Climate change plus human pressure caused large mammal extinctions in late Pleistocene
... 1 issue of Science , Barnosky and his colleagues conclude that climate change also played a big role in driving these extinctions. Barnosky's colleagues in the study are Paul Koch, professor of earth sciences at UC Santa Cruz; Scott Wing, a paleobotanist in the Department of Paleobiology at the Smithsonian ...Far more men than women favor routine paternity testing at birth
...her for her child other than her husband and often conclude that it is to improve the child's genetic heritage or to gain parental investment from more than one male. Either way, it would normally be advantageous for the woman to keep the child's paternity a secret so that her husband would continue to care f...Females may be more susceptible to overindulge 'sweet tooth' cravings than males
...hat observed during chow feeding. The researchers' conclude that female rats are more vulnerable than male rats to this "sweet" form of diet-induced hyperphagia....Targeted therapy knocks out pediatric brain cancer in mice
...ment were observed in the mice. The researchers conclude that the development of compounds that selectively block Shh may be an appropriate direction for designing effective, nontoxic treatments for medulloblastoma. "Ultimately, it is likely that success in treating cancer will require the use of several c...Novel IBD therapeutic approaches reported from Washington Univ., Barcelona, LSU at APS meeting
...f PSGL-1 blocking monoclonal antibody. They conclude that in induced colitis, platelet accumulation in ...ed colonic TGFmRNA expression. The researchers conclude their study suggests that CTLA-4-Ig promotes tolerance in TNBS colitis both via IDO induction as wel...Hunting illusive signs of natural selection
...l selection and so it is a hasty generalization to conclude that more changes are found out Africa. "The European-American population was challenged by more new things in its environment," says Shriver. "And this challenge is reflected in adaptation to new parasites or new environmental factors." The rese...Extreme stretch-growth of axons
...on the axons in the spinal cord." The researchers conclude that this is a genetic program for growth that has been conserved throughout animal species, but just hasn't been studied in depth. By revealing the mechanisms of extreme-stretch growth, the team is currently applying this knowledge to develop nerve ...Why your knees and quads hurt more after running than walking: You're only human
... important challenge to sort out." The researchers conclude that "greater energy cost during running in humans may be explained in part by the decrease in limb mechanical advantage results from the use of more flexed knee joint during running versus walking [and speculate that this] may reflect the evolution ...Genetic clues found for common congenital brain disorder
...hemselves if they fell over. Although the authors conclude that "heterozygous loss of ZIC1 and ZIC4 is the cause of Dandy-Walker malformation in deletion 3q2 patients," they caution that other genes are clearly involved, which is why only 15 percent of the mice with the characteristic deletions had severe sy...Evidence for the impact of climate change on deep-sea biodiversity
...n species richness and functional diversity. They conclude that deep-sea fauna is highly vulnerable to environmental alteration, and that very minor temperature shifts in deep-water masses can rapidly and significantly alter both structural and functional deep-sea biodiversity. This study provides new elemen...Embryonic stem cell therapy shows steady benefits in rebuilding infarcted heart
...ation. Conclusion and next steps The researchers conclude that "embryonic stem cells, through differentiation within the host myocardium, can contribute to a stable beneficial outcome on contractile function and ventricular remodeling in the infarcted heart." Going a step further, they add that "the stable ...Other highlights in the August 18 JNCI
...and extended the survival of the mice. The authors conclude that heparanase gene silencing could be a potential target for anticancer drug development. Contact: Israel Vlodavsky, Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine (Technion, Haifa), 972-4-829-5410, vlodavsk@cc.huji.ac.il Researchers Study Molecular Mecha...Wolf reintroduction reshapes Yellowstone ecology
...oper management of Yellowstone. Ripple and Beschta conclude that, for Yellowstone, "restoration goals should focus on the recovery of natural processes." The identified fear factor might also be important in other regions, although the evidence is less well developed. Journalists may obtain copies of the art...Duke study disputes idea that trees can 'relocate' quickly in response to climate change
...rk said fossil evidence has led many scientists to conclude that many tree species now occupying former glaciated areas migrated north over an interval of a few thousand years from deep southern refuges along the southern Atlantic and Gulf coastal regions. His and some other research groups have challenged th...New study to investigate demise of coral reef ecosystems
...a and Sri Lanka), and Australia. The project will conclude with a large-scale analysis of results in order to gauge changes occurring across whole regions as a result of substantial bleaching events. It will be one of the only studies to look at the effects of bleaching over the medium to long-term and the ...Springtime blooms seen earlier now than in the past, say Boston University biologists
...times over the years. The researchers conclude that it is viable to use existing collections from herbaria, museums, or other such institutions around the world to measure regional effects of climate change on phenological events. Analyses of such data could allow scientists to clarify the exten...DNA tests point to extinction of 2 distinctive arctic bird populations
...olour a month earlier than males.) The researchers conclude that brighter-plumaged males are more attractive to females and thus have more mating opportunities, leading to greater reproductive success. Male ptarmigan will soil their feathers, providing instant camouflage, once their mates have begun laying eg...Gene defects found in age-related macular degeneration
... hundred patients with such a compound, they would conclude that it didn't work, because it wouldn't work for ninety-five percent of those patients."...Carnivore extinction risk determined more by biology than human population density, says study
...ing in the July issue of PLoS Biology, the authors conclude that there is no room for complacency about the security of species simply because they are not currently considered globally threatened. "There is a strong case to be made for pre-emptive conservation of species that live in regions of rapid human ...... not the initial migration phase." The researchers conclude that HGF directs the complex process of tubule development by dividing it into two distinct phases that are controlled by different molecular signals provided by ERK and MMPs. According to Dr. Mostov, "Proper timing and sequence of cellular events is...