep updating or checking

Feb. 20, 2012

South Korean scientists find new anti-cancer agent

South Korean scientists have discovered a new anti-cancer agent that may offer a new and safe way to treat cancer without the side effects of anti-cancer drugs, as the substance already exists in human bodies, the science ministry said Monday.A team led by Prof. Kim Sung-hoon of Seoul National University has confirmed anti-cancer activities of Glycyl-tRNA synthetase (GRS), an enzyme that was previously only known to interact with other bodily substances to create protein, according to the Minist

Feb. 20, 2012

First test-tube hamburger ready this fall: researchers

The world's first "test-tube" meat, a hamburger made from a cow's stem cells, will be produced this fall, Dutch scientist Mark Post told a major science conference on Sunday.Post's aim is to invent an efficient way to produce skeletal muscle tissue in a laboratory that exactly mimics meat, and event

Feb. 20, 2012

SKT now offering roaming service onboard cruise ships

SK Telecom, the nation’s largest telecom carrier, said Sunday that it will start mobile roaming services onboard cruise ships around the world from Monday. SKT has teamed up with Wireless Maritime Services, a leading provider of onboard communication systems, to offer voice calling, text messaging and data service on 126 cruise liners of 25 companies.The company said that the new service will be helpful even if there is a shipwreck as it is based on satellite communications allowing travelers to

Feb. 19, 2012

SKT now offering roaming service onboard cruise ships

Study: Goats can develop 'accents'

MCTGoats, like people, can develop accents based on their surroundings, a British university study indicates.Until now, experts assumed most species' "voices" were dictated exclusively by genetics and not their surroundings. Exceptions were thought to be limited to humans, elephants, dolphins whales

Feb. 19, 2012

It take almost an hour to work off soda

Most U.S. teens don't know how long it takes to work off calories in a soda, but once they know, they drink more water instead, researchers said.Researcher Sara Bleach of The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore and colleagues had posters put in convenience stores, notifying

Feb. 19, 2012

Apple brings iPad features to the Mac

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Apple released a preview version of its new Macintosh operating system on Thursday, bringing some features of the iPad to the personal computer.The Cupertino, California-based company said the updated operating system, called Mountain Lion, will be available to Macintosh develo

Feb. 17, 2012

Remote-controlled chip implant delivers bone drug

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Medication via remote-control instead of a shot? Scientists implanted microchips in seven women that did just that, oozing out the right dose of a bone-strengthening drug once a day without them even noticing.Implanted medicine is a hot field, aiming to help patients better stick

Feb. 17, 2012

Samsung faces U.S. class action lawsuit over defective TVs

U.S. consumers have filed class action suits against Samsung Electronics Co. as some of its TV models sold in the U.S. are found to have problems with power failures, the South Korean firm said Thursday.U.S. consumers have been complaining about some types of Samsung’s flat-screen TVs sold between 2006 and 2008 as they found problems with a power storage device called a capacitor, making it difficult for the TVs to power up.U.S. consumers have lodged class action lawsuits against the world’s lar

Feb. 16, 2012

Doctors telling more adults: Get out and exercise

ATLANTA (AP) ― More and more U.S. adults are being told by their doctor to get out and exercise, according to government survey released Thursday.Nearly 33 percent of adults who saw a doctor in the previous year said they were told to exercise. That was up from about 23 percent in 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.The report also found more women got that advice than men. And among people with chronic health problems, diabetics, were the most likely to get the advice

Feb. 16, 2012

Family input to detect dementia earlier

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Alexis McKenzie’s mother had mild dementia, but things sounded OK when she phoned home: Dad was with her, finishing his wife’s sentences as they talked about puttering through the day and a drive to the store.Then their phone service was cut off. “I mailed that check,” McKenzie’s father insisted. No, he’d mailed the phone company a bank deposit slip instead. McKenzie visited and discovered spoiling food. Dad the caregiver was in trouble, too.Dementia can sneak up on families. I

Feb. 16, 2012

Mouth ulcers and oral herpes

Aphthous stomatitis, commonly known as “thrush on the tongue,” is a disease where a shallow ulcer is formed in the mouth. Despite an unknown etiology, its occurrence is reportedly associated with the involvement of factors such as viral infection, bacterial infection, malnutrition, immune disorder, stress, trauma, generic factors, hormonal imbalance and other systemic diseases. It is therefore probable that the accumulated fatigue during summer might be one of the causative factors of common mou

Feb. 16, 2012

Chemo safe for pregnant women

LONDON (AP) ― Researchers have encouraging news for women who find themselves in a very frightening situation: having cancer while pregnant. Studies suggest that these women can be treated almost the same as other cancer patients are, with minimal risk to the fetus.Only about 1 in 1,000 pregnant women face this dilemma, but doctors fear that more will because the risk of cancer rises with age, and more women are delaying having children until they’re older.Doctors have long worried about how to

Feb. 16, 2012

Medical fees fixed for 7 procedures

From July, medical fees for seven procedures will be fixed and covered by the national health insurance scheme, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Monday, as a committee of government officials, doctors and other field insiders approved the plan.The seven treatments are caesarian section, hysterectomy and cataract, hemorrhoid, tonsil, hernia and appendix removal.The plan will be applied at local clinics and small hospitals from July and will be extended to general hospitals and top-tier tea

Feb. 16, 2012

Samsung launches ‘Hello Mom’ service

Samsung Seoul Hospital launched a “Hello Mom” service providing assistance for parents or guardians who come with child patients. Staff workers will give assistance at each stage of processing from booking to escorting to preliminary examination rooms and children-only emergency room. The parents will not have to wait in line unless another parent gets in the queue. The hospital said the program was approved of by 48 of 50 parents after a weeklong test run. “Large hospitals can be scary and unco

Feb. 16, 2012

Simultaneous transplant of seven organs ‘successful’

Local doctors have successfully transplanted seven organs to a 7-year-old girl last fall, Asan Medical Center revealed Thursday. It is the first simultaneous transplant in Korea involving that many organs, and the sign of a new era of treatments for hard-to-cure disease, the medics said.According to

Feb. 16, 2012

U.S. military seek to weaponize ‘battlefield illusions’

The United States military’s technology division is pushing to use “battlefield illusions” to confuse enemy troops, Britain’s Daily Mail reported Wednesday.The new project by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency works like existing measures that distract radar systems. The difference is that it works on people instead of machines, causing audio and visual hallucinations. By studying how the brain processes sensory input, DARPA said it aims to “demonstrate and assess the operational effe

Feb. 16, 2012

U.S. military seek to weaponize ‘battlefield illusions’

Eating at night

Snacking at night can cause reflux esophagitisFancy a snack at night? Many people do. From nibbles such as cookies and candy to heavy foods such as fried chicken, beer or pizza, many indulge in eating long after dinner. Night eating syndrome, or midnight hunger, is a commonly found “disorder” among Koreans. It refers to a lack of appetite in the morning and overeating at night.According to professor Park Gyeong-hee of Hallym University, about 10 percent of adults in Korea eat up to half of their

Feb. 16, 2012

TV channel for dogs launched in US

A television channel designed specifically to be watched by dogs Monday in San Diego for stay-home-canines while the owners are away at work or too busy to play. The first and only television network for dogs, DOGTV, scientifically developed and tested for four years, DOGTV, “a new channel for man‘s

Feb. 16, 2012

Apple considering smaller iPad?

Apple Inc. is working with component suppliers in Asia to test a new tablet computer with a screen smaller than the iPad, sources told The Wall Street Journal.Officials at some of Apple's suppliers, who asked to remain anonymous, said the company has shown them designs for a device with a screen siz

Feb. 16, 2012