Minerals

When roasted at 475 degrees, coffee beans are sometimes described as rich and full-bodied. But for the full-bodied person who is not so rich, unroasted coffee beans - green as the day they were picked - may hold the key to cheap and effective weight loss, new research suggests. In a study presented Tuesday at the American Chemical Society's spring national meeting in San Diego, 16 overweight young adults took, by turns, a low dose of green coffee bean extract, a high dose of the supplement, and a placebo.

Pete and Jack Diehl grew up in the tall clapboard house their German immigrant ancestors built in 1842, on a hillside overlooking a creek in the Catskills. Sharp-featured and lean, the brothers run dairy farms within a couple miles of each other. They own land together, and Pete's grandson works on Jack's farm every day after school. But the Diehls are divided over the fate of their property — like thousands of others along the Pennsylvania border, where rich natural gas deposits underlie forests, pastures and towns.

Sprouted-grain bread offerings in the market have been slowly but steadily on the uptick of late, and a number of health claims have attached themselves to the spongy, nutty-tasting loaves: more digestible, richer in protein and higher in vitamins and minerals compared with other breads. But are the claims true? Yes -- and no. Sprouted-grain products have distinct nutritional advantages over white breads, but when compared to other whole-grain breads, they're usually nutritionally comparable -- although nutrient contents can vary, depending on the sprouts included.

Fluoride is a natural mineral with an unnatural ability to stir controversy. On the Internet, the cavity fighter is often portrayed as a grave threat to health. Various sites call it "a deadly poison" and "an invisible killer" - the sort of thing you'd want to avoid if you had any choice. Most toothpastes contain fluoride, but people who prefer to brush without the additive have plenty of options. Tom's of Maine, a health and beauty company based in Kennebunk, sells several varieties of fluoride-free pastes.

It was evidently good enough for Gilligan and Robinson Crusoe. But is coconut water a healthy choice for people who aren't stranded on a deserted island? A longstanding treat in tropical regions across the globe, coconut water hit U.S. supermarkets a few years back and is now being marketed with a vengeance. Sometimes billed as nature's sports drink, the slightly sour beverage has also acquired a reputation for being able to improve circulation, slow aging, fight viruses, boost immunity, and reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke.

Armed with picks, shovels and hammers, they venture out to traverse dry, desert trails, seldom-used mountain paths and abandoned mine dumps in search of treasure. They spend hours, and often days, in their quest. And when their journeys are over, they return home with their prizes: rocks. Scouring dry lakes and dusty deserts for rocks may not seem like the most exciting way to spend a free afternoon, but for avid rock hounds, few activities can compare.

Embedded in the financial reform President Obama signed into law last week was a truly historic regulatory provision — one that doesn't pertain to Wall Street but to the Democratic Republic of Congo. In an effort to choke off funding for the armed thugs and rebel militias that have killed more than 5 million people and turned Congo into the rape capital of the world, the new law will require thousands of U.S. companies to disclose whether their products contain minerals from rebel-controlled mines.

The deadliest conflict since World War II, in which 5.4 million people have died and 200,000 women have been raped, rages far from Iraq and Afghanistan. It is in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where murderous militias are battling for control of valuable minerals such as tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold, which are essential to the worldwide production of consumer electronics. Congolese, in other words, are dying in extraordinary numbers for our cellphones and video games, digital cameras and laptop computers.

A rock is a rock is a rock. Right? Wrong. Look closely. Every rock is unique, with different colors, textures and shapes. These characteristics help tell geologists about the earth's history. Last year, NASA sent a robot named Sojourner to Mars to take pictures of rocks. Scientists are analyzing these pictures to unravel some of Mars' mysteries. So next time you're outside, look around for little bits of history--rocks!

The Soviet Union and Cambodia have agreed on joint exploration for oil, natural gas and gold in Cambodia, the Vietnam News Agency said Thursday.

