MADISON-Boosting levels of two critical proteins that normally shut down during Huntington’s disease, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have cured fruit flies of the genetic, neurodegenerative condition.

Forms of the same proteins-known in short form as CREB and HSP-70–exist in all cells, including those of humans.

The study results, published online today by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Lymph circulates in our bodies through a complex network of lymphatic vessels, of which little is known. This network is, however, of major importance for the support of the immune system and the fluid in our body. Researchers from the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) connected with the Catholic University of Leuven, are the first to indicate that this network can be studied with the help of tadpoles. This accelerates research of the lymphatic vessel network. With tadpoles

On 5 August 2005, the ESA/NASA SOHO spacecraft achieved an incredible milestone – the discovery of its 1000th comet!

The 1000th comet was a Kreutz-group comet spotted in images from the C3 coronagraph on SOHO’s LASCO instrument by Toni Scarmato, from Calabria, Italy. Just five minutes prior to discovering SOHO’s 1000th comet, Toni had also spotted SOHO’s 999th comet! These comets take Toni’s personal number of SOHO discoveries to 15.

Many SOHO comet

New look but same breadth of information

The new-look is the result of a critical evaluation of website functionality and a review of what registered users want from Nanoforum. The revamped website offers the same level of information and detail as before, but it is now easier to search for related information.

The homepage lists the latest news with quick links to events, organisations, calls and programs, and Nanoforum reports, with the number of entries in each li

Duke University biochemists aided by Duke computer scientists and computational chemists have identified the likely way two key enzymes dock in an intricate three-dimensional puzzle-fit to regulate cell division. Solving the docking puzzle could lead to anticancer drugs to block the runaway cell division behind some cancers, said the researchers.

Significantly, their insights arose not just from meticulous biochemical studies, but also from using sophisticated simulation techniques to p

Astronomers have discovered a planet orbiting a very young star nearly 100 light years away using a relatively small, publicly accessible telescope turbocharged with a new planet-finding instrument.

The feat suggests that astronomers have found a way to dramatically accelerate the pace of the hunt for planets outside our solar system.

“In the last two decades, astronomers have searched about 3,000 stars for new planets,” said Jian Ge, a professor of astronomy at the Uni

Data strikingly similar to Finnish studies

Using technology that allows DNA from thousands of genes to be collected and surveyed on a 3 x 1½-inch chip, University of Utah medical researchers have confirmed that a region on a single chromosome probably harbors a gene that causes autism. The researchers at the U School of Medicine made the finding by tracing variations in the DNA of an extended Utah family that has a high occurrence of the disorder and whose members are descended

Distant Planet Brings Astronomers Closer To Home

Using a network of telescopes scattered across the globe, including the Danish 1.54m telescope at ESO La Silla (Chile), astronomers [1] discovered a new extrasolar planet significantly more Earth-like than any other planet found so far. The planet, which is only about 5 times as massive as the Earth, circles its parent star in about 10 years. It is the least massive exoplanet around an ordinary star detected so far and also the

UCSF and Cleveland Clinic scientists have discovered a new virus in human prostate tumors. The type of virus, closely related to viruses typically found in mice, has never been detected in humans. The virus’s link to human disease is still unclear, and more study is needed to determine the relationship between the virus and cancer, if any, the scientists say.

The discovery was made with the same DNA-hunting “virus chip” used to confirm the identity of the SARS virus three y

Identifying alterations in DNA methylation may also be useful in determining cancer progression

Researchers at Mayo Clinic have narrowed the search for effective prostate cancer biomarkers (genetic variations that point to a specific disease or condition), identifying changes in the expression of genes of the whole genome closely correlated to prostate cancer development and progression. They also showed that DNA hypermethylation (DNA modification without changing sequence)

ESA has taken a further step in preparing for participation in Mars Sample Return (MSR), the landmark mission to return samples from the Red Planet, with the announcement of the next phase of industrial activity.

The Phase A2 activity will address many critical issues and identify key areas in which Europe can participate in this flagship of the Aurora Programme.

The search for evidence of life outside the Earth is one of the fundamental goals of space exploration, and has been

Proposed alloy could ’open the door’ in the search for promising electric superconductors

After an exhaustive data search for new compounds, researchers at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering have discovered a theoretical “metal sandwich” that is expected to be a good superconductor. Superconductive materials have no resistance to the flow of electric current.

The new lithium monoboride (LiB) compound is a “binary alloy” consisting of two laye

ExoMars will explore the Martian surface with a mobile rover and a stationary science module. ExoMars will: • search for traces of past and present life at,…

The MICHAEL project has developed an electronic system to access, manage and update existing digital records of Europe’s collections, including museum objects,…

Scientists are convinced that some super-massive black holes must be hiding behind thick clouds of dust. These dusty shrouds allow only the highest energy…

COROT may discover the first planets elsewhere that closely resemble the Earth in size and composition. The mission is led by the French National Space Agency…

But this is the hope of scientists from the RSPB and Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity in Kazakhstan (ACBK) when they resume their search next…

The lateral line is an organ used by all fish to detect, with exquisite sensitivity, movement and vibration in the surrounding water. According to the research…

They have helped to introduce Green Chemistry, an emerging field of sustainable science that will help African nations to meet the challenges of the 21st…

Next time you lose your car keys and enlist the family to help you search, try a little experiment. After your spouse searches an area, go and look in the same…