Is aggression always the best response to a challenge? Testosterone may not necessarily cause aggression but behavior can drive testosterone secretion. In an evaluation for Faculty of 1000, Robert Sapolsky highlights a study published in Nature which assessed how testosterone affects human behavior in a ‘pro-social’ situation - an environment where it is beneficial for a person to help someone else. In an ‘Ultimatum Game’, a ‘proposer’ is given power to decide how a sum of money is divided between him/herself and another player, ‘the decider’…

New breakthrough treatments for the most common cancers could soon come from cutting-edge research into some of the world’s rarest tumors. At the ESMO Conference on Sarcoma and GIST, to be held in Milan, Italy, on 9 and 10 March 2010, researchers and some of the world’s leading experts will discuss exciting new science on sarcomas - a group of rare tumors found in muscle, blood vessels, deep skin tissues, nerves and the tissues around joints. Although these cancers only affect a relatively small number of people, researchers say understanding them could have far wider ramifications…

Biologists at New York University and the University of Würzburg have identified, in greater detail, how the retina’s cellular hardware is used in color preference. The findings, published in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), enhance our understanding of how eyes and the brain process color. Light can serve as an attractive or repulsive landmark for orientation - we identify an object or a light source at a certain location in visual space, then approach it or retreat from it. This process, called phototaxis, was the focus of the PNAS study…

Immune cells use a bungee-like nanotube to snare dangerous cells, according to new research funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC). The findings by researchers from Imperial College London show that natural killer (NK) cells use this bungee, called a membrane nanotube, to destroy cells that could otherwise escape them. NK cells are the first line of defence against dangerous cells, such as tumour cells and cells infected with bacteria and viruses, and researchers are keen to understand how they help the body fight infection and stop tumours from growing…

Children with serious intestinal problems have to be fed intravenously. Systems exist that enable intravenous feeding to be carried out at home. Mr Inaki Irastorza, paediatrician at the Cruces hospital in Bilbao, spent some 15 years analysing how serious intestinal problems in children were treated at the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London. With the gathered data he has presented a highly novel PhD thesis at the University of the Basque Country…

There’s no doubt that meeting partners on the Internet is a growing trend. But can we trust the information that people provide about themselves via online dating services? And why is depression so dissatisfying in relationships? These two questions are explored in articles appearing in the latest issue of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, published by SAGE.

Investigators have developed a new mathematical approach to analyze molecular data derived from complex mixtures of immune cells. This approach, when combined with well-established techniques, readily identifies changes in small samples of human whole blood, and has the potential to distinguish between health and disease states. Led by Mark Davis, Ph.D., and Atul Butte, M.D., Ph.D., of Stanford University, Calif…

Prostate-specific dietary supplements should not be taken during radiation therapy treatments because they have been shown to increase the radiosensitivity of normal prostate cell lines, leading to normal tissue complications, according to a study in the March issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). Many prostate cancer patients choose to take nutritional supplements to improve or increase sexual potency and alleviate symptoms associated with poor prostate health…

Immune cells ensnare dangerous cells that are on the run with a bungee-like nanotube, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study, by researchers from Imperial College London, shows that natural killer (NK) cells use this bungee to destroy cells that could otherwise escape them. NK cells are our first line of defence against dangerous cells, such as tumour cells and cells infected with bacteria and viruses. Researchers are keen to understand how NK cells work because they help the body to fight infection and stop tumours from growing…

Thousands will unite for autism at the 8th annual Los Angeles Walk Now for Autism Speaks at the Pasadena Rose Bowl, Saturday, April 24, 2010. Powered by volunteers and families with loved ones on the autism spectrum, this fundraising effort generates vital funds for autism research, awareness and family services. Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disorder, with 1% of the population affected…