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Researchers home in on obesity gene

An international team of researchers has identified the role of a gene which may explain why some people overeat and become obese. Their research, published today in Public Library of Science Biology, shows that the gene GAD2 has an appetite stimulating role, and that one form of the gene is strongly associated with obese people. While the researchers recognise that obesity is a result of the interactions of many genes and environmental factors, this is one of the first genes to be strongly touted as a candidate 'gene for obesity'.

Borneo elephants: A high priority for conservation

A new study settles a long-standing dispute about the genesis of an endangered species. With scant fossil evidence supporting a prehistoric presence, scientists could not say for sure where Borneo's elephants came from. Did they descend from ancient prototypes of the Pleistocene era or from modern relatives introduced just 300?500 years ago? That question, as Fernando et al. report in an article that will appear in the inaugural issue of PLoS Biology.



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