|  Ignorance is sometimes bliss  | Evolutionary biologist W.D. Hamilton predicted that organisms ought to evolve the ability to discriminate degrees of kinship so as to refine their ability to direct help to individuals with whom they shared the most genes. But two biologists point out that there seem to be many cases where "a veil of ignorance" prevents organisms from gaining this kind of information, forcing them to consider a situation from the perspective of all members of their group. | Read More » Detailed look at a DNA repair protein in action  | Researchers have invented a new technique for studying the process by which certain errors in the genetic code are detected and repaired. The technique is based on a combination of hybrid nanomaterials and SAXS imaging at the ALS SIBYLS beamline. | Read More » H5N1 bird flu genes show nature can pick worrisome traits  | In the beginning, all flu viruses came from birds. Over time, the virus evolved to adapt to other animals, including humans, as natural selection favored viruses with mutations that allowed them to more readily infect the cells of new host species. | Read More » A simple test may catch early pancreatic cancer  | Reporting on a small preliminary study, researchers say a simple blood test based on detection of tiny epigenetic alterations may reveal the earliest signs of pancreatic cancer, a disease that is nearly always fatal because it isn't usually discovered until it has spread to other parts of the body. | Read More » Students text, a lot, during class  | The typical student plays with smartphones, laptops, tablets and other digital devices an average of 11 times a day in class. More than 80 percent say their digital habits interfere with learning. | Read More » Coral itself may play important role in regulating local climate: Coral chemicals protect against warming oceans  | Australian marine scientists have found the first evidence that coral itself may play an important role in regulating local climate. They have discovered that the coral animal -- not just its algal symbiont -- makes an important sulfur-based molecule with properties to assist it in many ways, ranging from cellular protection in times of heat stress to local climate cooling by encouraging clouds to form. | Read More » Study focused on transitioning cystic fibrosis care  | A new study on cystic fibrosis care has found that patients had a less rapid decline in pulmonary function and no other significant health-related changes after transitioning from pediatric to adult care. | Read More » Child neurologist finds potential route to better treatments for Fragile X, autism  | Researchers describe a major reason why current medications only moderately alleviate Fragile X symptoms. His team discovered that three specific drugs affect three different kinds of neurotransmitter receptors that all seem to play roles in Fragile X. As a result, current Fragile X drugs have limited benefit because most of them only affect one receptor. | Read More » Team uses forest waste to develop cheaper, greener supercapacitors  | Researchers report that wood-biochar supercapacitors can produce as much power as today's activated-carbon supercapacitors at a fraction of the cost -- and with environmentally friendly byproducts. | Read More » Lower blood sugars may be good for the brain  | Even for people who don't have diabetes or high blood sugar, those with higher blood sugar levels are more likely to have memory problems, according to a new study. | Read More » Child born with HIV still in remission after 18 months off treatment  | A three-year-old Mississippi child born with HIV and treated with a combination of antiviral drugs unusually early continues to do well and remains free of active infection 18 months after all treatment ceased, according to an updated case report. | Read More » Unique chemical composition surrounding supermassive black holes  | Astronomers have captured a detailed image of high density molecular gas around an active galactic nucleus harboring a supermassive black hole. The observations at the highest ever achieved reveal a unique chemical composition characterized by enhancement of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) around the black hole. An research team thought a high temperature affected by the black hole caused this peculiar chemical properties. The team expect that this unique chemical properties can be used to find black holes hidden behind dust. | Read More » Uterine fibroids have significant impact on quality of life, workplace performance  | Uterine fibroids cause significant fear and morbidity, and can compromise workplace performance, according to a recently published survey of nearly 1,000 women in the U.S. The findings shed new light on the impact, prevalence and treatment concerns related to uterine leiomyomas (fibroids), which affect up to 80 percent of women by age 50. | Read More » Long-term study links box jellyfish abundance, environmental variability at Waikiki Beach  | Drawing on 14 years of monthly collection data, researchers have found that the total number of box jellyfish that come ashore at Waikiki displayed no net increase or decrease, but instead followed an oscillating four-year pattern. Their abundance is likely influenced by climate fluctuations that play a role in large scale primary production in the ocean, regulating food availability and ultimately affecting the local numbers of box jellyfish. | Read More » Researcher learns how to break a sweat  | Without sweat, we would overheat and die. In a recent paper, a team of researchers explored the ultimate origin of this sticky, stinky but vital substance -- sweat gland stem cells. | Read More » Food additive may prevent spread of deadly new avian flu  | A common food additive can block a deadly new strain of avian influenza virus from infecting healthy cells, report researchers. | Read More » New links between sleep deprivation, immune system discovered  | The fact that sleep deprivation has an impact on the function of the human immune system is well known. In a recent study, results have shown new biological links between sleep loss and the immune system. The results provide at least a partial explanation of why sleep deprivation increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. | Read More » Oral bacteria create a 'fingerprint' in your mouth  | The bacteria in the human mouth -- particularly those nestled under the gums -- are as powerful as a fingerprint at identifying a person's ethnicity, new research shows. | Read More » Unprecedented