Index

Scientists have performed the first DNA-based reconstruction of the giant extinct moa bird, using prehistoric feathers recovered from caves and rock shelters in New Zealand.

Treatment with proton pump inhibitors for eight weeks induces acid-related symptoms like heartburn, acid regurgitation and dyspepsia once treatment is withdrawn in healthy individuals. Data suggests proton pump inhibitors can induce acid-related symptoms in healthy adults.

"June is busting out all over," as the song says, and with it, U.S. residents along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts begin to gaze warily toward the ocean, aware that the hurricane season is revving up. In the decade since NASA's QuikScat satellite and its SeaWinds scatterometer launched in June 1999, the satellite has measured the wind speed and wind direction of these powerful storms, providing data that are increasingly used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Hurricane Center and other world forecasting agencies. The data help scientists detect these storms, understand their wind fields, estimate their intensity and track their movement.

Stroke patients with obstructive sleep apnea who undergo treatment with continuous positive airway pressure following their stroke may substantially reduce their risk of death.

Large volcanic calderas, aka supervolcanoes, are enormous craters tens of kilometers in diameter produced by giant, explosive eruptions that rank among the most violent geologic events. Geophysical studies of recently active calderas and investigations of their eruption products suggest that their magmatic systems are driven by intrusion of mantle-derived basalt in the deep crust, a process commonly referred to as magmatic underplating.

Researchers report that it takes at least a year for former methamphetamine users to regain impulse control. The results tell recovering substance abusers, their families and drug-treatment specialists that it can take an extended period of time for the brain functions critical to recovery to improve.

Astronomers have found a binary star-disk system in which each star is surrounded by the kind of dust disk that is frequently the precursor of a planetary system.

Researchers are injecting a modified herpes virus into melanoma tumors, hoping to kill the cancer cells while also bolstering the body's immune defenses against the disease.

New research has shown that fish kept alone or in small groups are more aggressive and exhibit fewer natural behaviors such as shoaling.

If a lump is found in the breast of an adolescent girl, she often will undergo an excisional biopsy. However, breast cancer is rare in adolescents, and the vast majority of teenage breast lumps are benign. A recent study suggests that a breast ultrasound might eliminate the need for biopsy in many cases.

Charles Darwin postulated that animals eat as much as possible while food is plentiful, and produce as many offspring as this would allow. However, new research shows that, even when food is abundant, intake reaches a limit. One theory for this is that animals actively limit their energy turnover to maintain a higher level of reproductive success over their lifetime.

We swim in a sea of information, but filter out most of what we see or hear. A new analysis of data from dozens of studies sheds new light on how we choose what we do and do not hear. The study found that while people tend to avoid information that contradicts what they already think or believe, certain factors can cause them to seek out, or at least consider, other points of view.

New research, which reconstructs the extent of ice in the sea between Greenland and Svalbard from the 13th century to the present indicates that there has never been so little sea ice as there is now.

Otitis media, more commonly known as an ear infection, is the most frequently diagnosed illness in children less than 15 years of age in the United States and is the primary cause for emergency room visits. More than 80 percent of children will experience at least one ear infection before their third birthday. A new study could introduce a pain-free vaccination strategy that works against ear infections.

In a first-of-its-kind advance toward the next generation of genetically modified foods — intended to improve consumers' health — researchers in Japan are reporting that a new transgenic rice designed to fight a common pollen allergy appears safe in animal studies. 

The herpes simplex virus (HSV) can infect the eye and sometimes causes so much damage that the person's cornea must be replaced with a transplant. (The cornea is the clear covering of the front of the eye that helps focus light for vision.) Doctors knew transplants were more likely to fail in people with HSV than in patients with other disorders, such as keratoconus, an abnormal steepening of the cornea.

Engineers used a novel underwater manufacturing technique to successfully build biomimetic cilia. The hairlike appendages mix tiny volumes of liquid to speed up biomedical reactions.

For the first time, researchers have been able to identify genetic predictors of the potential success or failure of IVF treatment in blood. New research helps explain why IVF works for some patients but not for others.

A new class of black hole, more than 500 times the mass of the Sun, has been discovered by an international team of astronomers.

Scientists have discovered that many common genetic variants contribute to a person's risk of schizophrenia, providing the first molecular evidence that this form of genetic variation is involved in schizophrenia. The researchers also found that many of these DNA variations also are involved in bipolar disorder but not in several nonpsychiatric diseases.

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the weapons of suicide bombers, are a major cause of soldier casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. A group of engineering undergraduate students has developed a new way to detect them.

When humans and animals delay reproduction because food or other resources are scarce, they may live longer to increase the impact of reproduction, according to a new study.

Scientists are researching the potential of mass production of microalgae as a crop.

The pursuit of happiness characterizes the human condition. But for those suffering from stress, money trouble or chronic illness, a positive outlook on life can be difficult to find. Now, a researcher says we should look to our genes.

