WORCESTER, Mass. – New research from scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School shows that fruit flies are secretly harboring the biochemistry needed to glow in the dark —otherwise known as bioluminescence. The key to activating this latent ability is a novel synthetic analog of D-luciferin developed at UMMS. The findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that the inherent biochemistry needed for bioluminescence is more common than previously thought. Synthetic luciferins can unmask latent enzymatic ...

Marine scientists keen on finding patterns of coral decline and persistence in gradually warming oceans have a complex challenge: how to save reefs containing the most diversity with limited resources. In the Western Indian Ocean, researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society, the University of Warwick, the ARC Centre for Excellence of Coral Reef Studies, Simon Fraser University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and other groups have found that the corals of the Mozambique Channel should be a priority for protection as climate change continues to threaten ...

The world's reefs are hotbeds of biological diversity, including over 4,500 species of fish. A new study shows that the ancestors of these fish colonized reefs in two distinct waves, before and after the mass extinction event about 66 million years ago that wiped out the dinosaurs. Reef fish represent one of the largest and most diverse assemblages of vertebrates, according to Samantha Price, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Evolution and Ecology at UC Davis. Price is first author on a paper describing the work, published April 2 in the journal Proceedings ...

Scientists at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have shed light on one of the most common of ailments – the runny nose. Your respiratory tract is under constant attack and the nose is the first line of defense. Often, especially as the weather warms, the assault comes from allergens, which cause the body to fight off a perceived threat. Infections, too, are a problem. But millions of people get a runny nose and have difficulty breathing without an allergic attack or infection. What many people call the sniffles, scientists refer to as "non-allergic rhinitis." Although ...

Maintaining stability in the face of rapid change and growth, and proactively partaking in cooperative global ties in science and technology fields will be key in helping China become an innovation-based economy, according to Denis Simon, vice provost for International Strategic Initiatives at Arizona State University. One of the world's leading experts on science, technology and innovation in China, Simon recently hosted an ASU conference that focused on the evolving role of science and technology in China's international relations. Supplemented with strategic investments ...

UT Arlington and Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital are investigating whether bone grown from the body's own stem cells can replace traditional types of bone grafting. The process, which has been successful in previous lab experiments, uses biodegradable polymer scaffolding material and bone morphogenetic protein, or BMP, which was inserted into the abdomen of mice to attract stem cells that in turn produced bone. BMPs are proteins known to promote bone growth. The research is detailed in a new paper, "Tissue Engineering Bone Using Autologous Progenitor Cells in ...

LOS ANGELES — Concerns about climate change and its impact on the world around us are growing daily. New scientific studies at the La Brea Tar Pits are probing the link between climate warming and the evolution of Ice Age predators, attempting to predict how animals will respond to climate change today. The La Brea Tar Pits are famous for the amazing array of Ice Age fossils found there, such as ground sloths, mammoths, and predators like saber-toothed cats and powerful dire wolves. But the climate during the end of the Ice Age (50,000-11,000 years ago) was unstable, ...

Heroin abuse can damage many brain areas, including the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus of the midbrain, the ventral tegmental area, and nucleus accumbens. Persistent use of heroin induced irreversible damage to the nervous system. To verify the relationship between acupuncture, neurotrophic factor expression and brain cell structural changes, a research team from Anhui University of Chinese Medicine in China established a rat model of heroin relapse using intramuscular injection of increasing amounts of heroin. During the detoxification period, rat models received acupuncture ...

The boldest black-lined rainbowfish are those that are born in the wild. Also more fearless are those that analyze information both sides of their brains. This is the conclusion of Australian researchers Culum Brown and Anne-Laurence Bibost from Macquarie University, in a study published in Springer's journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. The preference to analyze and react to information with either the left or right hemisphere of the brain is called cerebral lateralization, and is widespread among vertebrates. Lateralization is seen in the preference of humans ...

In 10% of human tumors there is a family history of hereditary disease associated with mutations in identified genes. The best examples are the cases of polyps in the large intestine associated with the APC gene and breast cancer associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. In the remaining 90% of cases are believed to have an increased risk of developing cancer in relation to genetic variants less powerful but more often, for example, doubles the risk of having a tumor that lacks this small change, called polymorphism. In the last decade, hundreds of studies have been conducted ...

A trip to the veterinarian may prove fatal to a horse, even if it is not necessary to put the animal down. In Europe if the horse is found to be ataxic, which is most often due to the disease 'wobbler syndrome', the horse is likely to be put down immediately. If a horse suffers from this disease, putting it down can be a necessity, as the animal can be dangerous to ride and handle. But now new research from the University of Copenhagen and the Royal Veterinary College in the UK shows marked disagreement among experts about when a horse is ataxic and severity of the ataxia. ...

University of Adelaide researchers have found that women on antidepressant medication are more successful at breastfeeding their babies if they keep taking the medication, compared with women who quit antidepressants because of concerns about their babies' health. These results have been presented this week at the 18th Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ) Annual Conference in Perth. Using data from the Danish National Birth Cohort in Denmark, researchers in the University of Adelaide's Robinson Research Institute studied the outcomes of 368 women who ...

Dr. Yuhong Zhao and co-workers from Sun Yat-sen University in China explored the projection of nestin+ neurons to the olfactory bulb and the time course of nestin+ neurons in the medial septum-diagonal band of Broca in adult rats during injury recovery after olfactory nerve transection. These researchers observed that all nestin+ neurons were double-labeled with ChAT in the medial septum-diagonal band of Broca. Approximately 53.6% of nestin+ neurons were projected to the olfactory bulb and co-labeled with fast blue. A large number of nestin+ neurons were not present in ...

