Ancestry attracts, but love is blind People preferentially marry those with similar ancestry, but their decisions are not necessarily based on hair, eye or skin color. Research shows that Mexicans mate according to proportions of Native-American to European ancestry, while Puerto Ricans are more likely to settle down with someone carry...
New cause of osteoporosis: Mutation in a miroRNA Many biological processes are controlled by small molecules known as microRNAs. Researchers have now identified a previously unknown microRNA (miR-2861) as crucial to bone maintenance in mice and humans; significantly, expression of functional miR-2861 was absent in two related adolescents with prim...
Why Israeli rodents are more cautious than Jordanian ones Rodent, reptile and ant lion species behave differently on either side of the Israel-Jordan border. Researchers found that Israeli gerbils are more cautious than their Jordanian friends, and the funnel-digging ant lion population in Israel is unmistakably larger than in Jordan.
On your last nerve: Researchers advance understanding of stem cells Researchers have identified a gene that tells embryonic stem cells in the brain when to stop producing nerve cells called neurons. The research is a significant advance in understanding the development of the nervous system, which is essential to addressing conditions such as Parkinson's disease, Al...
Frog legs trade may facilitate spread of pathogens Most countries throughout the world participate in the $40-million-per-year culinary trade of frog legs in some way, with 75 percent of frog legs consumed in France, Belgium and the United States. Scientists have found that this trade is a potential carrier of pathogens deadly to amphibians.
Solving the 50-year-old puzzle of thalidomide Resurgence of thalidomide use in Africa and South America raises the urgent need to isolate the negative side effects by identifying the drug's "common mechanism."
Let them eat snail: Nutritional giant snails could address malnutrition A nutritionist in Nigeria says that malnutrition and iron deficiency in schoolchildren could be reduced in her country by baking up snail pie. She explains snail is not only cheaper and more readily available than beef but contains more protein.
Braking news: Particles from car brakes harm lung cells Real-life particles released by car brake pads can harm lung cells in vitro. Researchers found that heavy braking, as in an emergency stop, caused the most damage, but normal breaking and even close proximity to a disengaged brake resulted in potentially dangerous cellular stress.
Spinal cord injuries: Experimental drug may restore function of nerves Researchers have shown how an experimental drug might restore the function of nerves damaged in spinal cord injuries by preventing short circuits caused when tiny "potassium channels" in the fibers are exposed.
Sounds can penetrate deep sleep and enhance associated memories upon waking They were in a deep sleep, yet sounds, such as a teakettle whistle, somehow penetrated their slumber. The 25 sounds were reminders of earlier spatial learning, though the research participants were unaware of the sounds as they slept. Yet, upon waking, memory tests showed that spatial memories had c...
Spotting evidence of directed percolation Convincing experimental evidence has finally been found for directed percolation, a phenomenon that turns up in computer models of the ways diseases spread through a population or how water soaks through loose soil.
Examining mathematical abilities in children with fetal alcohol spectrum diso... Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) have a number of cognitive deficits. Mathematical ability seems particularly damaged in children with FASD. A new study supports the importance of the left parietal area for mathematical abilities in children with FASD.
Newer heart devices significantly improve survival, complication rate and qua... A new generation of implanted devices that help a failing heart function properly is significantly more effective than the previous version, making these new devices an appropriate permanent therapy for many of the more than 5 million Americans who suffer from heart failure.
Unknowingly consuming endangered tuna New DNA barcoding shows that nearly a third of the tuna plated in sushi restaurants was bluefin -- even if it was not labeled bluefin on the menu.
Laser therapy can aggravate skin cancer, study finds High irradiances of low-level laser therapy should not be used over melanomas. Researchers studied the pain relieving, anti-inflammatory "cold laser," finding that it caused increased tumor growth in a mouse model of skin cancer.
After mastodons and mammoths, a transformed landscape Roughly 15,000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age, North America's vast assemblage of large animals -- including such iconic creatures as mammoths, mastodons, camels, horses, ground sloths and giant beavers -- began their precipitous slide to extinction.
Insulin linked to core body temperature Scientists have discovered a direct link between insulin -- a hormone long associated with metabolism and metabolic disorders such as diabetes -- and core body temperature. While much research has been conducted on insulin since its discovery in the 1920s, this is the first time the hormone has been...
Engineers use aerospace approach to design wave energy system The ocean is a potentially vast source of electric power, yet as engineers test new technologies for capturing it, the devices are plagued by battering storms, limited efficiency and the need to be tethered to the seafloor.
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