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Warming ocean may bring major changes for US northeast fishery species

NOAA scientists have released the first multispecies assessment of just how vulnerable U.S. marine fish and invertebrate species are to the effects of climate change. The study examined 82 species that occur off the Northeastern U.S., where ocean warming is occurring rapidly. Researchers found that most species evaluated will be affected, and that some are likely to be more resilient to changing ocean conditions than others. The study appears in PLOS ONE, an online scholarly science journal.

Model helps decide drug dose for clinical testing

A mathematical model may offer a valuable tool for selecting the proper dose of antiviral drugs for further testing in clinical trials. Researchers showed that the model can accurately predict the results of a clinical study of a herpes drug and pinpoint the most effective dose for treatment. Such a tool could help improve patient outcome and reduce the high costs, time, and failure rate associated with drug development, the researchers say.

Significant changes in rhino bone health over 50 million years

While rhino species evolved and increased in size over 50 million years, their bones may have strained to support their massive and active bodies, according to a study published February 3, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Kelsey Stilson from the University of Chicago and colleagues from the University of Oregon.

Mayo Clinic researchers extend lifespan by as much as 35 percent in mice

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Researchers at Mayo Clinic have shown that senescent cells - cells that no longer divide and accumulate with age - negatively impact health and shorten lifespan by as much as 35 percent in normal mice. The results, which appear today in Nature, demonstrate that clearance of senescent cells delays tumor formation, preserves tissue and organ function, and extends lifespan without observed adverse effects.

MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Video and audio are available for download on the Mayo Clinic News Network.

Real time outbreak surveillance using genomics now possible in resource-limited conditions

New research published in Nature has shown how genome sequencing can be rapidly established to monitor outbreaks.

Scripps-led team discovers 4 new deep-sea worm species

A pink flatworm-like animal known by a single species found in waters off Sweden has puzzled biologists for nearly six decades. New discoveries half a world away by a team of scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, the Western Australian Museum, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have helped properly identify these elusive creatures through genetic analysis.

New insights into the function of the main class of drug targets

About thirty percent of all medical drugs such as beta-blockers or antidepressants interact with certain types of cell surface proteins called G protein coupled receptors. In collaboration with researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute, the group of Prof. Stephan Grzesiek at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel has now elucidated in detail how the structure of such a receptor changes when drugs bind and how the structural change transmits a signal to the cellular interior. These results have recently been published in "Nature".

On the origin of Eukaryotes -- when cells got complex

Just as physicists comprehend the origin of the universe by observing the stars and archeologists reconstruct ancient civilizations with the artifacts found today, evolutionary biologists study the diversity of modern-day species to understand the origin of life and evolution.

In a study published in the prestigious magazine Nature, Centre for Genomic Regulation researchers Toni Gabaldón and Alexandros Pitis are shedding light on one of the most crucial milestones in the evolution of life: cells' acquisition of mitochondria.

Nutrient deprivation kills kidney cancer cells

DURHAM, N.C. - All cells need nutrients, but cancer cells are notoriously power hungry. As a result, cancer cells must alter their metabolism to provide the additional fuel needed for them to survive, grow and spread.

For decades, scientists have been trying to exploit this greedy metabolism as a target for new anti-cancer therapies.

CNIO scientists find new tumor markers for the prognosis of head and neck cancer

Head and neck cancers include a heterogeneous group of tumours located in the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx. Despite therapeutic progress, the survival rate of patients with this pathology has hardly improved in the last decade. Many researchers are focusing on understanding the molecular biology of these tumours to improve their prognosis and treatment.

Indiana University paleobotanist plays role in discovery of 'Jurassic butterflies'

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.--IU paleobotanist David Dilcher is a co-author on a study out today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society: B that identifies a Jurassic age insect whose behavior and appearance closely mimic a butterfly - but whose emergence on Earth predates the butterfly by about 40 million years.

Parental depression negatively affects children's school performance

A new study has found that when parents are diagnosed with depression, it can have a significant negative impact on their children's performance at school.

Researchers at Drexel University led a team including faculty from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, and the University of Bristol in England in a cohort study of more than a million children born from 1984 until 1994 in Sweden. Using computerized data registers, the scientists linked parents' depression diagnoses with their children's final grades at age 16, when compulsory schooling ends in Sweden.

Structure of brain plaques in Huntington's disease described by Pitt team

PITTSBURGH, Feb. 3, 2016 - Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have shown that the core of the protein clumps found in the brains of people with Huntington's disease have a distinctive structure, a finding that could shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the neurodegenerative disorder. The findings were published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Intense work helped Michelangelo maintain use of hands despite osteoarthritis

Prolonged hammering and chiselling accelerated degenerative arthritis in the hands of Michelangelo Buonarroti, sculptor, painter and one of the greatest artists of all time. But the intense work probably helped him keep the use of his hands right up until he died.

What's the impact of new marijuana laws? The data so far...

February 3, 2016 - How has new legislation affected marijuana use in the United States? The best available data suggest that marijuana use is increasing in adults but not teens, with a decrease in marijuana-related arrests but an increase in treatment admissions, according to an update in the January/February Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM).