A new study shows for the first time how microscopic crystals form sound and gravity sensors inside the inner ear. Located at the ends of cilia — tiny cellular hairs in the ear that move and transmit signals — the crystals play an important role in detecting sound, maintaining balance and regulating movement. The findings [...]
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The bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is well known for its environmental versatility, ability to cause infection in humans, and antibiotic resistance. P. aeruginosa is the most common cause of lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients. Researchers have now used genomic techniques to study a particularly virulent strain of P. aeruginosa, uncovering genetic clues to its success [...]
Rises in the ambient temperature modify the behavior of dog ticks and increase their affinity for humans. There is thus a risk that episodes of global warming may be associated with epidemics of tick-borne diseases.
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There is concern that bioterrorists might obtain smallpox from a laboratory and release it into the population. However researchers found that lifetime protection is obtained from just one vaccination, even when that vaccination occurred as much as 88 years ago. They conclude that in the event of a smallpox bioterrorist attack, vaccinia smallpox vaccine should [...]
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Archaeological dating suggests modern humans may have inherited some fancy tools
New technology pinpoints previously unknown meteor impacts
Scientists find intriguing patterns in DNA from relapsed patients
Flip open any biology textbook and you’re bound to see a complicated diagram of the inner workings of a cell, with its internal scaffolding, the cytoskeleton, and how it maintains a cell’s shape. Yet the fundamental question remains, which came first: the shape, or the skeleton? Now a research team has the answer: both.
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Cancer researchers have discovered a potential treatment for a group of tumors that have resisted previous targeted therapy approaches. They found that blocking 2 cell signaling pathways leads to a dramatic shrinkage of K-Ras-mutated tumors in an animal model.
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A study of 355 non-diabetic elderly men and women found men who took a vitamin K supplement had less progression of insulin resistance over a period of three years compared to men not receiving vitamin K. Vitamin K did not appear to protect supplemented women from age-related increases in insulin resistance.
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