warmth in Arctic: Last 100 years may be warmest in 120,000 years  | Average summer temperatures in the Eastern Canadian Arctic during the last 100 years are higher now than during any century in the past 44,000 years and perhaps as long ago as 120,000 years, says a new study. | Read More » Climate change and coevolution: Scientists have done the math  | When scientists attempt to understand how climate change might reshape our environment, they must grapple with the seemingly endless complexity of interacting systems. For those considering the likely fate of particular species, there is now a relatively simple rule of thumb to help calculate the likely effect of climate change where species interact. | Read More » Gene variant that raises risk for colorectal cancer from eating processed meat present in one-in-three people  | A common genetic variant that affects one in three people significantly increases the risk of colorectal cancer from the consumption of red meat and processed meat. | Read More » All girl getaways: The importance of female friendship throughout the life-cycle  | A recent article, authors discuss the burgeoning trend of all-female holidays, the many different purposes and effects for those participating, and the relationship to the life-cycle of the women. The basis of the article was a study conducted by the authors featuring 79 women of different race, social class, nationality and marital and familial status. | Read More » Preventive effect of plant sterols in Alzheimer's disease  | It's no secret that many of the phytochemicals in fruit and vegetables have a positive effect on our health. For instance, plant sterols (also known as phytosterols) help to lower cholesterol levels. According to a new study, they also appear to prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease. | Read More » Can anyone really multitask?  | The age old adage 'women are better at multitasking than men' may have some scientific merit. Reporting on two experiments, researchers show that under certain conditions, women have an advantage over men at multitasking. While past research has shown that women are involved in more multi-tasking than men, there have been few scientific studies that have interrogated this widely believed claim. The conclusion is that women may be better when faced with specific situations. | Read More » Overuse of radiation therapy services when urologists profit through self-referral  | A comprehensive review of Medicare claims for more than 45,000 patients from 2005 through 2010 found that nearly all of the 146 percent increase in intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for prostate cancer among urologists with an ownership interest in the treatment was due to self-referral, according to new research. | Read More » Data reaffirms test's ability to identify benign thyroid nodules  | A researcher has confirmed that a Gene Expression Classifier test can drastically reduce the problem of unnecessary surgeries in thyroid nodule assessment. These indeterminate nodules are being evaluated with a new molecular diagnostic test that measures the expression levels of 142 genes. This test is able to identify which initially indeterminate nodules are highly likely to be benign, and thus allows patients to avoid unnecessary diagnostic surgery. | Read More » Sleep apnea study uncovers more hidden dangers for women  | A new study shows that autonomic responses -- the controls that impact such functions as blood pressure, heart rate, sweating -- are weaker in people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but even more so in females than males. While women with sleep apnea may appear to be healthy (i.e. blood pressure normal), their symptoms of OSA tend to be subtler, which often times means their sleep problem is missed and they get diagnosed with other conditions. | Read More » Physicists decode decision circuit of cancer metastasis  | Researchers have deciphered the operating principles of a genetic circuit that allows cancer to metastasize. The study revealed that the decision circuit has three settings, an oddity that could open the door to cancer treatments that disrupt the circuit. | Read More » Novel technique to detect fingerprints  | An innovative product that uses fluorescence to detect fingerprints has been developed. This new product will make it possible to highlight fingerprints directly, more rapidly and at a lower cost, avoiding the cumbersome processes required until now. The product has been successfully put through its paces by the French Police and Gendarmerie as well as by Scotland Yard and the FBI. | Read More » PVC as flooring material in childhood is related to asthma 10 years later  | Children who had PVC floorings in the bedroom at baseline were more likely to develop asthma during the following 10 years period when compared with children living without such flooring material. Furthermore, there were indications that PVC flooring in the parents' bedrooms were stronger associated with the new cases of asthma when compared with child's bedroom. This could be an indication that prenatal exposure is of importance. | Read More » Bee sting allergy could be a defense response gone haywire  | Scientists are providing an evolutionary explanation for severe allergic reactions. Researchers show that mice injected with a small dose of bee venom were later resistant to a potentially lethal dose of the same venom. The study is the first experimental evidence that the same immune response involved in allergies may have evolved to serve a protective role against toxins. | Read More » Bees underwent massive extinctions when dinosaurs did  | For the first time ever, scientists have documented a widespread extinction of bees that occurred 65 million years ago, concurrent with the massive event that wiped out land dinosaurs and many flowering plants. Their findings could shed light on the current decline in bee species. | Read More » Need different types of tissue? Just print them!  | What sounds like a dream of the future has already been the subject of research for a few years: simply printing out tissue and organs. Now scientists have further refined the technology and are able to produce various tissue types. | Read More » Better sex in return for good gifts  | If a male spider goes to the trouble of finding a good gift, wraps it up nicely in spider silk and offers it to a female he would like to mate, he has far better chances of fathering her offspring than if he skipped the present. This is shown in new research, where researchers studied what it means for female spiders to receive gifts. | Read More » Curing HIV/AIDS gets tougher: Far more 'hidden' active virus than thought  | Just when some scientists were becoming more hopeful about finding a strategy to outwit HIV's ability to resist, evade and otherwise survive efforts to rid it from the body, another hurdle has emerged to foil their plans, new research shows. | Read More » Landslide sensors may save lives worldwide  | Using technology found in cell phones, inexpensive sensors being tested might one day soon save lives by giving advance warning of deadly landslides in at-risk areas. | Read More » Global HIV vaccine shows promise in monkeys  | The considerable diversity of HIV worldwide represents a critical challenge for designing an effective HIV vaccine. Now a scientific team shows that mosaic antigens might overcome this challenge. | Read More » Getting a grip on inventory management  | More and more manufacturers are offering their products cooperatively through small retailers, as well as in web shops. Researchers have developed a new RF clip with which products can be labeled. It helps avoid duplicate sales. | Read More » Coyote more likely to make a meal out of moose than thought  | It has long been believed that coyotes were incapable of taking down an adult moose, but researchers have recently discovered that eastern coyotes and coyote x wolf hybrids (canids) have preyed on adult moose in central Ontario. | Read More » Gene variants in immune system pathways correlated with composition of microbes of human body  | Human genes in immunity-related pathways are likely associated with the composition of an individual's microbiome, which refers to the bacteria and other microbes that live in and on the body. | Read More » Unemployment makes women more likely to be victims of crime  | Crime and unemployment are linked, but not always in the ways we think they are. It is now clear that in some circumstances female unemployment – rather than unemployment as a whole – makes the biggest difference to rates of violent and property crimes. | Read More » Sharing the power of the crowd  | Over the past three years, 300,000 gamers have helped scientists with genomic research by playing Phylo, an online puzzle game. Now the developers of the game are making this crowd of players available to scientists around the globe. The idea is to put human talent to work to improve on what is already being done by computers in the field of comparative genomics. | Read More » Conflicting criteria for diagnosing polycystic ovary syndrome clarified  | A Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) was published today for the diagnosis and treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome, the most common hormone disorder in women of reproductive age and a leading cause of infertility. | Read More » Tear, repair and rehab: Live tweets of ACL surgery  | In sports, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears happen. When star players suffer one, fans sometimes have questions as to what these injuries involve and how they are repaired. | Read More » Seeing the song: Study aims to understand how, when the auditory system registers complex auditory-visual synchrony  | Imagine the brain's delight when experiencing the sounds of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" while simultaneously taking in a light show produced by a visualizer. A new study did more than that. To understand how the brain responds to complex auditory-visual stimuli like music and moving images, the study tracked parts of the auditory system involved in the perceptual processing of "Moonlight Sonata" while synchronized with the light show made by the iTunes Jelly visualizer. | Read More » Why plants usually live longer then animals  | Stem cells are crucial for the continuous generation of new cells. Although the importance of stem cells in fuelling plant growth and development still many questions on their tight molecular control remain unanswered. Plant researchers have now discovered a new step in the complex regulation of stem cells. | Read More » What is it about your face?  | Researchers have found thousands of gene enhancers -- regulatory sequences of DNA that act to turn-on or amplify the expression of a specific gene -- are involved in the development of the human face. These enhancers help explain why every human face is as unique as a fingerprint. | Read More » Ghostly shape of 'coldest place in the universe' revealed  | Astronomers have taken a new look at the Boomerang Nebula, the so-called "coldest place in the Universe" to learn more about its frigid properties and determine its true shape, which has an eerily ghost-like appearance. | Read More » Behavior problems in preschool, child care centers may be an issue of genes  | A new study suggests that some children may be genetically predisposed to developing behavioral problems in child care and preschool settings. Previous research found that some children develop behavior problems, despite the benefit of academic gains, however, it was never known why some youngsters struggle in these settings and others flourish. This study indicates that some children may act out due to poor self-control and temperament problems that they inherited from their parents. | Read More » Optimism about meeting 'Grand Challenge' of global prosperity  | A professor of earth and atmospheric sciences outlines his optimism about the world's prospects for sustaining the human population in an environmentally responsible way in a new article. | Read More » Samurai sword protein makes strategic cuts in cell skeletons  | Research has shown that a protein named after the katana, or samurai sword, plays a crucial role in patterning the "skeleton" inside plant cells. The work provides a clue to the long-standing mystery of how the cytoskeletons within both plant and animal cells become organized in function-specific patterns. | Read More » Molecular biology: Designer of protein factories exposed  | Researchers have probed the structure of RNA polymerase I, a crucial cog in the machinery of all cells. Now they unveil the full three-dimensional conformation of the enzyme – at atomic resolution. | Read More » Review of daily aspirin dosage highlights concerns about side effects  | Researchers have published the most comprehensive review of the benefits and risks of a daily dose of prophylactic aspirin and warn that greater understanding of side effects is needed. | Read More » | |
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