The stuff of life hitched ride to Earth on asteroid
Detailed analysis of the most pristine meteorite ever recovered shows that the composition of the organic compounds it carried changed during the early years of the solar system. Those changed organics were preserved through billions of years in outer space before the meteorite crashed to Earth.
Postpartum depression study shows gene behavior differs by environment
A recently released paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), “The Role of Mother’s Genes and Environment in Postpartum Depression,” explores the interplay between genes and environment when determining whether a mother is at high or low risk for postpartum depression.
End native versus alien wars: Expert
It is time to drop the alien versus native species dichotomy in conservation, according to a group of eminent scientists concerned with the restoration of ecosystems around the world.
Keeping score helps asthma sufferers breathe a sigh of relief
Seven per cent of adults and 14 per cent of Canadian children have a hard time breathing because of asthma. Brian Rowe, in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta, is working towards making life easier for both asthma patients and emergency physicians who treat them.
Adjustable valves gave ancient plants the edge
Controlling water loss is an important ability for modern land plants as it helps them thrive in changing environments. New research from the University of Bristol, published today in the journal Current Biology, shows that water conserving innovations occurred very early in plants’ evolutionary history.
Physicists hit on mathematical description of superfluid dynamics
It has been 100 years since the discovery of superconductivity, a state achieved when mercury was cooled, with the help of liquid helium, to nearly the coldest temperature achievable to form a superfluid that provides no resistance to electrons as they flow through it.
Pioneering research sheds light on controversial heart condition treatment
Research from the University of Sheffield has found that a common treatment for a life-threatening heart condition has little significant impact on patient outcomes. The paper is due for publication this week (Saturday 21 May) in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
New research provides breakthrough in understanding common cancer
Researchers from the University of Sheffield have discovered valuable insight into how people develop B-cell lymphoma, one of the most common cancers in the UK.
Carbon release to atmosphere 10 times faster than in the past
The rate of release of carbon into the atmosphere today is nearly 10 times as fast as during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), 55.9 million years ago, the best analog we have for current global warming, according to an international team of geologists.
Ocean gliders uncover underwater ‘rivers’ off Perth
Oceanographers at The University of Western Australia have discovered the first underwater ‘rivers’ to be identified in a sub-tropical region flowing along the ocean bed off Perth’s coastline.
