A new technique using X-rays has enabled scientists to play "detective" and solve the debate about the origins of a three billion-year-old rock fragment.

Depressed pregnant women have twice the risk of preterm delivery than pregnant women with no symptoms of depression, finds a new study in the journal Human Reproduction. The study, which is among the first to examine depression and pre-term delivery in a diverse population, provides a clear look at the link between depression and preterm delivery because the majority of the women in the study did...

Scientists have identified a new antibiotic target and a new antibiotic mechanism that may enable the development of broad-spectrum antibacterial agents effective against bacterial pathogens resistant to current antibiotics. In particular, the results could lead the way to new treatments for tuberculosis that involve shorter courses of therapy and are effective against drug-resistant...

As the first globally co-ordinated plan for the planet's gravest health threats is hatched by government ministers from around the world this weekend, a new report sets out a 10-point plan for a globalized approach to infectious diseases such as avian flu.

Seven years after Sept. 11, and in the wake of many major natural disasters such as forest fires, hurricanes and flooding, nearly half of US states either have no state-level emergency plan or do not provide it readily to the public, reveals a new study by George Mason University communication professor Carl...

Scientists have identified a gene in mice that plays a central role in the proper development of one of the nerve cells that goes bad in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, and some other diseases that affect our motor neurons.

The Marine Mammal Center has seen an increase in leptospirosis cases in sea lions this year. Researchers there are launching a new study to determine causes of cyclical outbreaks and how the disease is spread among sea lions.

Researchers have discovered a new genetic disease that can lead to severe liver damage. Because a protective component of the bile is missing, the liver cells are exposed to the toxic components of the bile, resulting in cirrhosis of liver. This could explain some of the cases of liver cirrhosis of unknown origin and open up a new approach for...

It may seem to many like good common sense to wait until we see proof of the serious damage global warming is doing before we take action. But by then it will be too late, so scientists have to do a better job explaining...

What stands a better chance of surviving 50 years from now, a framed photograph or a 10-megabyte digital photo file on your computer's hard drive? The framed photograph will inevitably fade and yellow over time, but the digital photo file may be unreadable to future computers -- an unintended consequence of our rapidly digitizing world that may ultimately lead to a "digital dark age."

Why Vint Cerf wants to put Internet-style networking in space.

If Barack Obama had taken his mother's surname and kept his childhood nickname, American voters might literally see "Barry Dunham" as a quite different presidential candidate, a new study suggests. A name significantly changes our perception of someone's face and race, according to research in the journal Perception.

Université de Montréal Professor Sylvie Hébert is conducting a study exploring the root causes of tinnitus, a condition that creates the perception of sound in the absence of external stimulation. Tinnitus affects 20 percent of Quebecers 55 and older, which represents one million people.

The American Chemical Society's News Service Weekly PressPac contains reports from 36 major peer-reviewed journals on chemistry, health, medicine, energy, environment, food, nanotechnology and other hot topics.

Many of the structural and neurochemical features of schizophrenia are present long before the full syndrome of schizophrenia develops. What processes tip the balance between the ultra-high risk states and the development of schizophrenia? One candidate mechanism is cerebral inflammation, studied by Dr. Bart van Berckel and colleagues in the Nov. 1 issue of Biological Psychiatry.

The first known case of someone born without the ability to recognize voices has been reported in a paper by UCL researchers, in a study of a rare condition known as phonagnosia. The UCL team are calling for other people to come forward if they think they have also grown up with the condition.

The assumption that time, weather, and pollution are what cause buildings to decline is only partly true. Bacteria are also responsible for the aging of buildings and monuments -- a process known as biodeterioration. Leonila Laiz from the Institute for Natural Resources and Agrobiology in Seville, Spain, and colleagues have just isolated five new strains of bacteria that degrade old buildings....

Patients who report receiving written and verbal instructions on the proper way to take the blood thinner warfarin are significantly less likely to suffer the serious gastrointestinal and brain bleeding problems that are associated with misuse of the drug, according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Biosolids, a nutrient rich byproduct of sewage produced at wastewater treatment plants that can be applied to land as a fertilizer, has been scrutinized of late for its potential to transport disease-causing microorganisms. A new published study suggests that the pathogen risks associated with biosolids are generally low, as determined by measuring bioaerosol levels at sites where biosolids were...

Applying electrical stimulation to the scalp and the underlying motor regions of the brain could make you more skilled at delicate tasks. Research published today in the open access journal BMC Neuroscience shows that a non-invasive brain-stimulation technique, transcranial direct current stimulation, is able to improve the use of a person's non-dominant hand.

A University of Alberta researcher has found a possible treatment for the E. coli strain that killed seven people in Walkerton, Ontario, in 2000, and has just been linked to more than 200 illnesses in North Bay, Ontario.

Computer scientists at Brown University have created a computer program that for the first time can accurately estimate the human body's shape from digital images or video. Brown has filed two provisional patents covering the technology, which may be used in the fashion, film, video gaming and sports medicine industries, as well as forensics.

Construction of the brain's border fence is supervised by Wnt/b-catenin signaling, report Liebner et al. in the Journal of Cell Biology.

The first known case of someone born without the ability to recognize voices has been reported. The rare condition is known as phonagnosia. Phonagnosia has only been documented so far in people with brain lesions in the right hemisphere following a stroke or brain damage, and the mechanisms behind it are not well understood. In this newly documented case, a MRI brain scan showed no evidence of...