Uncategorized
-
Tree pollen exploits surrogate mothers
An Algerian cypress releases pollen that can develop without fertilization, using another tree species' female organs instead of a mate's.
-
18956
Both smokers and nonsmokers should appreciate results of studies of the effect of organic selenium on angiogenesis. A report last year by Cheng Jiang et al. in Molecular Carcinogenesis (vol. 29, issue 4) reports sustained suppression of angiogenesis in breast and prostate cancer cells. However, inorganic selenium supplements induce less favorable effects. Millard M. Mershon […]
- Health & Medicine
Nicotine spurs vessel growth, maybe cancer
Test-tube and mouse experiments show that nicotine induces angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels.
- Astronomy
Andromeda feasts on its satellite galaxies
A new study reveals that the Andromeda galaxy, the nearest large galaxy to the Milky Way, is a cannibal, devouring its tiny galactic neighbors.
- Earth
Is Nessie merely a bad case of the shakes?
An Italian scientist makes the controversial suggestion that the original source of the legend of the Loch Ness Monster, as well as blame for many of the modern encounters with the supposed beast, may be seismic activity beneath the lake.
- Health & Medicine
Have a heart: Turn on just a single gene
One gene appears to act as the master switch in embryonic heart formation.
- Earth
Landfills Make Mercury More Toxic
Landfill disposal of mercury-containing products can chemically transform the pollutant not only to make it more potent but also to foster its release into air.
-
18955
I am writing to correct a significant inaccuracy in your recent article “Landfills make mercury more toxic.” As a member of the National Research Council’s committee that produced the report you cite, I feel obligated to correct your statement, attributed to that report: “Some 60,000 U.S. children are born with developmental impairments triggered by fetal […]
-
Textbooks brace for nuclear challenge
New data threaten to shake up 30 years of scientific dogma regarding how a cell carries out one of its most basic tasks: the translation of the genetic code into proteins.
-
Killer yeast win epic battle of toxins
Researchers have discovered the molecular mechanism that keeps a yeast cell programed by a virus to spew a toxin that kills neighboring yeast cells from killing itself.
- Earth
A foamy threat to ozone
Shredding the foam insulation in discarded refrigerators can release significant quantities of chlorofluorocarbons, which pose a threat to Earth's protective ozone layer.
- Earth
Blood points to pollution’s heart risks
As airborne concentrations of fine dust particles climb, so do three blood factors that increase an individual's heart attack risk.
