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New book on evolution and future of human reproduction

Human beings would probably be known as pilosals rather than mammals if Carl Linnaeus had not been a proponent of breast-feeding. For social and political reasons, the famed taxonomist labeled the class of animals to which humans belong with a reference to their practice of suckling their young rather than to their evolutionarily older characteristic of having hair.

21 Aug 2013

Scientists reveal how females select 'right' sperm to fertilize their eggs

University of East Anglia scientists have revealed how females select the 'right' sperm to fertilize their eggs when faced with the risk of being fertilized by wrong sperm from a different species.

19 Aug 2013

Secondary cancers in melanoma patients treated for BRAF gene mutation require new strategies

Moffitt Cancer Center researchers suggest secondary cancers seen in melanoma patients who are being treated for a BRAF gene mutation may require new strategies, such as enhanced surveillance and combining BRAF-inhibitor therapy with other inhibitors, especially as they become more widely used.

17 Aug 2013

Spikes in Tsimane testosterone responsible for performing physically demanding task

The everyday physical activities of an isolated group of forager-farmers in central Bolivia are providing valuable information about how industrialization and its associated modern amenities may impact health and wellness.

14 Aug 2013

Study highlights challenges of predicting disease outcomes in warming world

Climate change is already affecting the spread of infectious diseases--and human health and biodiversity worldwide--according to disease ecologists reporting research results in this week's issue of the journal Science.

13 Aug 2013

Scientists provide insight into emergence of inter-species transmittable viruses

Outbreaks such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS) have afflicted people around the world, yet many people think these trends are on the decline.

13 Aug 2013

ProMedica and Cleveland Clinic collaborate to develop health system affiliation

ProMedica and Cleveland Clinic have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a health system affiliation that will better position both organizations to anticipate and proactively respond to the evolving healthcare landscape.

9 Aug 2013

Overthinking can be harmful to human performance, finds study

Trying to explain riding a bike is difficult because it is an implicit memory. The body knows what to do, but thinking about the process can often interfere. So why is it that under certain circumstances paying full attention and trying hard can actually impede performance? A new UC Santa Barbara study, published today in the Journal of Neuroscience, reveals part of the answer.

8 Aug 2013

Study looks at correlation between reading ability and brain structure

A combination of brain scans and reading tests has revealed that several regions in the brain are responsible for allowing humans to read.

6 Aug 2013

Naked mole rat: A fitting model for finding novel ways to fight cancer

Mice and rats have long since been a standard animal model for cancer research, mainly due to their short lifespan of four years on average and high incidence of cancer. Naked mole rats however, are a mystery among mammals. This social tiny African subterranean rodent has a maximum lifespan exceeding 30 years and most surprisingly, is cancer-resistant.

1 Aug 2013

Experts address ethical issues raised by FDA's approval of Truvada for HIV prevention

The Food and Drug Administration's approval last year of the drug Truvada for prevention of HIV infection was a milestone in the fight against HIV/AIDS, but experts are cautioning that it is only the beginning of new ethical concerns for health care professionals, policy makers, researchers and those taking Truvada to prevent HIV infection.

1 Aug 2013

Houston Methodist, Istanbul University Hospitals to collaborate on educational projects

Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services, the global subsidiary of Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas, USA, and Istanbul University Hospitals - General Directorate in Istanbul, Turkey, have signed a collaboration agreement in the areas of education and training.

30 Jul 2013

NYU receives $2M grant from Mellon Foundation to expand humanities faculty

New York University has received a $2 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to expand its humanities faculty whose scholarship and teaching will focus on the past, present, and future of cities.

26 Jul 2013

Princeton University researcher explores seriousness of peanut allergy

The path of the peanut from a snack staple to the object of bans at schools, day care centers and beyond offers important insights into how and why a rare, life-threatening food allergy can prompt far-reaching societal change, according to a Princeton University researcher.

26 Jul 2013

Discovery of pressure-driven infection mechanism opens door to new treatments for viral infections

The virus that causes those painful lip blisters known as cold sores has an internal pressure eight times higher than a car tire, and uses it to literally blast its infectious DNA into human cells, scientists are reporting in a new study.

25 Jul 2013

Study reveals African bats may play a role in evolution of MERS-CoV predecessor viruses

The MERS-coronavirus is regarded as a dangerous novel pathogen: Almost 50 people have died from infection with the virus since it was first discovered in 2012. To date all cases are connected with the Arabian peninsula. Scientists from the University Bonn (Germany) and South Africa have now detected a virus in the faeces of a South African bat that is genetically more closely related to MERS-CoV than any other known virus.

25 Jul 2013

Findings open new perspectives for research on proteins that control metastasis

In experiments on zebrafish, Freiburg researchers have demonstrated that the same proteins that lead to the formation of metastases in humans also cause the cells to migrate during embryonic development.

24 Jul 2013

Understanding cancer at source could improve disease prevention

A new disease is affecting developing countries, deadlier than malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis combined. With changes in lifestyles, cancer is spreading in southern countries.

23 Jul 2013

New stem cell discovery may help scientists replace damaged organs

Stem-cell researchers at UC San Francisco have found a key role for a protein called BMI1 that may help scientists direct the development of tissues to replace damaged organs in the human body.

22 Jul 2013

Weeds derived from crop plant pose special challenges for modern farming

The evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould once asked whether the living world would be different "if the tape were played twice." If there were a duplicate Earth evolving quietly beside ours, would we observe the emergence of creatures like ourselves and of plants and anaimals familiar to us, or would the cast of characters be entirely different?

22 Jul 2013