In their efforts to understand the complex biology of life, scientists often seek to isolate individual elements of the puzzle for study, to break the problem down to a more manageable size. Single genes and molecules are closely analyzed to better understand their specific interactions with other single entities within larger systems.
Sometimes, however, this approach misses important aspects of biology that depend on higher levels of organization. Sometimes putting a few of the piec
Product is lethal even at lower concentrations; soil does not lessen its effects
As amphibians continue to mysteriously disappear worldwide, a University of Pittsburgh researcher may have found more pieces of the puzzle. Elaborating on his previous research, Pitt assistant professor of biological sciences Rick Relyea has discovered that Roundup(r), the most commonly used herbicide in the world, is deadly to tadpoles at lower concentrations than previously tested; that the presen
Nerve cells need lots of energy to work properly, and the energy needs to be delivered to the right place at the right time. By inducing a mutation in fruit flies, researchers have figured out that a particular gene governs the movement of cells’ energy-producing units, called mitochondria.
Rather than moving to the ends of the cells, or synapses, where cell-to-cell communication takes place, mitochondria in mutant fruit flies just piled up in the center of the cell. Even so,
Scientists at Yale and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory report the first large-scale survey of patterns of gene expression in flowers, using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, to identify the genes most likely to have critical roles in plant reproduction.
The researchers studied 1765 lines and identified 80 genes active in petal and stamen development using “gene trapping.” In this gene discovery technique a reporter tag was inserted into cells so that they stained blue only
A new theory that explains why the language of our genes is more complex than it needs to be also suggests that the primordial soup where life began on earth was hot and not cold, as many scientists believe.
In a paper published in the Journal of Molecular Evolution this week, researchers from the University of Bath describe a new theory which they believe could solve a puzzle that has baffled scientists since they first deciphered the language of DNA almost 40 years ago.
This week scientists of the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) will once again publish a breakthrough in their research regarding Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers, this time connected to the Catholic University of Leuven, discovered the function of one of the most important proteins related to Alzheimer’s disease. They have indicated that the protein stimulates the growth of nerve paths in the brain, which is essential for recovery after brain damage. The results are p
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the Ireland Cancer Center of University Hospitals of Cleveland report identifying a new DNA gene marker, vimentin, that was shown in a recent study to be three times more effective in detecting colon cancer than the standard doctor’s office test that detects blood in the stool. The study, appearing in the August 3, 2005 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, was conducted by a team also comprised of research
First treatment for incurable disease comes into focus
University of Florida scientists used a healthy human gene to prevent blindness in mice with a form of an incurable eye disease that strikes boys.
Writing in the August issue of Molecular Therapy, scientists from the UF Genetics Institute describe how they successfully used gene therapy in mice to treat retinoschisis, a rare genetic disorder that is passed from mothers, who retain their sight, to their sons.
In an unusual collaboration among scientists and humanists, a Cornell University team has demonstrated a novel method for recovering faded text on ancient stone by zapping and mapping 2,000-year-old inscriptions using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging.
The research, carried out at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), applies a nondestructive chemical analysis technique widely used in geology, archaeology and materials science.
“X-ray fluorescence imaging h
California fiddler crabs may be among the world’s pickiest animal when it comes to selecting a mate.
A study conducted by a biologist at the University of California, San Diego that appears in the August issue of the journal Animal Behaviour found that females of the species Uca crenulata may check out 100 or more male fiddler crabs and their burrows before finally deciding on a mate.
“As far as I know, no other species has been observed sampling nearly as many cand
Researchers investigating anecdotal evidence that cannabis relieves some of the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have discovered a potential new target for cannabis-derived drugs for treatment of the disease.
This finding, published in the journal Gastroenterology today (Monday 1 August), could bring new hope for the UK’s 90,000 – 180,000 sufferers of diseases like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis* with the possibility that cannabis-derived drugs may help to heal th
While “navigation” systems in automobiles are a fairly new (and still costly) innovation, monarch butterflies have managed for millennia to navigate their way for a distance of some 3000 miles (4800 kilometers) each fall from Canada to Mexico (and vice-versa in the spring) without losing their way.
The phenomenon of long-range bird migration is a well-known one, but not in the insect world. Also, among birds their migration route is a round-trip one, which they make more than once
Microarray scans DNA regions in neuroblastoma tumors to forecast outcomes, guide treatments
Genetics researchers have developed a customized gene chip to rapidly scan tumor samples for specific DNA changes that offer clues to prognosis in cases of neuroblastoma, a common form of children’s cancer. Rather than covering the entire genome, the microarray focuses on suspect regions of chromosomes for signs of deleted genetic material known to play a role in the cancer.
’Aging profile’ of the human brain also differs greatly from that seen in chimpanzees
Researchers have found that the two primary areas of the human brain appear to age in radically different ways: The cortex used in higher-level thought undergoes more extensive changes with age than the cerebellum, which regulates basic processes such as heartbeat, breathing and balance. Their work, based on an analysis of gene expression in various areas of human and chimpanzee brains,
Amphetamines, including the drug popularly known as Ecstasy, can reverse the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in mice with an acute form of the condition, according to new research at Duke University Medical Center.
The researchers caution that the findings in animals do not suggest Parkinson’s disease patients should find relief by taking amphetamines, which are drugs of abuse with many dangerous side effects. The findings rather indicate that drugs with similar chemical
In a recent study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, scientists report on the discovery of a new molecule that is essential for degradation of the biopolymer chitin. This new molecule could eventually aid in the engineering of fungi-resistant plants and could also lead to the discovery of similar molecules that can be used in cellulose-based biofuel production.
The research appears as the “Paper of the Week” in the August 5 issue of the Journal of Biological Ch
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