It is known that viral “squatters” comprise nearly half of our genetic code. These genomic invaders inserted their DNA into our own millions of years ago when they infected our ancestors. But just how we keep them quiet and prevent them from attack was more of a mystery until researchers revived them.

Obesity is a widespread condition in humans and has many serious consequences. Not only are overweight people faced with surcharges on airplanes but they also have a much higher risk of contracting a number of potentially fatal diseases. A considerable amount of research effort is currently focussed on the problem of weight control but to date genetic screens for factors that cause obesity have been hampered by the lack of an appropriate system.

Many people have traded in their gas-guzzling old “clunkers” for newer and more efficient models or cut back on energy use at home by opting for Energy Star appliances and compact fluorescent light bulbs. But, when it comes to our muscles, a little less efficiency might be just what the doctor ordered, suggests new research.

As it turns out, children were not the only ones with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads over this past holiday season. In a new study, scientists show how a compound from licorice root might be an effective tool in battling life-threatening, antibiotic-resistant infections resulting from severe burns.

If you’re pregnant and looking for an excuse to eat bacon and eggs, now you’ve got one: new research shows that choline plays a critical role in helping fetal brains develop regions associated with memory. Choline is found in meats, including pork, as well as chicken eggs.

Scientists have determined for the first time that prions, bits of infectious protein devoid of DNA or RNA that can cause fatal neurodegenerative disease, are capable of Darwinian evolution.

Performance enhancers are the currency of a competitive society. But there’s one that we have always had: For millions of years, segments of our DNA have improved the performance of our genome, revving up protein production at those times we need it most. New research now show that these genome enhancers regulate how our bodies make germ-fighting antibodies, molecules that keep savvy viruses and bacteria at bay.

Colorectal cancer, the third most common type of cancer worldwide, has been linked to an increased prevalence of the Western diet: one high in fat and low in fiber, vitamin D and calcium. Now, scientists have shown what happens to colon tissue when mice are fed such a diet: an inflammatory response that could be the trigger for carcinogenic processes.

A serendipitous discovery of deaf zebra fish larvae has helped narrow down the function of an elusive protein necessary for hearing and balance. The work suggests that hearing loss may arise from a faulty pathway that translates sound waves into electrical impulses the brain can understand.

By combining a research technique that dates back 136 years with modern molecular genetics, a neuroscientist has been able to see how a mammal’s brain shrewdly revisits and reuses the same molecular cues to control the complex design of its circuits.