Crocus and daffodil blossoms mean spring has arrived on land and a similar "greening" event, a massive phytoplankton bloom, unfolds each spring in the Atlantic Ocean.

But, what happens to all that organic material produced in the surface ocean? 

Patients with chronic kidney disease may be treated with a class of medications called Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone System inhibitors (RAASI's) but though they protect the heart and kidney, a significant percentage of patients develop a dangerous side effect; high potassium levels in the blood, a condition known as hyperkalemia. 

Elevated potassium puts patients at risk of death from cardiac arrhythmias. Lacking a drug to treat the problem, doctors either stop these beneficial drugs or may use kidney dialysis to quickly lower the potassium.

A short burst of intensive exercise before eating a high-fat meal is better for blood vessel function than the currently recommended moderate-intensity exercise, at least in young people.

Cardiovascular diseases including heart attacks and stroke are a leading cause of death and the process underlying these diseases start in youth. An impairment in the function of blood vessels is thought to be the earliest event in this process, and this is known to occur in the hours after consuming a high fat meal. 

With each new amyloid-targeting treatment for Alzheimer's disease that has been developed, there has been a corresponding concern about antibodies targeting amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) producing inflammation in the brain in some patients.

Gamma secretase inhibitors tend to produce adverse effects by interacting with Notch, an important pathway for cellular signaling. 

A new study has examined why beavers don't get tooth decay even though they don't brush their teeth or drink fluoridated water.

Thousands of years ago, Aristotle knew that some mushrooms glowed, so it is no surprise the great thinker wondered why.

Science may finally have an answer for his question. 

A new study posits that the light emitted from those fungi attracts the attention of insects, including beetles, flies, wasps, and ants. Those insect visitors are apparently good for the fungi because they spread the fungal spores around. The new study also shows that the mushrooms' bioluminescence is under the control of the circadian clock. In fact, it was that discovery that led the researchers to suspect that the mushrooms' light must serve some useful purpose.