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Beer-Sheva, Israel...March 22, 2016 - Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Leipzig, Germany are unraveling the mystery behind what causes "fairy circles." Recently discovered in the uninhabited Australian outback, fairy circles were thought to exist only in Africa.

Tardigrades, also known as moss piglets or water bears, are eight-legged microscopic animals that have long fascinated scientists for their ability to survive extremes of temperature, pressure, lack of oxygen, and even radiation exposure.

Now, a study has found that, contrary to a previous controversial proposal, tardigrades have not acquired a significant proportion of their DNA from other organisms.

Instead, new analysis from the University of Edinburgh shows that nearly all of what was proposed to be foreign DNA was simply bacterial contamination.

Working with human breast cancer cells and mice, scientists at The Johns Hopkins University say new experiments explain how certain cancer stem cells thrive in low oxygen conditions. Proliferation of such cells, which tend to resist chemotherapy and help tumors spread, are considered a major roadblock to successful cancer treatment.

The new research, suggesting that low-oxygen conditions spur growth through the same chain of biochemical events in both embryonic stem cells and breast cancer stem cells, could offer a path through that roadblock, the investigators say.

DNA forms chromosome by combining with various proteins and other matters. Telemere, the chromosome ends, is playing an inevitable role in maintaining the life including germ cells or cell senescence. Besides, the function of subtelomere, the telomere-adjacent region, has not yet been clarified although abnormal telomere structure such as multiple malformation and mental retardation exists.

MIAMI--An international research team calls for a targeted research strategy to better understand the impact multiple stressors will have on coral reef in the future due to global climate change. The scientists published their new approach to coral reef research in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.

The researchers conducted a literature review to evaluate recent research on the ecological health impacts of corals when exposed to more than one stressor, such as increased ocean temperature and increased ocean acidification.

Placement of a single covered, self-expanding metallic stent (cSEMS) via endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) resolved benign obstructions of the pancreatic and biliary ducts as well as placement of multiple plastic stents, the current standard of care, and required fewer ERCP sessions, according to the results of a randomized controlled trial reported in the March 22, 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Prof. You-Me Kim and her student Dajung Jung at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), in collaboration with Prof. Wonhwa Cho's group at the University of Illinois at Chicago, have identified that the majority of human Src homology 2 (SH2) domains not only bind to proteins, but also interact with membrane lipids with high affinity and specificity. Their research was published in the online edition of Molecular Cell on March 24th.

The closely related Hendra and Nipah viruses (referred to jointly as henipaviruses) are deadly cousins of the more common mumps, measles, and respiratory syncytial viruses, all members of the paramyxovirus family. Henipavirus outbreaks are on the rise, but little is known about them, partly because research has to be conducted under extreme level containment conditions.

Beer-Sheva, Israel...March 22, 2016 - Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Leipzig, Germany are unraveling the mystery behind what causes "fairy circles." Recently discovered in the uninhabited Australian outback, fairy circles were thought to exist only in Africa.

ATLANTA - March 28, 2016-Combustible tobacco cigarettes cost less to purchase than equivalent amounts of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in 44 of 45 countries sampled around the world, according to a new American Cancer Society study. The study, appearing in Tobacco Control, concludes the gap exists despite the fact that e-cigarettes are not yet widely subjected to comparable excise taxes as combustible cigarettes.

In what would be considered good news for many parents a new study from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston finds the rates of ear infections during a baby's first year have declined; the investigators suggested that higher rates of breastfeeding, use of vaccinations and lower rates of smoking may be the major contributors. The study was recently published in Pediatrics.

Vanishing Arctic sea ice. Dogged weather systems over Greenland. Far-flung surface ice melting on the massive island.

These dramatic trends and global sea-level rise are linked, according to a study coauthored by Jennifer Francis, a research professor in Rutgers University's Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences.

Engagement with relevant political authorities and other stakeholders is of crucial importance for a research project, making sure its objectives are in tune with the real-world problems and its results provide adapted solutions. The EU-funded FP7 project Building the European Biodiversity Observation Network (EU BON) shares the outcomes, lessons learned and conclusions from a series of three roundtable meetings designed to identify stakeholder needs and promote collaboration between science and policy.

Bees can use sophisticated signals to warn their nestmates about the level of danger from predators attacking foragers or the nest, according to a new study.

Biologists at UC San Diego and in China found that an Asian species of honey bee can produce different types of vibrational "stop signals" when attacked by giant Asian hornets.

These signals have different effects depending upon type of danger and the context. A bee delivers a stop signal by giving another bee a brief, vibrational pulse, usually through a head-butt.

HOUSTON - (March 25, 2016) - Infections with bacterium Clostridium difficile have rapidly become a significant medical problem in hospitals and long-term care facilities. The bacteria cause diarrhea and life-threatening inflammation of the colon by producing toxins that kill the endothelial cells that form the lining of the gut. Although a natural inhibitor of these toxins, called InsP6, works in the test tube, it is not very efficient when administered orally.