Scientists have found what may be the smoking gun of a much-debated proposal that a cosmic impact about 12,900 years ago ripped through North America and drove multiple species into extinction.
Continue reading about California’s Channel Islands Hold Evidence Of Clovis-age Comets
A team of scientists have modeled the infection cycle of C. difficile by generating a “mouse hospital” with conditions mimicking transmission in the human environment. The scientists suggest that antibiotic treatment could be asymptomatically inducing the transmission of healthcare-acquired C. difficile, contributing to the outbreaks that have been widely reported in hospitals and other settings. [...]
Lifestyle choices are pieces of the cancer prevention puzzle, but exactly which steps to take remain unclear, even to scientists. Still, more and more individuals are incorporating small changes into their daily routine — such as drinking green tea — in hopes of keeping cancer risk at bay. Is it working? A large new review [...]
Continue reading about Green Tea: Mixed Reviews For Cancer Prevention
From the start of the HIV epidemic, it appeared that some of the people who were infected with the virus were able to ward off the fatal effects of the disease longer than others.
Using snorkelers and SCUBA divers is not the best way to monitor fish populations, if we want to know the evolutionary effects of overfishing. The fish population in coral reef areas is often assessed by snorkelers or SCUBA divers, but new research shows that these methods may misrepresent the number of fish.
Continue reading about Overfishing And Evolution: Fish Fear Their Census-takers
Whether it’s getting a cold during exam time or feeling run-down after a big meeting, we’ve all experienced feeling sick following a particularly stressful time at work or school. Is this merely coincidence, or is it possible that stress can actually make us sick? A new report reviews research investigating how stress can wreak havoc [...]
Continue reading about Starve A Fever, Feed A Cold, Don’t Be Stressed
Sea lampreys, which arose from the jawless fish that first appeared a half-billion years ago, dramatically remodel their genomes during embryonic development. This is believed to be the first recorded observation of a vertebrate reorganizing its genome during normal development. Evolutionary biologists are interested in how and why the lamprey re-organizes its genome because the [...]
In a proof-of-concept study, researchers have demonstrated that induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be used to treat heart disease. iPS cells are stem cells converted from adult cells.
Continue reading about Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Repair Heart, Study Shows
More and more strains of bacteria are developing resistance to previously life-saving antibiotics. Researchers have now shed light on a metabolic step that appears in many aggressive microorganisms — such as tuberculosis and malaria pathogens — and that may provide a promising target for a new class of antibiotics.
Continue reading about New Target For Tailored Antibiotics Discovered
About one-fourth of patients with superficial vein thrombosis — clotting in blood vessels close to the skin — also may have the life-threatening condition deep vein thrombosis, according to a new report.