For the giant Australian cuttlefish, mating is a complicated undertaking complete with fighting, sneaking, and deception. In this week’s issue of the journal Nature, Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) senior scientist Roger Hanlon and his colleagues demonstrate that for this species, deception while mating pays off.
Hanlon and his team present behavioral and genetic data demonstrating that small male cuttlefish that dramatically alter their appearance to look like females are highly
Watching flies fly may not seem like high-tech science, but for researchers using the Western Hemisphere’s most brilliant X-rays, located at the Advanced Photon Source at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, it not only helps explain how insects fly but also may someday aid in understanding human heart function.
The researchers, from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Caltech and the University of Vermont, merged two distinct technologies
Just one cellular pathway produces the raw ingredients plants use to make thousands of compounds, from molecules with anticancer properties to the active ingredient in catnip, according to a team of researchers at Purdue University and the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology.
This finding challenges long-held assumptions about how plants produce these commercially important products. The research also could have important implications for researchers trying to harness plant
Deficiencies in the ability of cells to repair damaged DNA are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, according to a new study in the January 19 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
DNA repair is the system of defenses designed to protect the integrity of the genome. Studies have suggested that deficiency in cells’ capacity for DNA repair contributes to the accumulation of DNA damage and accelerates the genetic changes involved in carcinogenes
Proceedings of The Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Management of genetically modified herbicide tolerant sugar beet for spring and autumn environmental benefit by Dr M May, Dr G Champion, Dr A Dewar, Dr A Qi and Dr J Pidgeon
This research provides conclusive evidence that environmental benefits can be obtained from GM herbicide tolerant (GMHT) sugar beet crops. Previous work, including the government’s Farm Scale Evaluation trials, suggested that GMHT sug
Finding may offer new target for controlling obesity, diabetes
UCLA/VA scientists have identified a new gene that controls how the body produces and uses fat. Called lipin, the gene may provide a new target for therapies to control obesity, diabetes and other weight-related disorders. The first issue of the new journal Cell Metabolism publishes the findings in its January 2005 edition.
“Lipin regulates how the body stores and burns fat. Our findings suggest that differ
Plasso Technology Ltd has secured $2.8m (£1.5 million) second round funding from a Boston-based institutional investor which focuses on discoveries within UK academic institutions in the life sciences and physical sciences.
Plasso was formed in 2003 to exploit surface modification techniques initially developed at the University of Sheffield. Its expertise and understanding of surfaces in a biological context are built on fifteen years of research.
The company’s core te
A newly discovered virus may be responsible for many respiratory tract illnesses in infants and children, and may be associated with an important multi-organ disease whose cause has remained a mystery for decades, according to articles in the Feb. 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online. The virus is one of the numerous coronaviruses, most of which infect animals. In humans, coronaviruses have been known primarily for causing colds or, more recently, severe acute r
Two genes with very strong associations with the disease SLE have been identified by a team of scientists headed by researchers at the Department of Medical Sciences at Uppsala University. The findings are being published today on the Web page of the highly prestigious American Journal of Human Genetics.
“These findings are probably the first genetic pieces of a huge ‘interferon puzzle,’ with whose help it will be possible to discover the mechanisms behind the disease SLE, and may
Made-to-measure skin and bones, which could be used to treat burn victims or patients who have suffered severe disfigurements, may soon be a reality using inkjets which can print human cells.
Scientists at The University of Manchester have developed the breakthrough technology which will allow tailor-made tissues and bones to be grown, simply by inputting their dimensions into a computer.
Professor Brian Derby, Head of the Ink-Jet Printing of Human Cells Project research
Advanced melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, can be successfully treated in some cases by vaccinating patients with tumor proteins. How these vaccines work and why they are only effective in some patients remains unclear. Pierre Coulie and colleagues now show, in two articles in the January 17 issue of the Journal of Experimental Medicine, that these vaccines work by increasing the number of immune cells called killer T cells that can attack the tumor. In an unexpected finding, however, t
A new study by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and The Johns Hopkins University provides new insight into how tumor cells can become resistant to anti-cancer therapy.
The scientists observed that a protein called P-glycoprotein (P-gp), which causes resistance to chemotherapy in many tumor types, is able to physically “jump” or transfer between tumor cells and retain its functional properties, protecting otherwise sensitive cells from the effects of anti-ca
Subterranean termites pose a major threat to dwellings and other vital infrastructure throughout Victoria according to a report released today by CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products (CFFP) scientist, Jim Creffield.
Mr Creffield says that in order to effectively manage the pest, all municipalities state-wide must immediately be ’termite declared’.
The report draws upon the expertise of the CSIRO Termite Group – comprised of ensis (a recently formed joint venture of CFFP and
Australian expertise is a crucial part of an international project aiming to develop therapies against two deadly viruses.
With funding from the United States’ National Institutes of Health (NIH), and in collaboration with a research team led by Dr Christopher Broder at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda Maryland, CSIRO Livestock Industries’ Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) in Geelong is attempting to develop treatments against Hendra v
Researchers at New York University have developed a model of the intra-cellular mammalian biological clock that reveals how rapid interaction of molecules with DNA is necessary for producing reliable 24-hour rhythms. They also found that without the inherent randomness of molecular interactions within a cell, biological rhythms may dampen over time. These findings appeared in the most recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Daniel Forger, a
Imagine an entire chemistry laboratory reduced to the size of a postage stamp. It could happen.
While others may think big, Texas A&M University physicists Don Naugle and co-worker Igor Lyuksyutov are thinking small – as in micro small. They have successfully managed to levitate micron-sized fluids using magnets, which could lead to new advances in medicine, chemistry, chemical engineering and other related fields. By using small magnets on a postage-stamp sized chip, Naugle an
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