Differences in gene expression levels between people of European versus African ancestry can affect how each group responds to certain drugs or fights off specific infections. An unbiased whole-genome approach found significant differences in several processes.

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Surgeons have removed a gallbladder through a unique operation requiring only a single incision in the bellybutton rather than the traditional four incisions in the abdomen. Melanie Willhite, a 28-year-old professional golfer, said she had suffered for more than a decade with gallbladder attacks that caused recurring abdominal pain, sometimes so intense she could not stand. A day after the surgery she was already feeling better and the next day she was eating spaghetti, a meal previously off-limits due to the gallbladder problems. Within a week, she was back on the course putting and two weeks out was able to go through the full range of golf swings.

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Lake Bloomington in central Illinois is a major source of drinking water. It also has a record of elevated nitrate levels, causing residents to be concerned about water quality. A new study measures the sources of nitrate entering Lake Bloomington and documents the producers’ practices of applying nitrogen fertilizer in the watershed.

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An area of the brain involved in the planning and production of spoken and signed language in humans plays a similar role in chimpanzee communication, researchers report in Current Biology. The results suggest that the “neurobiological foundations” of human language may have been present in the common ancestor of modern humans and chimpanzees.

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The identification of two cellular receptors that likely contribute to the genesis of hormone-dependent breast cancer points the way to new, highly targeted therapies against the disease. The finding also helps explain how daily use of medicines such as aspirin might help keep these breast tumors at bay.

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The fighting Australian crayfish (yabby) does not forget the face of its foes according to zoologists. In the study, after a fight, the loser yabby was isolated and given a choice between its opponent and another crayfish not involved in the fight. The loser yabby moved towards the opponent it knew as opposed to the rival it did not, revealing that a yabby is capable of visual identity not just an acute sense of smell.

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Schizophrenia emerges from an altered pattern of brain development, and researchers continue to search for the genes that cause the brain to develop along a path that ultimately leads to schizophrenia.

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Rain-making bacteria have been discovered, and they are widely distributed in the atmosphere. These biological particles could factor heavily into the precipitation cycle, affecting climate, agricultural productivity and even global warming, according to an article in Science.

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Thalidomide, a drug blamed in the 1950s for causing birth defects, is now showing promise as a safe and effective treatment for women with recurrent ovarian cancer, according to a new study.

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For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that microscopic “two-faced” spheres whose halves are physically or chemically different — so-called Janus particles — will move like stealthy submarines when an alternating electrical field is applied to liquid surrounding the particles.

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