Scientists show how a neuron gets its shape

Scientists show how a neuron gets its shape

Ask a simple question, get a simple answer: When Abraham Lincoln was asked how long a man's legs should be, he absurdly replied, "Long enough to reach the ground." Now, by using a new microscopy…
Fluorescent cancer cells to guide brain surgeons

Fluorescent cancer cells to guide brain surgeons

Gliomas are malignant brain tumors that arise from glial (supporting) cells of the brain. Gliomas are often resistant to chemotherapy. These tumors grow fine extensions that infiltrate normal brain…
Researchers identify personality traits

Researchers identify personality traits

(Boston) - Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine's (BUSM) New England Centenarian Study have noted specific personality traits associated with healthy aging and longevity amongst the…
Young women warned of lung cancer risks

Young women warned of lung cancer risks

Seventeen people are still dying from lung cancer each week in Northern Ireland despite a small improvement in survival rates for the disease. The figures are revealed by a report launched today by…
Big men more susceptible to atrial fibrillation

Big men more susceptible to atrial fibrillation

Older men who were big during their 20s face an increased risk of suffering from atrial fibrillation, or abnormal heart rhythm. New research from the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg,…
Bent tectonics: How Hawaii was bumped off

Bent tectonics: How Hawaii was bumped off

More than 80 undersea volcanoes and a multitude of islands are dotted along the Hawaii-Emperor seamount chain like pearls on a necklace. A sharp bend in the middle is the only blemish. The long…
Dissecting a stellar explosion

Dissecting a stellar explosion

Integral has captured one of the brightest gamma-ray bursts ever seen. A meticulous analysis of the data has allowed astronomers to investigate the initial phases of this giant stellar explosion,…
Intestinal cancer in spite of screening

Intestinal cancer in spite of screening

Only every second patient with colorectal carcinoma had taken part in an early detection program within the last ten years. This is the result, at least for a group of 212 colorectal cancer patients…
Beating the back-up blues

Beating the back-up blues

That sinking feeling when your hard disk starts screeching and you haven't backed up your holiday photos is a step closer to becoming a thing of the past thanks to research into a new kind of…
Can Gravitational Lenses Be Focused?

Can Gravitational Lenses Be Focused?

I'm going to step above my (science) pay grade with an idea.  Perhaps it is already being worked on and I just have not heard of it - quite likely.  And perhaps it can't be done; although…