A new study finds that vitamin D can protect some people with colorectal cancer by boosting the immune system's vigilance against tumor cells.

The research in Gut represents the first time that a link between vitamin D and the immune response to cancer has been shown in a large human population. The authors believe their work advances the idea that vitamin D, known as the "sunshine vitamin" because it is produced by the body in response to sunlight exposure, plays a role in cancer prevention.

As the Earth warms and glaciers all over the world begin to melt, the natural concern has been how all of that extra water will contribute to sea level rise.

Less considered is what happens to all of the organic carbon found in those glaciers when they melt. A new paper estimates what could happen if major ice sheets break down.

Glaciers and ice sheets contain about 70 percent of the Earth's freshwater and ongoing melting is a major contributor to sea level rise. But, glaciers also store organic carbon derived from both primary production on the glaciers and deposition of materials such as soot or other fossil fuel combustion byproducts.  

From the beginning of time, uranium has been part of the Earth and, thanks to its long-lived radioactivity, it has proven ideal to date geological processes and figuring out Earth’s evolution. 

Natural uranium consists of two long-lived isotopes uranium-238 and the lighter uranium-235 and  uranium isotopes leave a distinct ‘fingerprint’ in the sources of volcanic rocks, making it possible to gauge their age and origin.   

Researchers have identified hyaluronon (HA) as a critical substance made by the body that protects against premature births caused by infection. Pre-term birth from infection is the leading cause of infant mortality in many countries according to the World Health Organization.

The findings of the study, recently published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, are the first to identify the specific role that HA plays in the reproductive tract.

Wine, medicine and movies are two great examples of how the naturalistic fallacy - the old ways are better - retain a vice-like grip on aspects of culture.  The naturalistic fallacy issues of wine tasting and medicine have been well-documented on Science 2.0 and, as anyone who got stuck watching "Crash" or "American Beauty" can tell you, awards and and critical acclaim in films also needs to be replaced with 21st century technology.

Beet juice is a fad in sports optimization because it is
rich in nitrates, but does it work? 

It has some value, though it does not enhance muscle blood flow or vascular dilation during exercise, as commonly claimed. It does "de-stiffen" blood vessels under resting conditions, potentially easing the workload of the heart.