Each year, winds drop up to 900 million tons of dust from deserts and other parts of land into oceans. Scientists suspect this phenomenon connects to global climate -- but exactly how, remains a question. Now a big piece of the puzzle has fallen into place, with a study showing that the amount of dust entering the equatorial Pacific peaks sharply during ice ages. Researchers say the finding may help inform current ideas to seed oceans with iron-rich dust in order to mitigate global warming.
A family of genes linked to the development of liver cancer have been identified. Researchers discovered in a mouse model that the loss of one specific gene (Iqgap2) in this family causes Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). They also found that when another member of the gene family (Iqgap1) is turned on, a more aggressive form of the disease occurs.
Last year at four caves near Albany, N.Y., more than 10,000 bats died from a mysterious disease involving a white fungus growing on some bats' noses, leading researchers to dub it "white-nose syndrome." The mounting death toll stopped last year when spring arrived and the bats left the caves. But the deaths returned with a vengeance after the bats went into hibernation this winter.
Differences in gene expression levels between people of European versus African ancestry can affect how each group responds to certain drugs or fights off specific infections. An unbiased whole-genome approach found significant differences in several processes.
Surgeons have removed a gallbladder through a unique operation requiring only a single incision in the bellybutton rather than the traditional four incisions in the abdomen. Melanie Willhite, a 28-year-old professional golfer, said she had suffered for more than a decade with gallbladder attacks that caused recurring abdominal pain, sometimes so intense she could not stand. A day after the surgery she was already feeling better and the next day she was eating spaghetti, a meal previously off-limits due to the gallbladder problems. Within a week, she was back on the course putting and two weeks out was able to go through the full range of golf swings.
Lake Bloomington in central Illinois is a major source of drinking water. It also has a record of elevated nitrate levels, causing residents to be concerned about water quality. A new study measures the sources of nitrate entering Lake Bloomington and documents the producers' practices of applying nitrogen fertilizer in the watershed.
An area of the brain involved in the planning and production of spoken and signed language in humans plays a similar role in chimpanzee communication, researchers report in Current Biology. The results suggest that the "neurobiological foundations" of human language may have been present in the common ancestor of modern humans and chimpanzees.
A concentrated extract of freeze dried broccoli sprouts cut development of bladder tumors in an animal model by more than half, according to a new report. There is strong evidence that the protective action of cruciferous vegetables derives at least in part from isothyiocyanates (ITCs), a group of phytochemicals with well-known cancer preventive activities. Other cruciferous vegetables with ITCs include mature broccoli, cabbage, kale, collard greens and others. Broccoli sprouts have approximately 30 times more ITCs than mature broccoli, and the sprout extract used by the researchers contains approximately 600 times as much.
On Jan. 26, 1700, at about 9 p.m. local time, the Juan de Fuca plate beneath the ocean in the Pacific Northwest suddenly moved, slipping some 60 feet eastward beneath the North American plate in a monster quake of approximately magnitude 9, setting in motion large tsunamis that struck the coast of North America and traveled to the shores of Japan. To help prepare for the next megathrust earthquake, researchers used a supercomputer-powered "virtual earthquake" program to calculate for the first time realistic three-dimensional simulations that describe the possible impacts of megathrust quakes on the Pacific Northwest region. What they learned was not reassuring.
The identification of two cellular receptors that likely contribute to the genesis of hormone-dependent breast cancer points the way to new, highly targeted therapies against the disease. The finding also helps explain how daily use of medicines such as aspirin might help keep these breast tumors at bay.
The fighting Australian crayfish (yabby) does not forget the face of its foes according to zoologists. In the study, after a fight, the loser yabby was isolated and given a choice between its opponent and another crayfish not involved in the fight. The loser yabby moved towards the opponent it knew as opposed to the rival it did not, revealing that a yabby is capable of visual identity not just an acute sense of smell.
Schizophrenia emerges from an altered pattern of brain development, and researchers continue to search for the genes that cause the brain to develop along a path that ultimately leads to schizophrenia.
Rain-making bacteria have been discovered, and they are widely distributed in the atmosphere. These biological particles could factor heavily into the precipitation cycle, affecting climate, agricultural productivity and even global warming, according to an article in Science.
Thalidomide, a drug blamed in the 1950s for causing birth defects, is now showing promise as a safe and effective treatment for women with recurrent ovarian cancer, according to a new study.
