Four weeks on a diet of highly processed food led to a strong inflammatory response in the brains of aging rats that was accompanied by behavioral signs of memory loss, a new study has found. Researchers also found that supplementing the processed diet with the omega-3 fatty acid DHA prevented...
Big differences found in male and female jojoba plant sex genes
Hot desert sex has resulted in major genetic differences between male and female jojoba plants -- one of only 6 percent of plants that require a male and female plant to reproduce. New research suggests male and female jojoba plants have diverged so much, that the jojoba plant has more...
Mito warriors: Scientists discover how T cell assassins reload their weapons to kill and kill again
Researchers have discovered how T cells -- an important component of our immune system -- are able keep on killing as they hunt down and kill cancer cells, repeatedly reloading their toxic weapons.
Early modern human from Southeast Asia adapted to a rainforest environment
Although there has been evidence of our species living in rainforest regions in Southeast Asia from at least 70,000 years ago, the poor preservation of organic material in these regions limits how much we know about their diet and ecological adaptations to these habitats. An international team of scientists has...
Aided by stem cells, a lizard regenerates a perfect tail for first time in more than 250 million years
Lizards can regrow severed tails, making them the closest relative to humans that can regenerate a lost appendage. But in lieu of the original tail that includes a spinal column and nerves, the replacement structure is an imperfect cartilage tube. Now, a study describes how stem cells can help lizards...
Improvements in microscopy home in on biology’s elusive details
Researchers are carrying the field of microscopy a step further, refining a technique known as cryogenic electron microscopy, or cryo-EM.
Sense of smell is our most rapid warning system
The ability to detect and react to the smell of a potential threat is a precondition of our and other mammals' survival. Using a novel technique, researchers have been able to study what happens in the brain when the central nervous system judges a smell to represent danger. The study...
Smoke from nuclear war would devastate ozone layer, alter climate
The massive columns of smoke generated by a nuclear war would alter the world's climate for years and devastate the ozone layer, endangering both human health and food supplies, new research shows. The international study draws on newly developed computer climate modeling techniques to paint an even grimmer picture of...
Solving mystery of rare cancers directly caused by HIV
For nearly a decade, scientists have known that HIV integrates itself into genes in cells that have the potential to cause cancer. And when this happens in animals with other retroviruses, those animals often develop cancer. But, perplexingly and fortunately, that isn't regularly happening in people living with HIV. A...
Underwater gardens boost coral diversity to stave off ‘biodiversity meltdown’
Researchers are building symbiotic 'underwater gardens' in the Pacific Ocean to show how different species of coral can work together to possibly restore degraded reefs.