Life Sciences

Some Vaccines Support Evolution of More-Virulent Viruses
Credit: Andrew Read, Penn State University
Increasing prevalence of autism is due, in part, to changing diagnoses
Click on the image for a high-resolution version. This graph shows the number of students (per 10,000) diagnosed with autism (blue) and intellectual disability (red) in special-education programs in the United States from 2000 to 2010. The increase in autism diagnoses during this period was offset by decreases in the diagnosis of intellectual disability, suggesting that shifting patterns of diagnosis may be responsible for increases in autism diagnosis. Credit: Penn State University
How the Mammoth Got its Wool: Genetic changes are identified that helped the woolly mammoth survive in the Arctic
Woolly mammoths Credit: Image Courtesy of Giant Screen Films © 2012 D3D Ice Age, LLC
Marylyn Ritchie appointed Paul Berg Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Marylyn Ritchie
Disabling infection-fighting immune response speeds up wound healing in diabetes
Shown in blue is chromatin -- the condensed form of DNA that the cell remodels to form chromosomes. The PAD4 enzyme decondenses chromatin by loosening up the interaction between DNA and special proteins called histones. The histones modified by PAD4 are shown in fuchsia. This process helps to form both a bacteria-killing NET -- which is comprised of infection-combatting white blood cells called neutrophils -- and the fluffy, scattered ball that comprises a blood clot. Wang lab, Penn State University.
Unlocking the biofuel energy stored in plant cell walls: Plants may no longer be an untapped energy source
A freshly cut stalk of sugar cane. Every plant cell is surrounded by a fibrous wall that provides strength while allowing the cell to continue growing. Penn State scientists are studying how the cell walls are made, information that could lead to better ways of harvesting the energy stored in their chemical bonds. Credit: Penn State/Patrick Mansell
Invasive microbe protects corals from global warming, but at a cost
Physiologically stressed reef corals lose their symbionts and appear bleached. The invasive symbiont, Symbiodinium trenchii is quick to populate these animals after cessation of thermal stress. Image of the Boulder Star Coral (Orbicella faveolata). Image: Dustin Kemp / University of Georgia
Booker named an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Squire Booker
Andrew Read elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society
Andrew Read
Astrobiology students explore alien environment on Earth
Penn State astrobiology students examine a sulfidic cave in Italy where white biofilm grows on the walls. Credit: Kyle Rybacki
Subscribe to Life Sciences