Trophy Hunting of Lions Can Conserve the Species
University of KentTrophy hunters can play an important role in lion conservation, researchers from the University’s Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology have shown.
Trophy hunters can play an important role in lion conservation, researchers from the University’s Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology have shown.
A team's finding that CRISPR-Cas9 is a reliable method for multi-gene editing of this particular plant species was published in PLOS ONE on Sept. 13.
Over 100 million women are on hormonal contraceptives. All of them contain some form of progesterone, either alone or in combination with estrogen. A study published on Sept. 15th in PLOS Pathogens reports that treatment with progesterone protects female mice against the consequences of influenza infection by reducing inflammation and improving pulmonary function, primarily through upregulation of amphiregulin in lung cells.
Over 100 million women are on hormonal contraceptives. All of them contain some form of progesterone, either alone or in combination with estrogen. A study published on Sept. 15th in PLOS Pathogens reports that treatment with progesterone protects female mice against the consequences of influenza infection by reducing inflammation and improving pulmonary function, primarily through upregulation of amphiregulin in lung cells.
The prescription of testosterone supplementation for cardiovascular health, sexual function, physical function, mood, or cognitive function in men with “low T” is not supported by clinical trials data, conclude researchers who describe a review of more than 200 clinical trials published Sept. 21 in PLOS One.
Malaria-Transmitting Mosquitoes’ Preference for Cattle May Be Due to Chromosome Anomaly
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have developed a strategy to overcome a key defense that drug-resistant bacteria use to fend off antibiotic attack.
In mouse studies, researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have found that progesterone – a female sex hormone contained in most forms of hormone-based birth control – appears to stave off the worst effects of influenza infection and, in an unexpected finding, help damaged lung cells to heal more quickly.
oot extracts from the flowering herbal plant Corydalis yanhusuo, or YHS, has widely used for centuries as a pain treatment. Yet few studies have investigated how it works on different forms of pain, and little is known about its molecular mechanisms. In a new study, Olivier Civelli, professor and chair of pharmacology at the University of California, Irvine, and colleagues show how YHS effectively treats different forms of pain.
Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear have, for the first time, linked symptoms of difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments with evidence of cochlear synaptopathy, a condition known as “hidden hearing loss,” in college-age human subjects with normal hearing sensitivity.
Researchers find that a bat’s head waggles and ear wiggles synch with its sonar vocalizations to help it hunt, demonstrating how movement can enhance senses like sight and hearing – not just in bats, but in dogs and cats, and even in humans.
In new research publishing Sept. 8 in the Open Access journal PLOS Biology, University of California, Irvine biologists Anne Calof and Arthur Lander and colleagues report that the role of genes in CHD is more complex than previously realized and that overall risk is determined by a combination of gene effects both inside and outside of the heart itself.
In an important breakthrough for the forensic science community, researchers have developed the first-ever biological identification method that exploits the information encoded in proteins of human hair.
A recent study reveals different fungal species secrete a rich set of enzymes that share similar functions, despite species-specific differences in the amino acid sequences of these enzymes.
In “Zika Fetal Neuropathogenesis: Etiology of a Viral Syndrome,” published in the most recent PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, the authors analyze Zika fetal neuropathogenesis from a comparative pathology perspective.
Contrary to traditional expectations of unbalanced sex ratios, places with more men than women do not typically experience higher rates of family and social instability, according to a University of Utah study.
Results of a study published in PLOS ONE show that asthma risk increased 17 times when children who had bronchiolitis in the first two years of life also had a common variation of the Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) gene.
Researchers at the University of California, Davis, and in the Netherlands have discovered how three fungal diseases have evolved into a lethal threat to the world’s bananas.
Genoscoper Ltd. has published in cooperation with the researchers of University of Helsinki and Pennsylvania (USA) so far the most comprehensive study on canine hereditary disorders. The research brings new information about genetic disorders causing diseases in different dog breeds. The results can be utilized both in dog breeding and veterinary diagnostics. The study was published on PLOS ONE on Aug. 15, 2016.
