A new species of yeast has been discovered deep in the Amazon jungle. Biologist have identified novel characteristics of Candida carvajalis sp. nov.

Around thirty Europeans, including twenty French citizens, have recently contracted a viral infection linked to their pet rat.

The parasite that causes African sleeping sickness is like a thief donning a disguise. Every time the host’s immune cells get close to destroying the parasite, it escapes detection by rearranging its DNA and changing its appearance. Now scientists reveal how the parasite initiates its getaway, by cleaving both strands of its DNA.

The red panda is the first non-primate mammal to display a liking for the artificial sweetener aspartame. This unexpected affinity for an artificial sweetener may reflect structural variation in the red panda’s sweet taste receptor. The findings may shed light on how individual taste preferences and diet choice are shaped by molecular differences in taste receptors.

In a genetic leap that could help fast track vaccine and drug development to prevent or tame serious global diseases, researchers have discovered how to destroy a key DNA pathway in a wily and widespread human parasite. The feat surmounts a major hurdle for targeting genes in Toxoplasma gondii, an infection model whose close relatives are responsible for diseases that include malaria and severe diarrhea.

Scientists studying a mysterious neurological affliction in cats have discovered a surprising ability of the central nervous system to repair itself and restore function.

Scientists studying a mysterious neurological affliction in cats have discovered a surprising ability of the central nervous system to repair itself and restore function.

“Falling all over” a pet usually refers to indulging or pampering a four-legged companion, but a new report shows that many Americans, particularly the elderly, are falling over their dogs and cats literally… and hurting themselves.

Scientists have discovered how the toxoplasmosis parasite may trigger the development of schizophrenia and other bipolar disorders. They have shown that the parasite may play a role in the development of these disorders by affecting the production of dopamine — the chemical that relays messages in the brain controlling aspects of movement, cognition and behavior.

About one in 3,500 people are affected with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a disease of the retina’s visual cells that eventually leads to blindness. Now researchers have identified a genetic link between cats and humans for two different forms of RP. This discovery will help scientists develop gene-based therapies that will benefit both cats and humans.