|  Worm research: Right combination of sugars regulates brain development  | If the development of our nervous system is disturbed, we risk developing serious neurological diseases, impairing our sensory systems, movement control or cognitive functions. This is true for all organisms with a well-developed nervous system, from human to worm. New research reveals how a tiny molecule called mir-79 regulates neural development in roundworms. | Read More » 'Cascade of events' caused sudden explosion of animal life  | The explosion of animal life on Earth around 520 million years ago was the result of a combination of interlinked factors rather than a single underlying cause, according to a new study. | Read More » Groundbreaking pain research  | The bodies of mammals, including humans, respond to injury by releasing endogenous opioids -- compounds that mitigate acute pain. A team of researchers has uncovered groundbreaking new information about how the body responds to traumatic injury with the development of a surprisingly long-lasting opioid mechanism of natural chronic pain control. Remarkably, the body develops both physical and physiological dependence on this opioid system, just as it does to opiate narcotic drugs. | Read More » Scientists reveal how beta-amyloid may cause Alzheimer's  | Scientists have shown how a protein fragment known as beta-amyloid, strongly implicated in Alzheimer's disease, begins destroying synapses before it clumps into plaques that lead to nerve cell death. | Read More » Circadian clock is key to firing up cell's furnace  | Each of our cells has an energy furnace, and it is called a mitochondrion. A research team now has identified a new mode of timekeeping that involves priming the cell's furnace to properly use stored fuel when we are not eating. The interdisciplinary team has identified the "match" and "flint" responsible for lighting this tiny furnace. And the match is only available when the circadian clock says so, underscoring the importance of the biological timing system to metabolism. | Read More » Could dog food additive prevent disabling chemo side effect?  | Working with cells in test tubes and in mice, researchers have discovered that a chemical commonly used as a dog food preservative may prevent the kind of painful nerve damage found in the hands and feet of four out of five cancer patients taking the chemotherapy drug Taxol. | Read More » How lethal bird flu viruses evolved  | An in-depth evolutionary analysis of whole-genome sequences of different types of avian flu viruses has revealed that new H7N9 viruses emerged from distinct H9N2 viruses in a two-step process, first occurring in wild birds and then continuing in domestic birds. | Read More » Oldest and youngest stag-moose in North America  | While most bones discovered in North America turn out to be from deer, bison, horses or cows, some discoveries turn out to be highly unusual, as was the case with an antler from an extinct Ice Age animal known as a stag-moose or elk-moose. | Read More » Geologists simulate deep earthquakes in lab: Fundamentally different and occuring more than 400 km depth  | Geologists have shown how deep earthquakes can be simulated in the laboratory. The experiments were performed using a new type of apparatus that uses synchrotron X-rays. | Read More » Seismologists puzzle over largest deep earthquake ever recorded  | A magnitude 8.3 earthquake that struck deep beneath the Sea of Okhotsk on May 24, 2013, has left seismologists struggling to explain how it happened. At a depth of about 609 kilometers, the intense pressure on the fault should inhibit the kind of rupture that took place. | Read More » Algae biofuel cuts CO2 emissions more than 50 percent compared to petroleum  | Algae-derived biofuel can reduce life cycle CO2 emissions by 50 to 70 percent compared to petroleum fuels, and is approaching a similar Energy Return on Investment as conventional petroleum. The study, the first to analyze real-world data from an algae-to-energy demonstration scale farm, shows that the environmental and energy benefits of algae biofuel are on par, and likely better, than first generation biofuels. | Read More » Paralysis promises smart silk technology  | Researchers have harnessed the natural defense mechanism of silkworms, which causes paralysis, in what is a major step towards the large-scale production of silks with tailor-made properties. | Read More » Mine metals at Maine Superfund site causing widespread contamination  | Toxic metals from the only open pit mine in an estuary system in the United States are widespread in nearby sediment, water and fish and may be affecting marine and coastal animals that feed on them beyond the mine site, a new study finds. | Read More » Songbirds may have 'borrowed' DNA to fuel migration  | A common songbird may have acquired genes from fellow migrating birds in order to travel greater distances, according to a new study. | Read More » Climate change: Polar bears change to diet with higher contaminant loads  | Over the past 30 years, polar bears have increasingly exchanged ringed seal with harp seal and hooded seal in their diet. This change exposes the polar bear to more contaminants, according to a recent international study. | Read More » Tiger genome sequenced: Tiger, lion and leopard genomes compared  | Scientists have unraveled the first whole genome of a nine-year-old male Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), and compared it with the genomes of other big cats including the white Bengal tiger, lions, and snow leopards. The genomic data from this study provides an invaluable resource for the future studies of big cats and their whole family's conservation. | Read More » Digoxin use associated with higher risk of death for