View Archive

 

 

 

May 5 - 9, 2008

Cell Metabolism – Fat transplantation can have metabolic benefits, reveals a new study in the May issue of Cell Metabolism. When transplanted deep into the abdomen, fat taken from just under the skin comes with metabolic benefits, or at least it does in mice, according to the study. “We started out thinking we would find that any fat inside the abdomen is bad,” said C. Ronald Kahn of Harvard Medical School. “What we found was really not what we expected. It appears that visceral fat is not as bad as subcutaneous fat is good.”  Read Summary | Read Full Press Release

Press Coverage Includes: Reuters | MSNBC | BBC | FOXNews.com  

Cell Metabolism – Gut hormone makes food look even yummier, a report in the latest issue of Cell Metabolism announces. In a brain imaging study of individuals, the researchers found that reward centers respond more strongly to pictures of food in subjects who had received an infusion of the hormone known as ghrelin. The findings suggest that the two drives for feeding—metabolic signals and pleasure signals—are actually intertwined. Read Summary | Read Full Press Release

Press Coverage Includes: MSNBC | New Scientist

Current Biology – Fungi have a hand in depleted uranium’s environmental fate, according to an article in the May 6th issue of Current Biology. The researchers found evidence that fungi can “lock” depleted uranium into a mineral form that may be less likely to find its way into plants, animals, or the water supply. Read Summary | Read Full Press Release

Press Coverage Includes: United Press International

Neuron - A study suggests caution on a new anti-obesity drug in children, accoridng to a recent article in Neuron. The research finds that a new class of anti-obesity drugs that suppresses appetite by blocking cannabinoid receptors in the brain could also suppress the adaptive rewiring of the brain necessary for neural development in children, studies with mice have indicated. One such drug, rimonabant (trade name Acomplia) has been developed by Sanofi-Aventis and is awaiting approval for use in the U.S., and other pharmaceutical companies are developing similar drugs. Read Summary | Read Full Press Release

Press Coverage Includes: Forbes Magazine | Reuters

AJHG - A recent article reveals that genetics tell us humans almost went extinct 70,000 years ago because of a dry spell. Read Summary

Press Coverage Includes: Los Angeles Times | Sydney Morning Herald

Current Biology - Female jumping spiders find ultraviolet B rays “sexy,” according to a new study in Current Biology .The study provides the first evidence of an animal using ultraviolet B (UVB) rays to communicate with other members of its species. In a series of mate choice experiments with the Chinese jumping spider (Phintella vittata), the researchers found that female spiders would rather mate with males that reflect UVB than those that do not. Read Summary | Read Full Press Release

Press Coverage Includes: BBC | New York Times

Current Biology - A pair of articles detail how children rely on one sense at a time, not a combination of senses, until roughly age 8. Read Summary 1 | Read Summary 2

Molecular Cell uncovers the mechanism of a cell’s death. Read Summary