Body

Retinas from our earliest vertebrate ancestors had cone-like photoreceptors, presumably allowing them to see in daylight, but little ability to see at night. Then, millions of years ago in the Mesozoic era, and in relatively short order, mammals emerged that had retinas with predominantly rod photoreceptors, allowing for them to see at night perhaps to hunt for food while their dinosaur predators were dozing. Now a new study led by researchers the National Eye Institute suggests how the genesis of rod photoreceptors may have occurred to give rise to nocturnal mammals.

Parents of young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may experience significant difficulties in discussing treatment options with the child's pediatrician, according to new research. Among the barriers are problems with communication, physicians' lack of knowledge about specific ASD treatments and community resources, and uncertainty about the pediatrician's role in making treatment recommendations for a child with ASD.

Invasive insects and pathogens could be a multi-billion- dollar threat to global agriculture and developing countries may be the biggest target, according to a team of international researchers.

DALLAS - June 20, 2016 - The heart is the only muscle that contracts and relaxes continuously over a lifetime to pump oxygen-rich blood to the body's organs. Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center now have identified a previously unrecognized enzyme that could optimize contraction and lead to new strategies to treat heart failure.

CHAPEL HILL, NC - When we smoke cigarettes, dozens of genes important for immune defense are altered in the epithelial cells that line the respiratory tract. Several of these changes likely increase the risk of bacterial infections, viruses, and inflammation. Now, UNC School of Medicine scientists report that vaping electronic cigarettes alters those same genes and hundreds more that are important for immune defense in the upper airway.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- A species of wasp that is a natural enemy of a wood-boring beetle that kills black locust trees has been rediscovered, more than 100 years after the last wasp of this species was found.

Children who often go hungry have a greater risk of developing impulse control problems and engaging in violence, according to new UT Dallas research.

The study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, found that people who experienced frequent hunger as kids were more than twice as likely to exhibit impulsivity and injure others intentionally as adolescents and adults.

TAMPA, Fla. (June 20, 2016) - Tumors are composed of many subpopulations of cells. A general consensus among scientists is that these subpopulations are due to random mutations. However, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers found that these assumptions may be incorrect. In a new article published in the journal Cancer Research, they report that certain subpopulations can be predicted and do not develop randomly as previously thought.

COLUMBUS, Ohio--Scientists are getting closer to directly observing how and why water is essential to life as we know it.

A study in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provides the strongest evidence yet that proteins--the large and complex molecules that fold into particular shapes to enable biological reactions--can't fold themselves.

In a collaborative study by the University of Oklahoma, University of Chicago, University of California, Merced, and Uppsala University, researchers conduct the first ancient DNA investigation of the Himalayan arc, generating genomic data for eight individuals ranging in time from the earliest known human settlements to the establishment of the Tibetan Empire. The findings demonstrate that the genetic make-up of high-altitude Himalayan populations has remained remarkably stable despite cultural transitions and exposure to outside populations through trade.

NEW YORK (June 20, 2016)--Countries that contain most of the world's species biodiversity are also spending the least on a per-person basis to protect these natural assets, according to scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the University of Queensland. The authors also noted that spending appears to be associated with the country's social and governance organization.

To see right through something is to know its true intent--the same could be said to apply to biological tissues, especially tumors.

Bioluminescence imaging with a firefly enzyme, called luciferase, and its substrate D-luciferin, is widely used to monitor biological processes. However, the emission wavelength of bioluminescence produced by D-luciferin limits the sensitivity of this technique. At 562 nm, this light does not effectively penetrate biological tissues.

WACO, Texas (June 20, 2016) - A new study from Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business helps leaders better understand how to manage innovators, specifically scientists and engineers.

"Our study suggests that leaders who understand how to manage their employees' commitment to both their organizations and professions may be the most successful at motivating and retaining innovators," said the study's lead author, Sara Perry, Ph.D., assistant professor of management in Baylor's Hankamer School of Business. "Innovators represent a highly valued workforce."

The same 20-sided solid that was morphed into geodesic domes in the past century may be the shape of things to come in synthetic biology.

For University of Washington Institute of Protein Design scientists working to invent molecular tools, vehicles, and devices for medicine and other fields, the icosahedron's geometry is inspiring. Its bird cage-like symmetry and spacious interior suggest cargo-containing possibilities.

Over 90 per cent of mammal species were wiped out by the same asteroid that killed the dinosaurs in the Cretaceous period 66 million years ago, significantly more than previously thought.