Science News

NOTTINGHAM, England, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Over the counter benzoyl peroxide lotion is as good as prescription antibiotics for treating mild to moderate facial acne.

PLYMOUTH, England, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Magnetic bracelets reduce pain in osteoarthritis of the hip and knee, a study says in this week's issue of the BMJ.

LONDON, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- British scientists suggest eating the "Polymeal," a set of ingredients which cuts the risk of heart disease by 76 percent.

BALTIMORE, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Johns Hopkins University researchers say distributing free nicotine patches increased participation in a Maryland smoking cessation program.

New monkey species found in India ... Rocks pinpoint site of earliest life ... U.S. weather in 2004 was warm, wet ... High papillomavirus infection seen in U.S. ... News from United Press International.

ATLANTA, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- A Georgia Institute of Technology study says rural two-lane highways are the largest single class of roads in the United States and also the deadliest.

LEEDS, England, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Researchers at Britain's University of Leeds have developed a hip prosthesis they say lasts longer than currently available models.

CHICAGO, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Rocks found in Greenland provide the earliest evidence of life on Earth, a study concludes.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Dec. 16 (UPI) -- North Carolina researchers say many U.S. residents who have younger children at home are negligent in storing guns and poisons.

ASHVILLE, N.C., Dec. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. weather scientists said Thursday that 2004 probably will be ranked warmer than average and among the top 10 wettest years on record.

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Pennsylvania scientists say the danger of earthquakes in the San Francisco Bay area is greater than generally thought.

PRINCETON, N.J., Dec. 16 (UPI) -- New Jersey researchers say a brain chemical that stokes hunger for food and fat also triggers thirst for alcohol and may play a role in chronic drinking.

INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Indiana researchers report finding a much higher rate of papillomavirus viral infection in sexually active female adolescents than previously recorded.

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. officials Friday disputed reports saying an enormous iceberg sitting in McMurdo Sound is threatening Antartic researchers.

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- The average global temperature this year is the fourth-highest since 1861, the United Nations World Meteorological Organization reported.