Astronomers are shedding new light on some of the most energetic objects in our galaxy, but objects that remain shrouded in mystery. These cosmic powerhouses pour out vast amounts of energy, and they accelerate particles to almost the speed of light. But very little is known about these sources because they were discovered only recently.

  Scientists have discovered evidence suggesting a herpes virus may be responsible for some cases of meningitis and encephalitis. Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) is one of the most prevalent in humans. There are two variants of HHV-6, HHV-6A and HHV-6B which is attributed to a common childhood disease characterized by a high fever and rash.

  Viticulture, the growing of grapes to make wine, is an ancient form of agriculture. We have a detailed understanding of how nurture affects the qualities of a grape harvest. Now a high quality draft genome sequence of a pinot noir grape complements that knowledge.

  A new scoring system for a form of leukemia known as myelodysplastic syndrome identifies patients who appear to have low-risk disease but actually have poor prospects of survival. Physicians tend to adopt a watch and wait approach to low-risk MDS patients, which the researcher says misses low-risk/poor prognosis patients.

  For the first time, neuroscientists have visualized cold fibers -- strands reaching from sensory neurons near the spinal cord to nerve endings in the skin tuned to sense different types of cold. The study confirms the important role of the protein TRMP8 in cold-sensing neurons.

  What could be a greater test of the limits of human physiology than the Olympics? To mark the 2008 games in Beijing researchers are taking a look at the science behind human athleticism and endurance.

  California ground squirrels and rock squirrels chew up rattlesnake skin and smear it on their fur to mask their scent from predators. Ground squirrels and rock squirrels have been seen applying snake scent to themselves by picking up pieces of shed snakeskin, chewing it and then licking their fur.

  Researchers have discovered a new light-activated platinum-based compound that is up to 80 times more powerful than other platinum-based anti-cancer drugs and which can use "light activation"to kill cancer cells in much more targeted way than similar treatments.

  Surfers in Hawaii had better beware. Four engineering science and mechanics students have completed "Surf Green"for their senior design project, and conclude that they can technically improve the surfboard's performance. The Beach Boys may have sung about surfing but these students decided to "quantify the feel of surfing,"something only engineers would try to do.

  Researchers have identified a new molecular pathway that appears to be involved in urinary protein loss, an early-stage kidney disease that affects 100 million people around the world, and is caused by a breakdown in the kidney's filtering structures. The pathway may be new target for cell-specific treatment of chronic kidney diseases.

  Using current broadcast technology, most nitrogen is lost to the air and water, and rice plants actually use only one bag of urea in three. Urea deep placement (UDP) puts nitrogen near rice roots so it is not lost. Farmers who use UDP can increase yields by 25 percent with less than half as much urea. The Bangladesh Government is expanding UDP to almost 1 million hectares of riceland, reaching 1.6 million farm families, in the coming dry season. Urea deep placement cuts nitrogen losses significantly.

  Excavations are underway in the East Jordan Land. With findings on the mountain Tall adh-Dhahab (West) in the Jabbok Valley the archaeologists could substantiate one assumption: everything points to the fact that the building remains from the Hellenistic and Roman era, found in 2006, were part of a yet unknown monumental building of Herod the Great (73-4 BC).

  The ability of Argentine ants to change from carnivorous insect eaters to plant sap-loving creatures has helped these invasive social insects rapidly spread throughout coastal California, according to a new study, displacing many native insects and creating ant infestations familiar to most coastal residents.

  Venoms from different snake families may have many deadly ingredients in common, more than was previously thought. A new study has unexpectedly discovered three-finger toxins in a subspecies of the Massasauga Rattlesnake, as well as evidence for a novel toxin genes resulting from gene fusion.