heart failure patients  | Digoxin, a drug commonly used to treat heart conditions, was associated with a 72 percent higher rate of death among adults with newly diagnosed systolic heart failure. | Read More » Three new species of tiny frogs from the remarkable region of Papua New Guinea  | Following the description of the world's smallest frogs, biologists now offer three more species of tiny amphibians from the region of Papua New Guinea. Despite their minute size, around 20 mm, the three new frog species are still substantially larger than the prize holders, described in 2011. The new species represent a small part and attest for the remarkable anuran biodiversity of the Papuan region. | Read More » Densest array of carbon nanotubes grown to date  | Carbon nanotubes' outstanding mechanical, electrical and thermal properties make them an alluring material to electronics manufacturers. However, until recently scientists believed that growing the high density of tiny graphene cylinders needed for many microelectronics applications would be difficult. Now a team from Cambridge University in England has devised a simple technique to increase the density of nanotube forests grown on conductive supports about five times over previous methods. | Read More » Promising new alloy for resistive switching memory: Tiny nanoscale filaments could be breakthrough for smaller, denser memory devices  | Researchers have tested a number of oxide materials for their promise in resistive switching memories, and now researchers in Singapore have demonstrated how conductive nano-filaments in amorphous titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin films could be utilized for resistive switching device applications. | Read More » The coelacanth leads a monogamous life  | Scientists have successfully analysed the genetic make-up of the offspring of pregnant coelacanth females for the first time. They found that the likelihood that the offspring is fathered by one single individual is very high – unlike with many other fish species. | Read More » New research supports intentional weight loss for older adults  | New research shows that physical activity and weight loss conducted together for older, overweight and obese adults results in improved body composition, translating into lower cardiovascular disease risk and improved mobility. | Read More » Researchers identify biomarker for smoker's lung cancer  | Researchers have shown that a specific protein pair may be a successful prognostic biomarker for identifying smoking-related lung cancers. The protein is associated with increased expression of the RET oncogene, a particular cancer-causing gene called RET. | Read More » Antibacterial products fuel resistant bacteria in streams and rivers  | The bacterial resistance caused by triclosan has real environmental consequences. Not only does it disrupt aquatic life by changing native bacterial communities, but it is also linked to the rise of resistant bacteria that could diminish the usefulness of important antibiotics. | Read More » Study could help improve nuclear waste repositories  | Researchers are studying the movement of iodine-129 from spent nuclear fuel through a deep, clay-based geological repository. Understanding the process is crucial as countries worldwide consider underground clay formations for nuclear waste disposal. | Read More » Are banana farms contaminating Costa Rica's crocs?  | Shoppers spend over £10 billion on bananas annually and now this demand is being linked to the contamination of Central America's crocodilians. New research analyzes blood samples from spectacled caiman in Costa Rica and finds that intensive pesticide use in plantations leads to contaminated species in protected conservation areas. | Read More » Placebo effect and lessons for the physician-patient relationship  | The findings of a comprehensive review of the placebo phenomenon and its consequences for clinical medicine are contained in a new article that provides an in-depth biological and evolutionary approach to examining the placebo effect in relationship to the doctor-patient relationship. | Read More » Barriers to HIV vaccine response explored  | Researchers have discovered that an antibody that binds and neutralizes HIV likely also targets the body's own "self" proteins. This finding could complicate the development of HIV vaccines designed to elicit this protective antibody, called 4E10, and others like it, as doing so might be dangerous or inefficient. | Read More » Transmitting future asthma by smoking today  | A new study confirms the lasting legacy of smoking. In the study, researchers exposed animal mothers to nicotine during pregnancy — a proxy for smoking — and found the grandchildren were also at an increased risk for asthma, despite the grandchildren never having been exposed to nicotine themselves. | Read More » Why traumatized trees don't 'bleed' to death  | Researchers have used a special type of microscope to discover how "check valves" in wood cells control sap flow and protect trees when they are injured. | Read More » Higher calorie diets increase weight gain, shorten hospital stays for teens with anorexia  | Higher calorie diets produce twice the rate of weight gain compared to the lower calorie diets that currently are recommended for adolescents hospitalized with anorexia nervosa. | Read More » Building the best brain: How brain cell connections get cemented early in life  | When we're born, our brains aren't very organized, but as we grow and learn, things get a bit more stable. How and why does this happen -- and what happens when it doesn't go normally? Researchers have made a major stride in understanding this process, called synapse maturation. | Read More » Cancer cells supported by normal