Scientists have made an important step on the long road to artificially mimicking photosynthesis. They were able to synthesise a stable inorganic metal oxide cluster, which enables the fast and effective oxidation of water to oxygen. Artificial photosynthesis may decisively contribute to solving energy and climate problems, if researchers find a way to efficiently produce hydrogen with the aid of solar energy.

  One day soon patients may spit in a cup, instead of bracing for a needle prick, when being tested for cancer, heart disease or diabetes. A major step in that direction is the cataloguing of the "complete" salivary proteome, a set of proteins in human ductal saliva, identified by a consortium of three research teams, according to a new article.

  Researchers have shown that Magnetic Resonance Imaging technology has the potential to non-invasively characterize tumors and determine which of them may be responsive to specific forms of treatment.

  We've gotten used to taking pills for everything that ails us, but medications have side effects and cost money. It takes some discipline, but in many cases, the nonpharmacological approach can do as much as pills. Seven common conditions are listed along with treatment options that don't require taking medication.

  Scientists have for the first time isolated from the environment and fully characterized the organism that causes Buruli ulcer. The study lends support to the idea that the organism, Mycobacterium ulcerans, is transmitted to humans from environmental aquatic niches, rather than from person-to-person.

  While communication may be recognized as a universal phenomenon, differences between languages -- ranging from word order to semantics -- undoubtedly remain as they help to define culture and develop language. Yet, little is understood about similarities and differences in languages around the world and how they affect communication. Recently, however, two studies have emerged that aid in our understanding of cross-linguistic distinctions in language usage.

  A new study predicts that climate change will irreversibly alter water circulation in Lake Tahoe in the Western US, radically changing the conditions for plants and fish in the lake -- and it could happen in 10 years.

  It is well established that Id1, a gene normally produced only in embryonic development, is reactivated in many "solid" cancers, or carcinomas. New research shows that by 'switching off' the Id1 gene, it is possible to induce a state of 'senescence', or permanent sleep, within a tumour, preventing it from growing or spreading.

  Colon cancer screening is a tough sell. It's icky, uncomfortable and the thought of a colonoscopy, especially the prep, can be intimidating, to say the least. But here's what clinches the sale: Colon cancer can be largely prevented through proper screening.

  Neuroscientists have developed a technique for extracting useful quantities of insect blood from a single fruit fly. The technique may prove useful in genetic studies and for studying minute amounts of fluid from disease hot-spots, such as those where some retinal diseases begin.

  Scientists investigated yield differences between organic and conventional cash grain and forage crops in the Upper Midwest to compare the productivity of the two cropping systems. The researchers found that: organic forage crops yielded as much or more dry matter as their conventional counterparts with quality sufficient to produce as much milk as the conventional systems; and organic grain crops: corn, soybean, and winter wheat produced 90 percent as well as their conventionally managed counterparts.

  A new study using new methods to examine the dynamics of wealth found that family wealth might partly explain differences in test scores of school-age children, and examined how wealth affects children's cognitive achievement at different stages of childhood. Wealth had a stronger effect on school aged children than on preschoolers, and had a stronger association with math than reading skills. Family wealth also was positively associated with parenting behavior, home environment, and children's self-esteem.

  A new study has confirmed that a primitive mouse-like creature that lived 55 million years ago (called Djarthia) is also a primitive relative of the small marsupial known as the Monito del Monte -- or "little mountain monkey" -- from the dense humid forests of Chile and Argentina.

  Hormone replacement therapy for peri- and postmenopausal symptoms increases disease recurrence in breast cancer survivors, according to a new article. Previous studies have shown that HRT increases breast cancer incidence in healthy women, but its impact on breast cancer survivors has remained obscure.