|  The spliceosome: More than meets the eye  | In a recent paper, a team of researchers explain how the molecular machine known as the spliceosome begins the process of rearranging gene sequences in RNA splicing. | Read More » Dramatic fall in death rates after hip replacements  | Mortality rates in the first 90 days following hip replacement surgery have halved, according to a study. | Read More » Breathing underwater: Evidence of microscopic life in oceanic crust  | Scientists have recently documented that oxygen is disappearing from seawater circulating through deep oceanic crust, a significant first step in understanding the way life in the "deep biosphere" beneath the sea floor is able to survive and thrive. The new research findings are helping to redefine our concepts of the limits of life on our planet. | Read More » African breed of cattle harbours potential defense against life-threatening parasite  | Every year, millions of cattle die of trypanosomosis - among the ten diseases of cattle with the greatest impact on the poor. In Africa the disease is known as "Nagana", which translates literally as "being in low or depressed spirits". The disease is caused by a parasite that enters the animals' blood as a result of the bite of the Tsetse fly. | Read More » Study on 90-year-olds reveals the benefits of strength training  | After doing specific training for 12 weeks, people over the age of 90 improved their strength, power and muscle mass. This was reflected in an increase in their walking speed, a greater capacity to get out of their chairs, an improvement in their balance, a significant reduction in the incidence of falls, a significant improvement in muscle power, and mass in the lower limbs. | Read More » Over the limit: Size, shape, color of wine glass affect how much you pour  | Most people think of a glass of wine as one serving, but in reality it could be two or three. Just how much one pours is influenced by a variety of factors, and that could lead to over-consumption. | Read More » Repurposed antidepressants may treat small-cell lung cancer  | A bioinformatics approach to repurposing drugs resulted in identification of a class of antidepressants as a potential new treatment for small-cell lung cancer. | Read More » Educational game uses architectural design to teach math skills  | A professor is creating a computer game called Earthquake Rebuild that encourages creativity in design and uses architecture to teach geometry and other math skills. | Read More » New breast cancer imaging technique could cut down on false positives  | A new breast cancer screening technique is being developed that has the potential to reduce false positives, and, possibly, minimize the need for invasive biopsies. Scientists have created an MRI device that could improve both the process and accuracy of breast cancer screening by scanning for sodium levels in the breast. | Read More » Understanding how infants acquire new words across cultures  | Infants show strong universals as they acquire their native language, but a recent study with infants acquiring Korean also reveals that there are striking language differences. A new study provides the first ever evidence comparing how infants (monolingual, from Korea) acquiring Korean learn new nouns and verbs. | Read More » New survey of DNA alterations could aid search for cancer genes  | Scanning the DNA of nearly 5,000 tumor samples, a team led of scientists has identified 140 regions of scrambled genetic code believed to contain many undiscovered cancer genes. Mapping of the abnormal regions gives cancer scientists a starting point from which to search for as-yet undiscovered oncogenes and broken tumor-suppressor genes. | Read More » | |
