ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News

Virus-cutting enzyme helps bacteria remember a threat Posted: 20 Feb 2015 11:26 AM PST Bacteria may not have brains, but they do have memories, at least when it comes to viruses that attack them. Many bacteria have a molecular immune system which allows these microbes to capture and retain pieces of viral DNA that they have encountered in the past, in order to recognize and destroy it when it shows up again.

Want pizza, chocolate, French fries? Highly processed foods linked to addictive eating Posted: 20 Feb 2015 08:01 AM PST A new study confirms what has long been suspected: highly processed foods like chocolate, pizza and French fries are among the most addictive.

Caribbean coral findings may influence Barrier Reef studies Posted: 20 Feb 2015 07:15 AM PST Research indicating Caribbean corals may be better equipped to tolerate climate change than previously believed could impact future studies on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Bacterial Memories: Host influences bacterial metabolism Posted: 20 Feb 2015 05:37 AM PST Bacteria are masters in adapting to their environment. This adaptability contributes to the bacteria's survival inside their host. Researchers have now demonstrated that the bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes adapts its metabolism specifically to the host genotype. The bacterial metabolic fingerprint correlated with the susceptibility of the infected mouse strain.

New nanogel for drug delivery: Self-healing gel can be injected into the body and act as a long-term drug depot Posted: 19 Feb 2015 11:13 AM PST Chemical engineers have designed a new type of self-healing hydrogel that could be injected through a syringe. Scientists are interested in using gels to deliver drugs because they can be molded into specific shapes and designed to release their payload over a specified time period.

Popular soda ingredient, caramel color, poses cancer risk to consumers Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:16 PM PST Public health researchers have analyzed soda consumption data in order to characterize people's exposure to a potentially carcinogenic byproduct of some types of caramel color. Caramel color is a common ingredient in colas and other dark soft drinks. The results show that between 44 and 58 percent of people over the age of six typically have at least one can of soda per day, possibly more, potentially exposing them to 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI), a possible human carcinogen formed during the manufacture of some kinds of caramel color.

Leader of the pack: Study of voles and owls show rise of individuals with greatest influence on collective group behavior Posted: 18 Feb 2015 07:27 AM PST Who takes charge during a disaster or at an accident scene? The question has intrigued sociologists since Gustave Le Bon first studied "herd behavior" in nineteenth-century France. The question of an individual's influence over the activity of a collective have perplexed researchers, in countless studies of this behavior, ever since.

Seasonal flu vaccine induces antibodies that protect against H7N9 avian flu Posted: 17 Feb 2015 05:27 PM PST Antibodies that protect against H7N9 avian flu, which emerged in China in 2013 and sparked fears of a global pandemic, have been isolated in individuals who received seasonal flu vaccinations and appear to broadly neutralize H7 viruses.