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Sedentism, farming, and agriculture was invented some 10,000 years ago in a region between southeastern Anatolia, Iran, Iraq, and Syria, an area traditionally labeled as the Fertile Crescent. Most of the technology and culture associated with farming including domestic sheep, goat, cattle, and pig originated here. The transition from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agriculture and sedentism was considered such a radical change in human ecology that the term Neolithic revolution was coined for it.

LA JOLLA--Salk scientists and colleagues have proposed new molecular criteria for judging just how close any line of laboratory-generated stem cells comes to mimicking embryonic cells seen in the very earliest stages of human development, known as naïve stem cells. The tests found that no current protocols lead to truly naïve stem cells, but the guidelines may help researchers achieve that goal by pointing out where each current method falls short.

You would never guess it from their soft eyes and timid demeanor, but the swift-footed deer is North America's most dangerous mammal to humans.

Each year deer cause 1.2 million vehicle collisions in the U.S., triggering more than 200 deaths, some 29,000 injuries and $1.66 billion in costs associated with vehicle damage, medical bills and road cleanup.

These staggering figures are in part because deer's natural predators -- large carnivores such as wolves and cougars -- have declined in population, leaving large ungulates like deer to reproduce mostly unchecked.

A new finding in experiments studying the dry preservation of living cells -- a potentially revolutionary alternative to cryopreservation - has defined a clear limit where continuing dehydration kills cells. The data, combined with molecular dynamics simulations, provides insight into an important processing factor that has limited recent attempts at dry preservation.

A new technique developed by a UBC researcher could make tissue regeneration cheaper and safer for health-care systems and their patients.

A study, conducted by UBC researcher Keekyoung Kim while at Harvard University, has identified new ways in which proteins and various biological molecules--known as growth factors--can work together to turn cells on the surface into cells that form the middle layer of the heart valve.

LAWRENCE -- Race not gender appears to be the most significant factor influencing the award of a National Institutes of Health Research Project Grant, according to a new study led by a University of Kansas economist.

"In most cases, NIH funds are the gateway to having tenure and becoming a full-fledged member of an academic faculty," said Donna Ginther, a KU professor of economics and the study's lead author. "Understanding who gets grants in order to promote a more diverse applicant pool will add to the diversity of the student body at colleges and universities."

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Thousands of insects, plants and other life forms have been found trapped in ancient amber deposits, but a new discovery shows a rarity of a different type - the one that got away.

In a piece of Baltic amber about 50 million years old, research has uncovered an exoskeleton similar to that of a modern-day "walking stick" - evidence of an insect that literally was frightened out of its skin, and made its way to freedom just as it was about to become forever entombed by oozing tree sap.

How much water does your lawn really need? A University of Utah study re-evaluated lawn watering recommendations by measuring water use by lawns in Los Angeles. The standard model of turfgrass water needs, they found, lacked precision in some common urban southern California conditions, like the Santa Ana winds, or in the shade.

Chronic pain affects up to 20% of people in developed countries, and represents not only a profound impact on individuals and their families but also a sizeable burden on employers, health care systems, and society in general. Now, a study published in the Journal of Pain Research finds another safe and effective drug-free treatment option for chronic pain sufferers - spinal cord stimulation (SCS).

The very first bony fish on Earth was susceptible to arthritis, according to a USC-led discovery that may fast-track therapeutic research in preventing or easing the nation's most common cause of disability.

The finding contradicts the widely held belief that lubricated joints enabling mobility -- called synovial joints -- evolved as vertebrates ventured onto land. For example, human knees and hips have synovial joints, which are highly susceptible to osteoarthritis.

Researchers at Hokkaido University have developed a new kind of hydrogel that bonds spontaneously and strongly to defected bones, suggesting potential use in the treatments of joint injuries.

A powerful new technology that maps the "social network" of proteins in breast cancer cells is providing detailed understanding of the disease at a molecular level and could eventually lead to new treatments, Australian scientists say.

The technique - called BiCAP - uses nanotechnology to visualise and isolate protein complexes in breast cancer cells. The results are then combined with a sensitive method called proteomics to map and measure how the proteins interact with each other and ultimately control cell behaviour.

Researchers from Dr. H.S. Gour University and Jadavapur University in India have found out structural requirements of some theophylline based molecules against the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase.

BETHESDA, MD - The constant battle between pathogens and their hosts has long been recognized as a key driver of evolution, but until now scientists have not had the tools to look at these patterns globally across species and genomes. In a new study, researchers apply big-data analysis to reveal the full extent of viruses' impact on the evolution of humans and other mammals.

Their findings suggest an astonishing 30 percent of all protein adaptations since humans' divergence with chimpanzees have been driven by viruses.

Bethesda, MD - For a single celled organism, as with many cells, cell shape is critical to the functions it can perform. However, little is known about how cells regain proper shape after an injury. In a new study being presented at The Allied Genetics Conference in Orlando, Florida, researchers report new insights about the underlying drivers that help cells heal and maintain their shape.