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Coho salmon may be four times less aggressive in tanks with darker backgrounds than in tanks with light backgrounds, according to a study published March 30, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Leigh Gaffney from the University of British Columbia, Canada, and colleagues.

The Indian Purple frog skeleton undergoes dramatic transformation as tadpoles clinging to underwater rocks become adults digging their way underground, according to a study published March 30, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Gayani Senevirathne from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and colleagues.

Two research teams have uncovered mutations in a well-known cancer gene that may drive the most common form of blood vessel abnormality, venous malformations, in some patients. The findings pave the way for repurposing cancer therapies being developed to target the gene, known as PIK3CA, for treatment of this vascular disease. Individuals with venous malformations are born with abnormally large and distorted blood vessels that grow over time. These painful and disfiguring lesions can cause bleeding and obstruct organs, such as intestines, muscles, or joints.

A new tadpole that burrows through sand has been unearthed from the streambeds in the Western Ghats of India, according to a study published March 30, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Gayani Senevirathne from the University of Peradeniya and colleagues.

A mysterious inflammatory disease has been afflicting a Flemish family for three generations, causing severe skin lesions, fevers, pain and exhaustion. This disease, which previously had no known cause or cure, has now been identified as Pyrin Associated Autoinflammation with Neutrophilic Dermatosis (PAAND), and has also been found in families in England and France.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (http://www.ucr.edu) -- Scientists, including a University of California, Riverside professor, studied more than 15,000 sites in the United States and found that increased nitrogen deposits from human activities are causing a decrease in the diversity of plant species.

Vast and amorphous, the ocean covers more than 70 percent of the Earth's surface. It is a key player in the global carbon cycle, producing about half of the world's output of organic carbon.

Unlike terrestrial ecosystems, which can store carbon for decades, most of the organic carbon produced in the ocean is converted into CO2 within a few days. New work by UC Santa Barbara researchers aims to facilitate a new understanding of ocean carbon transport processes, which affect climates around the world.

DALLAS - March 30, 2016 - UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have determined the atomic structure of an enzyme that plays an essential role in cell division, the fundamental process that occurs countless times daily in many life forms on Earth.

Understanding the structure of this enzyme, separase, could lead to better treatments for cancer, which occurs when cells divide out of control, said Dr. Hongtao Yu, Professor of Pharmacology and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator at UT Southwestern.

An ancient species of pint-sized humans discovered in the tropics of Indonesia may have met their demise earlier than once believed, according to an international team of scientists who reinvestigated the original finding.

Published in the journal Nature this week, the group challenges reports that these inhabitants of remote Flores island co-existed with modern humans for tens of thousands of years.

They found that the youngest age for Homo floresiensis, dubbed the 'Hobbit', is around 50,000 years ago not between 13,000 and 11,000 years as initially claimed.

TORONTO, March 30, 2016--Eating one serving a day of beans, peas, chickpeas or lentils could contribute to modest weight loss, a new study suggests.

Eating about 3/4 cup (130 grams) each day of these foods known as pulses led to a weight loss of 0.34 kilograms (just over half a pound), in a systematic review and meta-analysis of all available clinical trials on the effects of eating pulses.

March 30, 2016 -- New Jersey parents say that inadequate information and outreach, a lack of employer support, and a confusing application process discourage their participation in the state's landmark paid family leave program, according to new research from the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. In the absence of federal policy, New Jersey introduced a paid leave insurance program in 2009 and is one of only three states to offer such a worker benefit.

For each additional month of paid maternity leave offered in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), infant mortality is reduced by 13%, according to a new study by researchers from McGill University and UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.

The finding, published in the journal PLoS Medicine, marks the first time that research has examined the impact of paid maternity leave on infant mortality in LMICs. Previous work has shown that paid time off is consistently associated with lower mortality of babies under one year old in high-income countries.

Use of intracoronary gene transfer among heart failure patients resulted in increased left ventricular function beyond standard heart failure therapy, according to a study published online by JAMA Cardiology.

Cannabis dependence is a serious problem worldwide and it is of growing importance in the United States as marijuana becomes increasingly legal.

A new study published online by JAMA Psychiatry examined what specific genetic variants might contribute to cannabis dependence.

Joel Gelernter, M.D., of the Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn., and coauthors conducted a genome-wide association study for DSM-IV cannabis dependence criterion in three independent substance dependence study groups among African American and European American participants.

Japan -- Gluten-free noodles and other buckwheat-based foods might get tastier, prettier, and non-allergenic with hints from new genomics research. Yasuo Yasui of Kyoto University and colleagues have sequenced the full buckwheat genome for the first time, identifying genes which could be modified for improved cultivation capabilities and taste appeal.