By figuring out how to preserve specimens in the remote locations in which they are found – locations almost completely opposite those of a controlled laboratory or 21st century urban area – researchers from The University of Texas at El Paso have given science one more way to study a wide range of creatures, particularly those threatened by global climate change.
HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the US and has been identified as a cause of cancer in women. In a study appearing in PLOS Pathogens, a team of researchers led by the University of Missouri reports on their completed studies on fruit flies with a condition that mimics a form of HPV-induced cancer. The fly models they developed may help scientists understand the underlying mechanisms by which HPV can cause cancer.
Analysis of almost 3,000 pairs of Danish twins shows that they live longer than the general population. The authors believe it reflects the benefits of lifelong social support.
For a fruit fly, what its grandparents ate may affect how much it weighs. But the passing down of a body type based on diet is not a simple cause and effect, a researcher has found.
They call it "Conan the Bacterium," and now it may be used to help save lives in the event of a nuclear disaster or terrorist attack. Researchers at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences have discovered a potent manganese (Mn)(II)-based antioxidant complex of the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans that can be used to protect animals from radiation injury. The report, "MDP: A Deinococcus Mn2+-Decapeptide Complex Protects Mice from Ionizing Radiation," was released today in PLOS ONE.
Previous research has found that bisphenol S (BPS), a chemical used in the manufacture of plastic bottles and other products, is as harmful to the reproductive system as bisphenol A (BPA), which BPS replaced. UCLA research suggests that BPS can damage a woman’s eggs – and at lower doses than BPA.
As humans evolved over many thousands of years, our bodies developed a system to help us when we start running and suddenly need more oxygen. Now, using that innate reflex as inspiration, UCLA researchers have developed a noninvasive way to treat potentially harmful breathing problems in babies who were born prematurely.
Rats bred to abuse alcohol accumulated numerous genetic differences, many of which occurred in regulatory regions of the genome, reports Feng C. Zhou at Indiana University in Indianapolis and William Muir at Purdue University in West Lafayette Indiana, and colleagues in a study published on August 4 in PLOS Genetics.
Scientists have tracked the flight paths of a group of bumblebees throughout their entire lives to find out how they explore their environment and search for food.
Suddenly, a roundworm overhauls an array of survival strategies all at once, and researchers suspect multiple mutations caused them. But they're surprised when they trace the sweeping changes back to one tiny mutation on a single gene. It's a great hint at a genetic regulator of so-called life history trade-offs, a much observed natural phenomenon.
A new study by researchers at Emory's Rollins School of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that lifestyle modification programs modeled on diabetes prevention programs (DPP) trials not only achieved weight reduction, but also additional metabolic benefits -specifically, reductions in blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. The researchers compiled data from 44 published studies with nearly 9,000 adults participating in DPP conducted in US communities, clinics, and through online media.
A new study by researchers at Emory's Rollins School of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that lifestyle modification programs modeled on diabetes prevention programs (DPP) trials not only achieved weight reduction, but also additional metabolic benefits -specifically, reductions in blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. The researchers compiled data from 44 published studies with nearly 9,000 adults participating in DPP conducted in US communities, clinics, and through online media.
Video surveillance is the most effective method for detecting animals flying around solar power towers, according to a study of various techniques by the U.S. Geological Survey and its partners at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System facility in southeastern California.
Video surveillance is the most effective method for detecting animals flying around solar power towers, according to a study of various techniques by the U.S. Geological Survey and its partners at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System facility in southeastern California.
In recent decades, the plight of Atlantic cod off the coast of New England has been front-page news. Since the 1980s in particular, the once-seemingly inexhaustible stocks of Gadus morhua -- one of the most important fisheries in North America -- have declined dramatically.
Researchers comparing mouse and macaque brains have found evidence of an evolutionary universal brain structure in mammals that enables comparisons of cortical networks between species. A new study from a researcher at the University of Notre Dame could provide insights into brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia.
