physiology

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Corbis, Robin Bartholick

The War Within

By Ole H. Petersen, Oleg V. Gerasimenko, and Julia V. Gerasimenko

Unraveling the molecular causes of acute pancreatitis—a potentially deadly disease in which the pancreas essentially digests itself—is yielding clues to how it might be treated.

Infographic: Calcium and the Pancreas  View full size JPG | PDF Andrew Swift

Calcium and the Pancreas

By Ole H. Petersen, Oleg V. Gerasimenko, and Julia V. Gerasimenko

Normal pancreatic function depends on the precise flow of calcium within and into the acinar cells of the organ. When…

Wikimedia Commons

Ultrasound Halts Sperm Production

By Edyta Zielinska

Zapping testicles with ultrasound appears to reduce sperm counts to low levels in rats.

Wikimedia Commons, Julius Schorzman

Caffeine Affects Estrogen Levels

By Megan Scudellari

Moderate caffeine intake is associated with higher estrogen levels for Asians, but lower levels for whites.

istockphoto.com, Denis Kartavenko

Resolving Chronic Pain

By Claudia Sommer and Frank Birklein

The body’s own mechanism for dispersing the inflammatory reaction might lead to new treatments for chronic pain.

Dreamstime.com, Sergey Kharitonov

The Comfort Food Drug

By Cristina Luiggi

Researchers found that stress eating can blunt the body’s stress response.

University of Oklamhoma StadiumWikimedia commons, Nmajdan

University Settles With Professor

By Edyta Zielinska

The University of Oklahoma settles a case against a professor accused of harming students in his research.

The ancient cranium, bearing the mark of a fracture (red box) that eventually healedImage courtesy University of the Witwatersrand

The Roots of Violence

By Bob Grant

Scientists discover the earliest evidence of human-on-human aggression etched in an ancient skull.

Flickr, twob

Why We Yawn

By Edyta Zielinska

Rather than fatigue or boredom, researchers propose that yawning may cool an overheated brain.

Wikimedia Commons, Fir0002/Flagstaffotos

Prenatal Stress Ages Offspring

By Tia Ghose

Exposure to high levels of stress hormones in the egg can increase signs of aging in chickens.