
Why Do Cells Age? Discovery of Extremely Long-Lived Proteins May Provide Insight Into Cell Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases
One of the big mysteries in
biology is why cells age. Now
scientists report that they have
discovered a weakness in a
component of brain cells that may
explain how the aging process
... > full story
- more on:

Placebos and Distraction: New Study Shows How to Boost the Power of Pain Relief, Without Drugs
Placebos reduce pain by creating
an expectation of relief.
Distraction -- say, doing a puzzle
-- relieves it by keeping the
brain busy. But do they use the
same brain processes? Neuromaging
... > full story
- more on:

Preference for Fatty Foods May Have Genetic Roots
A preference for fatty foods has a
genetic basis, according to
researchers, who discovered that
people with certain forms of the
CD36 gene may like high-fat foods
more than those who have other
forms of this gene. ... > full story
- more on:

A Battle of the Vampires, 20 Million Years Ago?
They are tiny, ugly,
disease-carrying little
blood-suckers that most people
have never seen or heard of, but a
new discovery in a one-of-a-kind
fossil shows that "bat flies" have
been doing their noxious business
with bats for at least 20 million
... > full story
- more on:

New Procedure Repairs Severed Nerves in Minutes, Restoring Limb Use in Days or Weeks
Scientists believe a new procedure
to repair severed nerves could
result in patients recovering in
days or weeks, rather than months
or years. The team used a cellular
mechanism similar to that used by
... > full story
- more on:

Surface of Mars an Unlikely Place for Life After 600-Million-Year Drought, Say Scientists
Mars may have been arid for more
than 600 million years, making it
too hostile for any life to
survive on the planet’s
surface, according to researchers
who have been carrying out the
... > full story
- more on:

New 'Biopsy in a Blood Test' to Detect Cancer
Scientists and cancer physicians
have successfully demonstrated the
effectiveness of an advanced blood
test for detecting and analyzing
circulating tumor cells --
breakaway cells from patients'
solid tumors -- from cancer
patients. The findings show that
... > full story
- more on:

Unraveling a Butterfly's Aerial Antics Could Help Builders of Bug-Size Flying Robots
By figuring out how butterflies
flutter among flowers with amazing
grace and agility, researchers
hope to help build small airborne
robots that can mimic those
maneuvers. ... > full story
- more on:

Millisecond Pulsar Paradox: Stellar Astrophysics Helps Explain Behavior of Fast Rotating Neutron Stars in Binary Systems
Pulsars are among the most exotic
celestial bodies known. They have
diameters of about 20 kilometers,
but at the same time roughly the
mass of our sun. A sugar-cube
sized piece of its ultra-compact
... > full story
- more on:

