For the first time, investigators have identified a way to detect neural progenitor cells, which can develop into neurons and other nervous system cells, in the living human brain using a type of imaging called magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The finding may lead to improved diagnosis and treatment for depression, Parkinson's disease, brain tumors, and a host of other disorders.

Older participants in a 5-week balance class saw their balance improve on average by 19.5 percent. Researchers attribute much of this improvement to training geared toward minimizing the influence of the participants' aging and less reliable reflexes.

Imagine paint that adheres to a surface, but releases on command or road signs that change their reflectivity with changing weather conditions. These are two potential uses of a novel, responsive material. Inspired by the way a Venus flytrap captures its pray, scientists created a polymer surface covered with small holes capped by thin lenses of the same material. The lenses can snap between convex and concave when triggered.

A population of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci has become one of the world's worst invasive species -- devastating many crops in China and elsewhere in the process -- through mating behaviors that help it invade the territory of native whitefly populations, according to a new study.

Blog: Can microbes help us get off fossil fuel? Maybe.