A modification to an “ace” gene prediction program now enables scientists to predict the very beginnings of gene transcription start sites and where the first splice occurs thereby defining the first exon of the gene.
The modification to the gene prediction software TWINSCAN is called N-SCAN. Michael Brent, Ph.D. professor of computer science at Washington University in St. Louis, together with Samuel S. Gross, then an undergraduate at Washington University, and Randall H. Br
Double threat could power 900 American homes
An environmental engineer at Washington University in St. Louis has created a device similar to a hydrogen fuel cell that uses bacteria to treat wastewater and create electricity.
Lars Angenent, Ph.D., assistant professor of Chemical Engineering, and a member of the University’s Environmental Engineering Science Program, has devised a microbial fuel cell which he calls an upflow microbial fuel cell (UMFC) that is fed co
UCR research shows boosting plant vitamin C levels can minimize ozone’s damaging effects
The harmful effects of smog on people and animals – the stinging eyes and decreased lung capacity – are the stuff of well-researched fact. Now, the body of knowledge about air pollution’s effects on plants has grown with University of California, Riverside Biochemistry Professor Daniel Gallie’s discovery of the importance of vitamin C in helping plants defend themselves against the ravages of
Weizmann Institute scientist develops a process that one day may yield a solution to the global wastepaper glut
One wouldn’t expect paper to be a major source of pollution: after all, it’s made from wood, which in nature breaks down into tiny components that re-enter the plant growth cycle. Yet without proper dampness and other conditions that are often missing in garbage dumps, paper fails to decompose for dozens of years. As a result, billions of tons of wastepaper cram the plan
Scientists in the Organic Chemistry Department of the Weizmann Institute of Science have caught a glimpse of platinum-based complexes ’walking’ a path to their destinations
Do metal complexes casually stroll around certain molecules prior to chemical reactions? Scientists in the Organic Chemistry Department of the Weizmann Institute of Science have caught a glimpse of platinum-based complexes “walking” a path to their destinations.
Many types of chemical reactions an
A team of scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science has recently demonstrated conclusively that, in very specific circumstances, spin can become separated from charge and progress independently down a wire
Two properties of an electron – its spin and its charge – are generally thought to be inseparable, intrinsic characteristics, no more given to sudden changes or going off on their own than say, the fur on a cat or the paint on a bicycle. But a team of scientists at the W
A gigantic explosion on a neutron star halfway across the Milky Way galaxy, the largest such explosion ever recorded in the universe, should allow astronomers for the first time to probe the interiors of these mysterious stellar objects.
An international team of astrophysicists, combing through data from a NASA X-ray satellite, the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, reports in the July 20th issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters that the explosion produced vibrations within the star,
Weizmann Institute scientists uncover a strategy that helps a plant-like, microscopic alga to happily proliferate in such inhospitable surroundings; their findings have unexpectedly shed light on the working of our own kidneys
Over the years, a number of Weizmann Institute scientists have addressed the question of how molecules essential to life, such as proteins, have adapted to function in extreme environments. The proteins they investigated were isolated from halophilic (salt-lo
Fishing for answers to the co-operation question
Billions of people tuned into recent Live 8 concert broadcasts, some just for the music, others to support the altruistic cause spearheaded by former Boomtown Rat, Sir Bob Geldof. In today’s rat-race climate, what makes some of us look out for each other, while others look out for themselves?
According to evolutionary theory, natural selection has designed individuals to behave selfishishly; selfish individuals are li
The technology improvements that are giving us ever quieter cars are not proving popular with many car drivers. Car manufacturers now want to restore to the inside of a car the sounds their customers want to hear while preserving the reduction in exterior noise. But what exactly do their customers want to hear? – researchers at the University of Warwick’s Warwick Manufacturing Group are helping them answer that question.
Researchers at the University of Warwick’s Warwick Manufac
Complicated plasminogen system yields potential therapeutic target; implications for aging, liver, lungs, heart, and degenerative diseases
Skeletal muscles naturally repair themselves very efficiently after injury. But when they don’t, otherwise successful recovery following damage from overuse during exercise, surgery or trauma can be stymied. Furthermore, as we age, muscle repair slows noticeably, and in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and other degenerative muscle diseases, normal
Expanded newborn screening is now required by law in dozens of states, but most infants still are not covered by the full panel of 29 tests recommended by experts, according to the March of Dimes 2005 state-by-state report card on newborn screening.
The March of Dimes recommends that every baby born in the United States receive screening for a uniform panel of 29 disorders that includes metabolic conditions and hearing deficiency. All of these disorders can be successfully managed
Biologists at Purdue University have determined the combined structure of a common-cold virus attached to a molecule that enables the virus to infect its host, information that ultimately may help researchers develop methods for treating certain viral infections.
Coxsackievirus A21 infects host cells first by recognizing a “receptor molecule” called ICAM-1, which is located on the cell’s surface, and then by anchoring itself to the molecule. ICAM-1 stands for intracellular adhes
Over half of women who began menopausal hormone therapy because of symptoms such as hot flashes or night sweats experience those symptoms when they discontinue hormone therapy, according to a study in the July 13 issue of JAMA.
Recommended guidelines and prescribing practices for menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) have changed significantly since publication of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) estrogen plus progestin (E + P) trial findings that the overall health risks of
But trends in some countries and among younger women give future hope
The first comprehensive picture of female lung cancer mortality trends in Europe shows rates are still rising in most countries. But, the research does indicate that there is some room for cautious optimism in the longer term due to decreases or smaller rates of increase in some countries and a more favourable trend among younger women in many countries.
The Italian and Swiss authors, writing in Ann
Genomics is being used for the first time to investigate the mystery of the ‘living fossil’ fish coelacanth, first dragged up along the coast of South Africa in 1938, having been considered extinct for 65 million years. Because of its close resemblance to land animals, it has attracted attention to the subject of a ‘missing link’ between tetrapods and humans. Dr. Chris Amemiya will be presenting his work on the generation and utilization of genomic resources for the Indonesian coelacanth on W
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