Cats' indifference towards sugar explained
Unlike most mammals, cats--both domestic and wild--are indifferent to sweets. A new study in PLoS Genetics explains the molecular mechanism behind their strictly carnivorous behavior. "We took a behavioral question and answered it molecularly," says Joseph Brand, senior author of the study and Associate Director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center. Scattered on mammalian tongues are speci...Pleasing plant shapes explained by new computer model
Flowers are innately beautiful to the human eye, but how does a sunflower achieve its stunning disc of intersecting spirals or a daisy its delicate symmetry? That was the question tackled by University of Calgary computer scientists, who have answered one of biology's enduring questions with an animated model that provides the most detailed simulation of how plants grow into recognizable s...Evolution of 'irreducible complexity' explained
Using new techniques for resurrecting ancient genes, scientists have for the first time reconstructed the Darwinian evolution of an apparently "irreducibly complex" molecular system. Ho...Potato blight pathogenicity explained by genome plasticity
A team of researchers from Wageningen University report in this month's issue of that they have identified a unique genetic fingerprint in the pathogen responsible for potato blight. Some strains of the pathogen possess multiple copies of a specific gene, while other strains possess only a single copy. Certain potato plants do not recognize strains of the pathogen with on...Carotenoid Absorption Explained In A Better Manner
Carotenoids are being hailed as extremely important nutritionally and studied extensively. A pioneering method developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists has revealed new findings about how carotenoids are absorbed in the body.// Using isotopes to tag carotenoids from kale, researchers at the ARS Beltsville (Md.) Human Nutrition Research Center (BHNRC) monitored the nu...Unexplained Repeat Cesarean Deliveries On The Rise In US
There has been a considerable increase in the number of repeat cesarean deliveries in the United States over the recent years//. The 8-year study conducted between 1996 and 2003 survey has further found that 10% of the cesarean births were due to unexplained reasons. According to National statistics, there has been a 63% decrease in the rate of vaginal births in women who have had a c...Gender Difference In Pain Experience Explained By Brain Diversity
Functional and structural difference in the brain can explain why men and women experience pain differently and respond in unique ways to the effects// of certain pain-relief drugs, reveals a new study conducted by researchers at Georgia State University and the Atlanta-based Center for Behavioral Neuroscience (CBN). Although the study has been conducted on rat brains, the results highl...Study Shows That Women Need To Be Explained About The Smear Test
A report in the British Journal of Cancer, explained that the women who receive abnormal smear test results need more reassurance that they are not necessarily on the brink of cancer, // More information is needed to help women understand their test results and ease their fears over cervical cancer. A study of more than 3500 women with slightly abnormal smears found that more than a quart...Revolutionary New Treatment Plan Developed For Treatment Of Unexplained Symptoms
It has been reported that doctors from the Michigan State University (MSU) have developed a revolutionary new treatment plan, which allows a more effective// means of treatment by the primary care physicians for people suffering from symptoms and conditions that are medically unexplained. Robert Smith, a physician and professor in MSU’s Department of Medicine, College of Human Medicin...