Following is a summary of current science news briefs.
Hurricane Bertha weakens in Atlantic
MIAMI (Reuters) - Hurricane Bertha weakened rapidly as it headed in the direction of Bermuda on Tuesday, just a day after suddenly burgeoning into the first major hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic storm season, forecasters said. Bertha had begun a northerly turn that would likely spare the U.S. East Coast from a hurricane or tropical storm strike, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
New vaccine sneaks into body, then self-destructs
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new type of vaccine that sneaks into the body and then self-destructs -- all without needles -- may offer a new way to protect against a range of diseases, U.S. researchers reported on Monday. The researchers genetically engineered a type of Salmonella bacteria to carry a little piece of Streptococcus and dripped it into the mouths of mice.
Magnitude 6.2 quake rattles southern Peru
AREQUIPA, Peru (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.2 earthquake shook southern Peru early on Tuesday, killing at least one person in the Andean country's second-largest city, Arequipa, and damaging scores of homes. The epicenter of the quake was located 35 miles north-northwest of Arequipa, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was recorded at a depth of 45 miles.
Cargill rolling out natural, no-calorie sweetener
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Agribusiness giant Cargill Inc <CARG.UL> is starting to roll out Truvia, its natural, no-calorie sweetener on Wednesday, and expects the product to be on grocery shelves across the U.S. sometime this fall. Truvia is made from certain compounds in the leaves of stevia, a shrub native to Paraguay, and will provide a natural alternative to artificial sweeteners including Sweet 'N Low, Equal and Splenda.
New test can help spot best embryos: researchers
BARCELONA (Reuters) - The same infrared technology that measures fat content in milk can more accurately predict which embryos have the best chance of resulting in a pregnancy, fertility experts said on Tuesday. Speaking at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, the researchers estimated their new technique for couples attempting in vitro fertilization could help boost pregnancy rates by about 10 percent to 15 percent.
Frozen embryo babies just as healthy: researchers
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Babies born from frozen embryos weigh more, have no greater risk of birth defects and are as healthy or healthier than those conceived using fresh ones, Danish researchers said on Tuesday. Their findings, presented at a meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, provided some of the strongest evidence yet that freezing and thawing embryos for in vitro fertilization poses no increased risk for a child.
FDA OKs Invitrogen genetic test for breast cancer
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved Invitrogen Corp's <IVGN.O> genetic test for determining whether patients with breast cancer are good candidates for treatment with the drug Herceptin. Invitrogen's test, the SPOT-Light HER2 CISH kit, measures the number of copies of the HER2 gene in tumor tissue. Patients who over-produce the HER2 protein are typically treated with the drug Herceptin, which is made by Genentech <DNA.N>.
Gels to protect women from HIV may help men more
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Gels aimed at helping women protect themselves from the AIDS virus may end up helping men as much or more, researchers predicted on Monday. Computer models predict that if and when such gels or creams are perfected, they would reduce the risk that men could get the incurable virus from women.
New fertility technique targets women with cancer
BARCELONA (Reuters) - A new technique may help newly diagnosed cancer patients preserve their eggs, and perhaps their fertility, before chemotherapy, German researchers said on Monday. Currently, many women collect and freeze some of their eggs to try to have children after their cancer treatment, which can make them infertile. The process can take up to six weeks.
Temple spat rages in Thailand after UNESCO listing
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's top court questioned on Tuesday the legality of Bangkok's support for a Cambodian bid to list a disputed Hindu temple as a World Heritage site, giving the opposition another weapon to attack the government. The Constitutional Court ruled 8-1 that a communique approved by the cabinet in June backing Cambodia's bid to list the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple had required the approval of parliament.
