New research on the wolves of Isle Royale may shed light on a mystery that has long puzzled biologists: Why do some predators band together to hunt?

“Most species of predators live solitary lives,” says John Vucetich, a research assistant professor of wildlife ecology at Michigan Technological University. “Biologists have always wanted to know why the few exceptions live in groups.”

In his observations of wolves and ravens, Vucetich may have found the answer: Predators th

In this issue of Chemistry & Biology, Lazar and colleagues report an unexpected finding about pheromone transport in the Asian elephant, an endangered species of which only a few thousand individuals remain.

Female elephants communicate their readiness to mate by excreting a sex pheromone in their urine. Male elephants exhibit a range of responses to this pheromone, beginning with sniffing and “check and place” responses, where the male touches his trunk tip to the pheromone-loaded

Thanks to new screening tools, and some luck, researchers at the University of Chicago have discovered three unrelated compounds that inhibit the two toxins – edema factor and lethal factor — that have made anthrax one of the most feared of potential bioterror agents.

In the August 2004 issue of the journal Chemistry and Biology, the researchers report that they used a novel screening technique, developed at the University, to find a small molecule that prevents edema factor from

High-resolution snapshots of a virus attacking its host – which have culminated in a movie of the process – could reveal secrets of viral infection and improve gene therapy techniques, according to a Purdue University research group.

Structural biologists including Michael G. Rossmann have obtained clearer pictures of how the T4 virus, long known to infect E. coli bacteria, alters its shape as it prepares to pierce its host’s cell membrane. The complicated infection process

First-ever side-by-side comparison of PCB-laden sediments taken from separate, contaminated rivers

One of Mother Nature’s most promising weapons to break down persistent, toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is bacteria. Now, a study by Carnegie Mellon University scientists provides convincing evidence that how quickly a PCB gets eaten and what it becomes depends on where it settles. Using DNA fingerprinting, the Carnegie Mellon team discovered distinct bacterial populations in th

University of Toronto researchers have identified individual cells in the adult mouse pancreas capable of generating insulin-producing beta cells.

Their research, published Aug. 22 in the online edition of Nature Biotechnology, offers hope for the millions of diabetics worldwide who take insulin injections to compensate for defective pancreatic islets. Healthy islets, made up largely of beta cells, release insulin to help regulate the body’s blood sugar levels.

“P

Thanks to a productive collaboration between clinical and basic scientists, researchers from the University of Chicago have identified the first genetic cause of one of the most common birth defects of the brain, Dandy-Walker malformation (DWM). Infants with this disorder, about one in 10,000 births, have a small, displaced cerebellum and other brain abnormalities that can reduce coordination, impair mental function and cause hydrocephalus.

In the September, 2004, issue of Nature G

Scientists have been trying for some time to develop molecules that mimic natural regulators of gene expression. These natural regulators, called transcription…

The dendritic cells act as the body’s sentries, standing guard around the clock. As soon as they detect a potential enemy, they alert the T cells, whose role is to defend the body.

At the Institut Curie, CNRS researchers in an Inserm laboratory have filmed the encounter of dendritic cells and T cells. They have shown that this “rendez-vous”, which is indispensable for the activation of the immune system, cannot take place in the absence of the proteins Rac 1 and 2. Published in the

A study from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR) Affiliate Center at the University of Helsinki in Finland has shed light on the development of lymphatic vasculature and valves, and may help to develop better treatments for lymphedema.

The disease, which results from damaged or absent lymphatic vessels, may be inherited or may be a side-effect of the surgical removal of tumors. Lymphatic vessels normally remove fluid and proteins escaping from blood capillaries into sur

A recent study of 81 cases, published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research is the first to show that correction of upper neck injuries may reverse the progression of both Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease (PD).

The research was performed by Erin Elster, D.C., an Upper Cervical Chiropractor in Boulder, Colorado, who compiled data from 44 MS patients and 37 PD patients treated over the past five years. After treating upper neck injuries in 81 patients, 91% of

InterBioScreen (IBS), global provider of unique chemical compound libraries, and Quantum Pharmaceuticals, high-tech drug discovery company, announced a new project to create a revolutionary product for the drug discovery market.

The joint project, QuantumLead, combines the industry leading in silico lead optimization technology of Quantum Pharmaceuticals with the unique synthetic and natural compound libraries and network of scientists of IBS to create Q-Lead-Libraries.

Nitroxyl-releasing drugs seem to strengthen cardiac contractions, relaxation in conscious dogs

Half a million Americans are diagnosed each year with heart failure, a progressively debilitating condition characterized by the heart’s declining ability to pump blood efficiently. The condition causes about 50,000 deaths annually and accounts for 1 million hospitalizations – more than for all forms of cancer combined.
Since the 1980s, nitroglycerin and other medications that releas

People in a negative mood provide more accurate eyewitness accounts than people in a positive mood state, according to new research.

The surprise finding, which is to be published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, is the first to assess the effect of mood on memory and human thinking.

People in a positive mood such as happiness were shown under experimental conditions to have relatively unreliable memories, and show poorer judgement and critical thinking ski

Possible implications for some anti-inflammatory drugs used in fighting cardiovascular disease

Very little is known about how aortic aneurysms initially form and progress. Now, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have shown in an atherosclerotic animal model that susceptibility for developing aneurysms increases significantly when an inflammation pathway important in asthma is activated. Mice without the inflammation gene were protected from aneurysm

Ohio State University researchers are working on developing a multi-purpose cancer drug that might one day scale back the number of medications some cancer patients need to take.

In laboratory tests, a dual-action compound called OSU 111 has shown promise in killing prostate cancer cells. “It had a direct toxic effect on cancer cells, and also prevented angiogenesis – the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones,” said Tom Li, the study’s lead investigator and an a