According to a new study, a monoclonal antibody (REGN727) to the protein PCSK9 can significantly reduce bad cholesterol.  PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9) is a serine protease.  LDL cholesterol levels in the blood increases when its receptors (LDL receptor) are degraded by binding to PCSK9.

A petition to increase NIH budget to $33 billion dollars in 2012-2013 fiscal year is under way. According to the petition being promoted on the White House website, a flat $30.7 billion funding for the year will kill jobs and hurt research.

Researchers have identified the intracellular mechanisms regulated by vitamin D3 that may help the body clear the brain of amyloid beta. Amyloid beta is the main component of plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease. Amyloid beta, also called Abeta, is a peptide of 36–43 amino acids long that is cleaved from the parent peptide,  Amyloid precursor protein.

Unexpected new findings by a University of Maryland team of geochemists show that some portions of the Earth's mantle (the rocky layer between Earth's metallic core and crust) formed when the planet was much smaller than it is now, and that some of this early-formed mantle survived Earth's turbulent formation, including a collision with another planet-sized body that many scientists

A new technique holds promise for the creation of catalytic materials that can serve as effective low-cost alternatives to platinum for generating hydrogen gas from water that is acidic. The technique for creating a new molecule that structurally and chemically replicates the active part of the widely used industrial catalyst molybdenite has been developed by researchers with the U.S.

Gastrointestinal problems are common in children with autism and may be associated with compositional changes in intestinal bacteria. The underlying reason autism is often associated with gastrointestinal disturbances has been unknown.

For the first time, the scientists have produced neuron-by-neuron maps of the regions of the mouse brain that process different kinds of visual information, laying the groundwork for decoding the circuitry of the brain using cutting-edge, genetic research techniques only possible in mice.