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DURHAM, N.C. – While scientists have spent the past 40 years describing the intricate series of events that occur when one mammalian cell divides into two, they still haven't agreed on how the process begins.

There are two seemingly contradictory theories, which now may be reconciled by a third theory being proposed by Duke University bioengineer Lingchong You. These findings could provide insights into the initiation of disease, such as cancer, which is marked by uncontrolled cell proliferation.

AMES, Iowa – A research team led by Edward Yu of Iowa State University and the Ames Laboratory has discovered the crystal structures of pumps that remove heavy metal toxins from bacteria, making them resistant to antibiotics.

The findings are published in the Sept. 23 issue of the journal Nature.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – While birds living in urban areas face more predators than do those in rural areas, that doesn't mean urban birds face more danger from nest robbers.

A six-year study conducted in 19 central Ohio forests from 2004 to 2009 found that, as expected, rural areas that had higher numbers of nest predators such as raccoons, domestic cats, and crows, also showed lower rates of nest survival.

But there was no relation between the number of predators and nest survival in more urbanized areas.

WASHINGTON, DC (September 22, 2010) -- One-year data from the PARTNER clinical trial, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, demonstrate that transcatheter aortic-valve implantation, compared with standard therapy, resulted in significantly lower rates of death among patients who cannot undergo surgery for aortic stenosis. The results will be presented tomorrow as a Late Breaking Trial at the 22nd annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium.

MANHATTAN, KAN. -- With the concept of a store-within-a-store growing across the country, a Kansas State University researcher's work shows the increasing importance of brand reputation and its strong role in governing decisions.

Richard McFarland, associate professor of marketing, and four colleagues recently completed "Understanding Governance Decisions in a Partially Integrated Channel: A Contingent Alignment Framework." Their research will be published in the elite Journal of Marketing Research next year.

A team from the National Museum of Natural Sciences (CSIC) has analysed the impact of climate change on spotted hyena survival in Europe over 10,000 years ago. These changes played an important role, but the scientists say studies are still needed to look at the influence of human expansion and changes in herbivorous fauna on the definitive extinction of this species across the continent.

New research has found that a genetic variant which reduces the chance of contracting diseases such as tuberculosis and leprosy is more prevalent in populations with long histories of urban living.

The research, published in the journal Evolution, shows that in areas with a long history of urban settlements, today's inhabitants are more likely to possess the genetic variant which provides resistance to infection.

WASHINGTON, DC (September 22, 2010) -- One-year data from the PARTNER clinical trial, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, demonstrate that transcatheter aortic-valve implantation, compared with standard therapy, resulted in significantly lower rates of death among patients who cannot undergo surgery for aortic stenosis. The results will be presented tomorrow as a Late Breaking Trial at the 22nd annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium.

A new study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine looked at whether women were more likely to experience sexual problems after breast cancer. The results showed that 70% of women were facing sexual function problems approximately two years post diagnosis.

Mary Panjari, PhD, of the Women's Health Program at Monash University, reported on the sexual well-being nearly two years after diagnosis and initial treatment of participants in the BUPA Foundation Health and Wellbeing after Breast Cancer Study which involves approximately 1,700 breast cancer survivors.

Rockville, MD, USA and Tallinn, Estonia (September 23, 2010) – At an international gathering of TB vaccine researchers in Tallinn today, the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation announced it will initiate a clinical trial of an investigational live recombinant tuberculosis vaccine to be led by researchers at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. The announcement was made at the Second Global Forum on TB Vaccine Development.

Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council(BBSRC) have established in mice the mechanism that detects and responds to thepresence of bacteria in the womb - a discovery that opens up the possibility ofnew preventative treatments for diseases like pelvic inflammatory disease andChlamydia.

The work, led by Professor Martin Sheldon from Swansea University's School ofMedicine, is published today (22 September) in PLoS ONE.

An international study looking at DNA from over 26,000 people has identified several genetic variants that substantially increase susceptibility to asthma in the population. The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, will help scientists to focus their efforts to develop better therapies for the illness.

STANFORD, Calif. - Implantation of a new bioprosthetic-tissue valve into the hearts of patients who have severe aortic stenosis and are too sick or too old for open-heart surgery has been found to both save lives and improve the quality of those lives, according to a new multicenter study, to be published online at 2 p.m. Pacific time today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study will also be presented at 8 a.m. Pacific time at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics Conference in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 23.

Women who survive breast cancer often suffer from functional limitations that affect motion, strength and dexterity, which may adversely affect all-cause and competing-cause survival but not breast cancer survival, according to a study published online September 22 in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Breast cancer survivors who have functional limitations that affect motion, strength, and dexterity are at the same risk of dying from a recurrence of breast cancer as physically fit survivors, but are more likely to die from other causes.