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USA-based studies show that tobacco and cannabis smoking are linked with four times as many young adult smokers using cannabis as non-smokers. However this age group is very varied, and hard to reach, so traditional means of monitoring substance use does not provide the full picture. New research from an online survey, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Addiction Science and Clinical Practice, shows that over half of smokers, aged 18-25, had also smoked cannabis in the past 30 days.

In a dog-eat-dog world of ruthless competition and 'survival of the fittest,' new research from the University of Leicester reveals that individuals are genetically programmed to work together and cooperate with those who most resemble themselves.

A tendency for similar individuals to cooperate selectively with one another, even if they are not close relatives, can evolve spontaneously in simple organisms. This may help to explain why cooperation is so widespread in nature, the study suggests.

Men are significantly more likely than women to need urgent hospital care, including readmission, within a month of being discharged, finds research in the online only journal BMJ Open.

The authors base their findings on 367 men and 370 women, all of whom had been admitted to the Boston Medical Center. Their further requirement for urgent hospital care was tracked for 30 days after discharge to see if gender had any part to play.

The enigmatic Tasmanian tiger, known also as the thylacine, was hunted to extinction in the wild at the turn of the 20th century, and the last one died in a Tasmanian zoo in 1936.

Now scientists have sequenced a portion of the thylacine genome, showing that like its cousin, the Tasmanian devil, it had extremely low genetic variability. The results suggest that both animals' genetic makeup was affected by their isolation from mainland Australia.

The Andean Amazon is becoming a major frontier for new hydroelectric dams, but an analysis of the potential impacts of these planned projects suggests that there may be serious ecological concerns to take into account. The full report is published Apr. 18 in the open access journal PloS ONE.

When early humans became carnivores, their higher-quality diet allowed mothers to wean babies earlier and have more children, with potentially profound effects on population dynamics and the course of human evolution, according to a study published Apr. 18 in the open access journal PLoS ONE.

In a comparison of 67 mammalian species, including humans, apes, mice, and killer whales, among many others, researchers from Lund University in Sweden found a clear correlation between carnivory and earlier weaning.

Soccer fans' testosterone and cortisol levels go up when watching a game, but don't further increase after a victory, according to a study published Apr. 18 in the open access journal PLoS ONE.

A team of international scientists including from the University of Melbourne Australia have confirmed the unique Tasmanian Tiger or thylacine had limited genetic diversity prior to its extinction.

The results published today in the international journal PLoS One, provide insights into the genetic health of the thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) before it was exterminated by hunting.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- In an age when even preschoolers have electronic toys and devices, many parents wonder how to get their children to be more physically active. Now, two studies published by University at Buffalo researchers provide some answers.

The UB studies are among the few laboratory-controlled studies of how the choice and type of toys given to children affects their physical activity. Study subjects were 8-12 years old.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Daily physical exercise may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease, even in people over the age of 80, according to a study published in the April 18, 2012, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

(CHICAGO) – Daily physical activity may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline, even in people over the age of 80, according to a new study by neurological researchers from Rush University Medical Center that will be published in the online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology on April 18.

A protein involved in cellular inflammation may increase the risk of plaque containing blood vessels associated with inflammatory gum disease, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology 2012 Scientific Sessions in Chicago.

The protein, CD36, is found in blood cells, as well as many other cell types. Research has shown that CD36 may increase the harmful effects of "bad cholesterol," or low-density lipoprotein (LDL).

Kidney stones strike an estimated 1 million Americans each year, and those who have experienced the excruciating pain say it is among the worst known to man (or woman).

Now, new research by scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis provides evidence to explain why some people are more prone to develop the condition than others. Their discovery opens the door to finding effective drug treatments and a test that could assess a person's risk of kidney stones.

COLUMBIA, Mo. ¬—Lone Star ticks, which are notorious carriers of many diseases including cytauxzoonosis, or "bobcat fever," have been spreading across the nation in recent years. As a result, cats across much of the country are now exposed to the deadly disease. University of Missouri veterinarian Leah Cohn, a small animal disease expert, and Adam Birkenheuer from North Carolina State University, have found an effective treatment for the dangerous disease.

An unprecedented study of intra-uterine lactation in the tsetse fly, published 18 April 2012 in Biology of Reproduction's Papers-in-Press, reveals that an enzyme found in the fly's milk functions similarly in mammals, making the tsetse a potential model for lipid metabolism during mammalian lactation.

Better yet, reduced levels of this enzyme led to poor health in offspring, leading the authors to suggest that targeting it could help decrease the tsetse population in Africa and so reduce the incidence of sleeping sickness.