Speedy speciation curbs courtship options, says Nature article
Biologists at Lehigh University and the University of Maryland have identified a cricket living in Hawaii’s forests as the world’s fastest-evolving invertebrate. Finicky mating behavior appears to be the driving force behind the speedy speciation of the Laupala cricket, the scientists wrote in the Jan. 27 issue of Nature magazine.
Females in the Laupala genus detect tiny differences in the pulse rates of male
Prions, infectious proteins associated with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or Mad Cow Disease, were previously thought to accumulate mainly in the brain, but Yale and University of Zurich researchers report in Science that other organs can also become infected.
Past research had shown that the brain and spinal cord bear the highest infection risk for BSE, followed by organs such as the spleen, lymph nodes and tonsils. All other organs were thought to be devoid of prions.
The varicella vaccine is almost 90 percent effective against chickenpox, but its impact on herpes zoster (shingles) is unknown and needs wider surveillance, Yale School of Medicine researchers write in today’s New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) perspective section.
The varicella virus causes both chickenpox and herpes zoster, which occurs when a latent virus in the brain becomes reactivated and causes a painful rash on the skin, leading to severe pain and burning alo
A combination of four proteins that result from inflammation and infection and lead to premature birth can be rapidly and accurately detected in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women using proteomics technology, Yale researchers report in two studies in the February issue of British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Using proteomics science, the Yale team, in collaboration with two other academic institutions, developed a novel method called MR scoring to discriminate healthy
Sunscreen for microbes to be introduced
Two Virginia Tech scientists contributed by invitation to an international scientific meeting called by Abdoulaye Wade, president of Senegal, to identify strategies for the control of the ongoing locust outbreak in West Africa. Last year, locusts stripped fields of crops and trees of foliage across several countries, causing severe income and food supply loss.
Larry Vaughan, associate program director of the USAID-funded Integrate
Research confirms how early-life events shape later physiology
Underscoring the value of good prenatal care, new research suggests that early infection may create a cognitive vulnerability that appears later during stress on the immune system. Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder have reported that rats who experienced a one-time infection as newborns didn’t learn as well as adult rats who were not infected as pups, after their immunity was challenged. The r
Genetic diversity, age, and cultural experience all contribute to the sensory worlds of children and their parents
Variation in a taste receptor gene influences taste sensitivity of children and adults, accounting for individual differences in taste preferences and food selection, report a team of researchers from the Monell Chemical Senses Center. In addition to genes, age and culture also contribute to taste preferences, at times overriding the influence of genetics.
Scientists have discovered that factors such as human immunity and drug resistance are less important to the success of bacterial spread than previously thought.
According to research published online this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences most of the variation in the spread of bacterial pathogens occurs simply by chance.
The team from Imperial College London studied three famously deadly species: Neisseria meningitidis, which causes outbreaks of me
Scientists have moved a step closer to understanding what happens when cells receive a faulty signal that is known to be a cause of cancer.
Many different types of signal control normal cell development but when some of these signals are ‘mis-activated’ they can result in the formation of tumours. Now, a team of researchers at The University of Manchester has discovered that the way cells communicate with each other is often more complicated than previously thought.
Th
Gastric and colorectal cancers account for more than 1 million deaths worldwide every year and several research groups have been working to identify the molecular events that result in the initiation and progression of these tumors. It has been established that interfering with the function of one gene, called Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC) has a profound effect on the cells lining the innermost layer of the colon (called the epithelium) and causes them to lose control over their proliferat
How do aquatic invertebrates such as water fleas move between isolated waterbodies so as to colonize new habitats or maintain genetic exchange between populations? Darwin and other XIX century naturalists proposed that they move via waterbirds. Dispersal was proposed to occur when birds fly between ponds with eggs attached to their feathers or legs or with eggs inside their guts.
To address this question, Jordi Figuerola, Andy J. Green, and Thomas C. Michot combined data from previo
The factor of time gives scientists insight into cellular machines
Most things that happen in the cell are the work of ’molecular machines’ – complexes of proteins that carry out important cellular functions. Until now, scientists didn’t have a clear idea of when proteins form these machines – are these complexes pre-fabricated or put together on the spot for each specific job? Researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), working closely with s
In a step toward understanding the early evolution of the cell, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered that an enzyme important in the production of energy also protects the mitochondria, the energy factory itself.
The enzyme, called aconitase, is a well-known component of the pathway in cells that produces energy. But in a study using baker’s yeast, Dr. Ronald Butow, professor of molecular biology, has shown a new function for the enzyme – keeping the mitochondr
Proteins called coactivators control the process by which a single gene can initiate production of several proteins in a process called alternative splicing, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers in a report that appears in today’s issue of the journal Molecular Cell. “A major question in biology today is how human cells with 30,000 genes produce at least 120,000 proteins,” said Dr. Bert O’Malley, chair of the BCM department of molecular and cellular biology. The answer is a p
Oncologists have long thought that cancer treatments tend to be more effective at certain times of day. But they have been unable to turn this knowledge into practice, because they did not understand the phenomenon well enough. Now, researchers have discovered a molecular mechanism that explains why sensitivity to anti-cancer drugs changes with the clock. They said their findings could lead to new drug treatments that may be more effective because they harness the power and precision of the bod
Does Swiss cheese come from Swiss cows? How about blue cheese? Professor of animal science at McGill’s Macdonald campus K.F. Ng-Kwai-Hang has the answer to these questions. He has spent the last 25 years studying the genetics of cows and how this affects quality and type of cheese.
“There are more than 100 different breeds of cows. However, the best milk producers are Holsteins,” says Ng-Kwai-Hang. “Within a specific breed, the milk these cows produce is not the same – it dif
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