Lab study suggests mad cow disease can be transmitted by plants
A study appearing in the latest issue of Cell Reports suggests that grass plants can bind, uptake, and transport infectious…
Animals conceal sickness in mating situations
In research that has implications for our understanding of how diseases spread in human populations, researchers from the University of…
New analysis pokes holes in biodiversity’s supposed link to human disease
The vast majority of new, emerging or re-emerging human diseases are caused by pathogens from animals, according to the World…
Can nicotine transmit disease through multiple generations?
Nicotine creates heritable epigenetic marks on the genome, say Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute scientists who contend that a grandparent’s…
Significant bacterial populations found in upper atmosphere
Using a DC-8 aircraft to scoop-up air samples from the troposphere, scientists have identified significant numbers of living microorganisms –…
The secret lives of cats
Cats are secretive creatures and their nocturnal adventures are largely a mystery, but a new study by researchers at the…
Mad cow disease… sans cow!
In a startling new study, scientists have shown for the first time that abnormal prions – fragments of infectious protein…
Biodiversity now a public health issue
The decline of species and their habitats may not just make nature less interesting. New research, published in Bioscience, suggests…
Processed foods linked to Alzheimer’s and diabetes
Researchers at Rhode Island Hospital have found a substantial link between increased levels of nitrates in our food with increased…
Spread Of Human Virus In Chimps Confirmed
Building on earlier work that found evidence of human viruses in deceased chimpanzees, a new study by Virginia Tech researchers…
Bacterial Rainmakers Ubiquitous
Scientists from Montana State University and Louisiana State University have found evidence that globally distributed airborne bacteria play a pivotal…
Huntington’s Disease Sufferers Get Reproductive Boost
People with Huntington’s disease have more children than the general population because they are healthier during their peak reproductive years,…
Fat Gets A Makeover
Body fat doesn’t just, er, make you fat. It also acts as a repository for all sorts of potentially nasty…
Gravity Equations Useful In Modeling Earthbound Phenomena
According to researchers from Penn State University and the University of Virginia, the spread of diseases by insects can be…
When Thinking Can Be Toxic
Researchers have identified a new method of attack on the brain’s neurologic functions that appears to be employed by a…
Switching Genes On And Off To Cure Disease
Researchers from the University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center are exploring a new approach to the treatment of…
Doctors Not So Keen When Treating Bioterror Agents
Eighty percent of U.S. doctors say they’re willing to care for patients during a bioterror outbreak of an unknown but…