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Plant biologists agree that it all began with green algae. At some point in our planet's history, the common ancestor of trees, ferns, and flowers developed an alternating life cycle--presumably allowing their offspring to float inland and conquer Earth. But on December 16 in Trends in Plant Science, Danish scientists argue that some green algae had been hanging out on land hundreds of millions of years before this adaptation and that land plants actually evolved from terrestrial, not aquatic, algae.

Long cast as a simple link between DNA and protein, messenger RNA has never offered much intrigue. But new research at The Rockefeller University suggests the molecule is up to something unexpected.

By uncovering widespread disparities in the expression of components of mRNA molecules--something assumed not to occur--the scientists say they have found intriguing expression patterns that suggest unexpected functions for certain regions within mRNA molecules.

Quebec's legislation on medical aid in dying has many aspects in common with laws passed in Belgium and the Netherlands in 2002 to regulate euthanasia, but it is more restrictive in nature because it only concerns people at end-of-life.

This was observed by Jocelyne St-Arnaud, a professor of ethics in health at the University of Montréal's Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, during a seminar she gave on December 2 as part of the Séminaires de l'IRSPUM series.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly infectious disease and a major global health problem, especially in countries with developing health care systems. Because there is no fast, easy way to detect TB, the deadly infection can spread quickly through communities. Now, a team reports in ACS Sensors the development of a rapid, sensitive and low-cost method for detecting the disease in resource-limited areas.

In a significant step toward growing replacement kidneys, researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified the cells that give rise to the blood vessels within the kidney. It's a discovery of critical importance, as efforts to grow kidneys have long been frustrated by the inability to create the vasculature necessary for a functional organ.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) migrants who obtained refuge or asylum in the U.S. or Canada on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity report extensive recollections of abuse by parents and caregivers, peers and school personnel, according to a new Rutgers study.

This is first empirical study to explore early abuse experiences of migrants who fled persecution on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

CLEVELAND--Man-made changes to the environment may be damaging the immune systems of a species of frog whose populations have drastically declined since the 1970s, according to a new study by researchers at Case Western Reserve University and the Holden Arboretum.

Using antibiotics alone to treat children with uncomplicated acute appendicitis is a reasonable alternative to surgery when chosen by the family. A study led by researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital found that three out of four children with uncomplicated appendicitis have been successfully treated with antibiotics alone at one year follow-up. Compared to urgent appendectomy, non-operative management was associated with less recovery time, lower health costs and no difference in the rate of complications at one year.

When chosen by the family, nonoperative management with antibiotics alone was an effective treatment strategy for children with uncomplicated appendicitis, incurring less illness and lower costs than surgery, according to a study published online by JAMA Surgery.

As winter approaches, stores, cities and homeowners are stocking up on salt, gravel and sand in anticipation of slippery roads. But this annual ritual in colder climates could soon become unnecessary. Researchers report in ACS' journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research a new road material that could de-ice itself.

Plants are unable to maintain a high level of resistance to infection 24/7Fungal infection appears more likely to occur at dawnPlants use their molecular clock to raise resistance levels before dawn in anticipation of infectionMolecular clock and immune system found to be connected by a single protein

Plants are able to predict when infections are more likely to occur and regulate their immune response accordingly, new research has found.

TORONTO, Dec. 16, 2015 - Couples who immigrate to Canada are generally at lower risk of having a preterm birth than Canadian-born couples, new research has found.

The findings reflect the 'healthy immigrant effect,' which suggests that people who emigrate tend to have better health outcomes than both Canadian-born couples and those who remain in their country of origin, according to the study published online today in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada.

The research challenges a popular idea that sexual cannibalism occurs because the female is unable to alter or 'tone down' her aggressive mindset after foraging and hunting for prey.

But researchers, including University of Melbourne scientist Mark Elgar, suggest the raft spider, Dolomedes fimbriatus, should be given a bit more credit.

"Females are sexually cannibalistic because they are testing the males, rather than just being inherently aggressive," Dr Elgar said.

Proteins are like bricks that form our cells and they are built by the orders given by our genetic material, DNA. In human diseases, eventually DNA alterations modify proteins and they don't do their normal function, either by excess or defect. But recently we have started to find alterations of proteins without an obvious damage of the gene that produces them.

A study led by researchers from the Nephrology group at Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and the University Hospital of Bellvitge (HUB), compared the results of surgery with drug therapy in patients with tertiary hyperparathyroidism, ie after a kidney transplant. The results of the research have been published in the journal of greatest impact in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.