As a spin-off (pun intended) of their Tropical Biodiversity course in Malaysian Borneo, a team of biology students discover a new spider species, build a makeshift taxonomy lab, write a joint publication and send it off to a major taxonomic journal. Discovering a new spider species was not what she had anticipated when she signed up for her field course in Tropical Biodiversity, says Elisa Panjang, a Malaysian master's student from Universiti Malaysia Sabah. She is one of twenty students following the course, organised by Naturalis Biodiversity Center in The Netherlands, ...

This news release is available in German. An insect's sense of smell is vital to its survival. Only if it can trace even tiny amounts of odor molecules is it is able to find food sources, communicate with conspecifics, or avoid enemies. According to scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, many proteins involved in the highly sensitive odor perception of insects emerged rather late in the evolutionary process. The very complex olfactory system of modern insects is therefore not an adaptation to a terrestrial environment when ancient ...

Genes are the "code" for building the biological elements that form an organism. The DNA that makes up genes contains the instructions to synthesise proteins, but it's wrong to think that, for a given gene, these instructions are always the same for all parts of the organisms. In actual fact, the gene varies depending on the tissue where it is located (cerebral cortex, cerebellum, olfactory epithelium, etc.); in particular, what varies is the point in the "string" of code at which protein synthesis starts. This complexity complicates the work of scientists considerably, ...

One of the scientists who revealed how plants "do maths" can now reveal how cells take measurements of size. Size is important to cells as it determines when they divide. In a paper published in eLife, Professor Martin Howard from the John Innes Centre and colleagues from the US, Germany and Singapore discovered that cells measure their surface area using a particular protein, cdr2p. The finding challenges a previous model suggesting that another protein called pom1p senses a cell's length. "Many cell types have been shown to reach a size threshold before they commit ...

Auckland, New Zealand. 27 March 2014...Researchers at Plant & Food Research have identified plant compounds present in carrots and parsley that may one day support more effective delivery of chemotherapy treatments. Scientists at Plant & Food Research, working together with researchers at The University of Auckland and the National Cancer Institute of The Netherlands, have discovered specific plant compounds able to inhibit transport mechanisms in the body that select what compounds are absorbed into the body,and eventually into cells. These same transport mechanisms ...

WASHINGTON (March 27, 2014) — A new study on the impact of Michigan's statewide smoking ban adds to mounting evidence that policies prohibiting tobacco smoking in workplaces and other public spaces may substantially improve public health by reducing heart disease and death, according to research to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. Studies on previous indoor smoking bans have consistently shown a major decrease in hospital admissions for heart attacks after smoke-free laws went into effect. Secondhand smoke exposure is ...

WASHINGTON (March 27, 2014) — The formula for peak exercise heart rate that doctors have used for decades in tests to diagnose heart conditions may be flawed because it does not account for differences between men and women, according to research to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. The simple formula of "220 minus age" has been widely used to calculate the maximum number of heart beats per minute a person can achieve. Many people use it to derive their target heart rate during a workout. Doctors use it to determine how ...

WASHINGTON (March 27, 2014) — Cholesterol levels fluctuate based on the time of year with more unfavorable lipid profiles seen in the colder months, a trend that may be driven by related behavior changes, according to research to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. While previous studies have shown that heart attacks and heart-related deaths increase during the winter months, researchers at Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease were interested in finding out whether cholesterol parameters might ...

WASHINGTON (March 27, 2014) — Adoption of a Mediterranean diet is linked to a lower risk of diabetes, especially among people at high risk for cardiovascular disease, according to research to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. Data from the first pooled analysis of studies evaluating the possible role of the Mediterranean diet on diabetes development show that adherence to this diet was associated with a 21 percent reduced risk of diabetes as compared to the control dietary groups. This reduced risk was even more pronounced ...

WASHINGTON (March 27, 2014) — Marathon training is associated with improved risk factors related to cardiovascular disease among middle-aged recreational male runners, suggesting that race preparation may be an effective strategy for reducing heart disease risk, according to research to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. Over the last decade, marathon participation has risen steadily among middle-aged people seeking the reported health benefits of regular physical exercise. Some studies have shown that older men are significantly ...

WASHINGTON (March 27, 2014) — Vitamin D deficiency is an independent risk factor for heart disease with lower levels of vitamin D being associated with a higher presence and severity of coronary artery disease, according to research to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. A growing body of research shows that vitamin D may be beneficial in preventing heart disease. Several recent studies also support the idea that low levels of vitamin D are linked to an increased risk of heart disease; however, it is still not clear whether ...

WASHINGTON (March 27, 2014) — Dramatic spikes in cases of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also called broken heart syndrome, were found in two states after major natural disasters, suggesting the stress of disasters as a likely trigger, according to research to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. Authors call for greater awareness among emergency department physicians and other first responders. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or broken heart syndrome, is a disorder characterized by a temporary enlargement and weakening of the heart ...

WASHINGTON (March 27, 2014) — The largest single-center study of patients implanted with a total artificial heart finds the device may help patients in severe heart failure survive until they can receive a heart transplant, according to research to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. Researchers studied 22 patients implanted with total artificial hearts at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in 2012 and 2013 to look at the primary endpoints of death and incidence of stroke at 60 days. They found that five patients had died, four ...