As USC's basketball practice finished Friday, an unfamiliar face joined the players in a huddle. Trojans Coach Kevin O'Neill introduced the man as the greatest player in the program's history. "I want you all to meet Harold Miner," he said. Miner's No. 23 jersey will be retired at Sunday's USC-UCLA game at the Galen Center. A large photo of him already hangs in the corner of the practice arena. "I really miss being around the game," Miner said later. "I've been away for a long time.

Question: Please give your thoughts on Gilead Sciences Inc. stock, which has been recommended to me. Answer: This biotechnology company is a leader in discovering, developing and marketing therapies for treating life-threatening infectious diseases. For example, it recently submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration for marketing approval of its single-tablet, once-daily regimen, called Quad, for treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults. Atripla, a three-drug pill, touts itself as "the No. 1 prescribed HIV regimen.

Miners and people in the hotel and food service industry have the highest smoking rates, while those in education have the lowest, finds a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on smoking prevalence in various professions. Data from the National Health Interview Survey found that overall the incidence of smoking was highest among those who didn't graduate high school, had no health insurance and lived below the federal poverty line. Smoking rates among all working adults surveyed was 19.6%.

Seventeen thousand feet above sea level, at the top of the Lake Titicaca basin in Peru, the gray-black slopes sparkle with tiny flakes of gold. Each day, 40,000 people with pickaxes and crude hydraulic drills work the shaft mines of La Rinconada. Another few thousand toil in teams sifting sand in an open pit mine at the headwaters of the lake's principal tributary. A gold rush is on in this part of the Andes. New fortunes are made by a few, while many others toil amid mass squalor.

The story of the Chilean miners who were trapped underground for more than two months is on its way to the big screen. The 33 miners have sold the rights to their story to producer Mike Medavoy, the producer and the miners' representatives announced Monday. The planned film will recount the remarkable plight of the miners who were trapped for 69 days after the San Jose mine they were working in collapsed near Copiapo, Chile. "Motorcycle Diaries" screenwriter Jose Rivera is set to write the script.

No one had to explain it to Rory McIlroy — he understood the significance of the moment. The 22-year-old from Northern Ireland had just won the U.S. Open, capturing his first major, and already his name was being mentioned in the same breath as Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. McIlroy had become the Next Big Thing. "When you win a major quite early in your career, everyone is going to draw comparisons," he told reporters. "It's natural. " Modern sport thrives on star power, feeding off those rarified athletes who come along once a generation or so, talented and successful enough to become icons.

A new mineral formed on the moon by repeated bombardments from meteorites and other space debris has been found in a meteorite that fell to Earth in 2000, researchers reported Monday. The finding shows that "space weather" can help create materials not seen on Earth, they reported in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Concern about a lack of nutrients in supermarket foods grown in poor-quality soil may be leading the consumer to the supplement shelves for vitamins and minerals--a dangerous and unnecessary tack, according to an expert on trace minerals and vitamins. "Supplements don't supply the fiber and carbohydrates that are found in raw vegetables and fruits," said Lucille Hurley, a Ph.D. with the University of California at Davis and with the Dairy Council of California.

Reporting from Ladrymbai, India The young miners descend on rickety ladders made of branches into the makeshift coal mines dotting the Jaintia Hills in northeast India, scrambling sideways into "rat hole" shafts so small that even kneeling becomes impossible. Lying horizontally, they hack away with picks and their bare hands: Human labor here is far cheaper than machines. Many wear flip-flops and shorts, their faces and lungs blackened by coal. None have helmets. Two hours of grinding work fills a cart half the size of a coffin that they drag back, crouching, to the mouth where a clerk credits their work.

What's in a name Re "Dishonored," Opinion, May 10 Karl Jacoby's general issue with how Americans do not fully grasp our Native American past is true in many respects, but I did not take the military code-name "Geronimo" as denigrating to the Apache leader. Quite the contrary. Whether we were playing games as kids or riding a roller- coaster, to yell out "Geronimo" was something of a war cry, a battle yell — shouting the name of that brave warrior to provide adrenaline and courage.