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Anemia may more than triple your risk of dying after a stroke

Severe, rapid memory loss may be linked to -- and could predict -- a future deadly stroke, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2012.

Surface of Mars an unlikely place for life after 600 million year drought, say scientists

Mars may have been arid for more than 600 million years, making it too hostile for any life to survive on the planet's surface, according to researchers who have been...

Discovery of extremely long-lived proteins may provide insight into cell aging

One of the big mysteries in biology is why cells age. Now scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies report that they have discovered a weakness in a component...

Global extinction: Gradual doom is just as bad as abrupt

A painstakingly detailed investigation shows that mass extinctions need not be sudden events. The deadliest mass extinction of all took a long time to kill 90 percent of Earth's marine...

Whole exome sequencing identifies cause of metabolic disease

Sequencing a patient's entire genome to discover the source of his or her disease is not routine -- yet. But geneticists are getting close.

Regular use of vitamin and mineral supplements could reduce the risk of colon cancer

Could the use of vitamin and mineral supplements in a regular diet help to reduce the risk of colon cancer and protect against carcinogens? A study published in the Canadian...

Scientists chart high-precision map of Milky Way's magnetic fields

Scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory are part of an international team that has pooled their radio observations into a database, producing the highest precision map to date of the...

New technology to tackle treatment-resistant cancers

Free-flowing cancer cells have been mapped with unprecedented accuracy in the bloodstream of patients with prostate, breast and pancreatic cancer, using a brand new approach, in an attempt to assess...

Castaway lizards provide insight into elusive evolutionary process

A University of Rhode Island biologist who released lizards on tiny uninhabited islands in the Bahamas has shed light on the interaction between evolutionary processes that are seldom observed.

Studying butterfly flight to help build bug-size flying robots

To improve the next generation of insect-size flying machines, Johns Hopkins engineers have been aiming high-speed video cameras at some of the prettiest bugs on the planet. By figuring out...

Breastfeeding and lung function at school age: Does maternal asthma modify the effect?

Breastfeeding is associated with improved lung function at school age, particularly in children of asthmatic mothers, according to a new study from researchers in Switzerland and the UK.

A battle of the vampires, 20 million years ago?

They are tiny, ugly, disease-carrying little blood-suckers that most people have never seen or heard of, but a new discovery in a one-of-a-kind fossil shows that "bat flies" have been doing their noxious business with bats for at least 20...

Gene related to fat preferences in humans found

A preference for fatty foods has a genetic basis, according to researchers, who discovered that people with certain forms of the CD36 gene may like high-fat foods more than those...

New procedure repairs severed nerves in minutes, restoring limb use in days or weeks

American scientists believe a new procedure to repair severed nerves could result in patients recovering in days or weeks, rather than months or years. The team used a cellular mechanism...

A new study shows how to boost the power of pain relief, without drugs

Placebos reduce pain by creating an expectation of relief. Distraction -- say, doing a puzzle -- relieves it by keeping the brain busy. But do they use the same brain...

Coughing and other respiratory symptoms improve within weeks of smoking cessation

If the proven long-term benefits of smoking cessation are not enough to motivate young adults to stop smoking, a new study shows that 18- to 24-year olds who stop smoking...

Schooling protects fleeing children from disease

Refugee children have scant access to medical care and are particularly vulnerable to disease. Fresh research results from the University of Copenhagen show that just a few hours of schooling...

Collective action

If you wanted to draw your family tree, you could start by searching for people who share your surname. Cells, of course, don't have surnames, but scientists at the European...

Google Earth ocean terrain receives major update

Internet information giant Google updated ocean data in its Google Earth application this week, reflecting new bathymetry data assembled by Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, NOAA researchers and...

Identical twins reveal mechanisms behind aging

In a recent study led by Uppsala University, researchers compared the DNA of identical (monozygotic) twins of different age. They have shown that structural modifications of the DNA, where large...

Heat and cold damage corals in their own ways, Scripps study shows

Around the world coral reefs are facing threats brought by climate change and dramatic shifts in sea temperatures. While ocean warming has been the primary focus for scientists and ocean...

A zap of cold plasma reduces harmful bacteria on raw chicken in Drexel study

A new study by food safety researchers at Drexel University demonstrates that plasma can be an effective method for killing pathogens on uncooked poultry. The proof-of-concept study was published in...