Chronic pain sufferers could be kept physically active by improving the quality of their sleep, new research suggests. The study by the University of Warwick's Department of Psychology, published in PLoS One, found that sleep was a worthy target for treating chronic pain and not only as an answer to pain-related insomnia. "Engaging in physical activity is a key treatment process in pain management. Very often, clinicians would prescribe exercise classes, physiotherapy, walking and cycling programmes as part of the treatment, but who would like to engage in these activities ...

WASHINGTON (March 27, 2014) — Although heart attack death has declined across all regions of the United States, it is proportionately higher in the South, possibly related to the uneven distribution of socioeconomic and traditional cardiovascular risk factors, according to research to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. While rates of cardiovascular disease vary by state and region of the country, little is known about geographic variation in associated death rates. In the first retrospective study to examine heart attack ...

We all know yeasts make beer and bread but their huge contribution to science, including helping us understand the nuts and bolts of life itself, tends to stay out of the spotlight. Over the past few years, through studies carried out on yeast DNA, biologists have begun to learn that something that looks like a simple cog in all living things is actually performing an intricately choreographed dance. In the same way that the Charleston differs from the Waltz, the dance displayed by this cog is faster and uses different steps from other parts of the yeast machinery. What's ...

New report finds US divorce rate doubled over past 2 decades Article provided by The Law Office of J. Kevin Clark P.C. Visit us at http://www.fortworth-civil-attorney.com During the past few decades, experts have claimed that the divorce rate in the United States has been declining. According to a recent study, however, that data may have been flawed. Recently, researchers from the University of Minnesota published a studyin Demography concluding that, contrary to popular belief, the divorce rate has actually been rising in the United States for the past three ...

Is there a right to confront forensic evidence? Article provided by Reddin & Singer, L.L.P. Visit us at http://www.reddinsinger.com One of the basic rights guaranteed to criminal defendants is the right "to be confronted with the witnesses against" him or her. This means, in general, that the prosecution may not rely on the testimony of someone not present in court and subject to cross-examination. For example, the prosecution could not have a police officer testify that "the victim told me that the defendant assaulted her." Where this becomes more complicated, ...

Proposed changes to Wisconsin child support calculations will not advance Article provided by Murphy Johnson and Trampe SC Visit us at http://www.murphypaulson.com/Practice-Areas/Family-Law/ A Wisconsin legislator recently withdrew a bill that would have changed the calculations for child support payments. The bill had generated debate especially when it was disclosed that a wealthy donor had requested specific changes to the bill. The legislation sought to exclude a parent's assets and salary above $150,000 when calculating child support payments. It would also ...

Michigan Supreme Court limits costs claimed under no-fault car insurance Article provided by Law Offices of John G. McNally, P.C. Visit us at http://www.jmcnallylaw.com/ Recently the Michigan Supreme Court issued an important ruling involving no-fault auto insurance. In the case of a man catastrophically injured in a motorcycle accident, the court decided that the insurer is responsible for paying for the necessary modifications to a van but not for the van itself. In the interests of limiting the costs of no-fault insurance, the state Supreme Court ruled that ...

Sexual preferences and employment discrimination in New Jersey Article provided by Lawrence N. Lavigne, Esq., L.L.C. Visit us at http://www.lnlavignelaw.com As reported by the Human Rights Campaign, Kimya in Michigan had a master's degree and almost 20 years' experience as a social worker. She was hired as a manager of an Alzheimer's Unit for a long-term care facility. She loved her job and felt confident she was good at what she was doing. Then came the threatening messages, the comments as she was passing in the hallways and vandalism to her car. Then came the ...

Advance directives are an important part of estate planning in Connecticut Article provided by Riefberg, Smart, Donohue & NeJame, P.C. Visit us at http://www.rsdn.com When you think about your estate plan, you probably think about your will or trust, but probably little else. Although these items are no doubt important parts of an estate plan, they are not all that estate planning is about. An often overlooked aspect of estate planning is incapacity planning, specifically what kinds of medical treatment you would like to receive, should you ever become unable ...

County could be liable for wrongful death after misclassified 911 call Article provided by Schauermann, Thayer, Jacobs & Staples Visit us at http://www.stjps.com When a person in danger calls 911, they expect that they will receive help quickly. But what if the way a call is handled results in the wrongful death of a victim? Could the county or city involved be held liable for the death? The Washington Supreme Court case of Munich v. Skagit Emergency Communication Center discussed this type of situation. A neighbor with a rifle The victim and a neighbor ...

Muslim American secures $1.1 million in religious discrimination suit Article provided by Dib, Fagan and Brault, P.C. Visit us at http://www.dibandfagan.com A Detroit jury has awarded one of the largest employment discrimination verdicts in a federal case involving a Muslim American. The victim came to Michigan from Tunisia and became a naturalized citizen. The hope was to secure a better life in the United States. Unfortunately, after 17 years of employment in America, he was fired from his job as a maintenance worker. In the past, the Muslim American had been ...

Arizona appeals court rules that Steve Nash must pay more child support Article provided by Davis Limited Visit us at http://www.davislimited.com/ The Arizona Court of Appeals recently issued a ruling in a child support case involving NBA star Steve Nash, who played several seasons for the Phoenix Suns. Nash, who was divorced from Alejandra Nash in 2011, learned that his monthly child support payments would increase - despite the fact that he had provided a multi-million dollar cash settlement at the time of the divorce. While the lower court had restricted the ...