Increasing carbon levels can be a good thing in some cases: scientists at the University of Durham propose that higher levels of inorganic carbon can have a positive influence on human health.
Carbon levels are sensed by a biological molecule, adenylyl cyclase (AC), that can then affect sperm motility or the virulence of a dangerous human pathogen. So far, AC is the only signalling molecule known to directly respond to inorganic carbon. Dr Martin Cann will present this work at the
Do you remember learning to swim? Thrashing around, floundering, until suddenly it all clicks into place and a few feeble strokes of doggy-paddle propel you away from your parent’s arms. Surely, you think, fish must be born as expert swimmers. Actually, fish larvae are pretty feeble when it comes to an efficient mode of swimming called ‘burst-and-coast’. Dr Ulrike Müller from Wageningen University studies how fish swim: “Fish larvae are the most critical life history stage. In marine fish more than
If you enjoy wildlife programmes then you’ll probably have seen bird’s-eye view footage of flying, taken from cameras attached to birds. A research group from the University of Oxford has gone one step further: by attaching a compact motion measurement unit in addition to cameras they hope to glean novel information on what it is that makes birds aeronautical experts. Their results could help in designing wing-morphing aircraft that would have deformable wing and tail parts, in place of convent
A newly-discovered mode of action of testosterone is showing great promise in defining novel strategies for the development of drugs against prostate cancer.
Testosterone has been associated with a higher rate of certain cancers. Classically, testosterone passes through the cell membrane to act inside the cell. However recent work has indicated that testosterone may also act at the cell surface, through membrane androgen binding sites called Ambs.
Now a team lead by Pro
UV-absorbing chemicals used in sunscreens may disturb production of thyroid hormone, according to new work being presented at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Glasgow.
German researchers looked at rats exposed to the UV-absorbing chemicals 4MBC (also used in some anti-aging creams) and benzophenone 2 (BP2).
They found that after treating the rats with 4MBC for 5 days, the levels of thyroid stimulating hormone were significantly raised (with the other main t
Is greenness in your genes? A new study by University of Leicester psychologists aims to find out.
It will also reveal if people really are friendlier up north- environmentally friendlier that is. And it could reveal which is the ’greener sex’.
The National Environment & Personality Survey has been launched today (3 APRIL) by a team in the University of Leicester’s School of Psychology.
The study will examine regional and social differences in en
The children of mothers who eat high protein diets in late pregnancy seem to be more susceptible to stress when they grow to adulthood. These are the results of an initial study which a group from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Southampton, led by Dr Rebecca Reynolds, Senior Lecturer, presented at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Glasgow today.
Dr Reynolds’ group have followed up the children of the ‘Motherwell babies’, whose mothers were advised to eat a high-pr
How would an outbreak of avian flu affect business worldwide? Let’s find out. MIT will be staging a real-time simulation of an avian flu outbreak to show how global supply chains are severely disrupted by such emergencies.
Developed by the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics, the simulation will involve a hypothetical outbreak of avian flu that shuts down a fictional manufacturing facility. A panel of executives will respond in real time to the unfolding emergency. “In thi
Findings point to possible novel ways to fight AIDS, immune disorders, sepsis
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discovered that an HIV-1 accessory protein called Vpr destroys the host cell’s ability to survive by binding to a host receptor. This, in turn, keeps an important enzyme from activating the cell’s immune system. These findings refine an earlier understanding of Vpr HIV pathogenesis and imply new approaches to treating AIDS, inflamm
Michigan State University scientists have identified the genetic mutation that reduces grain shattering during rice domestication research that will improve production of the crop that feeds more than half of the world’s population.
In an article on the cover of the March 31 edition of Science Magazine, MSU scientists, led by Tao Sang, associate professor of plant biology, identify for the first time the genetic mutation for the reduction of shattering, a key step in the do
A novel enzyme in corn helps the plants defend themselves from voracious caterpillars by disrupting the insects’ ability to digest food, and ultimately killing them, according to researchers. The enzyme could be used in tandem with other biological pesticides such as the Bt toxin to prevent the pests from developing resistance and making the toxin more effective.
“The enzyme is found in insect-resistant strains of corn, and it breaks down proteins and peptides in the inse
According to a study conducted by two biologists at the University of California, San Diego, Argentine ants in Southern California need wet soil to live and breed. So residents plagued by indoor infestations of the pesky little critters may find relief by simply shutting off or substantially limiting the use of their outdoor irrigation.
The scientists report in the March 30 issue of the Journal of Animal Ecology that they were able within a matter of weeks to increase the abunda
30 year weather balloon record
A new analysis of weather balloon observations from the last 30 years reveals that the Antarctic has the same ’global warming’ signature as that seen across the whole Earth, but is three times larger than that observed globally. The results by scientists from British Antarctic Survey are reported this week in Science.
Although the rapid surface warming in the Antarctic Peninsula region has been known for some time, this study has pr
“Plant diversity seems to increase when tropical forests cover large areas. Shrinking ecosystems may experience biodiversity loss lasting for millions of years.” Carlos Jaramillo, at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), and colleagues seek explanations for the longest Central and South America pollen record, published in the March 31, 2006 issue of the journal Science.
“Jaramillo’s intriguing findings provide an evolutionary perspective on a modern crisis,” William
In research that could help control contamination from the radioactive element uranium, scientists have discovered that some bacteria found in the soil and subsurface can release phosphate that converts uranium contamination into an insoluble and immobile form.
Based on laboratory studies, Georgia Institute of Technology researchers report promising results using bacterial species from three genera isolated from subsurface soils collected at a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
A Duke University engineer is “herding” tiny lenses with magnetic ferrofluids, precisely aligning them so that they focus bursts of light to excavate patterns of cavities on surfaces.
Such photolithographically produced “nanocavities” -– each only billionths of a meter across – might serve as repositories for molecules engineered as chemical detectors, said Benjamin Yellen, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Duke’s Pratt School of Engin
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