Running shoes, decked out with the latest cushioning, motion control and arch support technologies, may not be as beneficial to your feet and joints as you might think.

A new study finds that running shoes, at least the kind currently on the market, may actually put more of a strain on your joints than if you were to run barefoot or even to walk in high-heeled shoes, and the increased pressure could lead to knee, hip and ankle damage. The scientists don't recommend ditching your high-tech sneaks, however, as going barefoot on man-made surfaces could also prove harmful,
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The researchers found an increase in this torque for the knees, hips and ankles when the participants were wearing running shoes as compared with when they were running barefoot.

In a study released by the International Journal of Biological Sciences, analyzing the effects of genetically modified foods on mammalian health, researchers found that agricultural giant Monsanto's GM corn is linked to organ damage in rats.

According to the study, which was summarized by Adam Shake at Twilight Earth, "Three varieties of Monsanto's GM corn - Mon 863, insecticide-producing Mon 810, and Roundup® herbicide-absorbing NK 603 - were approved for consumption by US, European and several other national food safety authorities."

In the conclusion of the IJBS study, researchers wrote:

"Effects were mostly concentrated in kidney and liver function, the two major diet detoxification organs, but in detail differed with each GM type. In addition, some effects on heart, adrenal, spleen and blood cells were also frequently noted..."

The Army has informed Congress that it is terminating a robotic vehicle and an unmanned aircraft program that were once part of the Army’s largest modernization effort.

The move, which comes as the Pentagon prepares its 2011 budget request, highlights the Army’s need to pour money into technologies that military planners see as much more necessary to support soldiers deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.

The cancellation of the unmanned ground and air vehicle programs eviscerates what once was known as the Army’s Future Combat Systems. The once-ambitious $160 billion FCS was envisioned as a series of combat vehicles and unmanned systems linked through a software network, but has been whittled down to a few sensors and small unmanned systems.