Body | Page 1217 | Science Codex

Gut bacteria could be blamed for obesity and diabetes

An excess of bacteria in the gut can change the way the liver processes fat and could lead to the development of metabolic syndrome, according to health researchers.

Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions including obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and excess body fat around the waist. People experiencing three or more of these conditions are considered to have metabolic syndrome and are vulnerable to liver and heart diseases. Approximately 20 to 25 percent of adult Americans have the syndrome, according to the American Heart Association.

Caught in the act: New wasp species emerging

HOUSTON -- (Oct. 29, 2015) -- The concept that biodiversity feeds upon itself is an old idea, but it's difficult to prove because it requires biologists to simultaneously catch several species red-handed just as they are becoming new species. Now biologists have proof.

Towards a safe and efficient SARS-coronavirus vaccine: Mechanism and prevention of genetic instability of a live attenuated viru

Live attenuated (weakened) viral vaccines are considered safe so long as their "reversal" to a virulent (or disease-causing) virus is prevented. A study published on October 29th in PLOS Pathogens reports on how to rationally modify an effective live attenuated SARS vaccine to make it genetically stable.

A new primate species at the root of the tree of extant hominoids

This news release is available in Spanish.

New study: Warming waters a major factor in the collapse of New England cod

PORTLAND, Maine -- October 29, 2015 -- For centuries, cod were the backbone of New England's fisheries and a key species in the Gulf of Maine ecosystem. Today, cod stocks are on the verge of collapse, hovering at 3-4% of sustainable levels. Even cuts to the fishery have failed to slow this rapid decline, surprising both fishermen and fisheries managers. For the first time, a new report in Science explains why. It shows that the cod collapse is in large part due to rapid warming of the ocean in the Gulf of Maine - 99 percent faster than anywhere else on the planet.

'Superhero' microbiome bacteria protect against deadly symptoms during infection

As concerns over deadly antibiotic-resistant strains of 'superbug' bacteria grow, scientists at the Salk Institute are offering a possible solution to the problem: 'superhero' bacteria that live in the gut and move to other parts of the body to alleviate life-threatening side effects caused by infections.

Improving risk-cost-benefit analysis

The effects of new technologies and discoveries -- from nuclear power to medical treatments --often must be inferred long before they are experienced, forcing policymakers to rely on risk, cost and benefit analyses when deciding whether to use them.

In the Oct. 30 issue of Science, Carnegie Mellon University's Baruch Fischhoff critically examines these analytical methods, considering how they should be used and how they can be abused.

Allergy is the price we pay for our immunity to parasites

New findings, published in PLOS Computational Biology, help demonstrate the evolutionary basis for allergy. Molecular similarities in food and environmental proteins that cause allergy (such as pollen), and multicellular parasites (such as parasitic worms), have been identified systematically for the first time.

A study led by Dr Nicholas Furnham (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine), supports the hypothesis that allergic reactions are a flawed antibody response towards harmless environmental allergens.

New England cod collapse linked to warming waters

Rapid warming in the Gulf of Maine helps explain why New England's cod stocks are on the verge of collapse despite cuts to fishery activity, reports a new study. The results reveal how a warming climate complicates fisheries management. For centuries, Atlantic cod were pillars of New England's fisheries, carefully managed by programs designed to reduce harvesting levels in response to low stock biomass.

Extinct ape species resets the scale on humans' ancestors

WASHINGTON (Oct. 29, 2015)--A team of researchers from the George Washington University (GW) and the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP) identified a new genus and species of small ape that existed before the evolutionary split of humans/great apes (hominids) and gibbons (the 'lesser apes' or hylobatids). Named Pliobates cataloniae, the new species has important implications for reconstructing the last common ancestor of the two groups (the living hominoids).

The findings were published Thursday in Science magazine.

Beyond the temples, ancient bones reveal the lives of the Mayan working class

Most of what we know about Mayan civilization relates to kings, queens and their elaborate temples. To understand what life was like for the 99 percent, one researcher turned to ancient animal bones stored at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Ashley Sharpe, a doctoral student at the museum on the UF campus, says the picture researchers have painted of the Maya people isn't broad enough.

How to make Web advertising more effective

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Every day, users are bombarded with animated ads across the Web, and companies fight to cut through the clutter. New research from the University at Buffalo School of Management has pinpointed one attribute online ads should have to influence consumers' perceptions of a new product--and their willingness to pay for it.

Consumers who see a Web ad in which the product changes direction while moving across the screen are more likely to perceive the product as innovative, according to forthcoming research in the Journal of Marketing.

NIH researchers link single gene variation to obesity

A single variation in the gene for brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) may influence obesity in children and adults, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The study suggests that a less common version of the BDNF gene may predispose people to obesity by producing lower levels of BDNF protein, a regulator of appetite, in the brain.

Exercise could give margin of safety to women who want to delay preventive mastectomy

PHILADELPHIA -- Regular physical activity could play a role in helping women at high-risk of breast cancer delay the need for drastic preventive measures such as prophylactic mastectomy, according to new research led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Results of the WISER Sister study help clarify the emerging connection between exercise and breast cancer risk.

Breaking the mold: Untangling the jelly-like properties of diseased proteins

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have identified a new property of essential proteins which, when it malfunctions, can cause the build up, or 'aggregation', of misshaped proteins and lead to serious diseases.

A common characteristic of neurodegenerative diseases - such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's disease - is the build-up of 'misfolded' proteins, which cause irreversible damage to the brain. For example, Alzheimer's disease sees the build-up of beta-amyloid 'plaques' and tau 'tangles'.