My picks from ScienceDaily

Genes Hold Secret Of Survival Of Antarctic 'Antifreeze Fish':

A genetic study of a fish that lives in the icy waters off Antarctica sheds light on the adaptations that enable it to survive in one of the harshest environments on the planet. The study is the first to search the genome of an Antarctic notothenioid fish for clues to its astounding hardiness.

Physical Decline Caused By Slow Decay Of Brain's Myelin:

During this year's baseball playoffs, Chicago White Sox outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., 38, threw a picture-perfect strike from center field to home plate to stop an opposing player from scoring. The White Sox ultimately won the game by a single run and clinched the division title. Had Griffey been 40, it could be argued, he might not have made the throw in time. That's because in middle age, we begin to lose myelin -- the fatty sheath of "insulation" that coats our nerve axons and allows for fast signaling bursts in our brains.

Emotion And Scent Create Lasting Memories -- Even In A Sleeping Brain:

When French memoirist Marcel Proust dipped a pastry into his tea, the distinctive scent it produced suddenly opened the flood gates of his memory. In a series of experiments with sleeping mice, researchers at the Duke University Medical Center have shown that the part of the brain that processes scents is indeed a key part of forming long-term memories, especially involving other individuals.

Stem Cell Breakthrough: Mass-Production Of 'Embryonic' Stem Cells From A Human Hair:

The first reports of the successful reprogramming of adult human cells back into so-called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which by all appearances looked and acted like embryonic stem cells, created a media stir. But the process was woefully inefficient: Only one out of 10,000 cells could be persuaded to turn back the clock.

Warming In Yosemite National Park Sends Small Mammals Packing To Higher, Cooler Elevations:

Global warming is causing major shifts in the range of small mammals in Yosemite National Park, one of the nation's treasures that was set aside as a public trust 144 years ago, according to a new study by University of California, Berkeley, biologists.

Smell Of Smoke Does Not Trigger Relapse In Quitters, New Research Shows:

Research into tobacco dependence published in the November issue of Addiction, has shown that recent ex-smokers who find exposure to other people's cigarette smoke pleasant are not any more likely to relapse than those who find it unpleasant.

Migratory Moths May Hitch Their Rides, But They're Anything But Drifters:

Night-traveling migratory moths may hitch a ride on the wind, but a new study in the October 14th issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, confirms that they are anything but drifters.

Turf Wars: Sand And Corals Don't Mix:

When reef fish get a mouthful of sand, coral reefs can drown. That's the latest startling evidence to emerge from research into the likely fate of reefs under climate change and rising sea levels, at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS).

Importance Of Sex-specific Testing Shown In Anxiety Study:

An Australian study has flagged an important truth for the medical research community. Like their human counterparts, male and female mice are not only different, their respective genetic responses can often be the reverse of what you'd expect from pharmacological results. This has important ramifications for laboratory and clinical testing.

Categories

More like this