A new study provides evidence for high cognitive abilities in early humans who lived 170,000 years ago. Researchers discovered that the early humans who occupied a cave had placed their hearth at the optimal location -- enabling maximum utilization of the fire for their activities and needs while exposing them...
Treatment keeps alcoholic monkeys from drinking as much
A hormone produced by the liver called fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) suppresses alcohol consumption in primates, finds a new study. Vervet monkeys with a strong preference for ethanol that were given an FGF21 analogue consumed 50% less alcohol. The study also studied the brain circuits involved in mice and...
Study links lead in childhood well water to teen delinquency
Exposure to lead in drinking water from private wells during early childhood is associated with an increased risk of being reported for delinquency during teenage years, according to a new study. Researchers found that children who get their water from private wells before age 6 have higher blood lead levels...
Human gut bacteria have ‘sex’ to share vitamin B12
Your gut bacteria need vitamin B12 just as much as you do. Though DNA is usually passed from parent to child, new research shows gut bacteria transfer genes through 'sex' in order to take their vitamins.
Complex three-dimensional kidney tissue generated in the lab from the scratch
Researchers have created a complex kidney tissue solely from mouse embryonic stem cells. These organoids could lead the way to better kidney research and, eventually, artificial kidneys for human transplant.
What the rise of oxygen on early Earth tells us about life on other planets
When did the Earth reach oxygen levels sufficient to support animal life? Researchers have discovered that a rise in oxygen levels occurred in step with the evolution and expansion of complex, eukaryotic ecosystems. Their findings represent the strongest evidence to date that extremely low oxygen levels exerted an important limitation...
Unveiling the secrets of biofilms
Most bacteria have the ability to form communities, biofilms, that adhere to a wide variety of surfaces and are difficult to remove. This can lead to major problems, for example in hospitals or in the food industry. Now, an international team has studied a model system for biofilms at the...
Safeguarding the cell nucleus
The nucleus is guarded by a highly secure door, the so-called nuclear pore, that controls the transport of substances from the cytoplasm to the cell nucleus and back. A research group has now shown that different shuttle proteins occupy the nuclear pore to prevent unsolicited leakage of molecules. These proteins...
Protein machinery of respiration becomes visible
Researchers provide high-resolution electron microscopy analysis of the molecular machinery within the respiratory chain.
Low volcanic temperature ushered in global cooling and the thriving of dinosaurs
Dinosaurs came to flourish during the Jurassic period after a volcanic eruption roughly 201 millions years ago wiped out many marine and land animals, leaving them able to evolve and grow. Now, further details about this eruption and the mass extinction have been revealed. A group of researchers demonstrated how...