Could a Viagra for women be in the offing? Well, female rats given a drug that mimics a pituitary hormone began sending "come hither" signals to nearby males.
The drug, called PT-141, is also being tested as a treatment for erectile disfunction in men and seems to operate through a central mechanism in the brain, said the study’s lead researcher.
How it works isn't yet clear, but female rats given the drug darted around to attract the attention of males, and assumed postures that invited sexual activity, the researchers reported.
Mutating bird flu: A frightening strain of bird flu that can kill people is mutating into an ever more deadly form in ducks and needs to be controlled quickly, U.S. and Chinese researchers reported.
They found steady changes in the so-called H5N1 virus infecting flocks of apparently healthy ducks that made the virus more likely to kill mammals such as mice -- and perhaps people, too.
The H5N1 virus was first seen in Hong Kong in 1997 and has reappeared in southeast Asia, killing 24 people in Vietnam and Thailand this year. Whenever it appears in poultry, officials move quickly to destroy the birds to prevent the spread of the virus.
Hangover fix: Good news for anyone who has ever had that queasy feeling the morning after one too many: A study has found that an extract of prickly pear cactus can prevent a severe hangover.
Prickly pear cactus extract is available at some health-supplement stores. It has been used in sunburn ointments and as a diet supplement, supposedly to reduce blood sugar levels.
The study found that when taken hours before drinking, the extract can alleviate symptoms such as dry mouth and that nauseated, can't-stand-the-sight-of-food feeling. It does not appear to ease other symptoms, such as headaches and dizziness.
Radio Saturn: Scientists who figured they knew how long a day lasted on Saturn are having second thoughts.
The Cassini spacecraft has been listening to natural radio signals from Saturn, the most reliable method of determining a day's length. Cassini's transmissions show a complete rotation takes 10 hours, 45 minutes and 45 seconds, plus or minus 36 seconds, NASA said.
That's about six minutes longer than measurements performed by the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft that flew by Saturn in 1980 and 1981. Observations made in France in 1997 also differed from the Voyager findings.
AP and Reuters contributed to this report.
