Facial attraction -- choice of sexual partner shaped the human face
... ... According to palaeontologists at the Natur...Proteaceae spread by continental drift and transoceanic dispersal
Using DNA sequence data, botanists have shown that the large southern hemisphere plant family Proteaceae lived on the super-continent Gondwanaland almost 120 million years ago. As Gondwanaland broke up, it was originally thought that these plants merely moved with the newly formed continents. But now a new study published in the Journal of Biogeography has shown that, while this is the case for...Testosterone replacement therapy: How safe for aging men?
Austin, TX For decades, older women have taken hormone replacements to replenish estrogen and progesterone levels lost to aging. More recently, testosterone (the most important male hormone) supplements have been used by aging men to improve their muscle mass, bone strength, libido and quality of life. In 2002, the number of elderly American men taking testosterone replacement therapy was nearl...Biologist traces coconut's history through DNA
The coconut has been popular in lore and on palates for centuries, yet ...little is known about the history of coconuts domestication and ...dispersal around the world.... Now, a biologist at Washington University in St. Louis is ...embarking on the task of understanding the plants history by exploring ...the genetics of the coconut (Cocos nucifera L.).... Kenneth Olsen, Ph.D...Space-borne sensors help Africa tackle water shortage problems
... As part of the IWAREMA (Integrated Water Resource management for Zambia) project, funded through ESAs Data User Element, data from ESAs multispectral MERIS sensor aboard Envisat was used to create maps depicting existing water resources, suitable dam l...How cells change the pace of their steps
... The discovery reported by the UCSD scientists in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and published Aug. 3 on the journals Web site describes forces and energy exerted by the cells as they traveled across an elastic substrate. In videos recorded as the cells moved, each looked like an irregularly shaped water balloon attached fir...Reading a face is tricky business
... ... Even though our study subjects were not aware that they were viewing subliminal emotional exp...Waters off Washington state only second place in world where glass sponge reefs found
Thirty miles west of Grays Harbor, University of Washington scientists have discovered large colonies of glass sponges thriving on the seafloor. The species of glass sponges capable of building reefs were thought extinct for 100 million years until they were found in recent years in the protected waters of Canada's Georgia and Hecata straits, the only place in the world they've been observed unt...New joint replacement material developed at MGH put to first clinical use
... We think this material could be used for any joint in the body and in any implant design, even those demanding higher flexion and more m...Implanon, Norplant and Jadelle are all effective contraceptives -- but side effects vary
... The most common side effect with all the implants was changes in bleeding pattern. Rates of amenorrhoea after two years use were significantly higher in women using Implanon than Norplant. Implanon was also quicker to implant and...Crystal structure enables tailoring of pharmaceuticals against asthma
... Asthma attacks are caused by an acute inflammatory reaction in the airways, a r...Stem cell specialists face questioning
... ... Among the panellists at Wednesdays event will be Ron McKay from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA, Justine Burley, from the University of Singapore, and Jed Davies...Fat horses face health problems
... Fifty-one percent of the horses evaluated during the pioneering research were determined to be overweight or obese and may be subject to serious...A compound from olive-pomace oil gets 80 percent slowing down of HIV spread
...... , headed by Prof. Andrs Garca-Granados, senior lecturer in Organic Chemistry. Their work shows that maslinic acid a natural product extracted from dry olive-pomace oil in oil mills inhibits serin-protease, an enzyme used by...New dynamic brace developed to advance clubfoot treatment
... ... Dobbs tested the brace on 28 patients who had already received non...Sukhishvili invited to serve on NIH's Biomaterials and Biointerfaces Study Section
HOBOKEN, N.J. -- Svetlana Sukhishvili, Associate Professor in Stevens Institute of Technologys Chemistry and Chemical Biology department, has been invited to serve on the Biomaterials and Biointerfaces Study Section of the Center for Scientific Review. Sukhishvilis two-year term on this National Institutes of Health (NIH) committee will run from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2009. ... Members are se...Mucosal-surface immune function discoveries could boost vaccine research
... Bacteria, most of them "friendly," appear in huge quantities along the intestinal wall, the mouth, nose and throat, and the anal and urogenital tracts. Now, groundbreaking research at Weill Cornell shows that the epithelial cells that line these mucosal surfaces help guide the immune system's efforts to keep bacteria in check.<...Unpeaceful co-existence: How strengths and weaknesses maintain biodiversity in an ant community
... They found that some species are better at finding food resources (dead crickets left by researchers) while others are better at defending them. This so-called dominance-discovery tradeof...Male contraception -- UVa discovery stirring interest among basic scientists and drug developers
... "There's considerable interest in developing new male contraceptives," said Herr, who heads UVa's Center for Research in Contraceptive and Reproductive Health. "To support this effort, our team has been searching for proteins that might serve as target sites for small-molecule drugs...New study shows animal family tree looking bushy in places
MADISON -- The animal kingdom's family tree is beginning to look a little bushy.... Two decades ago, with the advent of methods to look at the family relationships of different organisms by analyzing DNA, scientists envisioned it would only be a matter of time before the various family trees for plants, animals, fungi and their kin would be resolved with genetic precision.... And while molecula...Institute of Medicine advisory: IOM's 35th annual meeting explores pharmaceuticals
