Notoriously “promiscuous” plants like oaks and dandelions have led some biologists to conclude plants cannot be divided into species the same way animals are.

That perception is wrong, say Indiana University Bloomington scientists in this week’s Nature. Their analysis of 882 plant and animal species and 1,347 inter-species crossings — the first large-scale comparison of species barriers in plants and animals — showed that plant species are just as easily categorized as animal

We are closer to finding the missing 80% of breast cancer genes than ever before thanks to the success of the COSMIC database (Catalogue Of Somatic Mutations In Cancer) the 5th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-5) was told today.

The genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 account for approximately 20% of the familial risk of breast cancer, leaving 80% to be explained. The COSMIC database developed at the Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK was created in 2004 to provide free up to the minute g

Although an overwhelming 98% of cancer patients wanted to know the results of the clinical trial they took part in, there is currently no standard way of conveying the information. The onus is usually placed on the patient to find out the results from their doctor. Over 1,400 people with cancer took part in a new study to determine the best way of telling patients about their clinical trial results, the findings of which were announced today at the 5th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-5).

Scottish scientists are to form part of a European-wide “Network of Excellence” in research into a key area of genetic regulation, which links to an ever-growing list of diseases including certain types of cancer and neurodegenerative disorders.

Research teams led by Professor Angus Lamond in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Dundee, Professor John Brown at the Scottish Crop Research Institute, Professor Jean Beggs at the University of Edinburgh and Dr Javier Cacer

Experts, lead by the University of Dundee, have discovered the gene which causes genetic skin conditions affecting millions of people.

Experts on genetic skin disorders at the University of Dundee, with collaborators in Dublin, Glasgow, Seattle and Copenhagen, have discovered the gene that causes dry, scaly skin and predisposes individuals to atopic dermatitis (eczema). Some of these individuals also develop a form of asthma that occurs in association with eczema. This work h

A group of scientists from Oregon have discovered that butterflies experience a great loss in body fat during metamorphosis. The details of their findings appear in the March issue of the Journal of Lipid Research, an American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology journal.

“The transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly is one on nature’s great mysteries,” says William E. Connor of the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. “Powerful chemical mediators

The newly identified human bocavirus was found in nearly 5 percent of pneumonia patients in rural Thailand, mostly in very young children. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report their findings today at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases

“Our preliminary data suggests that human bocavirus may be associated with pneumonia in Thailand, especially among young children,” says Alicia Fry, one of the researchers on the study.

A team of cell biologists, toxicologists and molecular bioscientists at UC Davis has published a study connecting thimerosal with disruptions in antigen-presenting cells known as dendritic cells obtained from mice. The study provides the first evidence that dendritic cells show unprecedented sensitivity to thimerosal, resulting in fundamental changes in the immune system’s ability to respond to external factors. The study was published online today and will be available in the July print editi

It was once thought that only humans gestured to direct another person’s attention, but such “referential” gesturing was recently observed in wild chimpanzees.

John Mitani, University of Michigan anthropology professor, and colleague Simone Pika, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at University of St. Andrews in Scotland, observed male chimps habitually using “directed scratches” to request grooming of specific areas on the body. The findings suggest that our closest living

Proteins, one of the basic components of living things, are among the most studied molecules in biochemistry. Understanding how proteins form or “fold” from sequenced strings of amino acids has long been one of the grand challenges of biology.

A common belief holds that the more proteins are confined by their environment, the more stable – or less likely to unfold – they become. Now, as reported on the cover of the March issue of Biophysical Journal, a team of chemical and biol

Angina, a common form of heart disease, is more dangerous for women than was previously thought, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The collaborative study, led by UCL (University College London) and funded by the British Heart Foundation, found that angina in women is as common as it is in men, in contrast to heart attacks (myocardial infarction) which have a higher rate in men. The findings suggest that the medical profession shoul

The introduction of a smokefree law in bars and restaurants in New Zealand has had positive health and economic impacts. A study published recently in the open access journal BMC Public Health reveals that the proportion of smokers who reported smoking more when going out to public social venues halved following the implementation of the 2003 New Zealand Smokefree Environments Act. Support from smokers for smokefree bars doubled over the six months following the implementation of the Act. The s

New findings of research into Tourette’s syndrome could help to pinpoint the cause of the condition.

University of Nottingham researchers have found evidence for an unexpected conclusion — that people with Tourette’s syndrome actually have more control over some brain processes than people unaffected by the condition.

It has been a widely held view that Tourette’s — a condition that affects thousands of Britons and can seriously inhibit social interaction — is the result

Regular exercise can reduce severe symptoms in menopausal women and improve their quality of life, according to a study in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing.

Researchers from the University of Granada in Spain found that the number of women suffering severe symptoms fell by a quarter after they took part in a 12-month supervised exercise programme, while problems increased among women who didn’t exercise.

Fifty per cent of the 24-strong exercise group had severe symp

Endoscopic surgery brings many advantages for patients but is very difficult for the surgeon. Working at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam, Joris Jaspers has developed two instruments which make this approach easier and also cheaper than with existing surgical robotics. Jaspers is awarded his doctorate on Wednesday 22 March at Delft University of Technology.

Endoscopic operations (or keyhole surgery) are much less stressful for the patient and give a better cosmetic result than ‘open

Many women with fertility problems could have a significantly better chance of having a baby if modern IVF techniques are combined with more traditional surgical interventions, according to a leading fertility specialist.

Mr TC Li, Honorary Professor at Sheffield Hallam University, says that surgical techniques should be used alongside IVF more often, especially for women who have repeatedly failed to conceive using IVF alone.

He explained in a lecture at Sheffield Hallam