Two antiviral drugs, oseltamivir and zanamivir, are highly effective when given as a preventive measure to reduce the spread of the influenza virus, according to an analysis of household-based studies by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Michigan and University of Virginia, published in the current print edition of the American Journal of Epidemiology. The analysis also suggests that treatment with oseltamivir may reduce the infectiousness of influenza patients, although further studies are needed to provide a definitive conclusion.

Applied scientists demonstrated a new method for developing wrinkled hard skins on the surface areas of polymers using a focused ion beam. By controlling the direction and intensity of the ion beam, the researchers literally sculpted patterns on flat areas of polydimethylsiloxane, a silicon-based organic polymer (more commonly known as the primary ingredient in Silly Putty). The technique has potential use for biological sensors and microfluidic devices and may offer new ways to build custom-made cell templates for tissue engineering.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers have developed a powerful method for charting the positions of key gene-regulating molecules called nucleosomes throughout the human genome. The mapping tool could help uncover important clues for understanding and diagnosing cancer and other diseases, the scientists say. Moreover, it may shed light on the role of nucleosomes in the process of "reprogramming" an adult cell to its original embryonic state, which is a critical operation in cloning.

Scientists at Monash University in Australia have developed a process for rapidly and efficiently separating blood plasma at the microscopic level without any moving parts, potentially allowing doctors to do blood tests without sending samples to a laboratory. The new method uses the same principle that causes tea leaves to accumulate at the center of the bottom in a stirred teacup, a phenomenon first explained by Einstein in the 1920s.

New research by the University of Warwick reveals that a Nobel Prize brings more than just cash and kudos - it can also add nearly two years to your life.

Using plants to produce useful proteins could be an inexpensive alternative to current medicine production methods. Researchers from the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) at Ghent University have succeeded in producing in plant seeds proteins that have a very strong resemblance to antibodies. They have also demonstrated that these antibody variants are just as active as the whole antibodies that occur naturally in humans. By virtue of their particular action, antibodies are very useful for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. From this research, it is now also clear that these kinds of antibody variants can be used in medical applications and that it is possible to produce them in the seeds of plants, which can have enormous advantages over conventional production methods.

New studies found an amazing concentration of over 1000 species unique to an East African area smaller than Rhode Island called the Eastern Arc Mountains--including 96 animals like this horned chameleon (Chamaeleo tenue), according to World Wildlife Fund. It is the highest concentration of endemic animals in Africa and increasingly endangered as growing human populations nearby need more and more land for subsistence farming. Location: Eastern Arc Mountains, Tanzania

Credit: Burgess/WWF New studies published this month in the scientific journal Biological Conservation document an amazing concentration of over 1000 species unique--or endemic-- to an area slightly larger than Rhode Island in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania and Kenya. This remaining habitat in the Eastern Arcs has the highest concentration of endemic animals in Africa and is increasingly endangered by complex threats.