ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News

Significant link between cannabis use and onset of mania symptoms Posted: 10 Feb 2015 01:01 PM PST Researchers have found evidence to suggest a significant relationship between cannabis use and the onset and exacerbation of mania symptoms.

Listeria pathogen is prevalent, persistent in retail delis Posted: 10 Feb 2015 11:20 AM PST New research shows that standard cleaning procedures in retail delis may not eradicate Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, which can cause a potentially fatal disease in people with vulnerable immune systems.

Engineers put the 'squeeze' on human stem cells Posted: 10 Feb 2015 11:20 AM PST After using optical tweezers to squeeze a tiny bead attached to the outside of a human stem cell, researchers now know how mechanical forces can trigger a key signaling pathway in the cells.The squeeze helps to release calcium ions stored inside the cells and opens up channels in the cell membrane that allow the ions to flow into the cells, according to a new study.

Epigenetic breakthrough: A first of its kind tool to study the histone code Posted: 10 Feb 2015 11:20 AM PST Scientists have created a new research tool, based on the fruit fly, to help crack the histone code. This research tool can be used to better understand the function of histone proteins, which play critical roles in the regulation of gene expression in animals and plants.

Too much of a good thing: Extra genes make bacteria lethal Posted: 10 Feb 2015 11:18 AM PST We, as most animals, host many different beneficial bacteria. Being beneficial to the host often pays off for the bacteria, as success of the host determines the survival and spread of the microbe. But if bacteria grow too much they may become deadly. Scientists have found that a single genomic change can turn beneficial bacteria into pathogenic bacteria, by boosting bacterial density inside the host.

The Princess and the Pea: Cells' ultra-sensitivity for strong molecular forces in adhesion processes Posted: 10 Feb 2015 11:17 AM PST Knowing how cells exert force and sense mechanical feedback in their microenvironment is crucial to understanding how they activate a wide range of cellular functions, such as cell reproduction, differentiation and adhesion. Now a more fine-grained picture of adhesion mechanics is emerging, thanks to a new tool developed in recent years called a "tension gauge tether," which allows scientists to measure cell mechanics at the single-molecule level.

Arachnid Rapunzel: Researchers Spin Spider Silk Proteins Into Artificial Silk Posted: 10 Feb 2015 11:17 AM PST Incredibly tough, slightly stretchy spider silk is a lightweight, biodegradable wonder material with numerous potential biomedical applications. But although humans have been colonizing relatively placid silkworms for thousands of years, harvesting silk from territorial and sometimes cannibalistic spiders has proven impractical. Instead, labs hoping to harness spider silk's mechanical properties are using its molecular structure as a template for their own biomimetic silks.

Coral reef symbiosis: Paying rent with sugar and fat Posted: 10 Feb 2015 10:31 AM PST Scientists have revealed how coral-dwelling microalgae harvest nutrients from the surrounding seawater and shuttle them out to their coral hosts, sustaining a fragile ecosystem that is under threat.

How conditions of spaceflight affect living organisms: New research headed to space station Posted: 10 Feb 2015 10:27 AM PST New research will be heading to the International Space Station to help NASA understand how the conditions of spaceflight affect living organisms. This work is helping the agency develop the resources and measures necessary to ensure astronauts remain healthy as we venture beyond low-Earth orbit and head out to study an asteroid and eventually Mars.

Damage from obesity passed to offspring, but impact of obesity on fertility can be reversed, mouse study finds Posted: 10 Feb 2015 05:35 AM PST In a breakthrough discovery, researchers have revealed how damage from obesity in mice is passed from a mother to her children, and also how that damage can be reversed.

Historic US and UK dietary advice on fats 'should not have been introduced' Posted: 10 Feb 2015 02:09 AM PST National dietary advice on fat consumption issued to millions of US and UK citizens in 1977 and 1983, to cut coronary heart disease incidence, lacked any solid trial evidence to back it up, and 'should not have been introduced,' concludes new research.

Exposure to mercury, seafood associated with risk factor for autoimmune disease Posted: 10 Feb 2015 02:04 AM PST One of the greatest risk factors for autoimmunity among women of childbearing age may be associated with exposure to mercury such as through seafood, a new study says. Mercury -- even at low levels generally considered safe -- was associated with autoimmunity. Autoimmune disorders, which cause the body's immune system to attack healthy cells by mistake, affects nearly 50 million Americans and predominately women.

'Stressed' young bees could be the cause of colony collapse Posted: 09 Feb 2015 01:12 PM PST Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is a major threat to bee colonies around the world and affects their ability to perform vital human food crop pollination. It has been a cause of urgent concern for scientists and farmers around the world for at least a decade but a specific cause for the phenomenon has yet to be conclusively identified. Pressure on young bees to grow up too fast could be a major factor in explaining the disastrous declines in bee populations seen worldwide.