cells in and near tumors  | Investigators report important progress in research aimed at finding ways to fight cancer by targeting the local environment in which tumors grow and from which they draw sustenance. It's part of the first systematic effort to catalog the repertoire of interactions between cancer cells and their environment. | Read More » MERS Co-V genomes reveal complex transmission patterns  | Exactly one year after the first published report on MERS-Coronavirus, the virus continues to defy expectation. In the largest study of its kind, scientists examine the entire genetic code of 21 MERS-Coronavirus samples. Their results suggest that additional human or animal cases -- which have so far evaded detection -- might be the sources of infection. | Read More » Paracetamol improves exercise endurance in the heat  | Paracetamol has a significant effect on exercise performance and the body's ability to cope with the thermal challenge of exercise in the heat. | Read More » Building bridges between nanowires  | Place a layer of gold only a few atoms high on a surface bed of germanium, apply heat to it, and wires will form of themselves. These wires are no more than a few atoms in height and are separated by no more than 1.6 nanometres. Nanotechnologists bridge this small 'gap' with a copper-phthalocyanine molecule, which is able to rotate if the electrons coursing towards it possess sufficient energy, allowing it to function as a switch. This might allow researchers to identify new properties the nanowires may possess. | Read More » Lifestyle Influences Metabolism via DNA Methylation  | An unhealthy lifestyle leaves traces in the DNA. These may have specific effects on metabolism, causing organ damage or disease. Scientists have now identified 28 DNA alterations associated with metabolic traits. This is a world-first epigenome-wide association study of modified genes and metabolites. | Read More » Genetic mapping of kingdom fungi  | An international research team has sequenced the genome of the ascomycete Pyronema confluens, thus closing a gap in the genetic map of fungi. For the first time, scientists have shown for fungi that, in the entire genome, those genes that are active during the sexual development evolve more rapidly than other genes. A similar effect was already described for animals and plants; for fungi, however, this question had hardly been addressed at all. | Read More » Getting rid of unwanted visitors  | Gut-dwelling bacteria are attracting attention, particularly those associated with human diseases. Helicobacter pylori is found in the stomach of humans, where it may cause chronic gastritis and gastric ulcers, although the majority of infections are asymptomatic. The bacterium has been associated with humans for more than 100,000 years, when it first infected San hunter-gatherers. An international consortium has discovered that the Baka pygmies of Cameroon, another community of hunter-gatherers, have a surprisingly low rate of Helicobacter infection. | Read More » Microfluidic platform gives clear look at a crucial step in cancer metastasis  | A microfluidic platform provides a high-resolution view of a crucial step in cancer metastasis. | Read More » Blood pressure cuff may save lives in patients with acute heart attack  | Done in the ambulance, this simple and safe intervention - inflation of a blood pressure cuff to cut off blood flow to the arm during transportation to hospital for acute balloon dilatation – reduces subsequent cardiac symptoms and mortality after acute heart attack. | Read More » Proteins identified that may help brain tumors spread  | Scientists have identified a molecular pathway that seems to contribute to the ability of malignant glioma cells in a brain tumor to spread and invade previously healthy brain tissue. | Read More » Final piece found in puzzle of brain circuitry controlling fertility  | In a landmark discovery, the final piece in the puzzle of understanding how the brain circuitry vital to normal fertility in humans and other mammals operates has been put together by researchers. | Read More » NASA's Deep Space comet hunter mission comes to an end  | After almost 9 years in space that included an unprecedented July 4th impact and subsequent flyby of a comet, an additional comet flyby, and the return of approximately 500,000 images of celestial objects, NASA's Deep Impact mission has ended. | Read More » Imaging technique detects pediatric liver disease without needle biopsy  | A new, non-invasive imaging technique, magnetic resonance elastography, can now help physicians accurately detect fibrosis (scarring) in children with chronic liver disease -- a growing problem due in part to increasing obesity rates. | Read More » High-intensity exercise for people with heart disease  | High-intensity exercise is shown to be protective against coronary heart disease (CHD) and is well known as a popular and time-saving approach to getting fit. But what about people who already have heart disease? Previously, these patients were told to exercise, but only at a moderate intensity to protect their hearts. More recently, however, researchers have found that high-intensity exercise is very beneficial for these patients. | Read More » New rat genus discovered in the birthplace of the theory of evolution  | A prominent tuft of spiny hair on the back, a white tail tip and three pairs of teats represent the unique set of characteristics describing a new genus of rat which has been discovered in the Moluccan province of Indonesia. This region had a profound influence on the British Naturalist Alfred Russell Wallace who independently developed the theory of evolution alongside Charles Darwin. | Read More » | |
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