An unusual device that uses trained wasps, rather than trained dogs, to detect specific chemical odors could one day be used to find hidden explosives, plant diseases, illegal drugs, cancer and even buried bodies, according to a joint study by researchers at the University of Georgia and U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The trained wasps are contained in a cup-sized device, called a “Wasp Hound,” that is capable of sounding an alarm or triggering a visual signal, such as a flashin
Study shows cystic fibrosis gene mutation a risk factor for young-onset disease
Mayo Clinic researchers have found the risk of developing pancreatic cancer at a young age (under 60) to be twice as high for people who carry a mutation of the gene that causes cystic fibrosis, compared to noncarriers. Results of a pilot and follow-up study were reported Oct. 14, 2005, online in the journal Gut.
Pancreatic cancer kills over 32,000 people in the United States each year Twenty p
The rapid structural breakdown of some important parts of the ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica is possible, has happened in the distant past, and some “startling changes” on the margin of these ice masses has been observed in recent years – raising disturbing concerns about sea level rise.
In a new report to be released Friday in the journal Science, researchers from Oregon State University and four other institutions in the U.S. and Europe outline dynamic mechanisms of
Long-standing scientific question resolved
The discovery in 1977 that the coding regions of a gene could appear in separate segments along the DNA won the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for Richard J. Roberts and Phillip A. Sharp. The active segments of a gene were termed exons, separated from each other within the gene by inactive introns.
The research suggested the necessary existence of a number of biological processes and active entities, many of which h
Tumor-suppressor proteins work to inhibit tumor growth in our bodies and when they win, they spare us a battle with cancer. But one such protein, menin, appears to have a split personality. Though menin is well-known for its ability to suppress endocrine tumors, researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered that it is also a key player in the development of some forms of acute leukemia.
The researchers, who made the discovery in working with mouse cells, s
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago used functional brain imaging to establish a link between emotional impairment and poor cognition in children with bipolar disorder.
“This study is very exciting because it shows that negative emotions affect cognition differently than positive emotions in these kids,” said Dr. Mani Pavuluri, associate professor of psychiatry at UIC’s Institute for Juvenile Research and the Center for Cognitive Medicine, and lead author
Extent of forest degradation may be twice as high as previously estimated
Human activities are degrading the Amazonian forest at twice the rate previously estimated, suggests a new study that adds the effects of logging to those of clear-cutting. The research appears in the 21 October issue of the journal Science, published by AAAS, the nonprofit science society.
Until now, satellite-based methods for measuring deforestation across large areas have only been capable of
Mother to child transmission of HIV accounts for a large proportion of HIV infections in children, with many infected as a result of breastfeeding, which requires transfer of the virus across mucosal barriers. DC-SIGN, a DC lectin receptor, interacts with HIV and is found at high expression levels in tonsillar tissue.
In a paper appearing online on October 20 in advance of print publication of the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, William Paxton and coll
Messenger RNA ’cut and run’ scheme provides rapid stress response
Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have discovered a new kind of messenger RNA molecule that is converted from non-protein coding status to protein coding status in response to cellular stress such as viral infection. The discovery reveals a “cut and run” mechanism that is likely to control the expression of many genes in humans and a variety of other organisms. A deeper understanding of this m
The European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA) has designated, as an orphan medicine, one of the 18 patents of the Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA) at the University of Navarre. This approval, achieved by the Digna Biotech biotechnological company, will facilitate the clinical development of its p144 peptide in the treatment of two symptoms of skin disease: local and systemic scleroderma.
The aim of Digna Biotech (www.dignabiotech.com) is the devel
This Envisat acquisition showing Typhoon Kirogi passing beneath Japan is the latest of more than 480 satellite images so far available for viewing in ESA’s new Earth Images Gallery.
The Gallery is a user-friendly showcase of spectacular images acquired by ESA Earth Observation satellites. The collection can be searched on a geographical basis, using a spinning globe to specify a continent of interest. The site then displays the distribution of available images. Select one to vi
The classic model for explaining the biosynthesis of starch in plant leaves has been seriously called in to question. While to date the accepted belief has been that starch biosynthesis is produced solely in the chloroplast, biologist Nora Alonso Casajús’ PhD provides evidence to show that the greatest part of the precursor molecule in starch biosynthesis – known as ADPG – accumulates in the cytosol of the plants. This finding has meant a great advance in the race to obtain vegetables that can
Joint press release: Natural Environment Research Council and Queen’s University Belfast
Research from Queen’s University Belfast, published today in the journal Science, has given new meaning to the ‘north-south divide’. It has shown that one breed of European songbird is bucking the trend to travel south for the winter and is opting to migrate to the chillier climes of Britain and Ireland instead. The research also indicates that birds over-wintering in the British Isl
With the antennae to the ground, the female shore crab hunts for prince charming. The olfactory organs are contained within the antennae of crabs. To the shore crab, odours and tastes form the letters of the language of love. The role of chemical communication in the love life of shore crabs has been charted in a new dissertation from Lund University in Sweden.
Mattias Ekerholm at the department of Cell and Organism Biology, Lund University in Sweden has studied the role of odou
The possibility of a patient lowering their blood pressure at the flick of a switch has been raised by research led by Oxford University, which shows that stimulating parts of the brain with electrodes can change a patient’s blood pressure.
In a paper published today by Neuroreport, researchers at Oxford University and Imperial College London report that they have found the exact area of the brain that controls blood pressure and how to make use of it.
A team of neurosur
Researchers at the University of Ulster have found that drugs being developed to combat diabetes could also prevent nerve degeneration caused by Alzheimer’s disease.
Neurobiologist Dr Christian Holscher, who heads the Alzheimer Research Group at the University’s Coleraine campus, has teamed up with the University’s internationally renowned diabetes research group to investigate links between two diseases.
Recent research has shown a surprising link between Alzheimer’s a
Feedback
