The scoop on when worms poop, ovulate and swallow

University of Utah biologists found a gene that controls rhythmic events in a worm’s life: swallowing food, laying eggs and pooping.

If the gene is disabled, the worms can’t swallow, so they die. If the gene is partly restored so the worms can swallow, they have trouble reproducing and get constipated.

“We have found a gene that is important for the control of fundamental rhythms in nematode worms,” says

Findings, to be published in Oct. 7 Science, may prompt textbook changes

A team of scientists led by University of Connecticut plant biologist Roberto Gaxiola has discovered an overlooked genetic key to generating plants that are more productive, more drought resistant and can grow in soils low in nutrients. Their work is the first to successfully test in cells a 30-year-old hypothesis that explains the movement of a primary growth and development hormone through plants and is

Scientists have developed a new technique that makes pesticides more effective by removing insects’ ability to exhibit resistance. Their research will extend the effective life of current pesticides, significantly reduce the amount that needs to be sprayed and remove the need for farmers to move to stronger and more harmful chemicals.

Researchers at Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire, working with researchers in New South Wales, Australia have developed a way to counter the

Research at the University of Sunderland looks to have led to a major breakthrough in the multi-billion pound anti-ageing industry.

A new device called Restorelite is having a dramatic effect on those battling against the ageing process, with initial trials leading to a success rate of around 90 per cent.

Industry standard double blind trials should be completed in December, and if the results are as good as expected the £45 machines could be on high street shelves

Anaesthetic agents are potentially dangerous drugs, and major patient complications can occur. If the patient is overdosed, death or major body organ damage can occur. Conversely, if the patient is under-dosed, patient awareness can occur. There is a narrow drug concentration “window” for both drug safety and anaesthetic efficacy, and the development of ways in which to monitor drug delivery concentration has been a major driver in anaesthetic agent safety research.

The Oxford inventi

A report by the Karolinska Institutet, in conjunction with the Stockholm School of Economics, exposes stark inequalities in patient access to cancer treatment across Europe and urges action by decision makers to redress these inequalities.

The report, entitled ‘A pan-European comparison regarding patient access to cancer drugs’, found that despite the proven benefits of new innovative treatments options, patients across Europe do not have equality of access to these cancer drug

University of Ulster scientists are developing innovative drugs that could represent important new therapeutic tools to help ease the burden of diabetes worldwide. The news comes as a UN World Health Organisation report identifies diabetes as one of the major health issues facing the world in the 21st century.

The research team at UU have discovered that modified-forms of GIP, a naturally occurring molecule produced by the body, can combat key symptoms of diabetes. This stimulated t

“The symptoms of rhinitis and atopical dermatitis amongst children between the ages of 6 and 7 in the Pamplona area have increased significantly and the diagnosis of both ailments has doubled in the period between 1994 and 2001. Nevertheless, amongst children between 12 and 14-age group there has been a drop in the incidence of symptoms of rhinitis and that of atopical dermatitis has stabilised”. This was the conclusion of Ana María Irujo Andueza in her PhD thesis defended recently at the Pub

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) is calling for concerted action following the recent release of an important report of the World Heart Organisation (WHO).

“Preventing Chronic Diseases: A Vital Investment” (1) clearly demonstrates the full extent of the global burden of chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes and says global action to prevent chronic diseases could save the lives of 36 million people who would

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2005 jointly to Yves Chauvin Institut Français du Pétrole, Rueil-Malmaison, France, Robert H. Grubbs California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena, CA, USA and Richard R. Schrock Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA “for the development of the metathesis method in organic synthesis”.

Metathesis – a change-your-partners dance

This year’s Nobel Prize

Which flu did you get? TIGR scientists survey five New York flu seasons

On the eve of the 2005-06 flu season, scientists at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) have captured influenza evolution in action. In a study published in this week’s journal Nature, the researchers report the first large-scale project to sequence the influenza virus. The study offers a unique snapshot of the rapidly evolving flu virus in a human population–and a new strategy for surveillance.

New studies in mice have shown that immature stem cells that proliferate to form brain tissues can function for at least a year — most of the life span of a mouse — and give rise to multiple types of neural cells, not just neurons. The discovery may bode well for the use of these neural stem cells to regenerate brain tissue lost to injury or disease.

Alexandra L. Joyner, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at New York University School of Medicine, and her former post

Swiss study shows that hair follicles contain bonafide multipotent stem cells

Using an animal model, a research team led by Yann Barrandon at the EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne) and the CHUV (Lausanne University Hospital) has discovered that certain cells inside the hair follicle are true multipotent stem cells, capable of developing into the many different cell types needed for hair growth and follicle replacement. In an article appearing in the Oct 3 advance o

Microbiologists from the University of Bradford believe they may be closer to developing a vaccine that can protect newborn babies from being infected by the common and potentially fatal bacteria Group B Streptococcus.

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) are the most common bacteria attacking newborn babies, affecting 1 in 1000 births, and killing up to 6 per cent of those infected. It infects around 700 babies in the UK each year and kills around 100 of those infected, according to the

Modern information and communication technologies (ICT) allow completely new opportunities to provide medical care and health information to developing countries. Inhabitants of regions lacking access to medical care can receive advice, diagnosis and assistance with treatment via a computer centre. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the international university network Universitas 21 are now cooperating in an endeavour to develop and spread what is known as e-health.

“It is i

Close your eyes and imagine you are in a darkened Carnegie Hall. Although it’s pitch black, you know you are getting closer to the stage as the music gets louder. If you have been there before, you have a sense of the location of the seats and aisles. You remain upright because you somehow know where your legs, arms and feet are. Your head remains upright.

A variety of neurons or nerve cells makes it possible for you to approach the stage and even find a seat without sight. S