Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Building the blood-brain barrier
Construction of the brain's border fence is supervised by Wnt/b-catenin signaling, report Liebner et al. in The Journal of Cell Biology.
Bacteria cause old buildings to feel off-color
The assumption that time, weather, and pollution are what cause buildings to decline is only partly true. Bacteria are also responsible for the ageing of buildings and monuments – a...
Research team maps cell interactions
(PhysOrg.com) -- Proteins make up the machinery of the cell. Their interaction with each other is responsible for how the cell functions within a living organism. Intrigued by what these...
UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News
Amphibians confirmed as bellwethers … Scientists find new way to fight leukemia … Amphibians disappear from Yellowstone … Puberty disorder gene is identified ... Health/Science news from UPI.
New plant sciences primer is released
WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- The U.S. National Academies have released a new primer on the achievements and promise of plant genome sciences.
'Full' artificial heart implant
Scientists say they have a working prototype of a fully artificial heart that is now ready for implanting in humans.
Mechanism In Cells That Generate Malignant Brain Tumors May Offer Target For Gene Therapy
The researchers who first isolated cancer stem cells in adult brain tumors in 2004 have now identified a molecular mechanism that is involved in the development of these cells from...
How Epilepsy Develops: New Relationship Between Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor And Inflammatory Signaling
The development of epilepsy in adult rats is linked to functional changes in the expression of alpha 1 containing GABA-A receptors.
DNA Repair: Structure Of The Mre11 Protein Bound To DNA
DNA repair is critical for avoiding cancer and other diseases. A molecular machine called the MRN complex finds and signals double-strand breaks and initiates error-free repair by means of homologous...
Acupuncture Used For Animal Ailments
Needles are often equated with pain and discomfort; however, for a horse named Gypsy the tiny sharp objects brought about much needed relief as a professor administered acupuncture therapy.
Increase in Leptospirosis Disease in Sea Lions
The Marine Mammal Center has seen an increase in leptospirosis cases in sea lions this year. Researchers there are launching a new study to determine causes of cyclical outbreaks and...
Purple Tomatoes, Rich In Health-Protecting Anthocyanins, Developed With Help Of Snapdragons
Scientists have expressed genes from snapdragon in tomatoes to grow purple tomatoes high in health-protecting anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are naturally occurring pigments found at particularly high levels in berries such as...
Gene Find Sheds Light On Motor Neuron Diseases Like ALS
Scientists have identified a gene in mice that plays a central role in the proper development of one of the nerve cells that goes bad in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or...
Seeing color in 'blindsight'
By manipulating the brain noninvasively in a new way with magnetic stimulation, researchers have shown that they can restore some experience of color where before there was no visual awareness...
MicroRNAs make for safer cancer treatments
Viruses -- long regarded solely as disease agents -- now are being used in therapies for cancer. Concerns over the safety of these so-called oncolytic viruses stem from their potential...
Biosolids microbes pose manageable risk to workers
Class B biosolids are sewage sludges that have been treated to contain fewer than 2.0 x 106 fecal coliforms/dry gram. The USEPA estimates that 6.3 million tonnes of Class B...
Video: Name that baby panda!
Oct. 27: A baby panda born at the Atlanta Zoo is ready for a name. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports. (msnbc.com)
CO2 Emissions And Imperiled Species
Agencies nix use of Endangered Species Act to regulate coal-fired power plants
Exposure To Low Doses Of Mercury Changes The Way The Arteries Work
An international team of researchers has shown that mercury is another important factor in cardiovascular disease as it changes the way arteries work. One of the possible sources of exposure...
New Clue To Muscular Dystrophy Uncovered: Mediator In Communication Between Neurons And Muscle Cells Found
A missing piece of the puzzle of how neurons and muscle cells establish lifelong communication has been found by researchers who suspect this piece may be mutated and/or attacked in...
Vitamin D: Not a simple case of cause and effect
When it comes to vitamin D, should we be boosting our intake or proceeding with extreme caution?
Safety officers weighed options before deciding to shoot 12-foot gator
Animal lovers are shocked and angry that authorities shot a 12-foot alligator last week near Old Town in Bay St. Louis, Miss.
Cancer cure in a sponge? Institute tests synthetic version of substance
A sponge that lives in the ocean depths off Florida's coastline holds a compound that might fight pancreatic and colon cancers.
Vaccine may save Australia's prawns
Researchers have used gene silencing techniques to help stop the spread of a deadly prawn virus that costs the Australian industry up to $6.5 million each year.
Cause Of Weakness In Marine Animal Hybrids Discovered
A genetic malfunction found in marine crustaceans called copepods likely explains why populations of animals that diverge and eventually reconnect produce weak "hybrid" offspring.
First Inhabitants Of Caribbean Brought Drug Heirlooms With Them
Scientists have found physical evidence that the people who colonized the Caribbean from South America brought with them heirloom drug paraphernalia that had been passed down from generation to generation...
'Cheshire Cat' Escape Strategy In Response To Marine Viruses
A novel defense strategy displayed in response to marine viruses by some of the most abundant unicellular organisms found in our oceans has recently been demonstrated. The results enable a...
Feature: Encountering mutual respect
Since the beginning of recorded history whales have always held an extraordinary magnetism for humans. Now, for a particular subspecies of minke whale, which visits Queensland’s north coast each year,...