An innovative research approach has identified a previously unsuspected protein as a key player in the resistance to particular forms of breast cancer therapy. The study significantly advances the understanding of the molecular response to breast cancer therapies that target estrogen signaling.
Like X-rays let doctors see the bones beneath our skin, "T-rays" could let art historians see murals hidden beneath coats of plaster or paint in centuries-old buildings, engineering researchers say.
Only about 6 percent of former alcoholics and 4 percent of former illicit drug users will relapse into their addictions in any given year following an organ transplant. Substance abuse can lead to serious organ diseases for which transplantation is increasingly considered an acceptable treatment.
Scientists examines the circumstances under which chimpanzees, our closest relatives, will exchange one inherently valuable commodity (an apple slice) for another (a grape), which is what early humans must have somehow learned to do. The researchers found that chimpanzees often did not spontaneously barter food items, but needed to be trained to engage in commodity barter.
The plant immune system is not restricted to a fixed set of broad spectrum responses -- rather, it is flexible, resilient, and possesses elements of specificity and responsiveness to disease causing agents. Properties quite reminiscent of those of immunity in animals. All multicellular organisms are in an arms-race against the vast armies of rapidly mutating microbial pathogens that are seeking access to their rich stores of nutrients.
There's new hope for breast cancer research, and it's coming from a very unlikely place. Researchers at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences recently published articles in the journals Molecular and Cellular Biology and Carcinogenesis indicating that a protein long suspected to play a role in Down Syndrome may also contribute to treating this devastating disease.
The categories of normal, overweight, and obese are entirely arbitrary and at odds with the underlying evidence about the association between body mass index and mortality. Regardless, the average population weight gain in the United States in the past 42 years is 10.9kg or 0.26kg a year. Yet, between 1999-2000 and 2001-2002, there were no significant changes in the prevalence of overweight or obesity among US adults or in the prevalence of overweight among children. However, it must be noted that the risks of obesity on many serious health conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer, are serious and well established.
Researchers have uncovered the mechanism that contributes to the buildup of fibrous lung tissue in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), finding that a SARS viral protein important for replication can enhance pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting the activity of the enzyme that breaks down connective tissue. The results offer up a new pathway to treat the pulmonary damage of SARS.
Training showing the correct way to lift heavy objects does not prevent back injuries, according to a systematic review. Back pain is a highly prevalent complaint and a cause of much suffering. In the UK employers have to ensure workers get proper training on how to handle loads correctly and this generally includes advising workers on specific lifting techniques. However this study, which reviewed all the evidence currently available, found no evidence that the advice has any effect.
A new chip design for portable electronics can be up to 10 times more energy-efficient than present technology. The design could lead to cell phones, implantable medical devices and sensors that last far longer when running from a battery. In some applications, such as implantable medical devices, the goal is to make the power requirements so low that they could be powered exclusively by the body's own heat or movement.
KOLKATA, India (Reuters) - Authorities in eastern India banned the trade and consumption of poultry on Tuesday to stamp out a bird flu outbreak that officials said was now nearly under control.
France's Alstom unveils a new high-speed AGV train which should travel at 360km/h (224mph). Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 5 Feb 2008 | 11:45 am
Scientists believe they have made an IVF breakthrough by creating a human embryo with three separate parents. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 5 Feb 2008 | 11:13 am
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Health authorities in Pakistan are doing tests on 12 workers from a farm where the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus was detected in poultry, a Health Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.
Leader: The MMR-autism debate is no longer a live question of science. Those still arguing otherwise must understand that it has become a question of conscience instead Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 5 Feb 2008 | 8:32 am
A US judge reimposes curbs on sonar which aim to protect whales, overturning a waiver by President Bush. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 5 Feb 2008 | 8:27 am
The head of one of the world's largest funders of biomedical research is has said that he's set to substantially increase funding. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 5 Feb 2008 | 7:32 am
A rare sea turtle is looked after at an aquarium in Cornwall after being found stranded on a beach in Devon. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 5 Feb 2008 | 7:01 am
A ministerial 'champion' is needed to co-ordinate governmental efforts on climate change, MPs say. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 5 Feb 2008 | 4:08 am
Iran signalled its ambition to join the elite group of nations in space yesterday by claiming to have reached orbit with a rocket capable of carrying satellites Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 5 Feb 2008 | 3:32 am
There is no evidence to link the MMR vaccination to autism in children, according to a substantial new study published today Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 5 Feb 2008 | 12:05 am
· Experts assess point at which it is too late to act · Disastrous repercussions of warming are spelled out Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 5 Feb 2008 | 12:02 am
Study finds autistic children do not react differently to the MMR jab, further confirming the safety of the vaccine. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 5 Feb 2008 | 12:01 am
Many climate systems will undergo a series of sudden shifts this century as a result of human-induced climate change. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 4 Feb 2008 | 10:54 pm
OSLO (Reuters) - Global warming this century could trigger a runaway thaw of Greenland's ice sheet and other abrupt shifts such as a dieback of the Amazon rainforest, scientists said on Monday.
BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese surgeon more used to operating on humans has given a rare tiger cub back its sight by removing cataracts caused by inbreeding, state media said on Monday.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Research into producing electricity from low-emission coal and nuclear plants saw big funding boosts in the 2009 budget request submitted by the U.S. Energy Department on Monday, along with basic energy sciences.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - The crew of the newly repaired space shuttle Atlantis arrived at its Florida spaceport on Monday as NASA prepared to launch the ship on a mission to deliver a European space laboratory to the International Space Station.
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit northern Chile on Monday, near the city of Iquique, but there were no reports of injuries, emergency officials and local media said.
LONDON/BOSTON (Reuters) - U.S. conglomerate General Electric Co has agreed to buy British laboratory equipment maker Whatman Plc for 363 million pounds ($718 million), to boost its life sciences business.
The Government's own advisory group says urgent action is needed to help vulnerable households Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 4 Feb 2008 | 3:35 pm
JAKARTA (Reuters) - A 29-year old Indonesian woman has died of bird flu, bringing the death toll from the virus in the Southeast Asian country to 103, the health ministry said on Monday.
Astronomy has the power to inspire and increase popular participation in science, says Tim Radford - so why is the government letting it spiral into a black hole? Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 4 Feb 2008 | 2:14 pm
