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Beliefs about all-knowing, punishing gods -- a defining feature of religions ranging from Christianity to Hinduism -- may have played a key role in expanding co-operation among far-flung peoples and led to the development of modern-day states, according to a UBC-led study published in Nature.

AUSTIN, Texas - Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered that a type of cancer found primarily in children can grow only when signaled to do so by other nearby cells that are noncancerous. The finding, published in this week's edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, contributes to a growing body of research that implicates the environment around a cancer in its spread -- an area of study that holds promise for new alternatives to treat the disease.

MANHATTAN, KANSAS -- They live in caves and springs throughout Mexico and thrive in water so toxic that most forms of life die within minutes.

Meet the Atlantic molly - an extremophile fish that lives in toxic water full of hydrogen sulfide from natural oil deposits and volcanic activity environments. A 10-year collaborative project led by biologists from Kansas State University and Washington State University has discovered how the fish can survive.

The answer: It's all in the genes. The research appears in Molecular Biology and Evolution.

A new study led by Johns Hopkins researchers concludes that people with medically serious weight problems can rarely find or have access to proven, reliable programs to help them shed pounds.

End-stage liver disease or liver cirrhosis is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, and approximately half of these cases are related to alcohol consumption. There's no refuting that alcohol itself harms the liver, but new research in mice and humans published February 10 in Cell Host & Microbe reveals that chronic drinking also promotes the growth of gut bacteria that can travel to the liver and exacerbate liver disease.

Aging is associated with a wide range of tissue dysfunctions. Among these are metaplasias - conditions in which one kind of tissue is replaced by another type, causing misregulation of regional tissue functions. Metaplasias in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are common maladies that have been associated with cancers and other diseases. Research at the Buck Institute uses the fruit fly Drosophila to study the origin of metaplasias and to identify ways to reverse or delay them.

Following an acute heart attack, immune cells called neutrophils coordinate an inflammatory response which can exacerbate the damage to the organ. Now researchers from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich have shown that neutrophils also promote cardiac repair.

Damage to axons in the central nervous system (CNS) typically results in permanent functional deficits. Boosting intrinsic growth programs can dramatically augment the axon regeneration of injured neurons. If injured neurons can regenerate sufficient number of axons, the CNS may recover and overcome such functional deficits.

The unique value of national parks as scientific assets and natural laboratories is the core theme of National Park Service (NPS) presentations this month at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The NPS, which marks its centennial this year, will have a robust presence at the Feb. 11-16 meeting, including a topical lecture, a park-science symposium, poster presentations, and public exhibits and kids' programs at the popular (and free) Family Science Days weekend.

The 3 million prostate cancer survivors in the United States are likely to die from something other than cancer, thanks to early detection, effective treatment and the disease's slow progression.

What survivors need to be more concerned with is heart disease, the most common non-cancer cause of death for men with prostate cancer, according to a paper published this week in Circulation, authored by Vanderbilt physicians.

RALEIGH, NC -- Most species are negatively affected when humans transform natural habitats into urban areas and agricultural lands, but a few species actually benefit from these activities. These species -- called human commensals -- thrive in human-modified environments. One example, the Asian common toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus), is extremely abundant in villages, towns, cities and agricultural areas across much of Southeast Asia, where it feeds on insects that are attracted to artificial lights.

Lance E. Davidson, Ph.D., of Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, and colleagues examined whether gastric bypass surgery is equally effective in reducing mortality in groups undergoing surgery at different ages. The study was published online by JAMA Surgery.

Vlad V. Simianu, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of Washington, Seattle, and colleagues examined patterns of episodes of diverticulitis before surgery and factors associated with earlier interventions using inpatient, outpatient, and antibiotic prescription claims. The study was published online by JAMA Surgery.

Previous research has established a link between genetic mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes to an increased risk of developing ovarian, fallopian tube or peritoneal cancer in women. A recent publication documents the efforts of a team of researchers affiliated with the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) to determine if inherited genetic mutations other than BRCA1 and BRCA2 can also put a woman at risk of developing these diseases.

From dot-matrix to 3-D, printing technology has come a long way in 40 years. But all of these technologies have created hues by using dye inks, which can be taxing on the environment. Now a team reports in ACS Nano the development of a colorless, non-toxic ink for use in inkjet printers. Instead of relying on dyes, the team exploits the nanostructure of this ink to create color on a page with inkjet printing.