A new study points to a new method for burning off all those irresistible extra calories -- by turning on an energy-draining, but otherwise futile, cycle of protein synthesis and breakdown. The researchers found that the animals that ate the most food also expended the most energy. "That would be ideal for people who are overweight," the scientists said. "They could continue to eat and just waste...

Researchers have developed technology to detect tumor cells within the human body. By shining a laser on surface veins, such as those on the wrist and inside the cheek, researchers are able to reveal and count circulating tumor cells. The new detection method is able to evaluate a much larger volume of blood than what can be drawn from a patient for analysis, said one of the scientists.

A quest to gain a more complete picture of color vision evolution has led scientists to an up-close, genetic encounter with one of the world's most rare and bizarre-looking primates. They have performed the first sweeping, genetic evolutionary study of color vision in the aye-aye (pronounced "eye-eye"), a bushy-tailed, Madagascar native primate with a unique combination of physical features...

Is it your doctor's skill in surgery or communication that get them into trouble? According to a new study, physicians who score poorly on patient-physician communication skills exams are far more likely to generate patient complaints to regulatory authorities.

Archaeologists revealed that the first apiary (beehive colony) dating from the Biblical period has been found in excavations in Israel's Beth Shean Valley. This is the earliest apiary to be revealed to date in an archaeological excavation anywhere in the ancient Near East, according to the researcher.

A new intensive care study has provided vital information for the treatment of patients with brain injuries. The results confirm that the choice of resuscitation fluids affects the chances of patients with brain injury surviving.

For the first time, scientists have discovered a unique population of adult stem cells derived from human muscle that could be used to treat muscle injuries and diseases such as heart attack and muscular dystrophy.

The results of a clinical trial indicates that, when used as part of routine therapy, high-dose ibuprofen is safe and effective in slowing down lung disease in children with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Inquiring minds want to know. The supermarket headlines tell us so. Inquiring Texas research minds want to know more about cotton fleahoppers B -- a tiny, sometimes obscure pest that can damage plants during their early growth. But these tiny pests aren't all bad. After cotton reaches peak bloom, this tiny critter is considered a beneficial insect – living out its relatively short life as...

A father-son research team working from separate laboratory benches across the country has discovered a new use for lasers -- zapping viruses out of blood. The technique, which holds promise for disinfecting blood for transfusions, uses a low-power laser beam with a pulse lasting just fractions of a second.

Immunology researchers have shown how a type of bat rabies infection can be prevented in mice -- even after the virus reaches the brain, when it is most lethal. They found that by opening the central nervous system's (CNS) protective blood-brain barrier, powerful infection fighting substances can swarm in, essentially driving off the invading virus. A better understanding of the process, they say,...

Researchers have developed a long-acting growth hormone for use in human therapy. The new discovery could mean that children and adults with growth hormone disorders will not have to have injections as often, reducing the need for daily treatments.

Internal medicine residents had low scores in a test of biostatistics knowledge, and about three-fourths of the residents surveyed indicated they have low confidence in understanding the statistics they encounter in medical literature, according to a new article.

Ultraconserved elements are DNA sequences, hundreds of base pairs long, that are 100-percent identical in mice, rats and humans. Their perfect conservation for over 80 million years was thought due to evolutionary pressure, such that if even one nucleotide changes, the organism would die. But in a new study knockout mice with deleted ultraconserved elements showed virtually no ill effects.

A case is being made for a new eating disorder, dubbed "purging disorder." The disorder is similar to bulimia nervosa in that both syndromes involve eating, then trying to compensate for the calories. What sets the disorders apart is the amount of food consumed and the way people compensate for what they eat.

A simple new imaging technique has revealed fat buildup in the hearts of pre-diabetic people long before symptoms of heart disease or diabetes appear. The technique detects fat accumulation in cells of the beating heart in a way no other clinical method can, the researchers said, and may provide a way to screen patients for early signs of heart disease in diabetes.

A combination of two drugs shows promise in treating a rare and therapy-resistant type of melanoma that originates in the eye and spreads to other organs, according to a new study. The drugs -- decitabine, which can turn on certain genes in cancer cells, and interferon gamma, an immune system protein -- may work together to cause cancer cell death.

Using new software developed to investigate how the brains of dyslexic children are organized, researchers have found that key areas for language and working memory involved in reading are connected differently in dyslexics than in children who are good readers and spellers. However, a three-week instructional program can normalize those connections.

Until now, only the intricate machinery inside cells could take a mix of enzyme ingredients, blend them together and deliver a natural product with an elaborate chemical structure such as penicillin. Researchers have for the first time demonstrated the ability to mimic this process outside of a cell.

In July 2006, ESO's Very Large Telescope took images of a stellar firework in the spiral galaxy NGC 1288. The supernova -- designated SN 2006dr -- was at its peak brightness, shining as bright as the entire galaxy itself, bearing witness to the amount of energy released.

Despite recommendations for annual preventive exams for adolescents, only 10 percent of teens have enough visits within 12 months to receive the recommended three shots needed for HPV vaccine. Ideally the three shots are delivered within six months, and only 1 percent of teens see their physicians that often.

A dime-sized tropical crab that has invaded coastal waters in the Southeast United States is having both positive and negative effects on oyster reefs, leaving researchers unable to predict what the creature's long-term impact will be. The impact of the crabs is important because oysters are a "foundation species" essential to the health of coastal ecosystems because their reefs provide homes to...

Engineers have pioneered an easy and inexpensive method for creating hybrid structures by coating CNTs with aerosol nanoparticles. The lab also has produced a low-cost way to make "custom" nanoparticles that gives them full control over the structure's final properties.

A new article suggests that infants fine-tune their visual and auditory systems to stimuli during the first year of life, essentially "weeding out" unnecessary discriminatory abilities. In one study, for example, 6-month-old infants were able to differentiate two human a faces as easily as two monkey faces whereas 9-month-olds could only differentiate between two human faces. Importantly, if...