Wikipedia improves students' work
Students become much more concerned with accuracy when their research is posted online
Black, white and stinky: Explaining coloration in skunks and other boldly colored animals
In a first-of-its-kind analysis of the evolution of warning coloration in carnivores, the researchers explain why some species use bold coloration to warn predators while other species don't.
Ayurveda, 'far east' of the current health culture boom
For the first time, a seminal scripture of Ayurveda – the most ancient and important system of medicine in India – is being textually analysed and historically explored piece by piece through the existing manuscripts.
Scientists discover how vitamins and minerals may prevent age-related diseases
Severe deficiency of the vitamins and minerals required for life is relatively uncommon in developed nations, but modest deficiency is very common and often not taken seriously.
The Squeaky Joint
Q. Is there research on whether fish oil supplements help ease joint pain?
The Claim: A Diet High in Protein Is Bad for Your Kidneys
THE FACTS Anyone who has tried a high-protein diet has probably heard this warning: You may lose weight, but you risk kidney damage.
Blood test can instantly diagnose depression
Backed by the medical research group Human Metabolome Technologies (HMT), researchers at Keio University have developed a test which measures the concentration of phosphoric acid in the blood as an indicator of depression.
Searching the web for dengue
Study shows Internet search queries can help monitor epidemics in developing countries; produces new Internet tool that could speed public health responses to tropical diseases
Project Icarus: The Gas Mines of Uranus
Guest contributor Adam Crowl looks at the fuel required for an interstellar trip and finds a gas giant with huge mining potential.
content provided by Adam Crowl, Module Lead for Fuel and Fuel Acquisition for Project Icarus.
E. coli outbreak in Germany: Women more affected
One of the mysteries about the outbreak of the particularly vicious strain of E. coli is that most of the victims have been women.
What can we do about death? Reinventing the American medical system
In a feature article in The New Republic, Daniel Callahan and Sherwin Nuland propose a radical reinvention of the American medical system requiring new ways of thinking about living, aging, and dying.
Association between biomarkers and disease often overstated, researcher finds
More than two dozen widely cited studies linking genes or other "biomarkers" to specific diseases vastly overstate the association, according to new research from an expert in scientific study design at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Patients with bowel disease eager to test 'fecal' therapy
The first study of the social and ethical issues associated with a provocative approach to treatment for ulcerative colitis has found that the majority of potential patients are eager for what is now called "fecal microbiota transplantation" to become available, although many have concerns about donor selection, screening, and methods of delivery.
Surgical removal of the tonsils and appendix associated with risk of early heart attack
But because of the young age of participants, the absolute risk differences were small
Want to solve a problem? Don't just use your brain, but your body too
When we’ve got a problem to solve, we don’t just use our brains but the rest of our bodies, too. The connection, as neurologists know, is not uni-directional. Now there’s evidence from cognitive psychology of the same fact.
The learning puzzle
In a collaborative study, researchers found that incentives raised IQ scores by 10 points on average, with greater gains for lower-IQ participants.
Early Human Dads Stayed at Home While Females Roamed
Although these early dads didn't travel, that doesn't mean they pitched in with raising the children.
Can Cat Fur Color Shape Human Allergies?
Does a cat's coat color actually influence the severity of its owner's allergies?
‘Worms from hell’ unearth possibilities for extraterrestrial life
For the first time, scientists have found complex, multi-celled creatures living a mile and more below the planet’s surface, raising new possibilities about the spread of life on Earth and potential subsurface life on other planets and moons.
Adult brain requires MeCP2 for proper functioning
A paper published online today in Science provides evidence that the Methyl-CpG-Binding Protein 2 (MeCP2) is required throughout life to maintain healthy brain function.
Trans-Atlantic team announces Huntington's disease breakthrough
New research offers promise of medical intervention for this devastating disorder
Eating dirt can be good for the belly, researchers find
Most of us never considered eating the mud pies we made as kids, but for many people all over the world, dining on dirt is nothing out of the ordinary.