New Super-Earth Detected Within the Habitable Zone of a Nearby Cool Star
Sientists have discovered a
potentially habitable super-Earth
orbiting a nearby star. The star
is a member of a triple star
system and has a different makeup
than our Sun, being relatively
lacking in metallic elements. This
... > full story
- more on:
Roll over headlines to view top news summaries:
- Why Do Cells Age? Extremely Long-Lived Proteins
- Placebos and Distraction: Boosting Pain Relief
- Fatty Food Preference May Have Genetic Roots
- Battle of Vampires, 20 Million Years Ago?
- Severed Nerves: Heal and Use Limb Days Later?
- No Mars Life After 600-Million-Year Drought?
- 'Biopsy in a Blood Test' to Detect Cancer
- Butterflies Inspire Bug-Size Flying Robots
- Paradox of Millisecond Pulsars Solved?
- Super-Earth in Habitable Zone of Nearby Star
- more top science stories
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Top Medical News
Whole Exome Sequencing Identifies Cause of Metabolic Disease
Sequencing a patient's entire genome to discover the source of his or her disease is not routine, but geneticists are getting close. A case report shows how researchers can combine a simple blood test with an "executive summary" scan of the genome ... > full story
- The Complex Relationship Between Memory and Silence
- Warfarin and Aspirin Are Similar in Heart Failure Treatment, Study Suggests
- Schizophrenia: When Hallucinatory Voices Suppress Real Ones, New Electronic Application May Help
- Using Immune Cells from Healthy People to Fight Cancer
- more top health stories
Top Technology News
Classic Portrait of a Barred Spiral Galaxy
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has taken a picture of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1073, which is found in the constellation of Cetus (The Sea Monster). Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is a similar barred spiral, and the study of galaxies such ... > full story
Top Environment News
Collective Action: Occupied Genetic Switches Hold Clues to Cells' History
If you wanted to draw your family tree, you could start by searching for people who share your surname. Cells, of course, don’t have surnames, but scientists have found that genetic switches called enhancers, and the molecules that activate ... > full story
- Parasites or Not? Transposable Elements in DNA of Fruit Flies May Be Beneficial
- Scientists Coax Shy Microorganisms to Stand out in a Crowd
- Google Earth Ocean Terrain Receives Major Update: Data Sharpen Resolution of Seafloor Maps, Correct 'Discovery' of Atlantis
- New Way to Study Ground Fractures
- more top environment stories
More Science Headlines
Updated 60 minutes ago | Next update in 2 hours
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8 am EST
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Breastfeeding Linked to Improved Lung Function at School-Age, Especially With Asthmatic Mothers
February 3, 2012 Breastfeeding is associated with improved lung function at school age, particularly in children of asthmatic mothers, according to a new ... > full story -
Malaria; Infectious Diseases; Health Policy; Children's Health; Diseases and Conditions; Healthy Aging;
Malaria Kills Nearly Twice as Many People Than Previously Thought, but Deaths Declining Rapidly
February 2, 2012 Malaria is killing more people worldwide than previously thought -- 1.2 million -- but the number of deaths has fallen rapidly as efforts to combat the disease have ramped up, according to new research. Researchers say that deaths from malaria have ... > full story -
How to Tell Apart the Forgetful from Those at Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
February 2, 2012 It can be difficult to distinguish between people with normal age-associated memory loss and those with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). However people with aMCI are at a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and ... > full story -
Football Findings Suggest Concussions Caused by Series of Hits
February 2, 2012 A two-year study of high school football players suggests that concussions are likely caused by many hits over time and not from a single blow to the head, as commonly ... > full story -
Triglyceride Levels Predict Stroke Risk in Postmenopausal Women
February 2, 2012 The traditional risk factors for stroke – such as high cholesterol – are not as accurate at predicting risk in postmenopausal women as previously thought. Instead, researchers say doctors should refocus their attention on triglyceride ... > full story
5 am EST
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New Technique Successfully Dissolves Blood Clots in Brain and Lowers Risk of Brain Damage After Stroke, Study Suggests
February 2, 2012 Neurologists report success with a new means of getting rid of potentially lethal blood clots in the brain safely without cutting through easily damaged brain tissue or removing large pieces of ... > full story -
Untangling the Mysteries of Alzheimer's
February 2, 2012 Researchers have found new evidence that confirms the significance of a protein that neuroscientists call tau to the development of Alzheimer's disease. While earlier studies have focused on tau's aggregation into twisted structures known as ... > full story -
Down Syndrome; Birth Defects; Pregnancy and Childbirth; Infant's Health; Personalized Medicine; Women's Health;
DNA Test That Identifies Down Syndrome in Pregnancy Can Also Detect Trisomy 18 and Trisomy 13
February 2, 2012 A recent study shows that a new DNA test that identifies Down syndrome in pregnancy can also detect trisomies 18 and ... > full story -
Elevated Glucose Associated With Undetected Heart Damage
February 2, 2012 A new study suggests that hyperglycemia injures the heart, even in patients without a history of heart disease or diabetes. The high-sensitivity test they used detected levels of cTnT tenfold lower than those found in patients diagnosed with a heart ... > full story -
Food Poisoning: Understanding How Bacteria Come Back from the 'Dead'
February 2, 2012 Salmonella remains a serious cause of food poisoning, in part due to its ability to thrive and quickly adapt to the different environments in which it can grow. New research has taken a detailed look at what Salmonella does when it enters a new ... > full story
2 am EST
-
'Yellow Biotechnology': Using Plants to Silence Insect Genes in a High-Throughput Manner
February 2, 2012 'Yellow biotechnology' refers to biotechnology with insects -- analogous to the green (plants) and red (animals) biotechnology. Active ingredients or genes in insects are characterized and used for research or application in agriculture and ... > full story -
Gene Regulator in Brain's Executive Hub Tracked Across Lifespan
February 2, 2012 Scientists have tracked the activity, across the lifespan, of an environmentally responsive regulatory mechanism that turns genes on and off in the brain's executive hub. Genes implicated in schizophrenia and autism are among those in which ... > full story -
Probable Mechanism Underlying Resveratrol Activity Uncovered: Chemical Found in Red Wine and Other Foods
February 2, 2012 Researchers have identified how resveratrol, a naturally occurring chemical found in red wine and other plant products, may confer its health benefits. The authors present evidence that resveratrol does not directly activate sirtuin 1, a protein ... > full story -
Frogs and Reptiles; Evolutionary Biology; Life Sciences; Nature; Biochemistry Research; Veterinary Medicine;
Castaway Lizards Provide Insight Into Elusive Evolutionary Process, Founder Effects
February 2, 2012 A biologist who released lizards on tiny uninhabited islands in the Bahamas has shed light on the interaction between evolutionary processes that are seldom observed. He found that the lizards' genetic and morphological traits were determined by ... > full story -
Coffee Consumption Reduces Fibrosis Risk in Those With Fatty Liver Disease, Study Suggests
February 2, 2012 Caffeine consumption has long been associated with decreased risk of liver disease and reduced fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease. Now, new research confirms that coffee caffeine consumption reduces the risk of advanced fibrosis in ... > full story
11 pm EST
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Heat and Cold Damage Corals in Their Own Ways
February 2, 2012 Around the world coral reefs are facing threats brought by climate change and dramatic shifts in sea temperatures. While warming has been the primary focus for scientists and ocean policy managers, cold can also cause significant damage. Scientists ... > full story -
Erratic Heart Rhythm May Account for Some Unexplained Strokes
February 2, 2012 Occasional erratic heart rhythms appear to cause about one-fifth of strokes for which a cause is not readily ... > full story -
Human Immune Cells React Sensitively to 'Stress'
February 2, 2012 Scientists have demonstrated for the first time that certain cells circulating in human blood -- so-called monocytes -- are extremely sensitive to reactive oxygen species (ROS). They were also able to clarify the reason for this: ROS are aggressive ... > full story -
Attention Deficit Disorder; ADD and ADHD; Children's Health; Child Development; Mental Health; Child Psychology;
Young Children Exposed to Anesthesia Multiple Times Show Elevated Rates of ADHD
February 2, 2012 Researchers have found that multiple exposures to anesthesia at a young age are associated with higher rates of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ... > full story -
Rearranging the Cell's Skeleton: Small Molecules at the Cell’s Membrane Enable Cell Movement
February 2, 2012 Cell biologists have identified key steps in how certain molecules alter a cell’s skeletal shape and drive the cell’s ... > full story
8 pm EST
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Energy and the Environment; Renewable Energy; Energy Technology; Sustainability; Solar Energy; Environmental Science;
Biosolar Breakthrough Promises Cheap, Easy Green Electricity
February 2, 2012 Scientists are turning the term "power plant" on its head. A team of researchers has developed a system that taps into photosynthetic processes to produce efficient and inexpensive ... > full story -
NASA Mission Returns First Video from Moon's Far Side
