From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
- Animals
Scientists Say: Extremophile
Some species can survive high heat, freezing cold or other extreme environments. Scientists call these organisms extremophiles.
- Chemistry
New rules point scientists toward next-gen germ-killers
Shape and other features help germ-killing drugs make it through barriers to enter bacteria. Knowing how they do this could lead to more and better better antibiotics.
- Environment
Is your home chilly? This might just be healthy
Feeling mildly cold (or a bit too warm) forces the body to adjust what it’s doing to maintain a healthy temperature. And that can do a body good, data now show.
- Genetics
Scientists Say: Chromosome
This threadlike structure is made of DNA wrapped around protein. It allows the 3 billion base pairs in human DNA to stay neatly packaged in a cell.
- Brain
When is an epileptic seizure about to strike?
Two high-school research projects suggest ways to identify early warnings of a coming epileptic seizure. This might give people time to free themselves from potentially dangerous activities.
- Earth
Tiny air pollutants inflame airways and harm heart
New studies show how tiny bits of air pollution, called particulate matter, can lead to health problems ranging from chronic runny noses to heart disease.
- Chemistry
Cool Jobs: Counting calories
Do calories count? A nutrition label doesn’t tell the whole story. Meet three researchers working to shed light on the complex connections between food and health.
- Health & Medicine
Explainer: All about the calorie
Calories are a measure of how much energy is in a food. But when it comes to powering our bodies, not all calories are equally available to the body.
- Life
Scientists Say: Mitochondrion
Mitochondria are structures inside cells that converts certain chemicals into adenosine triphosphate — a molecule cells use as energy.
- Earth
Some food-packaging pollutants mess with the thyroid
Chemical pollutants may hurt the ability of the thyroid gland to make an important hormone. Teens may be most at risk.
- Brain
Just viewing super-size meals can promote overeating
Large portions of food dampen activity in a brain area involved in self-control, a new study shows.
- Animals
Among mice, scratching is catching — as in contagious
Contagious itching spreads by sight, mouse-to-mouse. Scientists have now identified brain structures behind this phenomenon.