Exposure to airborne dust and high temperatures are significant risk factors for bacterial meningitis, a new study by the University of Liverpool's Institute of Infection and Global Health has found.
From politicians and celebrities, companies and organizations to individuals of certain nationalities and the socially disadvantaged, the list of parties affected by hate speech in social media is long. Insulting, threatening or derogatory comments are commonplace in today's digital world. The potential consequences of such virtual witch-hunts - whether justified or otherwise - include a loss of reputation, resignations, losing one's job, social isolation or falling share prices. Predominant opinion suggests that it is the supposed online anonymity which decreases the inhibitions of trolls on the internet.
Scientists at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research have reported a detailed description of how function-impairing mutations in polr1c and polr1d genes cause Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS), a rare congenital craniofacial development disorder that affects an estimated 1 in 50,000 live births.
Even though American consumers throw away about 80 billion pounds of food a year, only about half are aware that food waste is a problem. Even more, researchers have identified that most people perceive benefits to throwing food away, some of which have limited basis in fact.
Building lab instruments for chemistry and biology experiments used to be an expensive, time consuming process only done by scientists with specialized training. A 3D printed, Lego-like system of blocks designed by a UC Riverside team is changing that. As well as real research applications, the system can be used for STEM education, where students gain both an engineering experience by building the instruments and a science experience as they use them.
A new species of megaraptorid dinosaur discovered in Sierra Barrosa in northwest Patagonia may help discern the evolutionary origins of the megaraptorid group, according to a study published July 20, 2016, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Philip Currie from the University of Alberta and Rodolfo Coria from the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas in Argentina.
Tree-ring dating and radiocarbon research led by Cornell University archaeologist Sturt Manning has established an absolute timeline for the archaeological, historical and environmental record in Mesopotamia from the early second millennium B.C.
Eating more unsaturated fats in place of either dietary carbohydrate or saturated fat reduces blood sugar, insulin levels, and other metrics related to type 2 diabetes, according to a new meta-analysis of data from 102 randomised feeding trials in adults.
Peregrine Falcons, in their normal habitat on isolated cliffs, mate for life. But some 25 pairs now nest on Chicago skyscrapers and bridges, and city living has them in much closer quarters than they used before humans dominated the landscape. A group of Field Museum and University of Illinois, Chicago scientists investigated whether typical breeding patterns hold true for these new city-dwellers and, in a paper published in PLOS ONE, confirmed that even in the big city, the birds that prey together, stay together.
The discovery of a theropod dinosaur with Tyrannosaurus rex-like arms suggests that these unusual forelimbs may have evolved multiple times, according to a study published July 13, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Sebastián Apesteguía from the Universidad Maimónides, Argentina, and colleagues.
The discovery of a theropod dinosaur with Tyrannosaurus rex-like arms suggests that these unusual forelimbs may have evolved multiple times, according to a study published July 13, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Sebastián Apesteguía from the Universidad Maimónides, Argentina, and colleagues.
Dietary restriction, or limited food intake without malnutrition, has beneficial effects on longevity in many species, including humans. A new study from the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP), published today in PLoS Genetics, represents a major advance in understanding how dietary restriction leads to these advantages. Using the small roundworm C. elegans as a model, scientists showed that autophagy in the intestine is critical for lifespan extension.
Researchers identify bat species most likely to carry filoviruses and map hotspots for disease surveillance and virus discovery efforts.
Indiana University researchers have created a virtual tissue model of diabetes in the eye that shows precisely how a small protein that can both damage or grow blood vessels in the eye causes vision loss and blindness in people with diabetes. The study, reported in the journal PLOS Computational Biology, could also lead to better treatment for diabetic retinopathy, which currently requires multiple, invasive procedures that aren’t always effective in the long term.
Fecal transplants are increasingly being used to treat certain human illnesses and there is a major upsurge in animal experiments involving fecal material.