Diffusion tensor imaging, a newly developed magnetic resonance imaging technique, could enable researchers to gain a better understanding of the effects of cannabis on the brain. In a preliminary study published today in the open access journal Harm Reduction Journal, researchers used diffusion tensor imaging to compare the brain tissue of young people who had used cannabis moderately as teenagers and young people who had not. The researchers failed to find any indication that damage to the d

Without the enzyme that “regenerates” telomeres (the ends of DNA), stem cells lose functionality and the organism rapidly ages, while it acquires cancer resistance. The finding, which has significant implications in cancer and aging research, was presented yesterday at the 2nd IFOM-IEO Campus Meeting on Cancer (May 5th – 8th, IFOM-IEO Campus, Milan, Italy) by Marìa A. Blasco, of the Spanish National Cancer Center (CNIO) in Madrid (Spain).

Our cells’ DNA has a sort of “tail”: the t

The spread of West Nile Virus appears to be triggered by a complex interaction of mosquitoes, nesting birds and specific weather patterns, scientists say, which leads to “amplification” of the virus within mosquito populations.

Researchers from Oregon State University and the University of Florida have identified how those factors mesh to create heightened risk of the West Nile Virus in southern Florida, and they hope to expand their studies to the rest of the nation.

Results of t

The Science and Development Network (SciDev.Net) today launches a new online BIRD FLU DOSSIER designed to keep readers up-to-date on the latest information on bird flu and developing nations.

Since originating in Asia, the H5N1 bird flu virus has spread widely and is causing problems in many developing countries. The human flu pandemic that the virus could trigger will also hit these countries hardest.

There is urgent need for policymakers to make informed decisions, for scien

Geneticist specialists from the Institute of Biological Problems of the North, Far-East Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, are reconstructing the picture of Eurasia colonization by the Slavs. According to the researchers’ opinion, the Slavonic men and women jointly developed the territory of the south of contemporary Russia. However, after the 9th century, women used to stay at home, and colonization of the east and north was mainly performed by men.

This conclusion was made by geneti

The inventor of DNA Fingerprinting at the University of Leicester, Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys, is to be honoured with a prestigious international accolade later this year, it has been announced.

Sir Alec, who is Royal Society Wolfson Research Professor in the Department of Genetics, is to be awarded the Dr H.P. Heineken Prize for Biochemistry and Biophysics 2006 by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in recognition of the discovery of the revolutionary technique.

Professor Luis Corrochano Peláez, from the Genetics Department of the University of Seville, and his PhD student Julio Rodríguez Romero, in collaboration with researchers of the Duke University of USA and the University of Salamanca, have identified a gene that allows Phycomyces fungus to react to light and orientate their growth toward it. Results will be published in the prestigious journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA” next week. These researches are part of the scientif

By deleting a gene in certain parts of the brain, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have created mice that show deficits in social interaction that are reminiscent of humans with autism spectrum disorders.

The investigators also found physical abnormalities in the brains that mimic some cases of autism, showing that the research animals can be useful in studying the mysterious condition.

The finding — to be published in the May 4 issue of the journal Neuron —

Researchers led by a University of Missouri-Columbia professor of reproductive biotechnology have reported success in freezing and preserving swine embryos that were created by in vitro techniques and that carried modified genetic material. After thawing and transfer to a surrogate mother, some of the embryos went on to produce live piglets with new genetic traits.

In a paper posted today (May 3, 2006) on the Web site of Biology of Reproduction–Papers in Press, a team headed by Dr. Ran

Male tropical túngara frogs have evolved masses on their vocal cords that help them woo females with complex calls, show scientists working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama.

Dr. Mike Ryan, Clark Hubbs Regents Professor of integrative biology at The University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Marcos Gridi-Papp, a post-doctoral scholar in physiological sciences at UCLA, and the late Dr. Stan Rand, of STRI, published their findings in the May 4 issue of Natu

Whether you’re celebrating Cinco de Mayo or just having another relaxing day in Margaritaville, you might one day thank a chemist for assuring the authenticity of your tequila. New tests developed by scientists in Mexico and Germany will help distinguish the real thing from fraudulent versions, which are a potential threat as this alcoholic beverage grows in popularity.

The findings could help provide a “shot” of quality assurance to the estimated billion-dollar tequila market, the res

When given extra shots of the plant steroid brassinolide, plants “pump up” like major league baseball players do on steroids. Tracing brassinolide’s signal deep into the cell’s nucleus, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have unraveled how the growth-boosting hormone accomplishes its job at the molecular level.

The Salk researchers, led by Joanne Chory, a professor in the Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investig

First broad field study sheds light on important neuroscience model system

It turns out that the sea slug isn’t really that sluggish after all. So says the first broad field study of this charismatic orange creature’s behavior in the wild, which was just published in the April 2006 issue of The Biological Bulletin.

The new research is significant because the sea slug known as Tritonia diomedea, a nudibranch mollusc species found in the shallow northeast Pacific, is

Biologists have vastly expanded understanding of the biological machinery controlling the intricate process by which plant roots burgeon from single cells into complex tissues. A Duke-led team’s discovery of new components of the root-development pathway in the mustard plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, represents both a scientific and technical achievement, the scientists said.

Scientifically, Arabidopsis is a basic biological model for all flowering plants, so the finding offers insigh

A gene that degrades the body’s collagen infrastructure has been shown to make fat cells fatter and expand girth.

Excess fat is stored in white adipose tissue, the primary energy depot in the body, primarily around the midsection. The gene studied by a University of Michigan team acts as a metabolic scissors, cutting through the collagen tissue matrix that holds fat in place, which allows fat cells to expand beneath the belly.

The collaborative research team, headed by

Activating the immune system by drugs without physician’s control is hazardous to health. S.F. Medvedev, Director of the Institute of Human Brain, Russian Academy of Sciences, recounted about that. According to him, if immunostimulant drugs are taken in case of any malaise, then, when intense work of the immune system is really needed for the organism, its reserves may fail.

I.D. Stolyarov, head of laboratory of neuroimmunology (Institute of Human Brain, Russian Academy of Sciences), belie