Biology
The Lead
Alcohol Rewires Brain to be Susceptible to Anxiety, Trauma
September 4, 2012 10:00 am | by UNC School of Medicine | News | Comments
New research using mice reveals heavy alcohol use actually rewires brain circuitry, making it harder for alcoholics to recover psychologically following a traumatic experience.
Method Lessens Chemo’s Side Effects
August 15, 2012 8:29 am | by laboratory equipment, science, news, laboratory equipment, Method Lessens Chemo’s Side Effects, VIB | News | Comments
Researchers have confirmed that normalizing blood vessels by blocking oxygen sensor PHD2 would...
One Yellow Fever Shot is Enough
May 17, 2013 1:21 pm | by Associated Press | News | CommentsThe World Health Organization says a yellow fever booster vaccination given 10 years after the initial shot isn't necessary.
Parasites ‘Talk’ to Each Other
May 17, 2013 7:00 am | by Walter and Eliza Hall Institute | Videos | CommentsMalaria parasites can “talk” to each other– a social behavior to ensure the parasite’s survival and improve its chances of being transmitted to other humans.
Injected Nanogel Can Help Fight Diabetes
May 17, 2013 7:00 am | by MIT, Anne Trafton | News | CommentsA single injection of nanogel can maintain normal blood-sugar levels for an average of 10 days in mice with Type 1 diabetes.
Frogs Used for Pregnancy Tests Carry Deadly Fungus
May 16, 2013 12:05 pm | by Inside Science News Service, Chris Gorski | News | CommentsAfrican frogs once imported to laboratories and hospitals around the world may have carried with them a devastating fungal infection thought to be responsible for a rapid, global, decline in amphibians.
Health Workers Catch SARS-Like Virus from Patients
May 16, 2013 12:01 pm | by Associated Press, Mike Stobbe | News | CommentsA deadly new respiratory virus related to SARS can apparently spread from person-to-person as health care workers fell ill after contact with infected patients in eastern Saudi Arabia.
Cells Can Be Living Calculators
May 16, 2013 11:54 am | by MIT, Anne Trafton | News | CommentsEngineers have transformed bacterial cells into living calculators that can compute logarithms, divide and take square roots, using three or fewer genetic parts.
Stem Cells Recovered from Cloned Human Embryos
May 16, 2013 7:00 am | by Associated Press, Malcolm Ritter | News | CommentsScientists have finally recovered stem cells from cloned human embryos, a longstanding goal that could lead to new treatments for such illnesses as Parkinson's disease and diabetes.
Oldest Evidence of Split Between Old World Monkeys, Apes
May 16, 2013 7:00 am | by Ohio Univ. | News | CommentsTwo fossil discoveries from the East African Rift reveal new information about the evolution of primates.
Three Billion-Year-Old Water Holds Clues to Life
May 16, 2013 7:00 am | by Univ. of Manchester | News | CommentsScientists have discovered ancient pockets of water, which have been isolated deep underground for billions of years and contain abundant chemicals known to support life.
Symmetry Produces Efficient Photosynthesis
May 15, 2013 12:07 pm | by MIT, David Chandler | News | CommentsResearchers have found that the key to purple bacteria’s light-harvesting prowess lies in highly symmetrical molecules.
Focus on Color Means White Veggies are Overlooked
May 15, 2013 12:02 pm | by Purdue Univ. | News | CommentsColorful vegetables are promoted as key to a healthy diet, but white vegetables, especially potatoes, shouldn't be forgotten.
Brain to be Model for Supercomputers
May 15, 2013 7:00 am | by Sandia National Laboratories | News | CommentsResearchers are considering the brain’s superior ability to send electrical signals along massively parallel channels: if a supercomputer was like a brain it would learn, adapt, hypothesize and then suggest answers.
Spud Company Turns to Biotech Potatoes
May 15, 2013 7:00 am | by Associated Press, John Miller | News | CommentsTuber processing giant J.R. Simplot Co. asked the U.S. government to approve five varieties of biotech potatoes that resist browning and are designed to produce lower levels of potentially cancer-causing acrylamide when fried.
Wind Farms Never Prosecuted for Eagle Deaths
May 14, 2013 12:38 pm | by Associated Press, Dina Cappiello | News | CommentsThe government has prosecuted oil companies when birds drown in their waste pits, power companies when birds are electrocuted by their power lines but has never fined or prosecuted a wind-energy company when birds hit their fans.
Hips Have 'Fishy' Origins
May 14, 2013 12:35 pm | by Monash Univ. | News | CommentsNew research has revealed that the evolution of the complex, weight-bearing hips of walking animals from the basic hips of fish was a much simpler process than previously thought.
Coal Plant Emissions May Increase Suicides
May 14, 2013 7:00 am | by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center | News | CommentsNew research finds that suicide, while strongly associated with psychiatric conditions, also correlates with environmental pollution.
Tiny Bones Hold Huge Human Evolution Clues
May 14, 2013 7:00 am | by Texas A&M Univ. | News | CommentsThe tiniest bones in the human body– the bones of the middle ear– could provide huge clues about our evolution and the development of modern-day humans.
Sperm Gives More DNA than Believed
May 14, 2013 7:00 am | by Chinese Academy of Sciences | News | CommentsChinese scientists have revealed that the DNA methylome of sperm, not oocytes, will be inherited by offspring.
Depressed People's Body Clocks are Altered at Cell Level
May 14, 2013 7:00 am | by Univ. of Michigan Medical School | News | CommentsA finding of disrupted brain gene orchestration gives first direct evidence of circadian rhythm changes in depressed brains and opens door to better treatment.
Restorative Gel May Be Key to Reversing Paralysis
May 14, 2013 7:00 am | by Tel Aviv Univ. | News | CommentsResearchers have invented a method for repairing damaged peripheral nerves.
Blood Protein Reverses Heart Aging in Mice
May 13, 2013 8:28 am | by Harvard Univ. | News | CommentsScientists have identified a protein in the blood of mice and humans that may prove to be the first effective treatment for the form of age-related heart failure that affects millions of Americans.
Researchers Find Four Gene Risks for Testicular Cancer
May 13, 2013 8:25 am | by Perelman School of Medicine at the Univ. of Pennsylvania | News | CommentsA new study looking at the genomes of more than 13,000 men identified four new genetic variants associated with an increased risk of testicular cancer.
Cilia Find Has Implications for Hearing, Vision, Kidney Disease
May 13, 2013 8:16 am | by Johns Hopkins | News | CommentsExperiments unearthed clues about which protein signaling molecules are allowed into hollow, hair-like “antennae,” called cilia, that alert cells to critical changes in their environments.
Carnivorous Plant Proves ‘Junk’ DNA Unnecessary
May 13, 2013 8:10 am | by Univ. at Buffalo | News | CommentsA study of carnivorous plants shows that the large majority of noncoding DNA— which is abundant in many living things— may not actually be needed for complex life.
Flu Pandemic is Possible
May 10, 2013 11:52 am | by MIT, Anne Trafton | News | CommentsA study has identified influenza viruses circulating in pigs and birds that could pose a risk to humans.
