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A new study by Duke University researchers helps clarify the matter by showing how a sugar habit changes specific brain circuits, and how those changes produce cravings that reinforce the habit. The research team began by getting a group of healthy mice hooked on sugar. Similar to classic studies on drug addiction, the mice in this study were trained to press a tiny lever to receive doses of sweets. Once the mice were hooked, they continued pressing the lever even when the sweets were removed. So that was step one, establishing a behavioral pattern to get the goods.

In this audio slide show, Dr. Dana Dolinoy of Duke University explains the role that the epigenome, a sort of second genome, plays in regulating the expression of our genes. As Dolinoy notes, we can no longer say with certainty whether genetics or the environment have a greater impact on our health, because the two are inextricably linked through the epigenome.

An exciting new test might help us save antibiotics. Needing only a drop of blood, researchers at Duke have developed a rapid assay that can tell viral infections-which generally can't be treated-from bacterial ones that may benefit from antibiotics. While I don't usually write about drugs or products in development, this test piqued my interest and left me excited about its potential to help contain antibiotic overuse.

By observing how the cells in the zebrafish's skin responded to injury, the Duke team learned a lot about the skin regeneration process and were surprised by its complexity. They saw that in the hours following a fin amputation, for example, zebrafish regenerated skin through three different mechanisms: the "recruitment" of spare skin cells from other areas, a temporary doubling in size in some pre-existing cells, and the creation of completely new cells.

If you think of your dog as your "fur baby," science has your back. New research shows that when our canine pals stare into our eyes, they activate the same hormonal response that bonds us to human infants. The study-the first to show this hormonal bonding effect between humans and another species-may help explain how dogs became our companions thousands of years ago.

Over a million people in the United States have some form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD. It can be caused by intestinal bacteria, environment or genetics. One thing is for sure, the lining of the intestines don't work correctly because the cells have been disturbed by one of these things. A common finding in Crohn's and IBD is that a molecule called TNF is elevated, and starts the inflammation process. Researchers still don't know what signals the TNF to go up, but maybe they can turn it off with another molecule.