Cambrian armored worm
Differentiated limbs on a fossil ancestor of the velvet worm from the Cambrian period illuminate the diversity of lifestyles and body plans in an ancient paleoecological niche, according to a study....
View ArticleNocturnal redolence of petunias
A study uncovers the genetic control of nocturnal scent emission in petunia flowers. The swan-white flowers of common garden petunias (Petunia hybrida cv. Mitchell) turn fragrant at night, luring...
View ArticleAntibodies help prevent and treat MERS in mouse model
Researchers report a mouse model of MERS and human-compatible antibodies that can help prevent and treat viral infection in the model. Since September 2012, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome...
View ArticleRole of semantic knowledge in reading aloud
Researchers report evidence for the division of labor between different cognitive processes that are active while reading aloud. The integration of cognitive models of reading with neural data is...
View ArticleCombating visceral leishmaniasis in India
A study cautions against the continued use of the insecticide DDT in programs to combat visceral leishmaniasis. Visceral leishmaniasis, or kala-azar, is a parasitic disease transmitted to humans by...
View ArticleReactive nitrogen fluxes through China
Although fluxes of reactive nitrogen in China increased dramatically between 1980 and 2010, technical improvements and policy regulations may lead to no net increase or a possible decline in the...
View ArticleAlso of interest from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
A study of malaria records in two villages in Senegal over more than 15 years finds that climate likely plays a role in promoting malaria transmission in areas of intermittent malaria transmission,...
View ArticleResearchers disclosed the macroscopic Brownian motion phenomenon of...
The classical Brownian motion, resulted from microscopic molecule collisions, has been found for more than one hundred years. Recently, researchers disclosed the macroscopic Brownian motion phenomenon...
View ArticleNarcolepsy triggered by antibodies against viral protein
In the wake of the swine flu outbreak that rippled worldwide in 2009, a flu vaccine used in Europe led to an unusual spike in narcolepsy. A new study comparing this vaccine, Pandemrix®, to another,...
View ArticleHydroelectric dams drastically reduce tropical forest biodiversity
Widely hailed as ‘green’ sources of renewable energy, hydroelectric dams have been built worldwide at an unprecedented scale. But research from the University of East Anglia reveals that these major...
View ArticleUnexpected enzyme may resurrect roses’ fading scents
Researchers working with roses have identified a long-sought enzyme, known as RhNUDX1, which plays a key role in producing the flowers’ sweet fragrances. These ornamental plants, which provide...
View ArticleBe square, seahorse; it has mechanical advantages
The seahorse tail is square because this shape is better at resisting damage and at grasping than a circular tail would be, a new engineering study shows. Insights gleaned from the study could inspire...
View ArticleMiniature landscapes show how hills and valleys form
Detailed tabletop experiments are helping researchers understand how Earth’s landscapes erode to form networks of hills and valleys. Their findings, which highlight a balance between processes that...
View ArticleHuman antibody blocks dengue virus in mice
Researchers have discovered that a human antibody specific to dengue virus serotype 2, called 2D22, protects mice from a lethal form of the virus -- and they suggest that the site where 2D22 binds to...
View ArticleLife expectancy substantially lower with combination of diabetes, stroke, or...
In an analysis that included nearly 1.2 million participants and more than 135,000 deaths, mortality associated with a history of diabetes, stroke, or heart attack was similar for each condition, and...
View ArticleStroke associated with both immediate and long-term decline in cognitive...
In a study that included nearly 24,000 participants, those who experienced a stroke had an acute decline in cognitive function and also accelerated and persistent cognitive decline over 6 years,...
View ArticleBioMed Central journals see growth in impact
A total of 175 journals in BioMed Central's publishing portfolio now have impact iactors in the recently published Journal Citation Report 2015, of which 104 journals rank in the top half of their...
View ArticleMeasuring aging in young adults
Researchers report a method for quantifying the extent and pace of aging in young adults. As the global population ages, the burden of age-related disease and disability rises, prompting a need for...
View ArticleEfficacy of household influenza interventions
The efficacy of household-based interventions against influenza can be accurately measured by combining a well-designed disease transmission model and robust statistical inference, a study reports.
View ArticleClimate and ecosystem resilience
Researchers report a method for modeling the effects of climate on ecosystem resilience. The ability of an ecosystem to return to its previous state following a disturbance such as fire is closely...
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