New efficiency record for solar cells
The efficiency improvement is achieved by the use of an ultra-thin aluminum oxide layer at the front of the cell, and it brings a breakthrough in the use of solar energy a step closer.

Compound has potential for new class of AIDS drugs
Researchers have developed what they believe is the first new mechanism in nearly 20 years for inhibiting a common target used to treat all HIV patients, which could eventually lead to a new class of AIDS drugs.

NASA study links Earth impacts to human-caused climate change
A new NASA-led study shows human-caused climate change has made an impact on a wide range of Earth's natural systems, including permafrost thawing, plants blooming earlier across Europe, and lakes declining in productivity in Africa.

Middle class relaxing with marijuana
A variety of middle-class people are making a conscious but careful choice to use marijuana to enhance their leisure activities, a University of Alberta study shows.

Teenage girls still experience harassment
Girls and women have made dramatic strides toward gender equality in the United States. Role models and opportunities for girls in science, technology, and sports exist today that were not available 50 years ago.

Monarch butterflies help explain why parasites harm hosts
It's a paradox that has confounded evolutionary biologists since Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859: Since parasites depend on their hosts for survival, why do they harm them?

Discovery of most recent supernova in our galaxy
The most recent supernova in our Galaxy has been discovered by tracking the rapid expansion of its remains. This result, using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and NRAO's Very Large Array (VLA), has implications for understanding how often supernovas explode in the Milky Way galaxy.

Researchers find first conclusive evidence of Alzheimer's-like brain tangles in nonhuman primates
Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, have discovered the first conclusive evidence of Alzheimer's-like neurofibrillary brain tangles in an aged nonhuman primate.

Common bacteria activating natural killer T cells may cause autoimmune liver disease
A bacteria commonly found in soil and water triggered autoimmune symptoms in mice similar to those found in an incurable liver disease called Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC).

Culture affects how teen girls see harassment
Teenage girls of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds still experience sexism and sexual harassment - but cultural factors may control whether they perceive sexism as an environmental problem or as evidence of their own shortcomings.

Restoring fish populations leads to tough choice for Great Lakes Gulls
You might think that stocking the Great Lakes with things like trout and salmon would be good for the herring gull. The birds often eat from the water, so it would be natural to assume that more fish would mean better dining.

Green tea compounds beat OSA-related brain deficits
Chemicals found in green tea may be able to stave off the cognitive deficits that occur with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to a new study published in the second issue for May of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Researchers Find New Treatment for Hepatitis C
Researchers at the OU Health Sciences Center have found a new use for an old drug. Their findings appear online Friday in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Study Confirms Link Between Mothers' Depression, Young Children's Injuries
Infants and toddlers whose mothers are severely depressed are almost three times more likely to suffer accidental injuries than other children in the same age group.

Reducing intake of dietary fat prevents prostate cancer in mice
Scientists with UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center and the Department of Urology have showed that lowering intake of the type of fat common in a Western diet helps prevent prostate cancer in mice, the first finding of its kind in a mouse model that closely mimics human cancer, researchers said.

Families shed light on likely causative gene for Alzheimer's
The genetic profile of two large Georgia families with high rates of late-onset Alzheimer's disease points to a gene that may cause the disease, researchers say.

Genes may play role in risk assessment for prostate cancer among Hispanics and caucasians
Genetic differences may explain the greater risk for prostate cancer among Caucasian men compared with Hispanic men, which could help clinicians predict who is more likely to develop the disease.

Pre-K students benefit when teachers are supportive
States are investing considerable amounts of money in pre-kindergarten programs for 4-year-olds. A new study finds that the quality of interactions between teachers and children plays a key role in accounting for gains in children's development when compared to typical quality indicators such as teachers' education, class size, and child-to-teacher ratio.

U of Minnesota researcher discovers the starting point of sun-induced skin cancer
According to a new study from the University of Minnesota, the earliest event in the development of sun-induced skin cancer may have been identified.

Teens' perception that they are liked found to be at least as important as actually being liked
We all know that children who are popular do well socially. A new study has found that teenagers who feel good about themselves and are comfortable with their peers can also be socially successful without being popular in the traditional sense.

Maternal exposure to persistent organic pollutants linked to urologic conditions in boys
Higher incidences of congenital anomalies, including cryptorchidism (undescended testicles) and hypospadias, were found in boys whose mothers had higher serum levels of certain organochlorine compounds, researchers say.

Targeted therapy plus chemotherapy may pack 1-2 punch against melanoma
By targeting and disabling a protein frequently found in melanoma tumors, doctors may be able to make the cancer more vulnerable to chemotherapy, according to a new study by researchers in the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Female sex offenders often have mental problems
Women who commit sexual offences are just as likely to have mental problems or drug addictions as other violent female criminals. This according to the largest study ever conducted of women convicted of sexual offences in Sweden.

Adolescents' values can serve as a buffer against behaving violently at school
Researchers in Israel have found that teenagers' values helped determine whether or not they engaged in violent behavior at school, especially in schools where violence was common.

Window of opportunity for restoring oaks small, new study finds
Communities of Oregon white oak were once widespread in the Pacific Northwest's western lowlands, but, today, they are in decline. Fire suppression, conifer and invasive plant encroachment, and land use change have resulted in the loss of as much as 99 percent of the oak communities historically present in some areas of the region.

Spillover effects of family and school stress linger in adolescents' daily lives
Teenagers today face increasing pressures and demands from school and home. New research has found that stress at home affects adolescents' school life, and vice versa. What's more, that stress lasts for two days and affects academic performance across the high school years.

Research Examines Factors in Delaying or Declining Total Knee Replacement Surgery
A study led by Dr. Ann F. Jacobson, associate professor in Kent State's College of Nursing, unveils the reasons why people may initially choose to postpone but ultimately undergo total knee replacement surgery and emphasizes the need for better patient education before and after the procedure.