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A new study of re-growing tropical forests has concluded that plant biodiversity takes longer to recover than carbon storage following major disturbances such as clearance for farming.

The findings, published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, have important implications for conservation since there are now many re-growing forests in South and Central America. The new study is the first large-scale analysis of the recovery of both plant biodiversity and carbon pools in re-growing forests.

In the children's game "Jenga", removing the wrong block from a tower of wooden blocks can cause the entire tower to collapse. In the same way, removing certain species from an ecosystem can cause a collapse in ecological function. A common scientific question has been to identify these critical species in different ecosystems and an international research team has developed mathematical tools that can estimate which species are most influential in a food web.

Sleep disorders are reported to affect 50 to 70 million Americans, and have been linked to obesity and diabetes, as well as depression and other psychiatric disorders. Circadian cycles are driven by biological clocks that regulate behaviors such as sleep. Environmental or genetic alterations of the circadian clock contribute to jet lag, sleep disorders, and psychiatric disorders.

"Function follows form" might have been written to describe proteins, as the M. C. Escher-esque folds and twists of nature's workhorse biomolecules enables each to carry out its specific responsibilities. Technology's workhorse for determining protein structures is X-ray protein crystallography, in which a beam of x-rays sent through a crystallized protein is scattered by the protein's atoms, creating a diffraction pattern of dots that can be reconstructed by computer into a 3D model.

Among a group of men who underwent coronary angiography and had a low serum testosterone level, the use of testosterone therapy was associated with increased risk of death, heart attack, or ischemic stroke, according to a study in the November 6 issue of JAMA.

Affluent girls residing in two-parent homes are much less likely to be sexually assaulted than other female youth, according to a new study from the University of Iowa. The research revealed that when family income reaches 400 percent of the poverty threshold, or around $92,000 for a four-person household, the risk of sexual assault declines by more than half.

(Philadelphia, PA) – The stop and start of blood flow to the heart during and after a heart attack causes severe damage to heart cells, reducing their capacity to function and potentially causing their death. But a recent study led by researchers at Temple University School of Medicine suggests that it is possible to limit the extent of that damage using a drug. In experiments in mice that recapitulated a human clinical scenario, they discovered that inhibition of a heart protein called TNNI3K reduced damage from heart attack and protected the heart from further injury.

(Philadelphia, PA) – Some of the most commonly prescribed drugs for the treatment of heart failure are beta-blockers and nitrates, which help to relax blood vessels and decrease the heart's workload. The drugs were thought to produce those effects through distinct molecular pathways, but according to a new study led by scientists at Temple University School of Medicine, both types of drugs may help the failing heart by counteracting the effects of an enzyme known as GRK2.

Experts say it's never too late to reap the benefits of exercise, and a program offered in New York City senior centers is improving quality of life for many older adults.

The exercise program, offered by Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in senior centers in New York City's Chinatown and Flushing, Queens communities, has helped decrease pain, improve mobility and enhance the overall health of many participants, according to a study by HSS.

Chevy Chase, MD—The Endocrine Society today issued a Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) to help health care professionals provide the best care to pregnant women who have diabetes.

The CPG, entitled "Diabetes and Pregnancy: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline" appeared in the November 2013 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM), a publication of The Endocrine Society.

Researchers have linked a species of intestinal bacteria known as Prevotella copri to the onset of rheumatoid arthritis, the first demonstration in humans that the chronic inflammatory joint disease may be mediated in part by specific intestinal bacteria. The new findings by laboratory scientists and clinical researchers in rheumatology at NYU School of Medicine add to the growing evidence that the trillions of microbes in our body play an important role in regulating our health.

ITHACA, N.Y. – Clay, a seemingly infertile blend of minerals, might have been the birthplace of life on Earth. Or at least of the complex biochemicals that make life possible, Cornell University biological engineers report in the Nov. 7 online issue of the journal Scientific Reports, published by Nature Publishing.

In sickle cell disease, hemoglobin—the oxygen-carrying component of blood—forms fibers that stiffen red blood cells and cause life-threatening symptoms. Using light-scattering techniques to study the detailed thermodynamics of this process, researchers reporting in the November 5 issue of the Biophysical Journal, a Cell Press publication, have determined the strength of the forces that hold these fibers intact. The information could be used to design therapies that interfere with the sickling process.

Dr. Karlsson and his team monitored microscopic freezing events inside genetically modified cells and used mathematical models to show that gap junctions do not always provide the major pathway for the spreading of ice crystals between cells. They saw that cell-to-cell propagation of ice also occurred during freezing of tissue samples in which gap junction formation had been suppressed. The authors discovered that intercellular connections—in which neighboring cell membranes are stitched together by rows of rivet-like structures known as tight junctions—also play a significant role.

Scientists have developed a 3D filming technique that could help inform research to stem the spread of malaria.

Creating moving digital holograms of malaria sperm has given researchers fresh insights into the behaviour of these tiny life forms.

Understanding how malaria parasites mate could pave the way for improved prevention and control of this deadly disease, which poses a threat to half of the world's population.

Malaria parasites mate in the gut of mosquitoes, and people can catch the disease when they are bitten by these infected, blood-sucking insects.