Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily

1. Big dogs face more joint problems if neutered early
   Heavier mixed-breed dogs have higher health risks if neutered or spayed early, according to a new study.

   
2. To understand the machinery of life, this scientist breaks it on purpose
   By tinkering with some of life's oldest components, astrobiologists hope to find clues about how life emerged. In a recent article researchers report an unexpected discovery, hinting at an effect that prevents organisms from ever reaching evolutionary 'perfection.'

   
3. Busting Up the Infection Cycle of Hepatitis B
   Researchers have gained new understanding of the virus that causes hepatitis B and the 'spiky ball' that encloses its genetic blueprint. They looked at how the capsid -- a protein shell that protects the blueprint and also drives the delivery of it to infect a host cell -- assembles itself. The capsid is an important target in developing drugs to treat hepatitis B, a life-threatening and incurable infection that afflicts more than 250 million people worldwide.

   
4. Loss of a specific enzyme boosts fat metabolism and exercise endurance in mice
   Blocking the activity of a fat-regulating enzyme in the muscles of mice leads to an increased capacity for endurance exercise, according to the results of a new study.

   
5. Bacterial enzymes hijacked to create complex molecules normally made by plants
   Chemists have efficiently created three families of complex, oxygen-containing molecules that are normally obtainable only from plants. These molecules, called terpenes, are potential starting points for new drugs and other high-value products -- marking an important development for multiple industries. In addition, the new approach could allow chemists to build many other classes of compounds.