John Travis

All Stories by John Travis

  1. Evolutionary Shocker?

    A specific protein may help plants and animals store genetic variation and release it at times of stress.

  2. Health & Medicine

    New clue stirs up lithium mystery

    Lithium and two other mood-stabilizing drugs may all work by depleting nerve cells of a chemical that the cells use to signal each other.

  3. Agriculture

    Moos, microbes, and methane

    A feed additive could reduce methane emissions from cows.

  4. Ironing out underarm odor

    Chemicals that deprive bacteria of iron may improve deodorants.

  5. Bacterial genes and cell scaffolding

    A bacterium may have revealed the origin of a key cell structure.

  6. Health & Medicine

    Transplant Triumph: Cloned cow kidneys thrive for months

    Cow kidneys and other tissue made by cloning ward off immune rejection after transplantation into cows.

  7. Health & Medicine

    Dieting woes tied to hunger hormone

    A rise in the appetite-enhancing hormone ghrelin after weight loss may explain why dieters regain pounds.

  8. Mussel Muzzled: Bacterial toxin may control pest

    A toxin made by bacteria could help stop the spread of zebra mussels.

  9. Health & Medicine

    Freeing up the mouse genome

    Scientists have assembled the DNA sequences from a strain of the common lab mouse and made the draft genome available for free over the Internet.

  10. Anthrax genomes compared for terrorism clues

    Investigators seeking clues to last fall's anthrax attack have analyzed the genome of the anthrax bacterium.

  11. Health & Medicine

    D-fending the Colon: Bile component triggers vitamin D receptor

    The protein that enables cells to respond to vitamin D also helps the gastrointestinal tract protect itself from an especially dangerous acid in bile.

  12. Health & Medicine

    A Model Mouse

    Mice with symptoms similar to rheumatoid arthritis may illuminate the puzzling disorder.