February 1, 2012 A camera aboard one of NASA's twin Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) lunar spacecraft has returned its first unique view of the far side of the moon. MoonKAM, or Moon Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students, will be used by ... > full story -
Powering Pacemakers With Heartbeat Vibrations
February 1, 2012 Aerospace engineers have developed a prototype device that could power a pacemaker using a source that is surprisingly close to the heart of the matter: vibrations in the chest cavity that are due mainly to ... > full story -
Prolific Plant Hunters Provide Insight in Strategy for Collecting Undiscovered Plant Species
February 1, 2012 Today's alarmingly high rate of plant extinction necessitates an increased understanding of the world's biodiversity. An estimated 15 to 30 percent of the world's flowering plants have yet to be discovered, making efficiency an integral function of ... > full story -
Global Experts Question Claims About Jellyfish Populations
February 1, 2012 Blooms, or proliferation, of jellyfish have shown a substantial, visible impact on coastal populations -- clogged nets for fishermen, stinging waters for tourists, even choked intake lines for power plants -- and recent media reports have created a ... > full story
5 pm EST
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Yellow-Cedar Are Dying in Alaska: Scientists Now Know Why
February 1, 2012 Yellow-cedar, a culturally and economically valuable tree in southeastern Alaska and adjacent parts of British Columbia, has been dying off across large expanses of these areas for the past 100 years. But no one could say why -- until ... > full story -
Same Genes Linked to Early And Late-Onset Alzheimer's
February 1, 2012 The same gene mutations linked to inherited, early-onset Alzheimer’s disease have been found in people with the more common late-onset form of the illness. The discovery may lead doctors and researchers to change the way Alzheimer’s ... > full story -
Massage Is Promising for Muscle Recovery: Researchers Find 10 Minutes Reduces Inflammation
February 1, 2012 Researchers have discovered a brief 10-minute massage helps reduce inflammation in muscle. As a non-drug therapy, massage holds the potential to help not just bone-weary athletes but those with inflammation-related chronic conditions, such as ... > full story -
Self-Assembling Nanorods: Researchers Obtain 1-, 2 And 3-D Nanorod Arrays and Networks
February 1, 2012 Researchers have developed a relatively fast, easy and inexpensive technique for inducing nanorods to self-assemble into aligned and ordered macroscopic structures. This technique should enable more effective use of nanorods in solar cells, magnetic ... > full story -
Sun Delivered Curveball of Powerful Radiation at Earth
February 1, 2012 A potent follow-up solar flare, which occurred Jan. 17, 2012, just days after the Sun launched the biggest coronal mass ejection seen in nearly a decade, delivered a powerful radiation punch to Earth's magnetic field despite the fact that it was ... > full story
2 pm EST
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Nano-Oils Keep the Electronic Devices Really Cool
February 1, 2012 Scientists have created a nano-infused oil that could greatly enhance the ability of devices as large as electrical transformers and as small as microelectronic components to shed excess ... > full story -
Scientists Help Define Structure of Exoplanets
February 1, 2012 Using models similar to those used in weapons research, scientists may soon know more about exoplanets, those objects beyond the realm of our solar system. Astronomers have come up with new methods for deriving and testing the equation of state of ... > full story -
Medical Technology; Diseases and Conditions; Health Policy; Alternative Medicine; Technology; Medical Imaging;
'Life and Activity Monitor' Provides Portable, Constant Recording of Vital Signs
February 1, 2012 Researchers have developed a type of wearable, non-invasive electronic device that can monitor vital signs such as heart rate and respiration at the same time it records a person's activity level, opening new opportunities for biomedical research, ... > full story -
Scientists Confirm First 'Frequency Comb' to Probe Ultraviolet Wavelengths
February 1, 2012 Physicists have created the first "frequency comb" in the extreme ultraviolet band of the spectrum, high-energy light less than 100 nanometers in wavelength. Laser-generated frequency combs are the most accurate method available for precisely ... > full story -
Spiders and Ticks; Internet; Computer Programming; Computer Modeling; Construction; Civil Engineering;
Spider Web's Strength Lies in More Than Its Silk
February 1, 2012 A study that combines experimental observations of spider webs with complex computer simulations has shown that web durability depends not only on silk strength, but on how overall web design compensates for damage and the response of individual ... > full story
11 am EST
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Bacterial Plasmids -- The Freeloading and the Heavy-Lifters -- Balance the High Price of Disease
