Science

Fishy Caribbean 'juveniles' to be recognized as a new species, the Hourglass basslet

Dec 07, 2016 PM EST

Living in deep reefs in the Atlantic Ocean, the banded basslet, a small and colorful species with a wide range of distribution, has long been thought to undergo significant changes during its growth into an adult. Suspiciously, the juveniles appeared..

Synthetic DNA vaccine against MERS induces immunity in animal study

Aug 20, 2015 AM EDT

A novel synthetic DNA vaccine can, for the first time, induce protective immunity against the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus in animal species, reported researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsy..

Urine test for early stage pancreatic cancer possible after biomarker discovery

Aug 03, 2015 PM EDT

A combination of three proteins found at high levels in urine can accurately detect early-stage pancreatic cancer, UK researchers have found. The discovery could lead to a non-invasive, inexpensive test to screen people at high risk of developing the..

To avoid dangerous shark encounters, information trumps culling

Jul 12, 2015 PM EDT

The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) has a terrifying reputation. Shark attacks, though very rare, loom large in our imaginations, drawing intense media attention when they occur. Recent injuries in North Carolina are putting sharks in the ..

Global trends show seabird populations dropped 70 percent since 1950s

Jul 11, 2015 PM EDT

UBC research shows world's monitored seabird populations have dropped 70 per cent since the 1950s, a stark indication that marine ecosystems are not doing well.

Why the skin wrinkles more on certain parts of the face

Jul 07, 2015 AM EDT

Differences in the number of oil-secreting glands in the skin may help explain why wrinkles are shallower in the forehead than in the outer eye area, suggests new research conducted on cadavers.

Old World monkey had tiny, complex brain

Jul 06, 2015 AM EDT

The brain hidden inside the oldest known Old World monkey skull has been visualized for the first time. The creature's tiny but remarkably wrinkled brain supports the idea that brain complexity can evolve before brain size in the primate family tree.

'Invisible' protein structure explains the power of enzymes

Jul 04, 2015 AM EDT

A research group at Umeå University in Sweden has managed to capture and describe a protein structure that, until now, has been impossible to study.

Infections can affect your IQ

May 21, 2015 AM EDT

New research shows that infections can impair your cognitive ability measured on an IQ scale. The study is the largest of its kind to date, and it shows a clear correlation between infection levels and impaired cognition.

Maternal obesity compromises babies' immune system at time of birth

May 18, 2015 PM EDT

Almost 60 percent of women of childbearing age in the United States are overweight or obese.

Deep-water fish has a warm heart

May 17, 2015 AM EDT

Though some large predatory fish, like tuna, have been shown to temporarily warm muscles or organs during pursuit, at least one fish may have done that one better by being able to internally generate heat that warms its heart and brain, a new study r..

Study shows role of disease-fighting cells in HIV-related neurological damage

May 13, 2015 AM EDT

Despite symptom-stifling anti-retroviral drugs, as many as half of all patients living with HIV experience neurological damage tied to chronic inflammation in the brain fueled by the body's own immune defenses.

Study: Amygdala encodes 'cooties' and 'crushes' in the developing brain

Apr 09, 2015 PM EDT

Scientists have found a signal in the brain that reflects young children's aversion to members of the opposite sex (the "cooties" effect) and also their growing interest in opposite-sex peers as they enter puberty. These two responses to members of t..

Brain scan study shows clot-busting drug benefits stroke patients

Apr 09, 2015 AM EDT

A drug that breaks up blood clots in the brains of stroke patients could be used more widely than at present without increased risk, a brain scan study suggests.

With geomagnetic compass hooked to the brain, blind rats act like they can see

Apr 02, 2015 PM EDT

By attaching a microstimulator and geomagnetic compass to the brains of blind rats, researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on April 2 found that the animals can spontaneously learn to use new information about their location ..