US government list of cancer-causing agents grows
...rt as "known human carcinogens" because studies in humans show that chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections cause liver cancer. Approximately one million United States residents are chronically infected with HBV, which primarily is transmitted through sexual contact (50%) and intravenous drug use (1...Beer-drinking rats count calories better than many people, UF researchers say
...ing that can spell dietary disaster. "Behavior in humans is complicated because we are bombarded by social ..., researchers have studied caloric compensation in humans and in animals, noting that rats instinctively manage their weight by not eating as much when they r...Transgenic plants remove more selenium from polluted soil than wild plants, new tests show
... is considered an essential trace mineral for both humans and animals, but it becomes toxic at high doses. The dangers of selenium toxicity came to light in the 1980s when biologists discovered that irrigation drain water held at the Kesterson Reservoir in the San Joaquin Valley was causing serious deformit...Gene therapy promising for growing tooth-supporting bone
...stically would like to see initial trials begin in humans in four to seven years. BMP-7 is part of a family of proteins that regulates cartilage and bone formation. Recent studies have shown that BMPs are present in tooth development and periodontal repair. This study mixed BMP-7 genes with an inactivated v......ur of other biological systems, including those of humans and animals."...'Man the Hunter' theory is debunked in new book
You wouldn't know it by current world events, but humans actually evolved to be peaceful, cooperative and s...peration and many other features we have as modern humans developed from our attempts to out-smart the predator, says Sussman. Since the 1924 discovery of th...Flocking together: Study shows how animal groups find their way
...ps, the results may be useful in understanding how humans behave in crowds and in designing robots that explore remote locations such as the ocean or other planets. "When you see apparently complex behaviors, the mechanisms that coordinate these behaviors may be surprisingly simple and generic," said Iain C...Bacterial spread all down to chance: Some strains 'just the lucky ones'
...acterial communities mirror the social life of the humans they infect. For example, close family members or friends in the same class at school or nursery are more likely to share an infection due to increased contact. After accounting for these differences in the opportunities for person-to-person spread, ...DuPont's first biologically derived polymer receives global recognition
...iable backup power for the resource consumption of humans and will serve to further protect the environment." DuPont TM Sorona offers unique properties to consumers and manufacturers. Consumers appreciate the unique qualities that DuPont TM Sorona brings to fabrics, including exceptional softness, easy c...Melatonin shrinks bird gonads. What does the popular supplement do in humans?
...d sparrow, a search of the human genome shows that humans have a gene for the same hormone. "This is a way i...tonin. Though birds make melatonin in the same way humans do, and the melatonin cycles through the day and through the year with changes in the length of the ...Clues on cancer from a zebrafish model of melanoma
...ses, in part owing to genetic similarities between humans and fish. Past work from The Cancer Genome Project of Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute included the significant finding that the gene encoding a particular protein, BRAF kinase, is mutated in more than 65% of melanomas. Remarkably, one mutation, V600...Experimental domestication of foxes yields clues to cognitive evolution
... humans. Understanding how intelligence evolved in humans and other animals remains one of the central evolutionary questions yet to be answered by behavioral scientists. Of particular interest is how social problem solving evolves; many believe it is our own social intelligence that differentiates us from ...Gene therapy for Parkinson's disease moves forward in animals
...ease. But its use has been debated since trials in humans ended last year without showing clinical improvements. Amgen, the world's largest biotechnology company, conducted the trials and later halted use of the drug because of safety concerns, creating an outcry from hopeful Parkinson's patients. But the ...Heterosis in populations in nature of a domesticated plant
...ozygosity that explains this paradox, showing that humans inadvertently favour heterozygous volunteers. When farmers weeded fields, they killed small volunteers, but retained large ones, which were also the most heterozygous. Demonstrating heterosis in nature usually requires large samples, but novel featu...Physicians recommend screening for toxoplasmosis for all pregnant women, newborns
...r and a co-author of the study. T. gondii infects humans through three principal routes: eating undercooked, infected meat; ingesting T. gondii oocysts that cats pass in their feces, with exposure occurring through cat litter or soil (examples include gardening, eating unwashed fruits and vegetables, water...Time to rewrite the species rulebook, MSU scientists say
...ling for the species rules to be rewritten so that humans are lumped with their distant underwater relatives. And when it comes to bacteria, the authors say, the current species definition appears to be too liberal. Much of the differences between genetically-similar bacteria appear to be the result of...Removing prions that cause mad cow in humans from blood
...possibility of a second wave of mad cow disease in humans of unknown magnitude globally, including North America. Japan is the latest nation to confirm a human case of mad cow disease. The unknown time interval between exposure to the infected prion and onset of symptoms exacerbates the challenge of deter...UCSD team discovers specialized, rare heart stem cells in newborns
...lls located in the newborn heart of rats, mice and humans has been shown by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. The cells are capable of differentiation into fully mature heart tissue. Called isl1+ cells, these cardiac progenitor cells are stem cells that have...Report addresses safety problem in preharvest stage of food production
...y, and bacterial foodborne pathogens introduced by humans and animals," according to Colloquium Co-Chair, Mary Torrence, D.V.M., Ph.D., of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Colloquium participants discussed establishing implementation guidelines for the best management practices at the farm. These guide...NIH to investigate Ohio State University spinal injury course
...attempt to create an animal model for HIV-positive humans using drugs. Ohio State University received a grant from the NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to fund the spinal cord injury techniques course over five years. The next class is scheduled July 15-20, 2005. This will be...