A cup of black tea could be the next line of defense in the threat of bio-terrorism according to new international research. A new study has revealed how the humble cup of tea could well be an antidote to Bacillus anthracis -- more commonly know as anthrax. Components in English breakfast tea such as polyphenols have the ability to inhibit the activity of anthrax.
A new class of painkillers that block a receptor called TRPV1 may interfere with brain functions such as learning and memory, a new study suggests. The experiments with rat brain found that the TRPV1 receptor regulates a neural mechanism called long-term depression, which is believed to be central to establishing memory pathways in the brain.
Biologists have deciphered the structure of a large protein complex responsible for adding sugar molecules to newly formed proteins -- a process essential to many proteins' functions. The structure offers insight into the molecular "sugar-coating" mechanism, and may help scientists better understand a variety of diseases that result when the process goes awry.
The unwanted activation of an important cell-signaling pathway may play a role in two kidney problems that are major causes of end-stage renal disease, scientists have found. Their research opens up a novel approach for treating kidney failure.
One of the biggest mysteries in studying high-temperature (Tc) superconductors - materials that conduct electrical current with no resistance belowa certain transition temperature - is the origin of a gap in the energy level of the materials' electronic spectrum. Physicists are researching this "pseudogap."
Many gamblers claim to have a "system," whether they're shooting craps, backing horses or punting on the stock market. Now, researchers in Taiwan have devised an approach to spotting when a company is likely to fail based on the principles of natural selection.
Competing against older brothers and sisters can be tough work, as any youngest child will tell you. But a biologist shows that when it comes to some birds, you should reserve any underdog sympathies for the first born -- or rather, first laid -- siblings as well.
Far from being a model of social cooperation, the ant world is riddled with cheating and corruption -- and it goes all the way to the top. Ants have always been thought to work together for the benefit of the colony rather than for individual gain. But new research has shattered this illusion.
Previous scientific research findings have helped to warn consumers that the pH (potential of hydrogen) levels in beverages such as soda could lead to tooth erosion, the breakdown of tooth structure caused by the effect of acid on the teeth that leads to decay. However, the pH level of soft drinks isn't the only factor that causes dental erosion. A beverage's "buffering capacity," or the ability to neutralize acid, plays a significant role in the cause of dental erosion. Popular energy drinks also cause tooth erosion.
Molecular biologists have found one piece of the complex puzzle of autophagy, the process of 'self-eating' performed by all eukaryotic cells -- cells with a nucleus -- to keep themselves healthy. This finding is important because it allows scientists to control this one aspect of cellular autophagy, and may lead to the ability to control other selective “self-eating” processes. This, in turn, could help illuminate autophagy’s role in aging, immunity, neurodegeneration and cancer.
Scientists have shown that malaria eradication in Africa is sustainable, and any re-emergence of malaria in industrialized nations is highly unlikely. Researchers have created a mathematical model of malaria transmission throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
In a find that sheds light on how Earth-like planets may form, astronomers say they have found the first evidence of small, sandy particles orbiting a newborn star system at about the same distance as the Earth orbits the sun. The researchers confirmed the find with light reflected from the sand itself, which is about 2,400 light years from Earth in a two-star system called KH-15D.
Better regulation is urgently needed for genetic tests, particularly those marketed directly to the public, argue researchers. In the past 18 months, studies have identified dozens of inherited DNA variations associated with common conditions such as heart attacks, diabetes and asthma. In many cases, these findings provide insight on the cause of the disease, but clinical applications are still mostly unclear.
Scientists and engineers will study how to design a telescope on the moon for peering into the last unexplored epoch in the universe's history. There was an interval, now called the "Dark Ages," in which the Universe was unlit by any star.
