A tiny fossil found more than 10 years ago in central Alberta has proved to be the key to answering a long unsolved evolutionary question, say researchers from the University of Alberta.
Back in 1991, Dr. Richard Fox and his research team found a 60 million year-old incomplete skull fossil that they now believe is the first evidence of an extinct mammal with a venom delivery apparatus. The research will be published June 23, 2005 in Nature.
“Our discovery shows that mam
Humans with an appreciation of beauty may have marveled for millennia at the artistry of a darting hummingbird, but scientists announced today that for the first time they can more fully explain how a hummingbird can hover.
Using a powerful technology that was originally developed for engineering, researchers were able to exactly document the movement of air around a hummingbird’s wings and show how its flight is accomplished with the body structure of a bird but some of th
Researchers have reported findings that offer a surprising new twist to our understanding of how bumblebees, a vital floral pollinator, select the flowers from which they collect nectar. When faced with unfamiliar plants, foraging bees do not choose flowers entirely alone but instead copy the choices of other bees. The new findings suggest that bees adjust their behavior when dealing with flowers of unfamiliar plant species.
The observations are reported in the June 21 issue
Johns Hopkins scientists have developed a way to study the earliest steps of human blood development using human embryonic stem cells grown in a lab dish instead of the embryos themselves.
The process avoids some of the ethical and technical obstacles involved in such research, according to the Johns Hopkins investigators.
The Johns Hopkins researchers’ system involves the study of existing embryonic stem cell lines derived from in vitro fertilization methods, and s
Novel and efficient inhibitors of anthrax lethal factor identified by Burnham team
A collaborative team of scientists led by The Burnham Institute’s Maurizio Pellecchia, Ph.D., has identified inhibitors of the anthrax toxin, termed lethal factor (“LF”) that could be developed into an emergency treatment for exposure to inhalation anthrax. These findings will be published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Early Edition at the journal’s website t
The immune system is a complex and powerful weapon that provides protection against bacteria and viruses that, if left unchecked, would wreak havoc throughout the human body. The ability of the immune system to recognize the body’s own tissues is essential, but sometimes the immune system loses the ability to distinguish “self” from potentially harmful invaders. This can lead to autoimmune disease characterized by destruction of healthy tissues. Although it is not clear exactly what causes the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill chemists have developed what they believe is a breakthrough method of creating the world’s tiniest manufactured particles for delivering drugs and other organic materials into the human body.
Adapting technology pioneered by the electronics industry in fabricating transistors, the team has figured out for the first time how to create particles for carrying genetic material, pharmaceuticals and other compounds of unprecedented small siz
Scientists at The Schepens Eye Research Institute have discovered that a protein known as F4/80 found on immune cells in the eye and other parts of the body may have a function in the regulation of the body’s immune response and protect delicate tissues that cannot survive the “inflammation” inherent in full-blown immunity.
“We believe that this discovery may ultimately help in the development of therapies for blinding eye diseases such as macular degeneration and autoi
New research has shown that combinations of chemicals found in everyday products and food have subtle but potentially damaging effects on sperm fertility.
Professor Lynn Fraser told the 21st annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology today (Wednesday), that her previous research had shown that certain chemicals known to mimic the female sex hormone, oestrogen, could individually affect the correct functioning of mouse sperm, but now her new
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered a mechanism that causes a protein to clump together in brain cells of people with Parkinson’s disease, pointing toward a possible treatment for the condition.
The protein clumping is part of a “vicious cycle,” the researchers said. As the proteins cluster, they inhibit an enzyme that normally breaks them down, leading to the formation of even more masses.
“It’s a disease involving accumulation of
Tear samples from manatees could reveal health threats
For Florida manatees, the eyes may have it, say University of Florida researchers studying whether the mammals’ unusually thick tear film helps protect against disease and could be used to gauge the endangered sea cows’ ability to fight stress from cold water temperatures.
Manatees depend on both natural and artificial warm water refuges like those found near coal-burning power plants to survive cold winte
ASK-chip shall enable targeted functional analysis of the human kinome
ProQinase, a division of KTB Tumorforschungs GmbH at the Tumor Biology Center, Freiburg, the NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tübingen, and Antibodies by Design, a division of MorphoSys AG, Munich, today announced the start of a joint project which could revolutionize the analysis of all human protein kinases – the human “kinome”. The project combines the established protein kinase p
Two studies presented today (Tuesday 21 June 2005) at the 21st annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology provide further proof that single embryo transfer (SET) produces babies that are healthier than those born after multiple implantations.
Dr. Diane De Neubourg, from the Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium, told the conference that babies born after SET are as healthy as singleton babies born after a spontaneous conception. She s
The fragile-X-syndrome is one of the major causes of mental retardation.
Scientists from VIB (Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology), have been studying fruit flies with symptoms similar to those in humans. From this research, it turns out that something goes wrong with the actin skeleton of the neurons in the brain. This process might also take place in human patients with the fragile-X-syndrome – an important step in uncovering the physical background of this dis
Early summer sees the start of the annual increase in sightings in the Bay of Biscay of the second largest whale in the World, the Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus). This is a spectacular event for waters so close to British Shores.
Fin Whales are the second largest species of whale on the planet! They can measure up to 24 meters in length and suffered significant hunting during the whaling days. They have a varied diet including fish and krill and tend to ignore or are insensitive
The discovery of green sulfur bacteria living near hydrothermal vents has major implications for where photosynthesis happens and where life may reside
A team of researchers, including a photosynthesis expert from Arizona State University, has found evidence of photosynthesis taking place deep within the Pacific Ocean. The team found a bacterium that is the first photosynthetic organism that doesn’t live off sunlight but from the dim light coming from hydrothermal vents nearly
Feedback
