Our ancestors had two nostrils, one front and one back, but no opening on the palate or in the throat. They could smell, but not breathe with their nose. How did our nose evolve? Per Ahlberg, Uppsala university, and Zhu Min, department of Vertebrate Paleontology in Beijing, China, has now found a fossil that explains the history of the nose.
Have you ever wondered, taking a deep breath of fresh autumn air and sensing how the smell of wet leaves tickles your nose, just how it ca
“Bacteria that fix nitrogen only do so when they sense that there is very little nitrogen available in their environment,” says Professor Ray Dixon (Project Leader at the JIC. “Normally the genes for nitrogen fixation are locked off and only unlocked and used when nitrogen levels in the environment fall. We have discovered a key piece of biochemistry that allows us to better understand how the lock operates and so may allow us to alter how it works”.
The bacterium Azotobacter vinel
University of York spinout Paraytec Ltd unveiled its patented analytical detection technology to an audience of investors at the White Rose Bioscience Forum today (03 November).
The company’s UV absorbance detection products use of novel, miniaturised detectors that employ capillaries as sample vessels. The products offer greatly improved sensitivity and dynamic range and have a range of applications in industry and research, including UV absorbance measurements on nanolitre volumes
A non-invasive diagnostic test for early-stage bronchial carcinoma (lung cancer) is one of the innovative technologies being presented at White Rose Bioscience Forum in York today (03 November).
Developed by Sheffield-based company Medis Diagnostics Ltd, the test – Fortel Bca – provides a reliable and accurate method of diagnosing early stage lung cancer through the analysis of a small blood sample which looks for cellular changes. The test uses data from a specially chosen pane
A research project carried out by VTT Biotechnology and the University of Helsinki has found that cloudberries and raspberries contain a phenol, ellagic tannin, that inhibits the growth of intestinal bacteria.
The study concerned commercially grown Finnish berries, particularly cloudberry and raspberry. One of the substances inhibiting growth of harmful intestinal bacteria and pathogens is a complex phenolic polymer, ellagic tannin, found in the berries. Other berries and fruit
St. Jude, Loyola and Kyoto University report that the system that controls the folding of newly made proteins also triggers the production of new membranes used to package and ship proteins
Part of a cellular mechanism that regulates the folding of new proteins into their proper shapes also includes a genetic response that enlarges the factory where both protein folding and packaging of proteins occurs. This finding, from researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,
Mutation indicates risk of acquiring disease
Researchers from the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital have determined that the mutation of a specific gene in some patients with colon cancer indicate a risk of acquiring the disease. The study appears in the Nov. 3 edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The research team, led by Dr. Steven Gallinger used a population based study to determine that when one parent had the MutY human homologue
Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have perfected a delivery system for anticancer treatment that zeroes in on a tumor and becomes part of its supporting tissue. This new “cellular vehicle” then pumps drugs directly into cancer cells to disable them, but leaves normal tissue alone.
They say their study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, is a proof of principle, conducted in mice, that shows this kind of strategy could b
Scientists at Imperial College London and Hammersmith Hospital are to help develop new vaccines in case of a terrorist release of biological agents such as anthrax.
The team has been awarded $4.5 million by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the US National Institute of Health (NIH) to develop new vaccines against a possible bio-terrorist attack, and new emerging infectious diseases.
Dr Danny Altmann, lead researcher at Imperia
A new company has been spun out of the University of Leeds to develop enabling technologies based on its innovative and world leading analytical science base.
Avacta Ltd has a strong background in the development of novel technologies applicable to the biomedical, materials and nanotechnology sectors and is focused on developing solutions to technology shortfalls in the biotech, pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors.
Spun out by Techtran Group Ltd – the University’s co
At any given time, there are many cells in our body that are in the process of dividing, yet they almost never go out of control to give rise to cancers. Cell proliferation is normally kept in check by a group of gatekeeper genes called “tumor suppressors”. Of these, the Ink4a/ARF locus has been of considerable interest since this locus is inactivated in a majority of human cancers. This locus encodes two different proteins that act together to check uncontrolled tumor development.
Therapies for spinal cord injury may result
Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids) have shown that stem cells found in adult skin retain their embryonic capability of making many types of cells. This discovery affirms the potential that stem cells derived from this non-controversial source possess for the development of possible therapies for spinal cord injury and nervous system disorders. This research is reported in the November issue of the scientific journal
Genetic ablation of Nrf2 enhances susceptibility to cigarette smoke–induced emphysema in mice
Emphysema is a major manifestation of chronic obstructive lung disease, which affects more than 16 million Americans and is the fourth highest cause of death in the United States. This disease is primarily cigarette smoke induced, but oxidative stress, a harmful condition that occurs when there is an excess of free radicals, has recently been alleged to play an important role in lung susc
Potential antimicrobial resistance in the bacteria that cause gonorrhea can be detected without culturing the organism, thanks to a rapid test developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins.
Key to the usefulness of the new test is that it does not require collection, culture or testing of the bacteria themselves – called Neisseria gonorrhea. Instead, the genes linked to resistance can be identified in urine samples or in leftover products from other commonly used diagnostic techniqu
Implications for better understanding of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that components of the internal molecular clock of mammals have an important role in governing the metabolism of sugars and fats within the body. They found in mice that two of the well-studied proteins in the clock control the ability of animals to recover from the fall in blood sugar that occurs in response to insulin
Genetic variation in ABC transporter A1 contributes to HDL cholesterol in the general population
High cholesterol levels are a major contributor to heart disease in particular atherosclerosis. High density lipoprotein (HDL) has an essential role in reducing cholesterol levels, and therefore has a cardioprotective effect. There is therefore a great deal of research into the genetic underpinnings that control HDL blood levels. Individuals with Tangier disease have essentially no H
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