Washington, DC (April 7, 2014) – The mediated version of what women should look like has always been under scrutiny, particularly looking at actresses and fashion models. But what about body image from social networks and friends? A recent study by researchers in the United Kingdom and United States, found that more time on Facebook could lead to more negative feelings and more comparisons to the bodies of friends. Petya Eckler, University of Strathclyde; Yusuf Kalyango Jr., Ohio University; and Ellen Paasch, University of Iowa will present their findings at the 64th ...

Co-signor for ex-spouse's student loans discharged in bankruptcy Article provided by Claeys, McElroy-Magruder & Kitchens Visit us at http://www.letangiehelp.com In the case of In re Zumbro, the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the district court was correct in upholding the bankruptcy court's order decision determining that student loans co-signed by the debtor were dischargeable in bankruptcy under a hardship exception. The"Brunner"test Bankruptcy courts apply a three-prong Brunner test for ordering a discharge of student loan debt. The ...

Veterans: Honorable service, but an endless wait for disability benefits Article provided by Manring & Farrell Visit us at http://www.manringfarrell-socialsecuritylaw.com Backlog and delay While serving in Vietnam, a soldier was exposed for several minutes to Agent Orange, raining down, in his words, "like they were giving us a shower." Now 64, he has waited approximately four years for his claim for disability benefits to be resolved by the Veterans Benefits Administration, one pending case among 2.1 million. Across the nation, according to the Dayton Daily ...

High-profile accident raises awareness of dangers faced by pedestrians Article provided by Callahan & Blaine Visit us at http://www.personalinjury-arizona.com The recent high-profile accident at the South-by-Southwest (SXSW) music festival in Austin, Texas, has put the spotlight on the hazards faced by pedestrians all over the country. In the tragic SXSW incident, a drunk driver being chased by police drove through a street barricade directly into a crowd of people, killing three and injuring nearly two dozen more. The driver has been charged with capital murder ...

Governor convenes task force to study shared-parenting laws Article provided by McWalter, Barron & Boisvert, LLP Visit us at http://www.concordmasslawfirm.com Advocates argue that changing custody laws will benefit children of divorced parents The support for shared parenting in Massachusetts is gaining steam and many lawmakers are beginning to take notice. In response, Gov. Deval Patrick has formed a task force consisting of psychologists, lawyers, elected officials, and others to study whether changes to state custody laws are possible, reports the Lowell ...

Texas prenuptial agreements can help prevent later disputes Article provided by Teller Law Firm, P.C. Visit us at http://www.dtellerlaw.com Despite that fact that no one enters into a marriage expecting it to end in divorce, sadly it nonetheless is an inevitable outcome for a significant percentage of Texas marriages. For many couples, it is only after they experience the complexities of divorce that they realize they should have entered into a prenuptial agreement in the first place. Indeed, prenuptial agreements can be particularly useful when Texas couples ...

Arizona court lacked jurisdiction over out-of-state child support order Article provided by Law Offices of Matthew Schultz Visit us at http://www.azfamilylawfirm.com-cancelled In Glover v. Glover, the Court of Appeals of Arizona reversed and vacated an order of the Maricopa County Superior Court modifying the parties' Massachusetts child support order, holding that the court lacked subject-matter jurisdiction to order the modification because the child support order was never properly registered in compliance with the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act. Background The ...

Suspects charged in Tucson home invasion Article provided by Law Office of Carlos A. Medina, PLLC Visit us at http://www.carlosmedinalaw.com/ Local individuals were recently arrested after a home invasion and shooting on West Kestrel Road in Tucson, Arizona. According to authorities, four of the suspects, armed with weapons, entered a local residence. In the invasion, the individuals purportedly demanded property from the home and harmed one of the residents. Authorities indicate that a neighbor heard noises as the suspects fled the residence. The person came ...

When a prank is not a prank: Criminal mischief and graffiti Article provided by Hildreth & Rueda Visit us at http://www.youraustinattorney.com Legal background Perhaps you've heard the expression "Boys will be boys," which roughly means "Boys are expected to be irresponsible or boisterous." Perhaps girls, too. This expression is frequently applied to the pranks of school students. But when is a prank not a prank? When is it considered more serious, perhaps criminally serious? In Texas, a crime involving property damage may result in a charge of criminal ...

New York car accidents: Crashes due to driver error on the rise Article provided by Stock and Leader Attorneys at Law Visit us at http://www.stockandleaderinjurylaw.com Statistics recently released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found driver error played a significant role in fatal car crashes in New York. Factors contributing to accidents included: -Speeding. NHTSA reported that in 2011 there were 332 fatalities connected to speeding in the state of New York alone. That number jumped to 360 in 2012. -Rollovers. In 2008, 159 individuals ...

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month in West Virginia Article provided by Cyrus & Adkins, Attorneys at Law Visit us at http://www.cyrusandadkins.com In West Virginia and across the country, April has been designated as Distracted Driving Awareness Month. While many activities can be distracting when behind the wheel -- such as eating or changing the radio station -- the awareness campaign focuses primarily on distractions caused by cellphones. Cellphones, and particularly smartphones, are considered especially dangerous to motorists on the road. As ...

Your rights under Georgia's Wrongful Death Act Article provided by Teiger Law Center, P.C. Visit us at http://www.teigerlaw.com If you lose a loved one due to the carelessness of another person, you may wonder if you have any recourse under the law. Fortunately, in Georgia, certain family members of the deceased have the right to hold the party responsible for the death accountable by filing a wrongful death lawsuit. Although such a lawsuit cannot bring the deceased back to life, it can provide compensation that can enable family members to carry on with their lives. What ...