The vast differences between humans and chimpanzees are due more to changes in gene regulation than differences in individual genes themselves, researchers from Yale, the University of Chicago, and the Hall Institute in Parkville, Victoria, Australia, argue in the 9 March 2006 issue of the journal Nature.
The scientists provide powerful new evidence for a 30-year-old theory, proposed in a classic paper from Mary-Claire King and Allan Wilson of Berkeley. That 1975 paper documented
Study addresses feedbacks to climate change
Significantly more carbon is stored in the world’s soils than is present in the atmosphere. In a process called a “positive feedback,” global warming may stimulate decomposition of soil organic matter, thus releasing heat-trapping carbon dioxide gas to the atmosphere, possibly causing the rate of global warming to increase further. Disagreement exists, however, regarding the effects of climate change on global soil carbon stocks.
First-ever national analysis of local TV news health coverage reveals opportunities for both broadcasters and health experts to improve
Local television newscasts, where most Americans get most of their news, are packed with medical stories and health information. But the first-ever national study of that coverage finds many problems with it, and sees room for improvement by both TV stations and the health experts whose work fills the news.
In the March issue of the Ame
When Dr. Rui Chen, assistant professor in the Baylor College of Medicine Human Genome Sequencing Center, sought to understand further the protein called Eyeless, he faced a dilemma.
Eyeless is a transcription factor, which means one of its major activities is to turn off or turn on other genes that have an effect on eye development later in the process. It is so powerful that when it is inserted into almost any tissues of the fruit fly, eyes grow – often in unexpected places.
Bird experts believed for years that once a bird learned songs, the calls stayed relatively fixed for life. But a new Cornell University study finds that male loons change their tunes when they move into a new territory.
Professor Charles Walcott poses with a toy loon in his office. His latest research provides valuable insights into the loon’s social and territorial behavior, which has implications for conservation efforts.
The study, to be published in the March iss
Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have launched a publicly-available microbial database to host a range of microbial genome sequences.
The VBI Microbial Database (VMD), which is described in a recent article published in Nucleic Acids Research (Vol.34, D379-D381), contains genome sequence and annotation data for the plant pathogens Phytophthora sojae and Phytophthora ramorum. The purpose of the database is to make widely available to researc
For the first time, Johns Hopkins researchers were able to easily jumpstart the activity of a well-known cancer protein in live cells with a small molecule, a strategy that pinpointed key players in the cancer process and can be used to determine new therapeutic targets. What’s more, the scientists’ study, published in the March 3 issue of Science, identifies a simple method to further understand the complex mechanisms that underlie cancer as well as other diseases and may provide an ea
Liquid crystals, the same phase-shifting materials used to display information on cell phones, monitors and other electronic equipment, can also be used to report in real time on the differentiation of embryonic stem cells.
Differentiation is the process by which embryonic stem cells gradually turn into function-specific types of adult cells or so-called “cell lineages,” including skin, heart or brain cells.
The main challenge facing stem cell research is that of gui
Researchers at Purdue University have discovered a molecular mechanism that may play a crucial role in cancer’s ability to resist chemotherapy and radiation treatment and that also may be involved in Alzheimer’s and heart disease.
The scientists, using an innovative imaging technique invented at Purdue, have learned that a protein previously believed to be confined to the nucleus of healthy cells actually shuttles between the nucleus and cytoplasm, the region of the cell surr
With the popularity of Web-based retailers, knowing online buying behavior may be the difference between success and failure for Web marketers, according to Swinder Janda, an associate professor of marketing at Kansas State University.
Internet use has grown tremendously over the last few years — about 95 million Americans have online access — and current trends indicate a steady increase in consumers’ willingness to make online purchases, Janda said.
Janda,
A computer design tool originally created for animation may soon unlock the secrets of the structure of ancient cathedrals, according to MIT Assistant Professor John Ochsendorf of architecture.
A structural engineer specializing in architectural and construction history, Ochsendorf recently presented to colleagues a virtual design method that has been extended in novel ways by a team of architects, computer scientists and engineers at MIT.
“This is the kind of work – crossi
While studying a compound made of the elements cerium- rhodium-indium, researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have discovered that a magnetic state can coexist with superconductivity in a specific temperature and pressure range. The discovery is a step toward a deeper understanding of how Nature is organized in regimes ranging from the fabric of the cosmos to the most fundamental components of elementary particles.
In research pub
A major conservation effort, led by Dr Brendan Godley of the University of Exeter, has just got underway to help protect endangered leatherback turtles which nest in Gabon, West Africa. The region is thought to be the animals’ last global stronghold, as pacific populations dwindle precariously.
It’s hoped the project, to tag and track the animals, will uncover their migratory secrets and provide the basis for efforts to safeguard them. After fitting them with satelli
Results support guidelines for treatment of aortic regurgitation
Patients with leaky aortic heart valves appear to do better when the valves are replaced before significant symptoms develop, as recommended by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines, according to a new study in the Mar. 7, 2006, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
“In short, we found that those patients that were operated on early enough following t
University of Chicago researchers and colleagues have found strong support that a disturbance of a specific neurochemical can lead to sudden infant death syndrome, the primary cause of death before age 1 in the United States. Approximately 3,000 infants die each year from SIDS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the March 8, 2006, issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers describe what happens during hypoxia when levels of the hormone seroton
Finding has potential to limit toxic molecules
Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered a previously unrecognized role played by the gene HIF-1 as it helps cell survive when a lack of oxygen decreases production of an energy-rich molecule called ATP and increases production of toxic molecules. ATP supplies energy the cell needs to perform each of its many chemical reactions and tasks, and in this way acts as the “currency” for the cell’s energy economy.
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