Research

The first major study of motorcycle crashes in nearly 30 years is underway in Los Angeles, as researchers attempt to pinpoint why resultant fatalities have soared over the last decade to constitute 14% of all roadway deaths, despite the fact that motorcycles account for less than 1% of vehicle miles traveled. There are plenty of theories to explain the increase: The number of motorcycles on the road rose from 3.9 million in 1998 to 7.1 million in 2007; motorcycles are more powerful than they used to be; riders are older, now averaging 41 years of age; and many states have repealed their helmet laws.

"Once a liar, always a liar" is a proverbial parental admonishment. A new study claims there is truth to the adage: People who cheated on exams in high school are considerably more likely to be dishonest later in life, according to a report to be released today by the Josephson Institute of Ethics. The study, which surveyed nearly 7,000 people in various age groups nationwide, offers a sobering assessment of today's youth as cynics who are aware that their behavior crosses boundaries but believe it is necessary to succeed.

In the third gene-therapy success of recent weeks, French researchers have arrested the progression of the rare and fatal degenerative disorder adrenoleukodystrophy, which was at the heart of the popular movie "Lorenzo's Oil." The disease has stabilized in two boys who were 7 years old when the therapy was performed two years ago, the team reported today in the journal Science. "This is a disease that never, ever stabilizes" on its own, said Dr. Katherine High of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who was not involved in the research.

They may not be old enough to talk, but babies less than a week old know how to cry in their native language. Researchers have known that infants have the ability to mimic speech starting around 12 weeks of age. Babies also show a preference for spoken language that mirrors the rhythm, melody and intensity patterns of their mother tongue. But when they're too young to control their vocal cords or the muscles that shape the mouth to make specific sounds, how can babies demonstrate that they're tuned in to the chatter around them?

Scientists have shown for the first time that it may be possible to "read" a person's mind simply by looking at brain activity. Using a modern scanner to measure blood flow, British researchers said Thursday that they were able to tell where volunteers were within a computer-generated virtual reality environment. The discovery, reported in the journal Cell Biology, could help research into memory disorders such as Alzheimer's by shedding light on how the hippocampus region records memories.

Scientists said Thursday that they had shown the human body regenerates heart cells at a rate of about 1% a year. The study of 50 volunteers, using a dating method that detects traces of a carbon isotope left by Cold War nuclear bomb tests, raises the prospect of artificially stimulating the renewal process someday, they reported in the journal Science. "It would be a way to try and help the heart to some self-help rather than transplanting new cells," Jonas Frisen of Sweden's Karolinska Institute said in a telephone interview.

Scientists using imaging scans on soldiers have identified brain patterns that signal post-traumatic stress, a finding they said Friday might ultimately help diagnose the disorder sooner. The scans of 42 U.S. soldiers who had served in Iraq or Afghanistan in the recent past showed that, compared with healthy veterans, those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder had marked differences in some brain activity. The study was presented at the World Psychiatric Assn. Congress in Italy.

Between 80 and 100 animal rights activists Monday protested ongoing primate research at UCLA. Members of Stop Animal Exploitation Now marched to Chancellor Gene Block's office in Murphy Hall, asking him to halt researcher Joaquin Fuster's primate experiments with rhesus monkeys. UCLA spokesman Phil Hampton said research projects undergo a strict vetting process to ensure they are warranted. He said Fuster's research has made major contributions to the understanding of how memory works.

Poor immigrant Latinas have healthy babies, but by age 2 or 3 their toddlers begin to lag behind white middle-class children in vocabulary, listening and problem-solving skills, according to two studies released Tuesday. Researchers call it the "immigrant paradox": Pregnant Latino women smoke and drink less than pregnant white and African American women, Latino newborns have lower infant mortality rates, and the cognitive skill of infants 9 to 15 months are about equal for white and Latino children.

In vitro fertilization made it possible for Adriana and Robert Potter to welcome twins Anabella and Matteus into the world. For the same reasons many couples can't conceive, IVF was their only option if they wanted children of their own. But with that choice, came another: what to do with two other embryos created in the same petri dish but never placed in the womb. On that issue, the Potters have agreed to disagree for now. If the Elmhurst couple decides they don't want more children, Adriana Potter believes that donating the embryos to advance reproductive technology or treat debilitating diseases would be the most life-affirming choice.