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September 4, 2009Increased Global Temperatures Impact Seed Dispersal in Northern Forests
Research conducted by scientists in Finland indicates that an increase in global temperatures may lead to a greater dispersal of seed and pollen in northern boreal forests. One impact of global warming is the formation of stronger wind currents; it...
August 6, 2009Researchers Recommend Ethics Guidelines for Whole-Genome Research
Earlier last year, an interdisciplinary team of scientists met at a workshop to discuss the ethical issues related to whole-genome sequencing, particularly as it relates to human-genome research. The goal of the workshop was the develop an ethically rigorous and...
July 13, 2009Expedition — Costa Rica
Check out an ecotourist's adventure in the Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica, one of the world’s most diverse tropical rain forests. Read about the animals and plants she found on her trip.
January 30, 2009B Memory Cells Still Remember 1918 Flu Virus
How long do the immune system’s B memory cells remember? Recent studies focused on the 1918 H1N1 influenza virus have finally given researchers a clue. In late 2008, lab tests revealed that survivors of the 1918 influenza pandemic could still...
January 27, 2009Invasive Species Spreads Through Europe’s Iberian Peninsula
Spanish researchers are reporting that an invasive fish, the dojo loach, is spreading through the rivers and wetlands of Spain, Portugal, and other countries of the Iberian peninsula. Invasive species are a major threat to the biodiversity of an area....
January 26, 2009Are Antibiotics For Everything?
Do you think all kinds of sicknesses can be treated with antibiotics? Some patients do – and they’re wrong! Sicknesses such as the common cold and the flu are both viral diseases. Antibiotics do not kill viruses or treat the...
January 26, 2009Genetically-Modified Fuel
Researchers at Pennsylvania State University have grown poplar trees that contain a gene from a very different plant: a green bean! The green bean gene causes changes in the makeup of the poplar tree’s lignin. Lignin is a material that...
January 26, 2009“Astronaut Food Approach” to Medical Testing
What comes to your mind when you think of astronaut food? You might think of food that is dried-out and nonperishable. These same descriptions might soon be applied to new malaria tests that do not require refrigeration and are small...
January 26, 2009Novel Brain Region for Mammalian Neurogenesis
Adult neurogenesis is a mysterious phenomenon. Previously, scientists thought that adult neurogenesis, or the birth of new neurons, occurred most often in lower vertebrates such as frogs or fish. In mammals such as mice and rats, adult neurogenesis was thought...
January 23, 2009Can You Tell A Bully By His Genes?
Do you know some people who react more aggressively than others when they are bothered by something? Recent studies have identified a gene that may lead people to be more aggressive. The real name of this gene is monoamine oxidase...
January 23, 2009Adult Stem Cells from Organism's Own Bone Marrow
Researchers at Imperial College London have found a way to stimulate the release of adult stem cells from the organism’s own bone marrow. Not only have the scientists found they can cause the release of the stem cells, they also...
January 22, 2009Charging to Pollute
Carbon dioxide is the primary gas that causes the greenhouse effect which traps heat in our atmosphere and is part of global warming. Carbon dioxide is a product of many chemical reactions, such as the combustion of gasoline, coal, and...
May 20, 2008Antimicrobial Soaps and Environmental Pollution
Much has been made of how the overuse of antibacterial products may negatively affect human health. However, new research indicates that the active ingredients of antibacterial products may also have a negative impact on the environment. Researchers at the Biodesign...
May 20, 2008Several New Species Found in Brazil
A team of research scientists from Conservation International and several Brazilian universities recently discovered several new species of animals in Brazil's Cerrado region. The Cerrado is a wooded grassland, which at one time was nearly half the size of Europe....
May 15, 2008Polar Bears Listed as "Threatened" Under the Endangered Species Act
Following the recommendation of Dale Hall, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the U.S. Secretary of the Interior has opted to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The...
April 15, 2008Lungless Frog Species Discovered in Borneo
Researchers from the National University of Singapore and the Institut Teknologi Bandung in Java, Indonesia have confirmed the identity of the first lungless frog. Researchers discovered two populations of the aquatic frog while on expedition in Indonesian Borneo. The...
January 8, 2008States Enact Regulations to Cut Greenhouse Emissions
The call to cut greenhouse gas emissions has not fallen on deaf ears at the state level. Due to a lack of initiative on the part of the federal government, states are dealing with regulating greenhouse gas emissions on their...
January 7, 2008Costa Rican Rainforest Harbors Unknown Salamander Species
Scientists discovered three new species of salamanders during recent expeditions to Costa Rica, including one dwarf species no longer than a thumbnail. Researchers found the salamanders as they catalogued more than 5000 species in the forested border between Panama and...
January 4, 2008Molecular Manager of Memory Pathway Construction
Researchers at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine have identified the protein that acts as the foreman in the construction and support of neurons. Kalirin-7 and its construction projects are what allow us to remember and learn. Kalirin-7 is found...
