Latest PLoS ONE Stories

Use of new analysis techniques provides food for thought about how people lived 5,000 years ago They have uncovered evidence for the first time that people living in Xincun 5,000 years ago may have practiced agriculture –before the arrival of domesticated rice in the region. Current archaeological thinking is that it was the advent of rice cultivation along the Lower Yangtze River that marked the beginning of agriculture in southern China. Poor organic preservation in the study...

12-month treatment may impact adult ADHD patients' response to methylphenidate Long-term treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with certain stimulant medications may alter the density of the dopamine transporter, according to research published May 15 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Gene-Jack Wang and colleagues from Brookhaven National Laboratory and the intramural program at NIH. ADHD is commonly treated using drugs to target dysfunctional dopamine...

Depressed patients have as many goals as healthy people, but describe them in vague terms People suffering from clinical depression express personal goals and reasons for their attainment or failure in less specific terms than people without the disorder. This lack of specificity in representing personal goals may be partially responsible for the motivational deficits seen in these patients, according to research published May 15 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Joanne Dickson from...

Malarial parasite may change mosquito olfactory system, enhance attraction to human odor Mosquitoes infected with the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum are significantly more attracted to human odors than uninfected mosquitoes, according to research published May 15 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by James Logan and colleagues from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK. The authors investigated the response of mosquitoes infected with P. falciparum malaria...

Optical media changes with age, but neural mechanisms keep color perception constant Cone receptors in the human eye lose their color sensitivity with age, but our subjective experience of color remains largely unchanged over the years. This ability to compensate for age-related changes in color perception rests in higher levels of the visual system, according to research published May 8 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Sophie Wuerger from the University of Liverpool, UK. The...

Using advanced genetic sequencing technology and analysis, Mayo Clinic vaccine researchers have identified 27 genes that respond in very different ways to the standard rubella vaccine, making the vaccine less effective for a portion of the population. The findings appear today in the online journal PLOS ONE. "This study highlighted the genes potentially responsible for poor response to the rubella vaccine," says Mayo Clinic vaccinologist Gregory Poland, M.D. "We found differences in genes...

Loreto case study reveals techniques to reduce ecological impact of hydrocarbon projects Hydrocarbon exploration and production continues to press into the most remote corners of the western Amazon, one of the most biologically and culturally diverse zones on Earth. A new best practice framework that combines technical engineering criteria with ecological and social concerns could reduce the negative environmental impacts of such development, according to research published May 1 in the...

Birds that can't identify high quality male songs change male, female flock-mate behavior Female cowbirds incapable of recognizing high-quality male songs can alter the behavior of flock-mates of either sex and disrupt overall social structure, according to research published May 1 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Sarah Maguire and colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania. Individual traits can impact a social network even in cowbirds, but the impact of changing individual...

Affirming personal values improves mood, problem solving skills in stressed students If chronic stress is weighing down your problem-solving skills, self-affirmation may give your skills a boost, according to research published May 1 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by David Creswell and colleagues from Carnegie Mellon University. Previous studies have shown that self-affirmation exercises can reduce acute stress, but the link between these improvements and chronic stress-related...

Using a protein complex found in breast milk, researchers force drug-resistant 'superbugs' including MRSA to respond to antibiotics again A protein complex found in human breast milk can help reverse the antibiotic resistance of bacterial species that cause dangerous pneumonia and staph infections, according to new University at Buffalo research. In petri dish and animal experiments, the protein complex — called Human Alpha-lactalbumin Made Lethal to Tumor Cells (HAMLET) — increased...