Lethal Parasite Evolved From Pond Scum

Lethal Parasite Evolved From Pond Scum

A genomic investigation by University of British Columbia researchers has revealed that a lethal parasite infecting a wide range of insects actually originated from pond scum, but has completely shed…
You Like Me. You Really Like Me!

You Like Me. You Really Like Me!

American Council on Science and Health is an advocacy group consisting of hundreds of scientists, doctors and policy experts devoted to science outreach. They've been around since the 1970s, when the…
Tenure Will Not Make You A Better Researcher

Tenure Will Not Make You A Better Researcher

Academics share one thing with the corporate world - most people want to climb the socio-economic ladder. A post at an elite university like Oxford or Caltech is the crowning achievement of a career…
Tenure Will Not Make You A Better Researcher

Tenure Will Not Make You A Better Researcher

Academics share one thing with the corporate world - most people want to climb the socio-economic ladder. A post at an elite university like Oxford or Caltech is the crowning achievement of a career…
How To Thrive On A High-Fat Diet

How To Thrive On A High-Fat Diet

A comparison of the genomes of polar bears and brown bears reveals that the polar bear is a much younger species than previously believed, having diverged from brown bears less than 500,000 years ago…
Are Hepatitis C Drugs Too Expensive?

Are Hepatitis C Drugs Too Expensive?

After 20 years of grueling research, unimaginably effective drugs to treat hepatitis C are hitting the market. They are so good that cure rates (aka sustained virological response, or SVR)…
What Scientists Say And What The Public Hears

What Scientists Say And What The Public Hears

Richard Somerville and Susan Hassol have some recommendations for how to improve science communication. I've written about this before. In the Communicating Astronomy With The Public magazine I…
Gluten-Free Diet, Less Risk Of Type 1 Diabetes?

Gluten-Free Diet, Less Risk Of Type 1 Diabetes?

Gluten-free fads are all the rage and a preliminary result by reseachers at the University of Copenhagen want to see if there are health benefits for people who don't have celiac disease.…
Living Fossils In The Indo-Pacific!

Living Fossils In The Indo-Pacific!

Researchers have reported a unique discovery; the marine dinoflagellate Dapsilidinium pastielsii in Southeast Asia, notably the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool.  This unicellular species, with planktonic…