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An estimated 19 percent of total energy used in the USA is taken up in the production and supply of food. It is important that ways of reducing this significant fuel consumption in the US food system are found. Researchers now set out strategies which could potentially cut fossil energy fuel use by as much as 50 percent.

For patients with head and neck cancer, accurately determining how advanced the cancer is and detecting secondary cancers usually means undergoing numerous tests - until now. New research has found that the PET-CT scanner can be used as a stand-alone tool to detect secondary cancers, which occur in 5 to 10 percent of head and neck cancer patients.

Blue light commonly used by dentists to cure resin fillings and hydrogen peroxide combined may be capable of reaching and treating bacteria in deep layers of biofilms that can cause cavities and gingivitis.

Masha, a middle-aged avatar from Second Life, is an integral part of a new research project to teach and give students practice time to communicate with mock patients. Not only do findings from the study have potential to revolutionize dental education but also to change the way national testing is done for patient-side communication skills.

Your grandmother might have little in common with an astronaut, but both could benefit from a new device an MIT graduate student is designing to test balancing ability.

The simple application of a pain-relieving gel may reduce the breast discomfort some women experience during mammography exams. For a mammography exam, a radiologic technologist positions the patient's breast on a platform in a mammography unit. The breast is then gradually compressed with a paddle. The patient may feel pressure and occasionally some discomfort or pain. Fear of this discomfort leads many women to avoid mammograms altogether.

With less than a month remaining before the Beijing Olympics, Chinese officials have introduced a series of measures to improve air quality for the Games. A new tool has been installed in the capital city to allow the Chinese to monitor the effectiveness of these efforts.

A report by scientists from the Netherlands identifies a compound in human saliva that greatly speeds wound healing. This research may offer hope to people suffering from chronic wounds related to diabetes and other disorders, as well as traumatic injuries and burns. In addition, because the compounds can be mass produced, they have the potential to become as common as antibiotic creams and rubbing alcohol.

A study of top-selling laundry products and air fresheners found the products emitted dozens of different chemicals. All six products tested gave off at least one chemical regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws, but none of those chemicals was listed on the product labels.

Picking up on innuendo and social cues is a central component of engaging in conversation, but people with autism often struggle to determine another person's intentions in a social interaction. New research sheds light on the neural mechanisms that are responsible for such social difficulties in autism, and on the workings of these social brain mechanisms in all of us.