Life Sciences and Chemistry

Research in mice examines how embryo protects itself from oxidative stress

Mouse embryos missing a gene that aids in the repair of DNA damage are at greater risk of developing birth defects, say U of T scientists. The finding has implications for research into the cause of birth defects in humans.

The gene, also found in humans, produces an important protein called ATM which senses DNA damage caused by reactive oxygen species and directs other proteins to repair it. Reactive

Adding a small molecule, dubbed a “molecular midwife,” researchers increased the rate of DNA formation in a chemical reaction 1,000 fold over a similar reaction lacking a midwife. The discovery is an important step in the effort to trace the evolution of life back to the earliest self-replicating molecules. The results are reported in the April 2 edition of the German chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie.

“We are working to uncover how molecules similar to RNA and DNA first appeared on Earth

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and Stanford University report today the completion of the sequencing of human chromosome 19, the most gene-rich of all the human chromosomes. This achievement is described in the April 1, 2004 edition of the journal Nature.

“Culminating 18 years of research, this partnership exemplifies DOE’s commitment to advancing our understanding of the complex interplay between our human health and the environment,” said Energy S

Researchers at Northwestern University have devised a method to induce embryonic stem cells to develop into bone marrow and blood cells. Injecting the stem cells into the bone marrow cavity of mice whose bone marrow cells had been depleted restored production of blood cells, including cells of the immune system, which normally are created in the bone marrow.

As reported by Richard K. Burt, M.D., and colleagues in April issue of The Journal of Experimental Medicine, the method was effective e

Chemists at Ohio State University and their colleagues may have settled a 70-year-old scientific debate on the fundamental nature of ice.

A new statistical analysis mechanical theory has confirmed what some scientists only suspected before: that under the right conditions, molecules of water can freeze together in just the right way to form a perfect crystal. And once frozen, that ice can be manipulated by electric fields in the same way that magnets respond to magnetic fields.

Are longer sperm more successful than shorter sperm in the race for life? This is one of the questions Dr. Matthew Gage (University of East Anglia) will be addressing on Wednesday 31st March 2004 at the annual SEB meeting in Edinburgh (29th March – 2nd April 2004). Dr. Gage will present evidence that sperm speed, size and shape all matter when it comes to male success in sperm competition.

Sperm competition is a widespread phenomenon that occurs when sperm of more than one male compete to fe