For centuries biologists have known that bird bones are hollow, and even elementary school children know that bird skeletons are lightweight to offset the high energy cost of flying. Nevertheless, many people are surprised to learn that bird skeletons do not actually weigh any less than the skeletons of similarly sized mammals. In other words, [...]
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A compound that can inhibit the transfer of HIV from one cell to another has been developed by researchers in France. It acts by saturating a receptor called DC-SIGN, which is used by HIV to ensure its transmission throughout the body.
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A team of researchers and clinicians has published the first proof that a targeted nanoparticle — used as an experimental therapeutic and injected directly into a patient’s bloodstream — can traffic into tumors, deliver double-stranded small interfering RNAs, and turn off an important cancer gene using a mechanism known as RNA interference. Moreover, the team [...]
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Scientists have discovered three genes that could shed light on the genetic causes of blood-clotting disorders such as thrombosis and some types of stroke.
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Researchers are making improvements to semiconductor alloys that will help overcome some of the technical roadblocks to producing more effective photovoltaic cells for generating solar energy and will enable light-emitting diodes to provide more versatile and efficient lighting.
Memory and thinking skills may decline rapidly for people who have mild cognitive impairment, which is the stage before Alzheimer’s disease when people have mild memory problems but no dementia symptoms, and even more rapidly when dementia begins, which is when Alzheimer’s disease is usually diagnosed.
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Researchers are investigating the origin of the giant stone balls in Costa Rica that inspired the opening scenes of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
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Researchers report that they have found a link between mild to moderate hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and mortality in critically ill patients.
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The sizes of the portions and plates in more than four dozen depictions of the Last Supper — painted over the past 1,000 years — have gradually grown bigger and bigger, according to a new study.
For more than 30 years, scientists have known that multiple sclerosis is much more common in higher latitudes than in the tropics. Because sunlight is more abundant near the equator, many researchers have wondered if the high levels of vitamin D engendered by sunlight could explain this unusual pattern of prevalence.
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