A discovery about the genetics of coat color in dogs could help explain why humans come in different weights and vary in our abilities to cope with stress. The protein that determines coat color in dogs engages the melanocortin pathway, a circuit of molecular interactions that controls the type of melanin and amount of cortisol produced by the body. This pathway determines skin and hair color as well as stress adaptation and weight regulation.
Television viewing is not only linked to childhood obesity, but also to hypertension in children, according to a new study. Children watching 2 to 4 hours of TV had 2.5 times the odds of hypertension compared with children watching 0 to
Nanotechnology could revolutionize the natural gas industry across the whole lifecycle from extraction to pollution reduction or be an enormous missed opportunity, claim two industry experts. They suggest that nanotechnology could help us extract more fuel and feedstock hydrocarbons from dwindling resources. However, industry inertia and a lack of awareness of the benefits could mean a missed opportunity.
Recent advances in the delivery of radiation therapy for prostate cancer are fueling a new trend of providing higher radiation doses over shorter periods of time. But does the daily increase in radiation lead to more sexual dysfunction than the conventional dose? New research says it does not.
In nature, bacteria often found themselves in high-density colonies. The combination of a novel microfluidic device and computational analysis reveals an unexpected self-organization behavior of tightly packed bacterial cells.
One in seven Americans over the age of 70 suffers from dementia, according to the first known nationally representative, population-based study to include men and women from all regions of the country. Overall, the researchers found that Alzheimer's disease accounted for approximately 69.9 percent of all dementia, while vascular dementia -- often caused by stroke -- accounted for 17.4 percent.
New excavations in southern Turkey have revealed the remains of a massive bastion fortification dating to the Hittite Imperial Period (ca. 1300 BC). Sirkeli Höyük, one of the largest settlement mounds in Cilicia during the Bronze- and Iron Ages, was already known to archaeologists and historians because of two Hittite rock reliefs located at the site.
New high-tech battery-powered textile yarns can be used to make clothing glow in the dark. These textiles could improve safety of cyclists, joggers and pedestrians on dark winter days. Current high visibility products -- such as those used by emergency services, cyclists and highway maintenance workers -- depend on external light sources to make them visible.
Researchers have found that using a special type of drug called a pharmaceutical monoclonal antibody to block the integrin beta6-TGF-beta pathway prevents a serious side effect of radiation therapy for lung cancer patients -- pulmonary fibrosis -- thereby extending patients'lives and improving their quality of life, according to a new study.
Concerned that a midday snooze might ruin a good night's sleep? Fret not; ongoing research indicates that napping has little effect on sleep onset -- and that a nap today may be beneficial for mental processing tomorrow. People over age 60 sleep two hours less per night than their younger counterparts.
No relationship was found betweenvitamin D levels and the overall risk of dying from cancer, according to a new study. However, higher vitamin D levels were associated with a decreased risk of colorectal cancer death.
The average price for all types of gasoline is holding steady around $2.95 per gallon nationwide, but the pain at the pump might be short-lived as new research may eliminate one of the biggest hurdles to the wide-scale production of fuel cell-powered vehicles.
New research has identified a number of genes that are associated with sensitivity to alcohol in fruit flies. It is hoped that these findings will help researchers uncover the genetic basis of drinking behaviour in humans. Fruit flies are a useful model for investigating the contribution genes make to human alcohol sensitivity because, like humans, fruit flies can get 'drunk'if exposed to high levels of alcohol.
Nematode worms treated with lithium show a 46 percent increase in lifespan, raising the tantalizing question of whether humans taking the mood affecting drug are also taking an anti-aging medication. Lithium has been used to treat mood affective disorders, including bipolar disease for decades.
