This is a comparison of ancient rice remains and modern rice. Rice, or Oryza sativa as its scientifically known, feeds more than a third of the globe. Yet the majority of rice crops that supply 90 percent of the world come from just two domesticated varieties, japonica and indica.

SPP inhibition reduces production of infectious HCV particles and pathogenesis, Researchers at Osaka University, Japan uncovered the mechanisms that suppress the propagation of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) with the potential of improving pathological liver conditions. Using model mice, they confirmed that when a certain enzyme is inhibited, HCV particle production is reduced leading to an improvement of pathological liver conditions. They thereby identified a new drug target for the development of new HCV drugs.

Eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration are among the leading causes of irreversible vision loss and blindness worldwide. Currently, gene therapy can be administered to treat these conditions -- but this requires an injection. Now researchers report in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces a new way to deliver the treatment topically, without a needle.

A discovery by Washington State University scientist Dan Rodgers and collaborator Paul Gregorevic could save millions of people suffering from muscle wasting disease.

Berkeley Lab researchers (from left) Lara Gundel, Marion Russell, Hugo Destaillats demonstrate filling a glass syringe with vapor from an e-cigarette. While previous studies have found that electronic cigarettes emit toxic compounds, a new study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has pinpointed the source of these emissions and shown how factors such as the temperature, type, and age of the device play a role in emission levels, information that could be valuable to both manufacturers and regulators seeking to minimize the health impacts of these increasingly popular devices.

Researchers surveyed 75 plant species to identify top performing enzymes that will help increase the yields of staple food crops such as wheat. Plant scientists at Lancaster University, with support from the University of Illinois, have made an important advance in understanding the natural diversity of a key plant enzyme which could help us address the looming threat of global food security.

This image shows the mapping of the three distinct Zika virus DIII epitopes onto the mature virion. Antibodies that specifically protect against Zika infection have been identified in mice, report Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis researchers on July 27 in Cell. This is the second publication in recent weeks (another paper showing human Zika antibodies appeared in Science on July 14, DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf8505) that explores the surfaces that the antibodies target on the virus. The information will help inform the development of vaccines, diagnostics, and antibody-based prophylactic and therapeutic agents.