The local boy with the most bling is a good choice in the spring, but as summer progresses a girl bird’s best bet is a stranger.
Who’s chosen by whom in the mating game is determined by seasonal changes in the genetic diversity of available mates, according to new research based on a 10-year study of wild finches.
The finding helps explain a long-standing evolutionary biology paradox.
Previous research has shown that female birds often go for the fl
Fast tracking the healing process for common ear infections will be the focus of ground-breaking research by WA’s Lions Ear and Hearing Institute (LEHI).
The research will aim to understand why some eardrums heal by themselves (and why some do not heal at all) by identifying which genes are responsible for the wound-healing process of an infected human ear drum.
According to the World Health Organisation, almost half of the world’s population suffers from ’
A group of researchers of the University of Granada (UGR) is leading an excellence project funded by the Andalusian Ministry of Innovation, Science and Enterprise with 105,900 Euros whose objective is to apply mathematics to the study of tumours and cell mobility. With their project called ‘Biomat: estudio de modelos de desarrollo y movilidad celular y tumoral’ (Biomat: study of models of cell and tumour development and mobility), these Granada-based scientists, led by Juan Soler Vizcaíno, wil
A triangular molecule, resembling an abundant product detected in outer space, may one day find important applications on planet Earth.
Chemists at the University of California, Riverside have created in the laboratory a type of molecule thought to exist only in interstellar space, which may have valuable applications in the chemical industry.
The finding of their paper, titled Cyclopropenylidenes: From Interstellar Space to an Isolated Derivative in the Laboratory are
In the May 1 issue of G&D, Dr. Leonard Guarente (MIT) and colleagues provide the first functional characterization of a mammalian sirtuin protein other than SIRT1. The Sir2 enzyme family, called sirtuins, is involved in a wide variety of biological processes, and are conserved from bacteria to humans.
The human genome encodes seven Sir2 homologs, termed SIRT1-7. Since their discovery in 1999, most research had focused on the role(s) of SIRT1, while the other members of this family have g
The cell is understood to be highly organized, with specialized areas for different functions and molecular motors shuttling components around. Researchers from the University of Illinois’ Chicago and Urbana-Champaign campuses now offer the first imaging evidence from live cells of ongoing organization and transport within the cell nucleus.
Genes that are active are located mainly in the central region of the nucleus, while inactive genes are at the periphery. But scientists have ha
Human-like movement control helps flexible arms achieve precision
The octopus arm is extremely flexible. Thanks to this flexibility–the arm is said to possess a virtually infinite number of “degrees of freedom”–the octopus is able to generate a vast repertoire of movements that is unmatched by the human arm. Nonetheless, despite the huge evolutionary gap and morphological differences between the octopus and vertebrates, the octopus arm acts much like a three-jointed vertebrate l
Large swaths of the genome are controlled by the choice of a sedentary versus migratory future
As juveniles, individuals of many fish species face a developmental choice that will profoundly affect their future: whether to adopt a sedentary or migratory lifestyle. Sedentary (or “residential”) individuals remain in the region of their birth, while their migratory compatriots set forth on long open-water journeys. The developmental choice of the residential versus migratory “life
Laboratory discoveries by scientists at two universities may lead to new directions in cancer therapy drugs. The researchers have discovered that a genetic switch involved in growth and development of an animal is the same one used to prevent normal cells from becoming cancerous.
The findings are reported in the April 18 issue of Current Biology. Experiments were carried out by first author Masamitsu Fukuyama, a postdoctoral scientist working in the laboratories of Joel H. Rothm
A study published by Nature today has defined the function of p110 alpha, the flag-ship molecule of the eight member PI3K family, which is one of the most frequently activated pathways in cancer. The function of p110 alpha in the body has eluded researchers for over a decade but a new approach to generating mouse models, has allowed investigators from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research’s (LICR) UCL Branch and the UCL Centre for Diabetes & Endocrinology to solve the mystery and yield impor
LGC, Europe’s leading independent analytical laboratory, has announced that it is launching a new generic DNA-based PT scheme for quantitative PCR, designed to provide the tools for cross-sectoral benchmarking of laboratory performance. Interested participants are invited to register now.
Developed by LGC as part of the DTI-funded Measurements for Biotechnology (MfB) programme 2004-2007, this innovative approach is the first DNA-based PT scheme able to provide test mater
Scientists working with Vaccinia virus, the smallpox vaccine, have discovered a novel mechanism that allows poxviruses to enter cells and cause infection.
Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on 11 April describes how the Imperial College London team discovered the mechanism allowing Vaccinia virus to shed its outer lipid membrane and enter cells. The mechanism is unique in virology and paves the way for development of new antiviral drugs.
Bacteria gain resistance from only a handful of 120 possible five-step mutational paths in a key gene
Darwinian evolution follows very few of the available mutational pathways to attain fitter proteins, researchers at Harvard University have found in a study of a gene whose mutant form increases bacterial resistance to a widely prescribed antibiotic by a factor of roughly 100,000. Their work indicates that of 120 harrowing, five-step mutational paths that theoretically could gr
Yale School of Medicine researchers have new data showing chloride ions are critical to hearing in mammals, which builds on previous research showing a chemical used to keep barnacles off boats might disrupt the balance of these ions in ear cells.
“Our data are the first to directly show that chloride ions are crucial for our exquisite sense of hearing,” said Joseph Santos-Sacchi, professor in the Departments of Surgery and Neurobiology and first author of the study in the Journal
Scientists at Yale and the University of Rhode Island report the development of a peptide that can specifically and directly deliver molecules to the inside of cells like a nanosyringe, creating a new tool for drug delivery, gene control and imaging of diseased tissues.
Their “cargo carrier” peptide called pHLIP, for pH (Low) Insertion Peptide, accumulates in the membranes of cells in acidic environments and spontaneously transfers attached molecules across the membrane. The c
Tired of fluorescent tubes? Imagine your ceiling — or any surface — as a giant light panel, thanks to research from the University of Southern California and Princeton University
Scientists studying organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) have made a critical leap from single-color displays to a highly efficient and long-lived natural light source.
The invention, described in the April 13 issue of Nature, is the latest fruit of a 13-year OLED research program led by M
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