About half of new marine vibrio bacteria discovered in the last five years, can kill fish and crustacea, according to researchers at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.
The most common disease of vibrios is cholera, which has caused millions of cases of illness and fatality in humans. Recent interest in this genus of bacteria has led to the discovery of many new species, especially from seawater and marine animals.
New species have been found in a wide range of marine e
By analysing ancient DNA, an international team of researchers has obtained data that increases our knowledge about how the large predatory cats that once roamed the prehistoric New World were related to each other.
The research, published today (9 August) in Current Biology, was carried out by Ross Barnett from the University of Oxford and a team of researchers from Britain, the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Australia.
North and South America were once home to a varie
New research suggests why some older adults who exercise have better physical function than others. Surprisingly, researchers found that an enzyme involved in blood pressure regulation may also influence how the body responds to exercise. The findings, by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues, are reported today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“Our results reinforce the importance of exercise, but also may explain a mechanism
UCLA biochemists reveal the first structural details of a family of mysterious objects called microcompartments that seem to be present in a variety of bacteria. The discovery was published Aug. 5 in the journal Science.
“This is the first look at how microcompartments are built, and what the pieces look like,” said Todd O. Yeates, UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and a member of the UCLA-DOE Institute of Genomics and Proteomics. “These microcompartments appear to
Two peas in a pod may not be so friendly when planted in the ground and even two parts of the same plant, once separated may treat the former conjoined twin as an alien “enemy,” according to a Penn State researcher.
“We were looking at how plants determine who is a competitor when competing with other roots for limited resources,” says Dr. Omer Falik, postdoctoral researcher in plant ecology. “There is no reason for roots to fight if they belong to the same plant.”
The
Novel structure made from cell components could deliver drugs, genes on command
By combining one natural component of a cell with the synthetic analog of another component, researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, have created a nanoscale hybrid they call the “smart bio-nanotube”: a novel structure that could one day become a vehicle for ultra-precise drug or therapeutic gene delivery.
The nanotubes are “smart” because they can open or close at the ends,
Anyone who’s had to find his or her way through a darkened room can appreciate that nonvisual cues play a large role in our sense of movement. What might be less apparent is that not all such cues come from our remaining four senses.
In a finding that broadens our understanding of human movement control, researchers at the Institute of Neurology in London have shown that the inner-ear vestibular organs provide what is essentially an on-line movement guidance system for maint
Insects that can withstand the powerful pesticide DDT that was banned in the 1970s have a genetic advantage over their rivals that has helped them spread across the globe ever since, according to research published in Current Biology tomorrow (9 August 2005).
This discovery overturns current theories that resistance to pesticides burdens insects with a genetic disadvantage that would stop them from competing with non-resistant insects once farmers stop using that pesticide.
Employing a simple new technique to manipulate the sugars that power many front-line drugs, a team of Wisconsin scientists has enhanced the antic-cancer properties of a digitalis, a drug commonly used to treat heart disease.
Reporting the work in the Aug. 8 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team led by University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of pharmaceutical sciences Jon S. Thorson, describes a series of experiments that boosted the cell-killing
Contrary to what many scientists thought, genetically modified (GM) corn has not yet spread to native maize crops in southern Mexico.
After analyzing tens of thousands of seeds from maize crops grown in 2003 and 2004, researchers from Mexico and the United States found no evidence of transgenes in these indigenous varieties.
The finding surprised the researchers, said Allison Snow, a professor of evolution, ecology and organismal biology at Ohio State University . She hel
Moderately elevated levels of insulin increase the levels of inflammatory markers and beta-amyloid in plasma and in cerebrospinal fluid, and these markers may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study posted online today from Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The study will be published in the October print edition of the journal.
According to background information in the article, “conditions of insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia are
Researchers at Northwestern University and Carnegie Mellon University have found that a recently described class of molecules called microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in regulating oogenesis, the process by which females make eggs. MiRNAs silence genes by binding to genetic elements called messenger RNA and preventing them from making new proteins — the molecules primarily responsible for cell activities.
While previous research has identified some miRNA targets, investiga
Scientists at the MUHC have made an important discovery that will advance our understanding of how the female hormone estrogen causes growth of breast cancer cells. The research, in collaboration with scientists at the Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montreal (IRCM) identifies 153 genes that respond to estrogen and one in particular that can be used to halt the growth of breast cancer cells. The study, published in today’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), will focus futu
Scientists have used a glowing protein from fireflies to observe the activity of a molecule that is an important target for new drugs to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases and several other disorders.
The target molecule, known as IKK (for IKappa kinase), regulates processes that can trigger dramatic changes in cellular physiology. Scientists have linked these changes to many different disorders.
“Our new system allows researchers to monitor whether drugs for these condit
Terrorists have just laced the water supply of a major metropolis with a chemical so lethal that only small amounts are needed to kill thousands of people. But the chemical never reaches its targets. Tiny liquid phase sensors at strategic points in the city’s water mains detect the chemical as it passes and tell a computer to close down the affected pipes.
Current technology is too cumbersome for this kind of rapid detection and response. But new advances in liquid and gas phase
Lead may pose greater leaching risk than standard tests show
In critiquing a common safety standard for brass used in plumbing, researchers have found the regimen may be flawed. As a result, they say, some of the lead that crept into tap water in Washington, D.C., and other metropolitan areas may be traceable to household fixtures, valves and other components and not just pipes and systems further from the home.
The new study looked at the American National Standards Ins
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