A recent article entitled "Fluctuating Environment May Have Driven Human Evolution", proceeded to take something that is obvious and attempt to create even more significance from it.  It is…

Researchers say they have discovered a new form of cell division in human cells, which they believe serves as a natural back-up mechanism during faulty cell division, preventing some cells from going…

A greeting card appropriate to Silchester, about 1500 years ago. The English is from a little bit later, more likely King Alfred’s time.  However, for the Britons still living there, although…

In May of last year, I accepted an invitation from Prof. Dave Deamer to visit U.C. Santa Cruz and it game me the chance to meet Dr. Dick Gordon and also to visit the home of Dr. Bruce Damer. I was…

Phragmites australis is an invasive species of plant called common reed that grows rapidly into dense stands of tall plants and then pose an extreme threat to Great Lakes coastal wetlands.  a…

By combining insulin and an inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) betacellulin,  Cleveland Clinic researcher Bela Anand-Apte, MD, PhD was able to halt the progression of diabetic…

A new paper that uses the temperature record from Byrd Station, a scientific outpost in the center of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS),  says that the western part of the ice sheet is…

Autistic-like behaviors in laboratory mice can be partially remedied by normalizing excessive levels of protein synthesis in the brain, according to a new paper The researchers focused on the EIF4E…

Two molecules, cholic acid and 24,25-EC, play an important role in the survival and production of nerve cells in the brain, including nerve cells that produce dopamine, according to a new study.…

Scientists have found three new and relatively rare genetic variants that influence insulin production, offering new clues about the genetic factors behind diabetes. Diabetes, which affects more than…

Current thinking on how the Toxoplasma gondii parasite invades its host is incorrect, according to a study published today in Nature Methods describing a new technique to knock out genes. …

Researchers have completed the first genome sequence of domestic goat by integrating next-generation sequencing (NGS) and whole-genome mapping (WGM) technologies. The goat genome is the first…

A research team has tested a popular zinc hypothesis in paleo-ocean chemistry and concluded it is false. The fossil record indicates that eukaryotes, single-celled and multicellular organisms with…

A study into newborn screening for fragile X syndrome (FXS) demonstrates that testing for mutations in the gene FMR1 can be done on a large scale, according to a paper published in Genome Medicine…

Branch retinal vein occlusion – blockage of the blood vessels that channel blood from the retina – is a common eye disease. A type of blood clot in the eye, the disease causes reduced vision, and…

My 20+ year tradition of a physics inspired holiday card continues.  My friends like them, even if they are not understood :-) Accompanying text: Hello, hello: The card features a mockup of…

Scientists studying how songbirds stay on key have developed a statistical explanation for why some things are harder for the brain to learn than others. "We've built the first mathematical model…

Nearby planetary nebula NGC 5189 and its bright gaseous nebula resembles a holiday ornament with a glowing ribbon - so it is perfect for a new Hubble image during the Christmas season.  …

Low pressure areas that dropped more than a foot of snow in some Midwestern states have prompted many warnings and weather advisories. Satellite data recently got a look at a major snowstorm. On Dec…

New finds of 95 million year old fossils reveal much earlier origins of modern octopuses. These are among the rarest and unlikeliest of fossils. The chances of an octopus corpse surviving long enough…