February 1, 2012 Studying self-replicating genetic units, called plasmids, found in one of the world's widest-ranging pathogenic soil bacteria -- the crown-gall-disease-causing microorganism Agrobacterium tumefaciens -- biologists are showing how freeloading, mutant ... > full story -
New Technology Shows Molecules and Cells in Action
February 1, 2012 A new affinity capture device provides a platform for viewing cancer cells and other macromolecules in dynamic, life-sustaining liquid ... > full story -
Societal Control of Sugar Essential to Ease Public Health Burden, Experts Urge
February 1, 2012 Sugar should be controlled like alcohol and tobacco to protect public health, according to a team of researchers, who maintain in a new report that sugar is fueling a global obesity pandemic, contributing to 35 million deaths annually worldwide from ... > full story -
Chaos in the Cell's Command Center
February 1, 2012 Researchers have determined the critical role one enzyme, lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1), plays as mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) differentiate. This research may provide targets for developing drugs to push cells with dysfunctional gene ... > full story -
Depression; Mental Health; Mental Health Research; Psychiatry; Today's Healthcare; Diseases and Conditions;
Blood Test Accurately Distinguishes Depressed Patients from Healthy Controls
February 1, 2012 The initial assessment of a blood test to help diagnose major depressive disorder indicates it may become a useful clinical tool. Researchers report that analyzing levels of nine biomarkers accurately distinguished patients diagnosed with depression ... > full story
Health & Biomedical Sciences
Health & Medicine
Regular Use of Vitamin and Mineral Supplements Could Reduce the Risk of Colon Cancer, Study Suggests
Could the use of vitamin and mineral supplements in a regular diet help to reduce the risk of colon cancer and protect against carcinogens? A study published in the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology found that rats given regular ... > full story
Mind & Brain
Rare Mutations May Help Explain Aneurysm in High-Risk Families
An innovative approach to genome screening has provided clues about rare mutations that may make people susceptible to brain aneurysms, predisposing them to brain bleeds, according to preliminary ... > full story
- New Drug Doesn't Improve Disability Among Stroke Patients, Researchers Find
- Clopidogrel With Aspirin Doesn't Prevent More Small Strokes, May Increase Risk of Bleeding and Death, Researchers Report
- Anemia May More Than Triple Your Risk of Dying After a Stroke
- Sleep Deprivation Tied to Increased Nighttime Urination in Preadolescence
- more stories
Living Well
U.S. Counties With Thriving Small Businesses Have Healthier Residents
U.S. counties and parishes with a greater concentration of small, locally-owned businesses have healthier populations — with lower rates of mortality, obesity and diabetes — than do those that rely on large companies with ... > full story
Biological & Earth Sciences
Plants & Animals
Potatoes Lower Blood Pressure in People With Obesity and Hypertension Without Increasing Weight
The first study to check the effects of eating potatoes on blood pressure in humans has concluded that two small helpings of purple potatoes a day decreases blood pressure by about four percent without causing weight gain. The researchers say that ... > full story
Earth & Climate
NASA's GCPEx Mission: What We Don't Know About Snow
NASA's GCPEx science team is collecting as much data as they can to improve understanding of snow dynamics inside clouds, because they relate to how snow moves through Earth's water and climate ... > full story
- Road Runoff Spurring Spotted Salamander Evolution
- Tropical Cyclones to Cause Greater Damage, Researchers Predict
- Less Summer Arctic Sea Ice Cover Means Colder, Snowier Winters in Central Europe
- Available Information on the Free Release of Genetically Modified Insects Into the Wild Is Highly Restricted
- more stories
Fossils & Ruins
First Plants Caused Ice Ages, New Research Reveals
New research reveals how the arrival of the first plants 470 million years ago triggered a series of ice ages. The research reveals the effects that the first land plants had on the climate during the Ordovician Period, which ended 444 million years ... > full story
Physical & Applied Sciences
Space & Time
High-Precision Map of Milky Way's Magnetic Fields Charted
Scientists have pooled their radio observations into a database, producing the highest precision map to date of the magnetic field within our own Milky Way ... > full story
Matter & Energy
Building a Better Light Bulb: Energy Efficient Organic LEDs
Incandescent light bulbs are energy hogs, but many people prefer them for the cozy quality of light they emit. Scientists in Germany have set out to build energy efficient organic LED (OLED) lights that could rival incandescent bulbs in white-light ... > full story
Computers & Math
Judder-Free Videos on the Smartphone
Overloaded cellular networks can get annoying – especially when you want to watch a video on your smartphone. An optimized Radio Resource Manager will soon be able to help network operators accommodate heavy network ... > full story

