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A group of James Cook University scientists led by Emeritus Professor Ross Alford has designed and built an inexpensive incubator that could boost research into how animals and plants will be affected by climate change.

JCU's Sasha Greenspan said the team designed and built small, inexpensive, low-energy-consumption chambers that allow small organisms to grow under very precisely controlled temperature regimes.

"These are an important advance because they make well replicated, realistic experiments possible," said Ms Greenspan.

LOS ANGELES (Sept. 7, 2016) -- Scientists at Cedars-Sinai have developed a new way to identify which prostate cancer patients are likely to develop aggressive types of the disease even if their tumors at first appear to be lower risk. The new findings could help physicians prescribe the most effective treatments for each patient based on how genes are activated in the individual tumor.

The mutualistic relationship between tree roots and ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi has been shaping forest ecosystems since their inception. ECM fungi are key players supporting the growth, health and stress tolerance of forest trees globally, such as oak, pine, spruce, birch and beech, and help boost the productivity of bioenergy feedstock trees, including poplar and willow. The most common ECM fungus is Cenococcum geophilum, found in subtropical through arctic zones and especially in extreme environments.

The rise of freight airships could go down like a lead balloon with traditional aircraft companies but could also represent a new high for Asian companies seeking to exploit new ways to reach world markets, according to research published in the International Journal of Aviation Management.

Researchers at the University of Tampere discovered a mechanism causing aberrancies in coeliac disease and colorectal cancer.

Researchers at the University of Tampere discovered a regulation mechanism governing the intestinal homeostasis. Disturbances in this mechanism are implicated in coeliac disease and possibly also in colorectal cancer. The study provides new information on the pathogenesis of the differentiation defect of the epithelium in the small intestine in coeliac disease.

Nagoya, Japan - Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a simple and ubiquitous method in molecular biology for amplifying DNA segments into millions of copies. This is important not only for basic research, but also in diagnostics, forensics, and medical applications. Quantitative real-time PCR is a modified version that incorporates fluorescence labeling to cumulatively measure DNA amplification, rather than monitoring it at the end of the process, as in conventional PCR. Real-time PCR therefore enables sensitive quantification of the amount of the initial DNA template.

A study published in the September 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) found an association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and an increased risk for Tourette syndrome and other chronic tic disorders. The link seems especially strong for complex presentations of Tourette syndrome in which two or more psychiatric disorders are present.

A new study indicates that early infant circumcision, which helps to prevent HIV transmission later in life, can be safely performed in rural Uganda.

Scientists from the University of Southampton have reengineered the fundamental process of photosynthesis to power useful chemical reactions that could be used to produce biofuels, pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals.

Photosynthesis is the pivotal biological reaction on the planet, providing the food we eat, the oxygen we breathe and removing CO2 from the atmosphere.

Research has shown that surgery can provide important benefits for patients with epilepsy. Now a new study finds that it is also cost-effective.

In a study of 207 patients with epilepsy who were treated at 15 different centers in France, the proportion of patients who were completely seizure-free during the last 12 months was 69 percent among patients who underwent surgery and 12 percent among patients who received continued medical care during the second year, and it was respectively 77 percent and 21 percent during the fifth year.

Research conducted by Griffith University and Melbourne-based company Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: PAR) has uncovered a potential new therapeutic treatment for the global battle against mosquito-borne alphavirus infections, including the debilitating Ross River Virus (RRV) and Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV).

Currently RRV and CHIKV sufferers are only offered symptomatic management in the form of either non-steroidal anti-inflammatories or corticosteroids, which in some cases may actually exacerbate the condition.

Eribulin (trade name: Halaven) has been approved since May 2016 for the treatment of adults with advanced liposarcoma. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) examined in a dossier assessment whether the drug offers an added benefit over the appropriate comparator therapy in these patients.

Nagoya, Japan - Many bacterial species use spiral propellers (flagella) attached to motors to move through a liquid environment. An interaction between the rotor and stator components of the motor generates the rotational force required for movement. The stator converts electrochemical energy into mechanical force after undergoing a structural change caused by a movement of charged particles (ions) through an internal channel. Previous studies investigated the stator and its interaction with the rotor by constructing mutant proteins and analyzing their functions.

A new study looks at what happens when a company's employees view its efforts related to corporate social responsibility as substantive (perceived to be other-serving and genuinely aimed at supporting the common good) or symbolic (perceived as self-serving and performed primarily for reputation and to enhance profits).

The number of tubules in tumors may predict which women with estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer will benefit from hormone therapy alone and which require chemotherapy, researchers at Case Western Reserve University have found.

Tubules represent the tumor's vasculature, providing tumors with oxygen and nutrition. The more of them there are, the more likely a patient will need chemotherapy.