Researchers find no safe place to sit in California tick-infested forest
... rest on a log or lean against a tree. Wrong move, say researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, who found that such activities may increase the risk of acquiring ticks harboring the Lyme disease bacterium. "We sat on logs for only five minutes at a time, and in 30 percent of the cases, it ...East Texas feral hog numbers skyrocketed in last decade
...naire, not one was positive. "I expected a few to say that they liked the supplemental income they recei...hts, but not one had this or anything else good to say about feral hogs." One landowner wrote, for example, "I fear allowing my grandchildren to go beyond...Invasive species: A few bucks and a click away
...e of aquaria and ornamental plants and animals. So say the authors of "Beyond ballast water: aquarium and ornamental trades as sources of invasive species in aquatic ecosystems," which appears in the April issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. Dianna Padilla (Stony Brook University) and Susa...Scientists question reports of massive ant supercolonies in California and Europe
...e unwanted ants into California is not a solution, say Gordon and her colleagues, arguing that there are ... study revealed plenty of variation, so how can we say that genetic differences have anything to do with aggression?" European 'union' The St...Reporters from Science Magazine to receive ASM Public Communications Award
...he region has been declared SARS free, the writers say Chinese researchers are reeling at the missed opportunity to show off China's advanced scientific capabilities. The article goes on to explain the changes that have subsequently occurred in China's approach to the study of microbiology. The s...Freeing Nemo: Aquarium owners releasing non-native fish could endanger marine ecosystems
...o-author of the published paper. "Typically, I'd say aquarium owners are more concerned with the status...an't easily be policed," Semmens says. The authors say that education programs for dealers and aquarists could curtail exotic species introductions if impl...Warning to preserve 'unique' red squirrel from extinction
...ears unless extra conservation measures are taken, say the authors of a new study. Scientists from the U...a red squirrel conservation programme, researchers say this may not be enough, and argue that these animals should be included in a captive breeding progra...Researchers caution against linking strep, neuropsychiatric disorders
...en have had them for quite awhile. The researchers say that while strep has been linked to other disorder... studies have demonstrated those connections. They say the same is not true of PANDAS. "Tics are such that they wax and wane," says Kurlan. "Oftentimes pa...Nanotechnology highlights from the ACS national meeting in Anaheim, Calif., March 28-April 1
...ster computers Researchers at Harvard University say they have developed the world's smallest lasers. The lasers, composed of cadmium sulfide nanowires, can be driven by simple electrical current. What's more, several different types of nanowire lasers can be bundled together on a single chip, allowing...East African artifacts support evolution of symbolic thinking in Middle Stone Age
...5,000 years ago. Archaeologists studying the site say it may contain some of the strongest evidence yet for the early development of modern cultural behavior in humans, and is the first such discovery of its kind in East Africa, indicating that cultural modernity may have been widespread across Africa d...City rain run-off poses threat to coastal water users
...reduce pollutants discharged onto public beaches," say Ryan Dwight, Ph.D., and Dean B. Baker, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of California, Irvine, and colleagues. The researchers interviewed surfers in 1998 and 1999 at two California beaches. One was North Orange County, whose watershed is one of ...Researchers say US military accidentally introduced tree pathogen to Italian estate
...ed for Europe during World War II. The researchers say the pathogen likely hitched a ride in transport crates, pallets or other military equipment made from untreated lumber from infected trees. It took decades for the pathogen to establish itself, but since symptoms were first noticed in the 1980s, the ...Missing gene a potential risk factor for birth defects
...e are at greater risk of developing birth defects, say University of Toronto scientists. The finding has implications for research into the cause of birth defects in humans. The gene, also found in humans, produces an important protein called ATM which senses DNA damage caused by reactive oxygen species ......e genomes of the two related microbes. The authors say that indicates that the two spirochetes' divergence from a common ancestor "was an ancient event" in contrast to the more recent divergence of many other groups of bacteria from their ancestral relatives. The genome study is expected to help scientis...Activity of calcium-handling gene appears to prevent cardiac arrhythmias
... to defibrillator implantation for some patients," say Hajjar, an HMS associate professor of Medicine. These types of experiments are currently being pursued in large animals that more closely mimic the human condition. In addition to Hajjar and del Monte, the study's authors are Djamel Lebeche, PhD, L...Rockefeller University scientists take on controversial 'vibration theory' of smell
...est and have found no evidence to support it. They say their study, published in the April issue of Nature Neuroscience, should raise firm doubts about the validity of "vibration theory," which states that molecules in each substance generate a specific vibration frequency that the nose can interpret as ...Tips from the Journals of the American Society for Microbiology
...f some decay in historic wooden huts in Antarctic, say researchers from Minnesota, Iowa and New Zealand. ...in the 90 to 100 years since the huts were built," say the researchers. "Nonbiological deterioration of wood from the huts and artifacts caused by salt co...Natural enemies help scientists untangle tropical forest food webs
... the results are typical of herbivore communities, say the authors, the development of this theory, and its associated experimental tests, will be essential to understand the diversity and structure of insect communities, especially in the species-rich tropics. "It suggests that removal or addition of sp...Experiments establish 'protein-only' nature of prion infections
...conformations of the same protein. The researchers say this finding could contribute to better understand...differences in the various prion strains. "I would say this puts to rest any question about whether the protein-only prion hypothesis as a general principl......ich increase fuel loads will alter fire patterns," say the authors. According to the group, "our results contradict the widely held belief that large wildfires in California shrublands are the direct result of unnatural fuel accumulation due to fire suppression." Several scientific reviews also appear i...