What’s the News: By knocking out a single gene, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have significantly increased the physical endurance of lab mice, as explained in their recent paper in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The researchers also found that certain variants of the same gene may be linked to greater endurance in humans.
How the Heck:
Past in vitro studies showed that a gene called IL-15R? is involved in controlling muscle contractions, which play a role in both muscle strength and endurance. But the gene has never been studied in a living animal, so physiologist Tejvir Khurana and his research team decided to engineer lab mice that lack IL-15R?.
They noticed that at night the altered mice ran six times farther than normal mice. When the team dissected the engineered mice, they found that their muscles had more fibers than normal mice, as well as a higher number of mitochondria, the power plants of cells. ...
Keith's note: How nice of our friends at Roskosmos to rub our noses in their monopoly today. Oh well, we created this situation through both deliberate intent and bumbling over the past decade. Well played, comrades. Enjoy it while it lasts. By overcharging in the obscene, escalating fashion that you have done during our periods of need, you are sowing the seeds of your own demise by spurring lower cost alternatives. All too soon, American spacecraft will do everything Soyuz does - and more - and will do so much better - and cheaper. 
Keith's note: Mike Griffin and his self-described "band of brothers" often referred to the Space Shuttle as an "albatross" and was indeed in a big hurry for it to go away. He seemed to have little worry that the "gap" that he so despised grew rather healthily under his tenure. Now that his self-described "Apollo on Steroids" architecture collapsed under its own flawed engineering and program execution, he's suddenly a space shuttle advocate. 
Keith's note: As one rather prominent space/science to journalist just noted to me: "And in service to the media, there's no accessibility for off-site reporters. Brilliant!"