Web-making spiders employ a host of silk glands to synthesize a variety of silk filaments with different mechanical properties. Although it is widely believed that the aciniform glands are one such silk factory, there has been no hard evidence linking aciniform-derived proteins and silk -- until now. Researchers have now found that the aciniform gland in the black widow spider manufactures and extrudes a previously unidentified protein that is a component of multiple types of silk.

  Interventional cardiologists are investigating whether a heart procedure may be the key to relieving migraines in patients with severe headaches. Earlier studies have indicated that there may be a link between a particular congenital heart anomaly, a patent foramen ovale, and migraine.

  Policies that encourage hunters to go after male polarbears in order to conserve females, could make it harder for the animals to find mates. Researchers determined there is a critical threshold in the male-to-female ratio. Below it, their model predicts a sudden and rapid collapse in fertilization rates.

  Ozone may prove the key to the link between high temperature and the increased risk of death from heart disease or stroke, suggests new research. The results showed that the higher the ozone level, the higher was the risk of cardiovascular death attributable to high temperatures.

  In light of the importance of virus monitoring for pandemic influenza preparedness and response, Indonesia's refusal to share samples of avian flu virus with the WHO for most of 2007 is "distressing and potentially dangerous for global public health,"say two leading global health experts.

  Opioid pain relievers, such as morphine and other narcotics, carry warning labels urging patients not to drive or operate heavy machinery during use. In addition, drivers under the influence of pain medication are typically subjected to the same laws and penalties as drivers under the influence of alcohol. And yet, in a recent, preliminary study researchers found no difference in the "driving skills and reaction times"of patients taking morphine compared to non-medicated drivers.

  Termites may provide the biochemical means to a greener biofuel future. The bellies of these tiny beasts harbor a gold mine of microbes that have now been tapped as a rich source of enzymes for improving the conversion of biomass to valuable biofuels.

  Researchers have successfully used a peptide to reverse biochemical, cellular and anatomical changes that occur in the brains of mice with Parkinson's disease (PD), and report success in preventing the disease from progression. The authors have shown that one protein, NF-kB, is increased in the midbrain of PD patients and mice with PD pathology, and the researchers used a novel peptide (small proteins) to block this protein in mice with PD-like symptoms.

  Chemists have set a new world record for the shortest chemical bond ever recorded between two metals, in this case, two atoms of chromium. Scientists discovered the molecule, which has a quintuple (five-fold) bond, quite by accident.

  Scientists have proposed a mechanism that provides an explanation for the remarkable precision of the genetic time bomb causing Huntington's and other trinucleotide repeat diseases. Huntington's disease is a genetic time bomb: Programmed in the genes, it appears at a predictable age in adulthood, causing a progressive decline in mental and neurological function and finally death. There is, to date, no cure.

  Scientists will demonstrate how improved control techniques can reduce the risk of aircraft crashes. The demonstration involves reconstructing troubled flights -- such as the El Al flight which crashed in the Bijlmer area of Amsterdam in 1992 -- in a flight simulator and adding the newly developed technology.

  A cross-sectional survey found that old age, being male, having a moderate working burden, being divorced/widowed and heavy tea consumption remained significant independent risk factors for erosive esophagitis. Meanwhile, routine consumption of greasy food and constipation were considered significant independent risk factors for non-erosive reflux disease.

  Mars was covered in an ocean of molten rock for about 100 million years after the planet formed, according to new research. The finding indicates that the both Earth and Mars cooled slower than scientists thought and a mechanism to keep the planet interiors warm is required.

  Scientists are developing new pain-killing drugs that are not addictive. They have discovered how opioid drugs such as morphine both relieve pain and also cause addiction.