Neutral evolution has helped shape our genome
...researchers believe they have uncovered a possible reason why these potentially damaging but mostly neutral bits of DNA accumulate over time by comparing the sequences of human numts with those in different animals. How closely the different species sequences match can provide an estimate of when that parti...New clue why MS affects African-Americans differently than Caucasians
... American Academy of Neurology. Rinker says the reason for this biological difference is unknown, but may be related to differences in genetic background. It remains possible that genes are unevenly distributed between ethnic groups to account for different susceptibility to some diseases, said Rinker...JCI Table of Contents -- July 2, 2007
...y of white blood cells known as neutrophils is one reason why some individuals exposed to the infectious bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis resist developing evidence of tuberculosis (TB) infection for longer than their peers. The authors studied 189 adults in London that had been in contact with TB and...Europe struggles to meet the challenges posed by PGD patients travelling abroad
...ntation genetic diagnosis (PGD), and that the main reason for this cross-border movement is the legal positi...and Embryology today (Monday 2 July) that the main reason couples travelled to other countries was because PGD was banned in their own. However, this led to c...Children of smokers have more than 5 times higher levels of a nicotine toxin
...tor for cot death and the authors suggest that one reason for this could be inhalation of, or closeness to clothing or other objects contaminated with, smoke particles during sleep. Nearly 40% of under-fives are believed to be exposed to tobacco smoke at home, and smoke may be responsible for up to 6,000...Dietary calcium is better than supplements at protecting bone health
...nerally better absorbed, and this could be another reason that women who got a high percentage of calcium in their food had higher bone densities." Although dairy foods are excellent sources of calcium, Armamento-Villareal suggests that individuals with dairy sensitivities could consume other calcium-rich...Scientists ponder plant life on extrasolar Earthlike planets
...ne with peptide bonds and so forth. But theres no reason to think it would be comprised of the same 20 amino acids that we have on Earth. Its intriguing to speculate, and I think well know more when we get more clues....The kapok connection -- Study explains rainforest similarities
...d which of several possible scenarios could be the reason for the current distribution of Ceiba pentandra. Dick concluded that extreme long distance travel by wind or ocean currents explains how the trees spread from South America to Africa. He plans to continue investigating the role of oceanic dispersal...Pendulum love, science class gender gaps, musical mind mirrors, and unparticle physics
...the LHC's great discoveries, there's no compelling reason to expect unparticle stuff to exist at all. But at some level that's the lot of a good theoretical physicist. After all, a theorist who restricts their imagination to merely the likely possibilities probably isn't trying hard enough. Just what unpa...Research finds that circadian rhythms dominate all life functions
...with the others," said Ptitsyn. That is one likely reason why researchers previously missed the impact of circadian rhythm on all genes. Depending upon environmental factors, groups of genes can function in a synchronized manner, shifting in time against each other and working in what resembles a domino eff...In nature, proteins sweep up nanoparticles
...al nanoparticles in natural environments, which is reason enough to explore it further. If we understand what causes nanoparticles to aggregate, we have the potential to control their mobility in the subsurface by adding constituents that drive aggregation, says Banfield. The scientists also sought to u...Physicist cracks women's random but always lucky choice of X chromosome
...this randomness and have sought a clear scientific reason as to why one X chromosome was switched off rather than the other. The observations also seem to run counter to the usual idea that the biological mechanisms evolve in ways that allow a "best" choice to be made between things rather than a random one...Study helps preserve Arctic whale, Eskimo subsistence hunt
...es of the 19th and early 20th centuries may be one reason for the unexpected variation. Whalers of this period, from various developed countries, hunted many species to the brink of extinction, including the bowhead. This left a relatively small number of whales to repopulate, which could have helped cau...ASU research shows connection between testosterone, dietary antioxidants and bird coloration
...m ad nausea and try to get mates, said McGraw. The reason typically is that long tails and fancy dances incur costs. Testosterone, for example, has been thought of as a double-edged sword as it relates to sexual signals, because it enhances trait production but comes at a health price to the animal. This ...Boosting key milk nutrients may protect against cancer
...)Together, these findings give Americans even more reason to meet the recommended three servings of lowfat or fat-free milk each day, providing 900 mg of calcium and 300 IU of vitamin D daily. ...Agonized death throes probable cause of open-mouthed, head-back pose of many dino fossils
...s that dry the same way, she said, so there was no reason to expect that the muscles would turn a joint during drying. She found no post-mortem movement. She also pinned beef tendons as they dried, and though they shrank a bit, they did not shrink enough even to dislodge the pins. Given these observations, ...Now playing -- Cell migration LIVE!
...ntell says, but only now do we understand the real reason cells couldnt move. We can see them valiantly trying to detach from the wall but unable to pull away. Montell and her team tediously worked out a recipe for a liquid culture medium that gave the fly eggs the ability to grow outside ovaries. The li...Major study predicts grim future for Europe's seas
...ation of its biodiversity. The team explored the reason for these changes and the prognosis for the future. Eutrophication for example, continues to be a severe problem for the most enclosed seas (the Baltic Sea, Black Sea and the Adriatic within the Mediterranean Sea). It is partly maintained by a legacy...Studies to find better ways to preserve human eggs, ovarian tissue under way
...rs age 16 to 37 who need the tissue taken for some reason other than cancer, such as a hysterectomy for beni...rvives and starts making proper connections. The reason for using ovaries is when you have cancer, if you need chemotherapy, you often dont have time to go ......oss and fragmentation, is believed to be the chief reason for the losses. The assessment, by Eric Dinerstein of the World Wildlife Fund and 15 coauthors, describes the wild tiger's population trajectory as "catastrophic" and urges international cooperation to ensure the animal's continued existence in the w...