Medicine

Repetition is essential for acquisition and retention of new information and skills. Researchers uncover a mechanism by which the brain regulates restructuring of neuronal connections during the processes of learning and memory-building

Each moment that we are awake, our senses are bombarded with stimuli. Focusing our attention on the few stimuli that are important allows us to filter out the ones irrelevant to the task at hand. RIKEN researchers have found that attention does in fact modulate primary cortical responses to both auditory and visual stimuli.

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Biopsy sample sheds light on HIV-1 evolution, Magnetic imaging and sensing using diamond spins, The glaciation threshold, An earlier dawn for microRNAs, Measuring the magnetic field of a distant galaxy, Knock-out blow for Chlamydia and Evolution in action

In Nature China this week - Cotton plants that have been genetically modified to produce insecticidal toxins could reduce pest populations in unmodified crops nearby

In Nature China this week - Researchers in China have uncovered the signalling pathway responsible for damping down the antiviral effects of interferon-γ

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Astronomy: Star light, star bright, Infectious disease: The GILTy party and Quantum Flicks: Now you see them, now you don't

In Nature China this week - New policies are needed to ensure that coal power can be developed in China without high pollutant emissions and more

Health experts of PolyU who have rendered their quality services to members of the China's national sports teams in preparation of the Beijing Olympics were thanked and praised.

The Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning (ASAIHL) welcomes nominations and applications to the 1st Annual ASAIHL-Scopus Young Scientist Awards in the fields of Life Sciences, Medicine, Engineering and Technology and Agricultural Science.

A three-year field study on the Tibetan plateau shows that plant species differ in their ability to emit or consume methane

The research establishes the power of The Cancer Genome Atlas project and shows that it has the potential to expand rapidly our knowledge of the genetic alterations involved in cancers.

China's national treatment program has significantly reduced the mortality rate of HIV-infected blood donors through the use of 'cocktail' drugs

In Nature China this week - Biosensors: Infiltrate to enhance, Metabolic syndrome: Nonpeptide peps up therapy, Mouse pheromones: Secret seducers, Gene expression: Cluster spotting and Graphene: Thickness detector

Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) faculty of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Laboratory Services Unit (VLSU) is the first academic Faculty in Malaysia to be granted accreditation certification of the Malaysian Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (SAMM)

The gathering of 611 dogs at UPM Expo Hill in Dogathon 2008 hosted by UPM Faculty of Veterinary Medicine’s Zoological Club has succeeded in being acknowledged in the Malaysia Book of Records as the “Biggest Dog Gathering in Malaysia” last August 10

In Nature China this week - Researchers in China have identified a genetic locus that is important for regulating hybrid sterility and more

Several common moisturizing creams can increase the formation of non-melanoma skin tumors when applied to UV-radiation treated mice, according to research published online this week in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

In Nature China this week - The mouth of the 'dragon' protein could be the key to a bird-flu cure and more

Karolinska Institutet is one of Europe's largest medical universities. It is also Sweden´s largest center for medical training and research, located in Stockholm, Sweden. Keio University has entered into the agreement with Karolinska Institutet in 2007.

Researchers in China have identified a potential therapeutic gene for the treatment of a number of human cancers

Summaries of newsworthy papers include Ecology: The unrealized power of parasites, Materials: Flexible electronic networks of carbon nanotubes and Astrophysics: Accretion disks show their true colours

Assessment of antioxidant activities of some local root crops in the Philippines by researchers from the University of the Philippines Diliman reveals that the phenolic content of sweet potato has the highest antioxidant property among the local root crops studied.

In a special News report, Nature asks leading reproductive biologists and clinicians what developments in the field could have an equivalent impact in the next three decades. Millions of babies have now been conceived through IVF – will any of the experts’ latest predictions, including artificial wombs, be as commonplace in 2028?

With the upcoming Olympics, Waseda University has put forward experts in Sports Science, Sports Business, Fan Behaviour, Coaching and Sports Medicine.

In Nature China this week - The soil bacteria Streptomyces can be manipulated to produce polyene antibiotics with improved pharmacological properties. Other highlights include Aquaculture: Stressful scallops, Nanowaste: Reduce, reuse, recycle, High-temperature superconductivity: Warmer than expected

In Nature China this week - Researchers in Beijing have developed a screening method that can quickly pick out potential antitumour agents from natural plant extracts and more

Be one of 5 journalists (from all over the world) to cover the meeting of the world’s experts on the relationships between health and the environment, in Merida (Mexico), 1 – 5 December 2008

Unlike Virtual Reality (VR) that aims at replacing the perception of the world with an artificial one, Augmented Reality (AR) has the goal of enhancing a person's perception of the surrounding world. Being partly virtual and real, the new interface technology of AR can revolutionise education.

In Nature China this week - Researchers in Shanghai explain how cholesterol is absorbed in cells, and more importantly, how the drug ezetimibe stops this absorption and more

In Nature China this week - Researchers in China have developed a computer algorithm for discovering novel non-coding RNA genes from previously ignored sequences in the human genome and more