Testosterone in male songbirds may enhance desire to sing but not song quality For the male canary, the ability to sing a pitch-perfect song is critical to wooing female canaries. As the seasons change, so does song quality and frequency. The hormone testosterone ...

Study identifies potential new strategy to improve odds of corneal transplant acceptance DALLAS – Dec. 30, 2013 – For the estimated 10 percent of patients whose bodies reject a corneal transplant, the odds of a second transplant succeeding ...

Plan to delist gray wolf endangers other threatened species, researchers find Scientists say proposal to end wolf protection across US disregards science, history, threats COLUMBUS, Ohio – The federal government's proposal to discontinue protection for the gray ...

Tell me your barcode, and I will tell you what palm you are Reliable and cost-effective species recognition is the dream of many scientists, and has important applications. While the use of morphological features is often uncertain, and can lead to misidentification, species ...

The value of museum collections for development of DNA barcode libraries The ability to sequence the DNA of plants and animals has revolutionized many areas of biology, but the unstable character of DNA poses difficulties for sequencing specimens in museum collection ...

Museum bird DNA 'ready for use' in Naturalis Biodiversity Center DNA barcoding is used as an effective tool for both the identification of known species and the discovery of new ones. The core idea of DNA barcoding is based on the fact that just a small ...

DNA barcoding to monitor marine mammal genetic diversity Marine mammals are flagship and charismatic species, very attractive for the general public. Nowadays, they are also considered as highly relevant sentinel of the marine realm. Their presence and their welfare in an area ...

Toward a molecular explanation for schizophrenia Tel Aviv University researchers find inhibition of a basic cellular process may contribute to the mysterious disease Surprisingly little is known about schizophrenia. It was only recognized as a medical ...

Imaging technology could unlock mysteries of a childhood disease By the time they're two, most children have had respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and suffered symptoms no worse than a bad cold. But for some children, especially premature babies and those with ...

Fetal alcohol syndrome heart defects may be caused by altered function, not structure Study utilizing animal model is published in the American Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory Physiology Bethesda, Md. (Dec. 30, 2013)—Recent data shows that more than 500,000 ...

I'll have what they're having: Study finds social norms influence food choices According to report published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Philadelphia, PA, December 30, 2013 – Is obesity a socially transmitted disease? In order ...

Slower-paced meal reduces hunger but affects calorie consumption differently According to new study of normal-weight and overweight or obese individuals published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Philadelphia, PA, December 30, 2013 ...

The secret to fewer doctor office visits after 70 -- play high school sports Fit in 50 years: participation in high school sports best predicts one's physical activity after age 70 Seventy year olds who don't frequently visit the doctor have something unexpected ...

NASA's TRMM satellite sees new Tropical Depression forming near Australia's Kimberly coast Low pressure System 98S appears ripe to form into Tropical Cyclone 05S as NASA satellite imagery is showing some hot towering clouds in the storm and heaviest rains south of ...

New study: High mortality in Central Southern states most likely due to smoking 'Geographic divergence in mortality in the United States,' by Andrew Fenelon NEW YORK (26 December 2013) — Between 1965 and 2004, the distribution of states with the highest mortality ...

How does Rho-associated protein kinase modulate neurite extension? Rho-associated protein kinase is an essential regulator of cytoskeletal dynamics during the process of neurite extension. However, whether Rho kinase regulates microtubule remodeling or the distribution ...

Normobaric oxygen preconditioning for cerebral ischemic injury Normobaric oxygen has the rapid and non-invasive characteristics and may have therapeutic effects on ischemic/hypoxic disease. Dr. Chunhua Chen and colleagues from Peking University, China found ...

Chitosan conduits combined with NGF microspheres repair facial nerve defects The chitosan molecule can promote nerve cell adherence and growth along the surface of the material. It can enhance the adherence and influx of Schwann cells, thus encouraging the growth ...

Finnish research to revolutionise indications for knee surgery The Finnish Degenerative Meniscal Lesion Study (FIDELITY) compared surgical treatment of degenerative meniscal tears to placebo surgery. A year after the procedure the study participants, ...

Surgery vs. non-invasive treatment -- Which is better for herniated discs? 8 year results from SPORT study show better long-term outcomes with surgery Philadelphia, Pa. (December 27, 2013) - For patients with herniated discs in the lower (lumbar) spine, ...

Stroke researchers report improvement in spatial neglect with prism adaptation therapy Benefits shown in subset of patients with spatial neglect following right brain stroke. Findings support behavioral classification and early intervention West Orange, NJ. ...

Malaria drug target raises hopes for new treatments Scientists have taken an important step towards new malaria treatments by identifying a way to stop malaria parasites from multiplying. In a study published in Nature Chemistry, they show that blocking ...

Innovative screening strategy swiftly uncovers new drug candidates, new biology Scripps Research Institute scientists use method to identify compound with promise for obesity-linked diabetes LA JOLLA, CA—December 22, 2013—Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute ...

'Be different or die' does not drive evolution A new study has found that species living together are not forced to evolve differently to avoid competing with each other, challenging a theory that has held since Darwin's Origin of Species. By ...

Greenland ice stores liquid water year-round Potential for storing meltwater important for calculating sea-level rise Dec. 22, 2013 – Researchers at the University of Utah have discovered a new aquifer in the Greenland Ice Sheet that holds liquid water all ...