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In divergence from wolves, doggie diet made a difference
Chance finding reveals new control on blood vessels in developing brain
NASA telescope observes how sun stores and releases energy
Chromosome "anchors" organize DNA during cell division
Parents numb to misuse of narcotic pain meds by youth, new poll shows
Imaging concussion-related abnormal brain proteins in retired NFL players
Scientists Identify New Strategy to Fight Deadly Infection in Cystic Fibrosis
Study Shows High Blood Calcium Levels May Indicate Ovarian Cancer

In divergence from wolves, doggie diet made a difference

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 07:16 AM PST

Dogs and wolves are closely related, but their differences define them. Unlike its wild relations, a dog can read a person’s face and tone of voice, and it is curious, social, and unafraid around humans. New genetic research highlights the importance of another crucial but subtler distinction between the two species: while wolves are exclusively carnivores, dogs can digest starches. This evolutionary change may be one of the critical steps that brought dogs out of the wilderness and into our homes.

Chance finding reveals new control on blood vessels in developing brain

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 07:00 AM PST

Zhen Huang freely admits he was not interested in blood vessels four years ago when he was studying brain development in a fetal mouse.

Instead, he wanted to see how changing a particular gene in brain cells called glia would affect the growth of neurons.

The result was hemorrhage, caused by deteriorating veins and arteries, and it begged for explanation.

NASA telescope observes how sun stores and releases energy

Posted: 23 Jan 2013 05:17 PM PST

A NASA suborbital telescope has given scientists the first clear evidence of energy transfer from the sun's magnetic field to the solar atmosphere or corona. This process, known as solar braiding, has been theorized by researchers, but remained unobserved until now.

Researchers were able to witness this phenomenon in the highest resolution images ever taken of the solar corona. These images were obtained by the agency's High Resolution Coronal Imager (Hi-C) telescope, which was launched from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in July 2012.

Chromosome "anchors" organize DNA during cell division

Posted: 23 Jan 2013 12:18 PM PST

For humans to grow and to replace and heal damaged tissues, the body's cells must continually reproduce, a process known as "cell division," by which one cell becomes two, two become four, and so on. A key question of biomedical research is how chromosomes, which are duplicated during cell division so that each daughter cell receives an exact copy of a person's genome, are arranged during this process.

Parents numb to misuse of narcotic pain meds by youth, new poll shows

Posted: 23 Jan 2013 12:04 PM PST

Despite data on rising rates of abuse and overdoses of narcotic pain medicines across all age groups, in a new poll from the University of Michigan, most parents said they are not very concerned about misuse of these medicines by children and teens.

In addition, parent support was lukewarm for policies that would discourage abuse of drugs like Vicodin or Oxycontin, according to the most recent University of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.

Imaging concussion-related abnormal brain proteins in retired NFL players

Posted: 23 Jan 2013 10:43 AM PST

Sports-related concussions and mild traumatic brain injuries have grabbed headlines in recent months, as the long-term damage they can cause becomes increasingly evident among both current and former athletes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that millions of these injuries occur each year.

Despite the devastating consequences of traumatic brain injury and the large number of athletes playing contact sports who are at risk, no method has been developed for early detection or tracking of the brain pathology associated with these injuries.

Scientists Identify New Strategy to Fight Deadly Infection in Cystic Fibrosis

Posted: 23 Jan 2013 10:31 AM PST

New research suggests that lowering excessive levels of a protein in immune system cells could be a strategy to clear an infection that is deadly to patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Researchers determined that normalizing levels of the protein, called p62, in cells from mice carrying the most common mutation that causes CF will jump-start a natural cellular process that clears away the offending bacteria.

Study Shows High Blood Calcium Levels May Indicate Ovarian Cancer

Posted: 23 Jan 2013 08:37 AM PST

A new study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center is the first to report that high blood calcium levels might predict of ovarian cancer, the most fatal of the gynecologic cancers.