Astronomers have discovered a cosmic explosion that seems to have come from the middle of nowhere -- thousands of light-years from the nearest galaxy-sized collectionof stars, gas, and dust. This "shot in the dark"is surprising because the type of explosion, a long-duration gamma-ray burst, is thought to be powered by the death of a massive star.
Scientists have by chance discovered that a widely used means of illuminating cancer cells could undermine studies of the potential value of experimental anti-cancer drugs because the natural "pump"that cells use to clear out the chemical light source alters their chemistry. Scientists have increased their use of "glowing"markers to track cellular activity in rats and mice, in part, because the tactic is non-invasive and more humane for the animals.
A before-and-after study led by Yale biologists, of the effects of 1997 El Niño on the genetic diversity of marine iguanas on the Galápagos Islands, emphasizes the importance of studying populations over time and the need to determine which environmental and biological factors make specific populations more vulnerable than others.
Christmas time is full of food when most of us simply have to worry about our expanding waist lines but new research says that people with diabetes need to pay attention to the dangers of a neglected post meal peak in blood glucose. Indeed the research shows that this post meal peak can do even more damage than a more sustained rise in blood sugar. Until recently, the main focus of therapy for people with diabetes has been on lowering blood sugar or glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, with a strong emphasis on fasting plasma glucose.
Frontal crash tests in laboratories are strong predictors of passenger cars'safety on the road, though they fail to accurately project driver fatality risks for trucks, according to a recent study. The study examined the frontal crash test ratings that vehicles received from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and compared them to fatality rates in the vehicles. It also compared a smaller sample of test ratings given by the privately funded Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which uses a 40-percent frontal offset crash test, with the vehicles'fatality rates.
A new American Cancer Society report estimates that there will be over 12 million new cancer cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths (about 20,000 cancer deaths a day) worldwide in 2007. In economically developed countries, the three most commonly diagnosed cancers in men are prostate, lung, and colorectal cancer. Among women, they are breast, colorectal, and lung cancer.
Scientists have discovered what they think may be another reason why Greenland's ice is melting: a thin spot in Earth's crust is enabling underground magma to heat the ice. They have found at least one "hotspot"in the northeast corner of Greenland -- just below a site where an ice stream was recently discovered.
Researchers gained new insights into autophagy -- a cellular degradation process associated with a form of programmed cell death -- by studying the salivary gland cells of the fruit fly. They have defined a multi-step pathway that allows for cell survival and death.
Injury to the human heart, such as caused by high blood pressure and heart attack, results in the enlargement of heart muscle cells (cardiomyocyte hypertrophy) and the activation of a fetal program of cardiac gene expression. This pathological response leads to heart failure and death. On a molecular level, this pathological response is driven by enhanced expression of genes in response to the presence of proteins named transcription factors, including the MEF2 family of transcription factors.
For the first time, scientists have observed in real time a cellular mechanism that's crucial to how brain cells communicate. In doing so, they've also laid to rest a competing theory as to how key cellular processes?called endocytosis and exocytosis?work. Healthy neurological function hinges on the efficient passage of information between brain cells via the synapse, and exocytosis/endocytosis is the complex trafficking mechanism that allows this to happen.
Parents are often totally unaware of just how often their children take risks and just how good they are at managing that risk. Researchers found children indulge in a great deal of thoughtful and considered risk taking that is invisible to adults. On average the researchers found that while children may make misjudgments, they do not, as is sometimes assumed, 'blindly'throw themselves into risk-taking behaviors.
A jet from a black hole at the center of a galaxy strikes the edge of another galaxy. This is the first time such an interaction has been found. The jet impacts the companion galaxy at its edge and is then disrupted and deflected, much like how a stream of water from a hose will splay out after hitting a wall at an angle. Each wavelength shows a different aspect of this system, known as 3C321. The Chandra X-ray image provides evidence that each galaxy contains a rapidly growing supermassive black hole at its center.
Research carried out with a paintbrush bristle, a metronome, smelly chemicals and thousands of microscopic worms called nematodes may reveal important information about human aging diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Scientists are investigating the little-understood link between the neurotransmitter called dopamine and diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Specifically they are looking at how dopamine affects the complex chain of messages that constitutes neuronal signaling, ultimately affecting mental and physical health, especially in aging adults.
