Gradual evolution of bioluminescence in millipedes
Reconstructing the evolutionary history of a recently discovered bioluminescent millipede suggests that luminous millipedes likely experienced a gradual escalation of bioluminescent intensity through...
View ArticleGroundwater contamination near Marcellus Shale gas wells
A sensitive analytical technique detects potential drinking water contamination by Marcellus Shale gas wells, according to a study. High-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF) employs volumes of water,...
View ArticleBird-feeding pastime might ruffle species balance
A study suggests that the urban pastime of feeding wild birds might upset the delicate balance between native and introduced bird species. In 2002 alone, more than 450 million kg of seeds were fed to...
View ArticleUltrasound production and sonar jamming by moths
The emergence of insectivorous bats likely drove the evolution of ultrasound detection and sonar-jamming ultrasound production in moths, according to a study. Many moth species have ears that are...
View ArticleAlso of interest from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
A study of sediment cores from floodplain lakes near the Mississippi River finds that the prehistoric settlement of Cahokia, near present-day Saint Louis, Missouri, emerged as a regional center around...
View ArticleExtreme-temperature electronics
A team of researchers from the University of California, Riverside and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute discovered that molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), a semiconductor material, may be a promising...
View ArticleStudies show effectiveness of new combination treatment for HCV patients with...
In two studies appearing in the May 5 issue of JAMA, patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infection and with or without cirrhosis achieved high rates of sustained virologic...
View ArticlePrinting silicon on paper, with lasers
Recently, a group of researchers at Delft University of Technology, in the Netherlands, has pioneered a method that allows silicon itself, in the polycrystalline form used in circuitry, to be produced...
View ArticleArtificial muscles created from gold-plated onion cells
Unlike previous artificial muscles, artificial muscles, created from gold-plated onion cells by a group of researchers from National Taiwan University, can either expand or contract to bend in...
View ArticleMobile phone microscope detects parasitic worm in blood
A handheld device converts a mobile phone into a video microscope that can rapidly and accurately detect the parasitic worm Loa loa in the blood, a new study reports. A field test in 33 patients in...
View ArticleBreakthrough in OLED technology
Now a new study from a team of researchers in California and Japan shows that OLEDs made with finely patterned structures can produce bright, low-power light sources, a key step toward making organic...
View ArticleFacebook users the main filter of content
Do online social networks, such as Facebook, create “filter bubbles” around their users so that people only see what they want to see? Eytan Bakshy and colleagues analyzed the activity of more than 10...
View ArticleAdditional benefits of measles vaccination revealed
Vaccination against measles doesn’t just protect people from the measles virus -- it also prevents other infectious diseases from taking advantage of peoples’ immune systems after they have been...
View ArticleMercury’s core dynamo present early in planet’s history
The Messenger spacecraft, which crash-landed into Mercury just a few days ago, found traces of magnetization in Mercury’s crust, a new study reports. The presence of residual magnetization provides...
View ArticleGTEx -- How our fenetic code regulates gene expression
A new study presents the first analysis of the pilot dataset from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project, which investigates how our underlying DNA regulates gene expression. All the cells in a...
View ArticleMediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil or nuts associated with...
Supplementing the plant-based Mediterranean diet with antioxidant-rich extra virgin olive oil or mixed nuts was associated with improved cognitive function in a study of older adults in Spain but the...
View ArticlePublic health advisories associated with reductions in dispensing of codeine...
Public health advisories from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health Canada were associated with significant reductions in the rate of dispensing of codeine to postpartum women,...
View ArticleLinking microbiome samples to human sources
Researchers report unique and stable metagenomic codes for the identification of human microbiome samples. Blood types and genomic variation have long been used to single out individuals in forensics,...
View ArticlePotassium channels and binge drinking
Researchers report a link between potassium channels in the brain and the tendency for binge drinking in mice. Ion channels called G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels...
View ArticleRotating harvest in a sea cucumber fishery
A study finds that a spatially rotating harvest strategy may improve the biological and economic health of fisheries. Rotation of crop harvests has long been successfully applied to agriculture, and...
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