Scientists have succeeded in mapping virus sequences from samples taken from anthropoid apes. Analysis of this genetic material demonstrated the existence of a new lineage genetic of the Zaire species. It also revealed that genetic recombination events, processes extremely rare for this type of virus, would have taken place between 1996 and 2001.
It is well known that being stressed increases our susceptibility to infections by impairing the function of our immune system, but the molecular links between stress and diminished immune function have not been determined. A new study in mice has provided insight into this issue by showing that psychological stress increased production of glucocorticoids and that this decreased the expression of antimicrobial peptides in the skin, making the mice more susceptible to skin infections.
Plants grown in the same setting as their maternal plant performed almost 3.5 times better than those raised in a different environment -- indicating that maternal plants give cues to their offspring that help them adapt to their environmental conditions.
Researchers have found that the risk of radiation injury in normal tissue after exposure may be reduced by a drug in common use. It suggests that long-term administration of the drug captopril, starting at three weeks after patients receive total body irradiation in preparation for bone marrow transplantation (BMT), showed a favorable trend for better long-term kidney function and better long-term patient survival.
Populations of fruit-eating bats may be supported by the additional mineral intake at salt licks, and since fruit-eating bats are major seed dispersers in tropical rainforests, mineral licks may have a strong, though indirect impact on plant biodiversity in the tropics.
Aging populations are an increasing issue for the Western world. The proportion of people over aged 60 is growing plus there has been a rise in older men and women living alone and a decline in those living with children or relatives. A new study analyzed the impact of living alone, with a spouse or with others on the health and happiness of older people and how it varies within Europe and in England and Wales.
In any one day, homeland security and law enforcement agencies might sift through thousands of complex and often contradictory clues about potential terrorist threats. These clues can be buried in a landslide of raw text, recorded messages, surveillance data, and bank records that would fill millions of iPods each day. To thwart another Sept. 11, analysts must meld the encyclopedic eye of Google-age technology with Sherlock Holmes's inductive genius.
Chemists have prepared the first uranium methylidyne molecule ever reported, despite the reactivity of uranium atoms with other molecules. This new molecule is a hydrocarbon containing a uranium-carbon triple-bond. This finding contributes to chemists'fundamental understanding of uranium chemistry.
Whereas most birds are sole proprietors of their nests, some tropical species "time share"together -- a discovery that helps clear up a 150-year-old evolutionary mystery, says a biology professor.
It's well known that the body's energy levels cycle on a 24-hour, or circadian, schedule, and that this metabolic process is fueled by oxygen. Now, researchers have found that a protein called Rev-erb coordinates the daily cycles of oxygen-carrying heme molecules to maintain the body's correct metabolism.
Giant waves, also known as monster waves, have been talked about by sailors for centuries, often related to unexplained disappearances at sea, but no one quite believed them. They have been considered merely a myth until recently, when new studies using technological developments like buoys, radars and satellites have scientifically proven the existence of rouge waves, and that they exist in much higher numbers than it was ever expected.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine report that older adults today are much more likely to suffer from disability than those 10 years ago. This research -- the first to track effects of obesity on disability over time -- appears in the Nov. 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The flood believed to be behind the Noah's Ark myth kick-started European agriculture. This research paper assesses the impact of the collapse of the North American (Laurentide) Ice Sheet, 8,000 years ago. The results indicate a catastrophic rise in global sea level led to the flooding of the Black Sea and drove dramatic social change across Europe. The research team argues that, in the face of rising sea levels driven by contemporary climate change, we can learn important lessons from the past.
