Decoding The Dictionary: Lexicon Evolved To Fit In The Brain, Study Suggests

The latest edition of the Oxford English Dictionary boasts 22,000 pages of definitions. While that may seem far from succinct, new research suggests the reference manual is meticulously organized to be as concise as possible -- a format that mirrors the way our brains make sense of and categorize the countless words in our vast vocabulary.

How To Measure A Carbon Nanotube

NIST, in collaboration with NASA, has published detailed guidelines for making essential measurements on samples of single-walled carbon nanotubes. The new guide constitutes the current "best practices" for characterizing one of the most promising and heavily studied of the new generation of nanoscale materials.

Cancer Could Return Unless Stored Ovarian Tissue Undergoes Adequate Testing Before Re-implantation

Cancer patients who have been successfully treated for their disease face the prospect of its return if stored ovarian (or testicular) tissue is transplanted back into their bodies without adequate checks, according to researchers at two university hospitals. And few fertility centers have skills and technology needed to check for residual cancer cells.

Drug Target For The Most Potent Botulinum Neurotoxin Determined

Botulinum neurotoxin -- responsible for the deadly food poisoning disease botulism and for the beneficial effects of smoothing out facial wrinkles - can also be used as a dreaded biological weapon. When ingested or inhaled, less than a billionth of an ounce can cause muscle paralysis and eventual death. Although experimental vaccines administered prior to exposure can inhibit the destructive action of this neurotoxin - the most deadly protein known to humans -- no effective pharmacological treatment exists. Scientists have now taken the first step toward designing an effective antidote to the most potent form of botulinum neurotoxin.

'Destruct' Triggers May Be Jammed In Tumor Cells, Geneticists Say

By monitoring gene activity levels and changes in chromatin -- the protein spools that the genes wrap around -- researchers were able to detect epigenetic factors that make fruit fly cells resistant to radiation. The discovery suggests that tumor cells may have similar protection from radiotherapy or chemotherapy, an insight that may lead to more effective cancer treatments.

Ancient Ecosystems Organized Much Like Our Own

Similarities between half-billion-year-old and recent food webs point to deep principles underpinning the structure of ecological relationships, as shown by researchers from the Santa Fe Institute, Microsoft Research Cambridge and elsewhere. Analyses of food-web data suggest that most, but not all, aspects of the trophic structure of modern ecosystems were in place over a half-billion years ago.

Absinthe Uncorked: The 'Green Fairy' Was Boozy -- But Not Psychedelic

A new study may end the century-old controversy over what ingredient in absinthe caused the exotic green aperitif's supposed mind-altering effects and toxic side-effects when consumed to excess. The report is the most comprehensive analysis of authentic 19th century absinthe to date.