Combination therapy shows promise for rare, deadly cancer caused by asbestos
Photodynamic therapy added to lung sparing surgery provides superior results for overall survival in mesothelioma patients
Mechanism discovered for health benefit of green tea, new approach to autoimmune disease
One of the beneficial compounds found in green tea has a powerful ability to increase the number of "regulatory T cells" that play a key role in immune function and suppression of autoimmune disease, according to new research in the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.
Study finds copper proves effective against new E. coli strains
As the World Health Organisation suggests the E. coli outbreak in Germany is a strain never before seen in an outbreak – O104:H4 – laboratory science conducted at the University of Southampton indicates a role for copper in preventing the spread of such infections.
Petri Dish Brain Has 'Short-Term Memory'
This psychedelic donut may look like a blacklight poster on the wall of that dude who was really into Pink Floyd freshman year, but it's actually more mind-blowing than any poster glowing on the wall of a dorm room.
New 'Double Slit' Experiment Skirts Uncertainty Principle
Physicists show that in the iconic double-slit experiment, uncertainty can be eased.
TB vaccination for all London newborns proposed
All newborn children in London could be vaccinated to reduce the spread of tuberculosis (TB), under proposals that are out for consultation.
New strain of MRSA discovered
Scientists have identified a new strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which occurs both in human and dairy cow populations.
Tevatron's mystery signal grows stronger with more data
If physicists weren't jumping up and down with excitement in April at the announcement that an unknown particle had been glimpsed at Fermilab, they are now.
Moving Mirrors Make Light from Nothing
Researchers claim to have produced sought-after quantum effect.
The National Academies Press Makes All PDF Books Free to Download
More Than 4,000 Titles Now Available Free to All Readers
Fighting cancer with cancer: Mayo Clinic finds promising use for thyroid cancer gene
A mutant gene long thought to accelerate tumor growth in thyroid cancer patients actually inhibits the spread of malignant cells, showing promise for novel cancer therapies, a Mayo Clinic study has found.
Estrogen blocker cuts breast cancer risk 65%: study
An anti-estrogen drug has shown a "promising" 65-percent reduction of breast cancer risk among post-menopausal women, according to the findings of a study released Saturday.
Moons like Earth's could be more common than we thought
About one in 10 rocky planets around stars like our Sun may host a moon proportionally as large as Earth's, researchers say.
New generation asthma drug could improve metabolism
Formoterol, a new generation asthma medication, shows great promise for improving fat and protein metabolism, say Australian researchers, who have tested this effect in a small sample of men.
E.coli outbreak: German beansprouts 'probable' cause
Locally grown beansprouts are suspected to be the source of an E.coli outbreak that has left at least 21 people dead, German officials say.
ALPHA stores antimatter atoms for over a quarter of an hour -- and still counting
Berkeley Lab physicists join with their international colleagues in reaching a new frontier in antimatter science
Carbon release to atmosphere 10 times faster than in the past
The rate of release of carbon into the atmosphere today is nearly 10 times as fast as during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), 55.9 million years ago, the best analog we have for current global warming, according to an international team of geologists.
New solar system formation models indicate that Jupiter's foray robbed Mars of mass
Planetary scientists have long wondered why Mars is only about half the size and one-tenth the mass of Earth.
Screening: Saliva Test for Cytomegalovirus Proves Accurate
A new test offers a rapid, inexpensive and highly accurate method for screening newborns for cytomegalovirus, which can cause permanent hearing loss, researchers said on Wednesday.
Australians develop 'smart' bandage
Australian researchers have developed a "smart" bandage that changes colour as a wound worsens or improves, potentially leading to the better treatment of ailments such as leg ulcers.
Autism May Have Had Advantages in Humans' Hunter-Gatherer Past, Researcher Believes
Though people with autism face many challenges because of their condition, they may have been capable hunter-gatherers in prehistoric times, according to a paper published in the journal Evolutionary Psychology in May.