Washington, November 7 : The conventional blood pressure medicines may be replaced by a hypertension vaccine, if the results form a small study testing the safety and tolerability of the vaccine ar

Washington, November 7 : Ever wonder what drives us to donate money for a good cause or financially helping out a person in need? Well, researchers at Claremont Graduate University say the answer may lie in oxytoxin, a mammalian hormone involved in social recognition and bonding.

Neuroeconomist Paul J. Zak and his colleagues gave doses of oxytocin and a placebo to participants, who were then offered a blinded, one-time decision on how to split a sum of money with a stranger who could accept or reject the split.

Participants who were administered oxytocin offered 80 per cent more money than those given a placebo, they found.

According to Zak, the findings indicate that though humans are inherently altruistic, they are also generous when they feel empathy toward one another.

Washington, Nov 7 : A new study by scientists has explained how sharks follow the bloody trail of a victim.

The process, known as electroreception, involves sharks, rays and skates using a gel-like substance on their heads to pick up electrical current signals from their water environments.

This explains why sharks pursue bloody victims, even when other 'easy target' prey is around and the gushing blood obscures the shark's vision and smell.

"The gel contains various proteins and salts, so it's similar to mucus, only with a jello-like consistency," said lead author R. Douglas Fields. "Basically, it's shark snot," he added.

The slimy substance plays a big role in hunting. It allows the fish to detect very faint electrical fields, which prey emit when they swim or bleed.

Washington, Nov 7 : Canadian researchers are looking forward to step up the war on cancer by tapping into a global network of hundreds of thousands of people who volunteer their unused computer time to engage in some of the world’s most intricate problems.

The research team, led by Dr. Igor Jurisica at the Ontario Cancer Institute (OCI), and scientists at Princess Margaret Hospital and University Health Network, are the first from Canada to use the World Community Grid, a network of PCs and laptops with the power equivalent to one of the globe’s top five fastest supercomputers.

Washington, Nov 7 : Researchers have revealed vital information about haemoglobin, and opened up the possibility to optimise its function by modelling its role in oxygen transportation at atomic level.

The transport of oxygen in blood is undertaken by haemoglobin, the largest component of red blood cells. This protein collects oxygen in respiratory organs, mainly in the lungs, and releases it in tissues in order to generate the energy necessary for cell survival. Haemoglobin is one of the most refined proteins because its evolution and small mutations in its structure can produce anaemia and other severe pathologies.