VIDEO: Researchers discover novel trapping mechanism for Nepenthes gracilis pitchers. During heavy rain, the lid of Nepenthes gracilis pitchers acts like a springboard, catapulting insects that seek shelter on its underside... Click here for more information. During heavy rain, the lid of Nepenthes gracilis pitchers acts like a springboard, catapulting insects that seek shelter on its underside directly into the fluid-filled pitcher, new research has found. The findings ...

Wire bridges built to guide bats safely across busy roads simply do not work, University of Leeds researchers have confirmed. In a study published today (13 June 2012) in PLoS ONE, a team from the University's Faculty of Biological Sciences monitored four wire bridges spanning major roads in the north of England. All had been built over the last nine years to replace hedgerows – the bats' established commuting routes – when these routes were severed by new roads. Roads act as barriers to bats, cutting colonies off from established feeding sites and reducing their ...

Scientists have shown how a promising viral therapy that delivers a double blow to cancer can sneak up on tumours undetected by hitching a ride on blood cells. The work, led by researchers from the University of Leeds and The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), reveals how the 'hitch-hiking' virus is shielded from antibodies in the blood stream that might otherwise neutralise its anti-cancer properties. The findings, from a study in patients, suggest that viral therapies like this can be effectively injected into the bloodstream during routine outpatient appointments ...

Nice, 13 June 2012: New scientific findings in anticoagulation for stroke prevention are paving the way for updates to the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation. Some of these findings were presented during the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) sessions at Cardiostim 2012, 13-16 June, in Nice, France. Cardiostim is an international scientific congress in the field of electrophysiology and cardiac techniques. It is organised in collaboration with the ESC and EHRA, which is a registered branch of the ESC. Link to ...

Researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have discovered unexpectedly large genetic differences between two similar species of the pathogenic Cryptosporidium parasite. Published today in the journal Evolutionary Applications, the findings pave the way for a new gold standard test to distinguish between the waterborne parasite's two main species affecting humans. One species is spread from person to person (Cryptosporidium hominis) but the other is often spread from livestock to people (Cryptosporidium parvum). "Being able to discriminate quickly between the ...

In a new study released today in New England Journal of Medicine, researchers demonstrate that whole genome sequencing can provide clinically relevant data on bacterial transmission within a timescale that can influence infection control and patient management. Scientists from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, University of Cambridge, and Illumina collaborated to use whole genome sequencing to identify which isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were part of a hospital outbreak. Current laboratory techniques often cannot distinguish between ...

Researchers have developed a new technique to identify hotspots of malaria parasite evolution and track the rise of malarial drug resistance, faster and more efficiently than ever before. For the first time, researchers have the ability to analyse malaria genomes straight from patient blood samples using new sequencing technologies and informatics methods. As a proof of principle, the team conducted the first analysis of clinical samples from six countries and uncovered unique differences in malaria development in Africa, Asia and Oceania. This study is published in Nature ...

VIDEO: Astrophysicist Lars Buchhave, University of Copenhagen explains about his new research showing, that planets up to four times the size of the Earth can form around very different stars... Click here for more information. It had previously been thought that planets were more likely to form around a star if the star had a high content of heavier elements. But new research from the University of Copenhagen, among others, shows that small planets can form around very ...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Even small telescopes can make big discoveries. Though the KELT North telescope in southern Arizona carries a lens no more powerful than a high-end digital camera, it's just revealed the existence of two very unusual faraway planets. One planet is a massive, puffed-up oddity that could change ideas of how solar systems evolve. The other orbits a very bright star, and will allow astronomers to make detailed measurements of the atmospheres of these bizarre worlds. Ohio State University doctoral student Thomas Beatty and Vanderbilt University research ...

DURHAM, N.C. -- The health of a caregiver is the most important predictor of orphan health, according to a new Duke University study that spans five less-wealthy nations in Africa and Asia. More important than an orphan's geographic location, living conditions or past trauma, the Duke study finds that an unhealthy caregiver likely means an unhealthy child. The findings prompt Duke researchers to call for international orphan policies to place greater attention on assessing and treating an orphan and his caregiver's health together, rather than focusing solely on children's ...

Microbes inhabit just about every part of the human body, living on the skin, in the gut, and up the nose. Sometimes they cause sickness, but most of the time, microorganisms live in harmony with their human hosts, providing vital functions essential for human survival. For the first time, a consortium of researchers organized by the National Institutes of Health has mapped the normal microbial make-up of healthy humans, producing numerous insights and even a few surprises. Researchers found, for example, that nearly everyone routinely carries pathogens, microorganisms ...

Boston – June 13, 2012 -- After people with type 1 diabetes have a heart attack, their long-term chance of suffering even more heart damage skyrockets. But the reason has long puzzled scientists. Now researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center have identified the misstep that sparks this runaway chronic damage and a promising way to block it. "The problem arises from autoimmunity, a condition that people with type 1 diabetes already have ," says Myra A. Lipes, M.D, investigator in the Section on Immunology at Joslin and principal investigator of a study published in the June ...

Research into alcohol's effect on juvenile rats shows they have an ability to build up a physical, but not cognitive, tolerance over the short term — a finding that could have implications for adolescent humans, according to Baylor University psychologists. The research findings are significant because they indicate that blood alcohol concentration levels alone may not fully account for impaired orientation and navigation ability, said Jim Diaz-Granados, Ph.D., professor and chair of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor. He co-authored the study, published in the journal ...

