'Noah's flood' kick-started European farming
A 7,000-year-old flood is believed to have triggered the expansion of farming across Europe. The study suggests that rising sea levels led to dramatic social change and displaced millions of people.
Science News for November 18, 2007
Protein suppresses allergic response in mice
A protein called RGS13 has been found to suppress allergic responses in mice, including severe anaphylaxis. Researchers believe RGS13 may be a target for developing new drugs to treat certain allergic diseases.
SourceNIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases·JournalNature Immunology·DateNov 18, 2007
Grisly court evidence makes juries more likely to convict
Jurors presented with gruesome evidence are more likely to convict, a study finds. The evidence can influence jurors' decisions at an unconscious level, leading to unfair outcomes for defendants.
Immune system can drive cancers into dormant state
Researchers have discovered that the immune system can enter a dormant state with cancer cells, controlling their growth without eliminating them. This finding may lead to alternative treatments for cancer, such as using immunotherapy to induce equilibrium and convert cancers into chronic but controllable diseases.
A novel way found to prevent protein plaques implicated in Alzheimer's
Researchers have discovered a potential therapeutic approach to prevent the accumulation of toxic protein plaques in the brain, which are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. The study suggests that binding cystatin C to soluble amyloid beta prevents its aggregation into insoluble plaques.
MIT: 'Micro' livers could aid drug screening
Researchers at MIT have created a novel way to model the full-sized human liver using tiny colonies of living human liver cells. These model livers can survive for up to six weeks and allow for more accurate prediction of drug toxicity, reducing the costs associated with their development.