Trends & Innovations - Wednesday (Investor's Business Daily)

Mobile phones linked to cancer

A new study says heavy cell phone use increases the risk of cancer, contradicting other recent studies. The study found that people who use their cells against the side of their heads for several hours a day were 50% more likely to develop tumors in their salivary glands. It also found that rural users may face a higher risk because their mobiles need to emit more radiation to connect to antennas. The study by Tel Aviv Univ. scientists was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Study: Social site risks overblown

Contrary to some media reports, teens who regularly use Facebook or MySpace are at no greater risk of being targeted by sexual predators than those involved in other Internet activities, said a study by the Univ. of N.H.s Crimes Against Children Research Center. The study said that most predators use instant messaging, e-mail and chat rooms to find victims, rather than social sites. It also said 5% of offenders pretend to be teens to win victims trust. Overall, it said, most victims are seduced by men who pretend they are in love with their victims.

A newly approved computing system will enable airlines that fly to the U.S. to determine at check-in counters whether passengers are on a terror watch list. Currently, airlines submit names to U.S. Customs 30 minutes before departure. As a result, a plane has likely left the gate before the airline learns if a passenger is on the list, forcing the plane back to the gate to remove the passenger, thus delaying the flight.

More patients die at hospitals if they go into cardiac arrest after 11 p.m., during the graveyard shift, a new study found. The researchers said possible reasons include fatigued staff and too few night-shift staffers. Patients who had cardiac arrests during the day or evening had a 20% survival rate; the rate drops to less than 15% after 11 p.m. Many guidance counselors in high schools dont have the time or expertise to advise students on going to college, says a study by the nonprofit Joyce Ivy Foundation in Mich. Even as more high schoolers than ever make college plans, few counselors specialize in helping 11th- and 12th-graders. Many counselors keep busy with class scheduling, overseeing tests and other duties.