The salamander is a superhero of regeneration, able to replace lost limbs, damaged lungs, sliced spinal cord -- even bits of lopped-off brain. Based on experiments on genetically modified axolotl salamanders, researchers show that cells from the salamander's different tissues retain the "memory" of those tissues when they regenerate, contributing with few exceptions only to the same type of tissue from whence they came.

A molecule called telomerase, best known for enabling unlimited cell division of stem cells and cancer cells, has a surprising additional role in the expression of genes in an important stem cell regulatory pathway. The unexpected finding may lead to new anticancer therapies and a greater understanding of how adult and embryonic stem cells divide and specialize.

A tiny grid pattern has led materials scientists to an unexpected finding -- the surprisingly strong and long-range effects of certain electromagnetic nanostructures used in data storage.

Researchers have discovered an important new insight into how a commonly prescribed drug may work to treat those infected by a parasitic flatworm.

Is it possible that something as insubstantial and transitory as snow could be responsible for large scale vertical movements of Earth's surface and the excavation of deeply incised gorges?

It’s the same dilemma every morning: do you take your usual route with its frequent traffic jams, or try to get to work faster by going cross-country? And do you listen to the advice from the traffic information service, or work it out yourself? Researchers found that although we appear to be stubborn creatures of habit, good traffic information makes us a bit more adventurous.

A human growth factor that stimulates blood stem cells to proliferate in bone marrow reverses memory impairment in mice genetically altered to develop Alzheimer's disease, a new study finds.

Scientists have shown, for the first time, that modern genetic technologies can solve the riddle of how gene variations lead to schizophrenia.

People with ankle injuries who do not respond successfully to initial treatment may have a second chance at recovery, thanks to two new procedures.

Competitive sports and endurance training comes with a real -- even if rare -- twist. While most people will enjoy the benefits and pleasures of exercise, there are a few for whom regular athletic training will increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmias and even sudden death.

Two Australian researchers have defined a newly recognized kind of explosive eruption, termed "neptunian," that is restricted to seafloor volcanoes.

A current trend in secondary science education is for students to learn by discovering for themselves how things work. Computer modeling is a teaching method that fits in nicely with this trend and also with new learning objectives such as scientific literacy, inquiry-based learning and active involvement. Researchers have demonstrated that computer modeling is particularly useful for learning complex structures but less effective for learning simple facts.

It appears to be a paradox: ultra-thin material that absorbs all incident light. Nonetheless, it does exist. Researchers have demonstrated that at a thickness of 4.5 nanometer niobiumnitride (NbN) is ultra-absorbent. They have recorded a light absorption of almost 100%, while the best light absorption to date was 50%. This research brings the ideal light detector a step closer.

Because females carry two copies of the X chromosome to males’ one X and one Y, they harbor a potentially toxic double dose of the over 1000 genes that reside on the X chromosome. To compensate for this imbalance, mammals such as mice and humans shut down one entire X-chromosome through a phenomenon known as X-inactivation. For almost two decades, researchers have believed that one particular gene, called Xist, provides the molecular trigger of X-inactivation. A new study disputes current scientific belief by showing that X-inactivation can occur even in the absence of a gene previously thought to be the trigger of the process.

In mice, scientists have shown two types of antibiotics can cause moderate to wide-ranging changes in normally diverse, beneficial gut microbes. The findings have implications for minimizing diarrhea in vulnerable patients, and for treating inflammatory bowel disease and C. difficile.

Researchers have identified the prognostic significance of the immune system in breast tumors. The research results show that patients with certain breast tumors have a better prognosis when more immune cells are present in the tumor.

Microbes and bacteria were the first living organisms on Earth, and they can be preserved in Archean silica-rich rocks. One such outcrop from western Australia, dated to 3.5 billion years ago, may hold the oldest "microfossils."

Local laws, insurance reimbursement and public misperceptions impede emergency medical services (EMS) workers from using best resuscitation practices, according to a new study.

When glaciers advanced over much of the Earth's surface during the last ice age, what kept the planet from freezing over entirely? This has been a puzzle to climate scientists because leading models have indicated that over the past 24 million years geological conditions should have caused carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere to plummet, possibly leading to runaway "icehouse" conditions. Now researchers report on the missing piece of the puzzle -- plants.

Celiac disease, an immune system reaction to gluten in the diet, is over four times more common today than it was 50 years ago, according to new findings. Undiagnosed celiac disease is associated with nearly quadrupled mortality.

Scientists have discovered a new protein in the inner membrane of the cell nucleus. This protein may play an important role in cell division and now provides a new piece of the puzzle to study in cancer research.

The Cardiovascular Research Foundation has announced the results of the largest meta-analysis to date comparing mortality rates for drug-eluting stents versus bare metal stents. The study also compared the rates of myocardial infarction and target vessel revascularization.

The late Pliocene onset of major Northern Hemisphere glaciation is one of the most important steps in the Cenozoic global cooling. Although most attempts have been focused on high-latitude climate feedbacks, no consensus has been reached in explaining the forcing mechanism of this dramatic climate change.

A new report from the Institute of Medicine recommends 100 health topics that should get priority attention and funding from a new national research effort to identify which health-care services work best.