Fire ants are emerging nuisance for Virginians

Fire ants are emerging nuisance for Virginians

Red imported fire ants (RIFAs), which have caused trouble in Florida and Texas for decades, are now advancing in Virginia. Colonies of the tiny, highly aggressive insects have been observed in the…
The link between brain synapses and schizophrenia

The link between brain synapses and schizophrenia

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) researchers have identified a function of neuregulin1 (NRG1), a gene previously linked to schizophrenia but whose role in the disease was unknown. "We found that…
Flexible genes allow ants to change destiny

Flexible genes allow ants to change destiny

The discovery of a flexible genetic coding in leaf-cutting ants sheds new light on how one of nature's ultimate self-organising species breeds optimum numbers of each worker type to ensure the smooth…
How plague-causing bacteria disarm host defense

How plague-causing bacteria disarm host defense

Effector proteins are the bad guys that help bacterial pathogens do their job of infecting the host by crippling the body's immune system. In essence, they knock down the front door of resistance and…
Why girls are afraid to be good at math

Why girls are afraid to be good at math

A popular stereotype that boys are better at mathematics than girls undermines girls' math performance because it causes worrying that erodes the mental resources needed for problem solving, new…
Clothes that monitor your health

Clothes that monitor your health

Integrating bio-chemical sensors into textiles for continuous monitoring of a person's health is the goal of the EU-funded BIOTEX ('Bio-sensing textile for health management') project. As the first…
Follow the 'green' brick road?

Follow the 'green' brick road?

Researchers have found that bricks made from fly ash--fine ash particles captured as waste by coal-fired power plants--may be even safer than predicted. Instead of leaching minute amounts of mercury…