Rats say: Manhattan rules!

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If you leave it up to the rats, New York City beats New Orleans any day.

This surprising finding comes from new research by Tel Aviv University zoologists and geographers, who are working together to invent a novel way to test urban designers' city plans. Instead of using humans as guinea pigs, the scientists went to their nearby zoo and enlisted lab rats to determine the functionality of theoretical and existing plans.

Of Mice and Peanuts: A new mouse model for peanut allergy

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Discovery provides hope for transplant recipients and AIDS patients

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Montreal, January 12, 2009 – A researcher from the Université de Montréal and the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital has discovered the mechanism that prevents the regeneration of CD4+ T lymphocytes, which are white cells that are required for the proper functioning of the immune system.

Published today in the prestigious journal Nature Immunology, this study by Dr. Martin Guimond is likely to have a major impact on patients who undergo intensive chemotherapy, receive bone marrow transplants or become infected with HIV.

Decrease-Radix Design principle for multi-valued logic units and its application

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The DRD theory, proposed by Prof. Yi Jin, Dr. Jun-Yong Yan and Dr.Kai-zhong Zuo, presents a theoretical and technological guide for the design of multi-valued computers.

The study of the DRD is reported in Issue 10 (October, 2008) of the Science in China Series F-Information Sciences.

A new mechanism regulates type I interferon production in white blood cells

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A study from a team of researchers led by Dr. Andrew P. Makrigiannis, Director of the Molecular Immunology Research Unit at the IRCM, has identified a new mechanism regulating interferon production. This discovery, co-authored by scientists from the International Medical Center of Japan (Tokyo), the National Cancer Institute at Frederick (Maryland) and the McGill Centre for the Study of Host Resistance, was published on December 22, 2008 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

Iowa State University researchers discover structure of key Ebola protein

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AMES, Iowa -- Research led by Iowa State University scientists has them a step closer to finding a way to counter the Ebola virus.

A team led by Gaya Amarasinghe, an assistant professor in biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology, has recently solved the structure from a key part of the Ebola protein known as VP35.

VP35 interferes with the natural resistance of host cells against viral infections.

Scripps research scientists find cause of cartilage degeneration in osteoarthritis

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The scientists describe their work in this week's Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In the study, the team shows how the loss of the protein HMGB2, found in the surface layer of joint cartilage, leads to the progressive deterioration of the cartilage that is the hallmark of osteoarthritis.

Science learning at museums, zoos, other informal settings

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Each year tens of millions of Americans, young and old, choose to learn about science outside of the classroom in informal settings such as museums, aquariums, zoos, and after-school programs, as well as through educational media.

Scientist names top 5 invasive plants threatening Southern forests in 2009

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Auburn, AL – U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS) Ecologist Jim Miller, Ph.D., one of the foremost authorities on nonnative plants in the South, today identified the invasive plant species he believes pose the biggest threats to southern forest ecosystems in 2009.

Study of disease risk suggests ways to avoid slaughter of Yellowstone bison

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SANTA CRUZ, CA--Last winter, government agencies killed one third of Yellowstone National Park's bison herd due to concerns about the possible spread of a livestock disease to cattle that graze in areas around the park. Such drastic measures may be unnecessary, however, according to researchers who have assessed the risk of disease transmission from Yellowstone bison to cattle.