ScienceDaily: Top News

Researchers have shown for the first time in mice that heart problems associated with the flu are not caused by raging inflammation in the lungs, as has long been predicted. Instead, the electrical malfunctions and heart scarring seen in some of the sickest flu patients are caused by direct influenza infection of cardiac cells.

The movement of herders and livestock into the eastern steppe is of great interest to researchers, but few scholars have linked the introduction of herds and horses to the rise of complex societies.

A team of international researchers has discovered a way to produce higher quality wheat. The scientists have identified a genetic driver that improves yield traits in wheat, which unexpectedly can also lead to increasing protein content by up to 25 per cent.

Scientists describe a process for converting non-neuronal cells into functioning neurons able to take up residence in the brain, send out their fibrous branches across neural tissue, form synapses, dispense dopamine and restore capacities undermined by Parkinson's destruction of dopaminergic cells.

For patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS), becoming a mother is fraught with difficult questions: is it acceptable to continue disease modifying treatment during pregnancy and breastfeeding to keep the disease at bay, or does this put the child at risk? A study on the drug glatiramer acetate can relieve mothers of this concern during the breastfeeding period. A comparative study between children whose mothers had taken the drug while breastfeeding and those who hadn't revealed no significant differences in several infant health outcomes during the first 18 months of life.

CRISPR-Cas9 is considered a revolutionary gene editing tool, but its applications are limited by a lack of methods by which it can be safely and efficiently delivered into cells. Recently, a research team has constructed a highly flexible CRISPR-Cas9 carrier using aminated polyrotaxane (PRX) that can not only bind with the unusual structure of Cas9 and carry it into cells, but can also protect it from intracellular degradation by endosomes.

Scientists suggest telltale signs of concussions might be found in the gut. By taking blood, stool and saliva samples from 33 football players, the researchers were able to examine the diagnostic potential of the gut's microbiome. They say their findings demonstrate that a simple, objective diagnostic test could be developed to track the impact of concussions and signal when it's safe to return to action.

The first detailed academic study of East African maritime traditions shows changes in boatbuilding techniques but the continuing use of wooden vessels by fishers.

It is well documented that lying during interviews takes up more cognitive energy than telling the truth.  A new study found that investigators who used this finding to their advantage by asking a suspect to carry out an additional, secondary, task while being questioned were more likely to expose lie tellers. The extra brain power needed to concentrate on a secondary task (other than lying) was particularly challenging for lie tellers.