For 80 years it has been accepted that early life began in a “primordial soup” of organic molecules before evolving out of the oceans millions of years later. Today the “soup” theory has been overturned in a pioneering article which claims it was the Earth’s chemical energy, from hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, which [...]
Researchers have shown that tension on DNA molecules can affect gene expression — the process at the heart of biological function that tells a cell what to do.
Continue reading about Mechanical forces could affect gene expression
A new therapeutic made from tobacco plants has been shown to arrest West Nile virus infection, according to a new study.
Continue reading about Tobacco plant-made therapeutic thwarts West Nile virus
Scientists at the Robarts Research Institute at the University of Western Ontario, working in collaboration with researchers in Brazil, have used a unique genetically-modified mouse line to reveal a previously unidentified mechanism contributing to heart failure. The study, led by Marco Prado, Robert Gros and Vania Prado of London, Canada and Silvia Guatimosim of Brazil, [...]
An international team of researchers has identified a new theoretical approach that may one day make the synthesis of hydrogen fuel storage materials less complicated and improve the thermodynamics and reversibility of the system.
Continue reading about Applied electric field can significantly improve hydrogen storage properties
Our need for stimulation and dopamine’s action upon the brain are connected, which explains why people who constantly crave stimulation are in danger of addictive behavior such as drug abuse and gambling.
Continue reading about New brain research: Hunger for stimulation driven by dopamine in the brain
A 60-million-year-old relative of crocodiles was likely a food source for Titanoboa, the largest snake the world has ever known. Paleontologists found fossils of the new species of ancient crocodile in the Cerrejon Formation in northern Colombia. The site, one of the world’s largest open-pit coal mines, also yielded skeletons of the giant, boa constrictor-like [...]
Severe muscle injuries — such as crush injuries suffered in earthquakes, car accidents and explosions, and muscle damage from excessive exercise or statin drug interactions — can cause life-threatening kidney damage. Treatment has been limited to intravenous fluids and dialysis, but a new study suggests that the commonly used pain reliever acetaminophen may protect the [...]
Continue reading about Acetaminophen protects kidneys after muscle injury
Just as cooking helps people digest food, pretreating polycarbonate plastic — source of a huge environmental headache because of its bisphenol A content — may be the key to disposing of the waste in an eco-friendly way, scientists have found.
Continue reading about Eco-friendly way of decomposing BPA-containing plastic
New research finds that quitting smoking after a heart attack has about the same positive effect as other major interventions such as lipid-lowering agents like statins or more invasive procedures.
Continue reading about Smoking cessation significantly increases cardiac health later in life