Add BrightSurf on Google Email

Science News for July 14, 2013


Is the ice in Greenland in growing decline?

The study found that Greenland's ice sheets are losing significant amounts of ice at a rate of about 300 billion tons per year. The accelerated loss of ice mass is attributed to both anthropogenic warming and natural processes such as variations in snowfall and ocean currents.

SourceHelmholtz Association·JournalNature Geoscience·DateJul 14, 2013

Surprise finding reveals how adaptive our immune systems can be

Researchers found that people with Hyper IgE Syndrome have more redundancy in their immune systems than expected, allowing them to respond effectively to most viruses and cancers. This discovery highlights the differences between mouse model work and real human infectious diseases, providing valuable insights for clinical treatment.

SourceGarvan Institute of Medical Research·JournalJournal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology·DateJul 14, 2013

NIH scientists find that proteins involved in immunity potentially cause cancer

A set of proteins involved in the body's natural defenses produces a large number of mutations in human DNA, according to a study led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. In some cancers, these naturally produced mutations can outnumber all other mutations and account for over two-thirds of tumors.

Antiviral enzyme contributes to several forms of cancer, University of Minnesota researchers say

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have discovered that APOBEC3B, a human antiviral enzyme, causes DNA mutations that lead to several types of cancer. The enzyme was found to be significantly elevated in six types of cancer and produced a unique mutational signature that matches the actual mutation pattern in these cancers.

SourceUniversity of Minnesota·JournalNature Genetics·DateJul 14, 2013