December 21, 2007Will Europe Open Its Doors to Genetically-Modified Crops?
For the last decade, much of the corn grown in the United States has been Bt corn, a genetically modified type of corn that is resistant to pests. Bt corn carries a gene from a bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, to produce...
December 18, 2007Rise of the Superbug
On October 15, 2007, a 17-year-old senior at Staunton River High School in Virginia lost his brief battle with the “superbug” bacterium known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Ashton Bonds was admitted to the hospital a week earlier after first...
October 4, 2007Adult Brains Can Rewire after a Stroke
A child’s brain has an amazing ability to adapt and change to new experiences — it is very plastic. A case study of a stroke patient adds to evidence proving that adult brains are capable of creating new neural pathways too.
October 4, 2007Intelligence Is in the Network
When it comes to intelligence, it is all about the connections.
September 24, 2007Pharm-Fresh Medicine
If one British researcher has his way, tobacco would be grown to save lives.
September 24, 2007Will There Be Another Flu Pandemic Soon?
The last flu pandemic ended in 1968; it was the third flu pandemic of the 20th century. Experts at the World Health Organization (WHO) believe that we are closer to another flu pandemic than any time since then.
September 24, 2007Avian Flu: The Current Situation
You haven’t heard about the bird flu infecting any people in North America — yet. H5N1 avian influenza A virus, commonly knows as bird flu, was reported originally in poultry and some wild migrating birds from Southeast Asia. Now, H5N1 virus strains are getting stronger than earlier strains and have been found in Asia, Europe, and Africa.
September 24, 2007Researchers Work to Combat Climate Change
Rising levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are a major cause of global climate change. Many scientists are tackling the problem from different angles. Here are a few examples of current research into lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
September 24, 2007Global Warming Research: Understanding the Situation
The evidence for global climate change is undeniable. Many researchers are trying to understand climate change: its change over time, its impact on ecosystems and economies, and how to limit its effects. Here are a few examples of current research into the state of climate change.
September 24, 2007Could a Dog Bite Lead to an Antibiotic-Resistant Infection?
Antibiotic-resistant infections are no longer just found in hospital patients. These infections are increasing in the general population. Environmental factors seem to contribute to the increase in infections and pets may be to blame.
September 24, 2007Bacterium Evolves Stealth Strategy Against Tomatoes
Suppose a species has one defense against bacterial infection, then the bacteria evolve to get around the defense. The host species will succumb to infection until another defense evolves to stop the attack. This is known as an evolutionary arms race. Find out how bacteria now have the upper hand on tomato plants.
September 17, 2007The Spoils of War — How T Cells Refuel to Wage War on Pathogens
In humans, T cells fight viruses and other invaders. Scientists have long thought T cells simply killed an enemy and then moved on to fight others, but new research suggests that some T cells use the spoils of their battles to win the larger war.
August 16, 2007Frankenfoods or Good Nutrition? GMOs Created but Not Well Regulated
Genetically modified (GM) products include medicines and vaccines, foods and food ingredients, and animal feeds. Since 1996, GM corn and soy have been used in our foods. However, a political scientist specializing in global regulation for technology and trade worries that regulations haven’t kept pace with the rate at which genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have come to market.
August 16, 2007Controlling Parkinson’s with Gene Therapy
Genes control the production of proteins. However, if a gene is mutated, the protein it codes for may not form or function properly, causing a genetic disorder. Gene therapy is one way researchers are trying to correct mutations that cause genetic disorders, such Parkinson’s disease.
August 16, 2007Mature Skin Cells Yield Stem Cells
With all the controversy surrounding embryonic stem cells, a new method of reprogramming adult cells could be one answer to the stem cell issue. And it couldn’t be more convenient. One day, you may look no farther than your own skin as a source of embryonic stem cells.
August 16, 2007A New Meaning to “Smart Dresser”
Garment-integrated electronic technology —that is, smart tools in your clothes —is much more appealing than implanting a computer chip under your skin. But how confidential can your health record be when your garments are smart enough to monitor and report your vital statistics and activity?
August 16, 2007Extra Embryos: Destroy or Donate to Research?
One of the hottest debates in bioethics has been the use of human embryos in stem cell research. Infertility patients find themselves in the middle of this debate — they must decide what to do with their embryos once they are done having children.
February 9, 2007Scandal over Falsified Results Roils the Stem Cell Research Community
In May of 2005, a paper by Dr. Woo Suk Hwang published in the prestigious journal Science reported that he and his team of South Korean scientists had successfully created eleven patient-specific stem cell lines cloned from the patients’ skin cells. His research suggested that science was one major step closer to tailor-made stem cells for any human. But all was not well.
February 7, 2007Controversy and Confusion over the Word Cloning
Stem cell researchers are hard at work trying to make somatic cell nuclear transfer a reliable way to produce stem cell lines that can be used in medical research and treatment. However, some scientists think that the word cloning is giving people the false impression that the object of the research is to clone human beings.