Placenta in females, muscle mass in males: The dual heritage of a virus
Cross section of mouse muscle (in blue: labeling of nuclei; in green: labeling of muscle fiber membranes). Normal male mice display larger muscle fibers than...
NEWS INDEX
New model could help improve prediction of outbreaks of Ebola and Lassa fever
Ebola in West Africa Credit: Global PanoramaPotential outbreaks of diseases such as Ebola and Lassa fever may be more accurately predicted thanks to a new...
Personnel selection, training could mitigate effects of cognitive lock-up in automation operators
Automation failures have been the cause of such widely reported disasters as the crash of Air France Flight 447 in 2009, with most of the...
Discovery offers hope for new Crohn’s disease treatment
Credit: UBCScientists at the University of British Columbia have made a discovery that could potentially lead to treatments for a debilitating complication of Crohn’s disease....
Decoding hidden dreams
The brain connects sensory information from the environment to our subjective experiences, resulting in our perceptions, emotions, and memories. However, our brains need to disconnect...
Experts say inexpensive drug could slow heart disease for type 1 diabetic patients
Dr Jolanta Weaver, Senior Lecturer in Diabetes Medicine at Newcastle University and Honorary Consultant Diabetologist at Queen Elizabeth HospitalScientists at Newcastle University believe a drug...
Hacking microbes
Biology is the world’s greatest manufacturing platform, according to MIT spinout Ginkgo Bioworks. The synthetic-biology startup is re-engineering yeast to act as tiny organic “factories”...
Using light to control genome editing
The genome-editing system known as CRISPR allows scientists to delete or replace any target gene in a living cell. MIT researchers have now added an...
A mutual breakdown
Nature abounds with examples of mutualistic relationships. Think of bees pollinating flowers whose nectar nourishes the bees, or clownfish that fight off predators of anemones...
New understanding of pulmonary hypertension leads to promising drug targets
A groundbreaking new study led by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC has identified a new group of compounds that could have robust...
Soluble corn fiber can help young women build bone, and older women preserve bone
Connie WeaverWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Supplementing with soluble corn fiber at two critical times in a woman’s life – adolescence and post-menopause – can help...
Gene therapy via ultrasound could offer new therapeutic tool
Pictured is a fluorescently labeled endothelial cell monolayer, pseudocolorized in blue/green, and imaged using spectral confocal microscopy. One cell has been selectively perforated via ultrasound-in..
Study shows acetaminophen can be tolerated by children with mild, persistent asthma
CLEVELAND, Ohio – A new study finds young children with mild, persistent asthma, can tolerate acetaminophen without the worsening of asthma, when compared with ibuprofen...
Bubble-wrapped sponge creates steam using sunlight
MIT graduate student George Ni holds a bubble-wrapped, sponge-like device that soaks up natural sunlight and heats water to boiling temperatures, generating steam through its...
New study shows esophageal cancers driven by ‘marginal gain’ rather than speed
Dr Philip JonesWellcome Trust Sanger Institute scientists have shown that unexpectedly, oesophageal cancer cells do not divide faster than their normal neighbours. But unlike normal...
