The potentially hazardous asteroid ‘(101955) 1999 RQ36’ has a one-in-a-thousand chance of impacting the Earth, and more than half of this probability indicates that this could happen in the year 2182, according to a new study. Knowing this fact may help design in advance mechanisms aimed at deviating the asteroid’s path.

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admin on July 27th, 2010

The chains of sugar molecules, or carbohydrates, that cover the outside of the highly variable HIV virus remain constant, are different from those found on human cells, and could form the basis of a promising new approach to an AIDS vaccine, according to new research.

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Shade-grown coffee farms support native bees that help maintain the health of some of the world’s most biodiverse tropical regions, according to a new study.

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Scientists have found a way to significantly reduce atherosclerosis in mice that does not involve lowering cholesterol levels or eliminating other obesity-related problems. They did it by interfering with production of a substance called fatty acid synthase, an enzyme that converts dietary sugars into fatty acids in the liver.

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admin on July 27th, 2010

Humanity’s rising carbon dioxide emissions could have a significant impact on the world’s fish populations, according to groundbreaking new research. Baby fish may become easy meat for predators as the world’s oceans become more acidic due to CO2 fallout from human activity, researchers have discovered.

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Children with brain injuries have difficulty developing story-telling skills even though other language abilities, such as vocabulary, tend to catch up with other children as they mature, new research shows.

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Segmentation, the repetition of identical anatomical units, seems to be the secret behind the diversity and longevity of the largest and most common animal groups on Earth. Researchers have shown that this characteristic was inherited from a common segmented ancestor thought to have lived 600 million years ago and whose presence “changed the face of [...]

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Chronic excess of linoleic acid (omega 6), coupled with a deficiency in alpha-linoleic acid (omega 3), can increase obesity down the generations. Researchers exposed several generations of male and female adult and young mice to a “Western-like” diet of this type, and then assessed the consequences of such a lipid environment in the human diet.

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admin on July 27th, 2010

Scientists discovered that the preen oil gland secretions, by which all aquatic birds make their feathers waterproof, support a natural mechanism that concentrates AIVs from water onto birds’ bodies. Since waterbirds use to spread preen oil over their own (self-preening) or other birds’ (allo-preening) plumage, it is easily understandable how these preening activities could facilitate [...]

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Among overweight and obese women with bothersome hot flushes during menopause, an intensive weight loss intervention program may lead to improvements in flushing, according to a new study.

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