The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies will hold its 35th annual meeting on Monday, Oct. 24. It will host a daylong public symposium to explore issues related to pharmaceuticals in the 21st century. Topics include drug safety in the United States and the developing world, how consumer drugs are priced and promoted, and the government's role in drug development.... ...The Institute...Ancient DNA traces the woolly mammoth's disappearance
... ... In combination with the results on other species, a picture...Envisat captures first image of Sargassum from space
... Using optical radiance data from the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) aboard Envisat, Dr Jim Gower and Stephanie King of the Canadian Institute of Ocean Sciences and Dr Chuamin Hu of the US Univers...Finding protection from tumor growth in unexpected places
... Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) plays a direct role in controlling blood pressure and is a common therapeutic target in hypertension. However, it also plays roles in such diverse processes as fertility, immune...Systems characterization of cell surface receptors
... In a paper publishing today (June 1) in the Open Access journal PLoS Computational Biology, Drs. Shankaran...Cytomegalovirus exacerbates atherosclerosis through an autoimmune mechanism
A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Verona and the Institute G. Gaslini in Genova, Italy, confirms the pivotal role played by Cytomegalovirus infection in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. ... Atherosclerosis is the main cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide....Classic risk factors including smoking, diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol levels are known to...Tropical birds have slow pace of life compared to northern species, study finds
... ... ... <p...100 percent of pregnant women have at least one kind of pesticide in their placenta
Human beings are directly responsible for more than 110,000 chemical substances which have been generated since the Industrial Revolution. Every year, we "invent" more than 2,000 new substances, most of them contaminants, which are emitted into the environment and which are consequently present in food, air, soil and water. Nonetheless, human beings are also victims of these emissions, and invol...Premature births may be linked to seasonal levels of pesticides and nitrates in surface water
... Dr. Winchester and colleagues found that preterm bi...Preterm infants with RDS -- surfactant replacement therapies improves neonatal survival
Napa, CA and Parma, Italy (May 7, 2007) -- Data presented today at the Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting demonstrate that premature infants with neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) have a nearly 20% better chance of survival if they are treated with Curosurf (poractant alfa) Intratracheal Suspension rather than either of two competing surfactant therapies. "Differences in Mor...$4.4 million NIH grant renews Echinacea and St John's wort research at Iowa State
... The Iowa Center for Research on Botanical Dietary Supplements at Iowa State University was created in 2002 by the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. In addition to Iowa State, the center includes researchers at the University of Iowa, Yale University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's North Central Regional Plant Int...Amphibians in losing race with environmental change
... The basic constraints of evolution and the inability of species to adapt quickly enough can explain most of the causes that are leading one species after another of amphibians into decline or outright extinction, say researchers from Oregon...Pharmaceutical compounds found in nation's fresh water
... ... Many pharmaceutical and pharmaceutically-active compounds (...Replacement warhead program poses challenges for weapons complex
... ... All details from the teleconference will remain under embargo until 11:00 a.m. EDT, Tuesday, 24 April, 2007. Dial-in numbers: Toll Free 1-800...Robust time estimation reconciles views of the antiquity of placental mammals
Despite great progress over the past decade, the evolutionary history of placental mammals remains controversial. While a consensus is emerging on the topology of the evolutionary tree, although with occasional disagreement, divergence times remain uncertain. The age of earlier nodes and in particular the root, remain especially uncertain in the absence of definitive placental fossils deeper int...Health disparities -- Genetics, society and race play an important role in access to healthcare
LOS ANGELES -- Minority individuals are much more likely to develop and die from cancer than the general U.S. population. Previous research points to lack of health insurance, poverty, language and cultural barriers, and inadequate access to early detection services and good medical care as causes. Research reported today at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research...New placenta screening for high-risk pregnancies
Toronto, ON (April 2, 2007) -- For the first time ever, a team of Toronto researchers are using a combination of ultrasound and blood tests to screen high-risk pregnant mothers for placental damage. By completing these non-invasive tests, most high-risk mothers can be reassured that their placenta is formed and functioning properly, so they can expect a healthy pregnancy. The tests are done ear...Counting heads or measuring space?
Bacteria can talk to each other: by using signal substances they inform their neighbours as to whether or not it is worth switching certain genes on or off. This communication between bacterial cells is essential for the adaptation to changing environments and for the survival. What exactly do bacteria learn from the signal substances? There have been two theories: the release of signal substanc...NJIT professor obtains patent to uncover trace elements of airborne pollutants
... Calling the invention a microconcentrator, Mitra said his NJIT research team has created a novel, cost-eff...... The development of an effective malaria vaccine is not easy, in part because there are different strains of the Plasmodium parasite that causes the disease. The different strains carry different variants (alleles) of the genes encoding parasite components (antigens) used in test vaccines, which means that the parasites causing infection in a give...