Centuries ago, scientists began reducing the physics of the universe into key laws described by a handful of parameters. Such simple descriptions have remained elusive for complex biological systems -- until now. A biophysicist has identified parameters for several biochemical networks that distill the entire behavior of these systems into simple equivalent dynamics. The discovery may hold the potential to streamline the development of drugs and diagnostic tools, by simplifying the research models.

Stress during pregnancy may raise the risk of asthma in offspring, according to researchers. The researchers investigated differences in immune function markers in cord blood between infants born to mothers in high stress environments and those born to mothers with lower stress and found marked differences in patterns that may be associated with asthma risk later in life.

As one of the "generic geologists" on a dig called the Dakhleh Oasis Project, associate professor Jennifer Smith was asked to sample the alum from ancient mines and to determine whether it could be the source of the blue in the "blue painted pottery" found at sites dating from the New Kingdom. It was a small question but an intriguing one.

The shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the body and consequently one of the most commonly dislocated joints.

Lots of leaves growing in easy reach of a cow's tongue means less time and less land needed to raise beef cattle.

When you think of people suffering from social anxiety, you probably characterize them as shy, inhibited and submissive. However, new research from psychologists suggests that there is a subset of socially anxious people who act out in aggressive, risky ways -- and that their behavior patterns are often misunderstood.

With the help of a little singing bird, physicists are gaining insight into how the human brain functions, which may lead to a better understanding of complex vocal behavior, human speech production and ultimately, speech disorders and related diseases.

Pregnant women in Australia and New Zealand who had swine flu were 13 times more likely to be admitted to hospital with a critical illness, according to new research.

Researchers recently discovered that infantile hemangiomas originate from stem cells, and have used these stem cells to better understand this tumor in the laboratory. They show that steroids target hemangioma stem cells specifically, reveal their mechanism of their action and suggest other possible ways to halt and shrink hemangiomas.

Researchers have developed a new assessment tool to measure the severity of symptoms that can complicate stem cell transplantation. The tool assesses symptoms resulting from chronic graft-vs.-host disease (cGVHD).

Far from being a food spoiler, the fluorescent lighting in supermarkets actually can boost the nutritional value of fresh spinach, scientists are reporting. The finding could lead to improved ways of preserving and enhancing the nutritional value of spinach and perhaps other veggies, they suggest.

Bonobos and chimpanzees that had been reared in socio-linguistically rich environments (i.e., lots of opportunities for complex communicative interactions with humans) performed significantly better in the pointing, vocalizing, and pointing-and-vocalizing conditions of an object-choice task than did chimpanzees that had been reared in standard laboratory settings. These results indicate that apes may have the potential for understanding declarative communication and this potential may be achieved in specific environments.

By genetically altering fruit flies so that the heads of their sperm were fluorescent green or red, biologists were able to observe in striking detail what happens to live sperm inside the female. The findings may have huge implications for the fields of reproductive biology, sexual selection and speciation.

Mosquitoes transmit infectious diseases to millions of people every year, including malaria for which there is no effective vaccine. New research reveals that mosquito genetic engineering may turn the transmitter into a natural "flying vaccinator," providing a new strategy for biological control over the disease.

In findings that took the experimenters three years to believe, engineers have demonstrated that light itself can twist ribbons of nanoparticles.

Extreme obesity is affecting more children at younger ages, with 12 percent of black teenage girls, 11.2 percent of Hispanic teenage boys, 7.3 percent of boys and 5.5 percent of girls now classified as extremely obese, according to a study of 710,949 children and teens.

Alternative approaches to medicine are stock-in-trade in the Arizona State University laboratory of microbiologist Shelley Haydel. So when ASU senior Jenny Koehl joined Haydel's investigative team seeking firsthand knowledge of how basic research is done, how drugs are tested and potential cures produced, she found it and much more.

Chronic feelings of loneliness take a toll on blood pressure over time, causing a marked increase after four years. A new study shows, for the first time, a direct relation between loneliness and larger increases in blood pressure four years later -- a link that is independent of age and other factors that could cause blood pressure to rise, including body-mass index, smoking, alcohol use and demographic differences such as race and income.

A new species of dinosaur, a relative of the famous Velociraptor, has been discovered in Inner Mongolia by two Ph.D. students. The exceptionally well preserved dinosaur, named Linheraptor exquisitus, is the first near complete skeleton of its kind to be found in the Gobi desert since 1972, and will help scientists work out the appearance of other closely related dinosaur species.

Cryotherapy, an interventional radiology treatment to freeze cancer tumors, may become the treatment of the future for cancer that has metastasized in soft tissues (such as ovarian cancer) and in bone tumors. Such patients are often not candidates for surgery and would benefit from minimally invasive treatment, say researchers.