For the first time, scientists have defined the bacteria that inhabit multiple sites along the healthy human digestive tract in a large number of individuals. To prevent and control bacterial diseases, it is essential to first identify which bacteria are responsible for keeping us in good health. As part of the Human Microbiome Project, the Forsyth Institute-led team examined bacteria found in adults at 10 sites along the digestive tract, including seven mouth surfaces, the tonsils, the throat and stool samples. This work lays an important foundation for future research ...

Boston, MA -- New studies led by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers have helped identify and analyze the vast human "microbiome"—the more than five million microbial genes that exist inside the human body. Scientists estimate that each person carries about 100 times as many microbial genes as human genes, and they want to learn more about the role that microbes—organisms like bacteria, viruses, and fungi that live in the stomach, in the mouth, on the skin, or elsewhere—play in normal bodily functions, like development or immunity, as well as in disease. Several ...

Human beings are ecosystems on two legs, each of us carrying enough microbes to outnumber our human cells by 10 to 1 and our genes by even more. Identifying the dizzying numbers of bacteria and other microbes that live in and on our bodies is like exploring a new planet. You need much more than telescopes and charts to map the unknown territory called our microbiomes – and explorers to take a census of the inhabitants. The Human Microbiome Project (HMP) Consortium, a five-year collaboration of large sequencing centers including the Broad Institute and dozens of other ...

When researchers at NIH and Celera published the first complete draft sequences of the human genome in 2001, many people assumed that the genetic foundation for a new and complete understanding of the human body and its functions had been achieved. As it turned out this was far from the complete story, since it turns out that our bodies are, well… not completely human. In the culmination of a multi-year effort directed by NIH, the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) has announced first genomic compilation of the generalized biome of microbes in the human body that complement ...

Simulating weather and water conditions before a race could give sailors the advantage they need to win, new research reveals. The study, carried out by the Yacht and Superyacht Research Group (YSRG) at Newcastle University, UK, with the Yacht Research Unit of the University of Auckland and the Italian super-computer centre CILEA, looked at how accurately we can predict the way a yacht will behave during a particular race using parameters such as sea conditions and currents. Modelling the way each factor impacts on the yacht at every stage of the race, the team - led ...

In a project led by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, an international team of scientists has completed the sequencing and analysis of the genome of the last great ape, the bonobo. Bonobos, which together with chimpanzees are the closest living relatives of humans, are known for their peaceful, playful and sexual behaviour that contrasts with the more aggressive behaviour of chimpanzees. The genome sequence provides insights into the evolutionary relationships between the great apes and may help us to understand the genetic basis of these ...

The ability to cross a road in time is one that most of us take for granted. A new study published in the journal Age and Ageing, entitled 'Most Older Pedestrians are unable to cross the road in time: a cross-sectional study', has compared the walking speed of the older population in the UK (aged 65 and over) with the speed required to use a pedestrian crossing. Currently, to use a pedestrian crossing a person must cross at a speed above 1.2 meters per second. The research led by Dr Laura Asher of the Department of Epidemiology & Public Health at UCL (University College ...

Reports of low energy levels or feelings of fatigue could be used to predict risk of hospitalisation for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a new study published online ahead of print in the European Respiratory Journal. The findings of the study could be used by doctors to help reduce the number of admissions to hospital for people with COPD, which could lead to improvements in quality of life and a reduction in the economic impact of the disease. Fatigue has been reported as the second most prevalent symptom of COPD, after breathlessness. ...

In the heart of Tel Aviv sits the stylish and comfortable Rothschild Hotel. The beauty of staying there is that it sits about midway between a destination ride to Mount Hermon in the North East and to Eilat Bay at the Southern tip of Israel on the Red Sea. If you go to Israel you will have boasting rights if you can say you've been to four places; Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Mount Hermon and Eilat Bay. Of course Jerusalem is the heart of the holy land, and Tel Aviv is the international cosmopolitan city "That Never Sleeps". After you complete your day trips, and return ...

Chevy Chase, MD— Abdominal liposuction triggers a compensatory increase in visceral fat, which is correlated with cardiovascular disease, but this effect can be counteracted by physical activity, according to a recent study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, a publication of The Endocrine Society. Liposuction is one of the most popular aesthetic surgery procedures performed worldwide, but its long-term impact on health remains unclear. Previous studies have shown that the immediate decrease in body fat following liposuction may affect body composition ...

Dr. Jerry Cooper, Sheboygan dentist, is excited to be able to offer a comprehensive dental website to his patients. The website offers services to inform patients and make interacting with the dentist in Sheboygan, WI easier. "I am happy to establish an online presence for my practice with our website. It is essential today to be able to offer online services to patients and I think that our site succeeds in offering an easy to use design with plenty of helpful information. I hope all of my patients take some time to explore on our website and learn what they can ...

Women are more likely than men to be responsible for the majority of domestic work in a household, which can lead to higher psychological distress, and new research shows that this correlation is further increased by perceived socioeconomic and gender inequality in the relationship, according to a study published June 13 in the open access journal PLoS ONE. The researchers, led by Lisa Harryson of Umea University in Sweden, used data from the Northern Swedish Cohort, which monitored individuals from a small Swedish town from 1981 until 2007. The results confirmed previous ...