Brain stem cells can be awakened, say Schepens scientists

Boston, MA-Scientists at Schepens Eye Research Institute have identified specific molecules in the brain that are responsible for awakening and putting to sleep brain stem cells, which, when activated, can...

New genetic insight offered into ALS

TOKYO, June 3 (UPI) -- Japanese researchers say they've gained valuable insight into the genetics of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

How to construct a 'firefly' worm

Research describing a new modified luminescent worm that allows, for the first time, to measure, in real time, the metabolism of an entire living organism has just been published in...

Potential Treatments From Cryptic Genes

Big pharma gave up on soil bacteria as a source of antibiotics too soon, according to research in Microbiology. Scientists have been mining microbial genomes for new natural products that...

Fruit Fly Protein Acts As Decoy To Capture Tumor Growth Factors

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have shown how Argos, a fruit fly protein, acts as a "decoy" receptor, binding growth factors that promote the progression of...

All-fours study links gene to upright gait

Scientists claim to have discovered gene that helps humans walk upright, after studying families who 'bear crawl'

Living fossils have long- and short-term memory

Nautiloids are the sole surviving family of externally-shelled cephalopods that thrived in the tropical oceans 450–150 million years ago. However, in the intervening years their modern soft bodied relatives dumped...

Animals fare better in zoos as experts learn more

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Scientists are learning more about how zoo animals feel and how a toy or a little training can sometimes help cut the endless pacing and other repetitive...

Experts may clone dead people's tissue

LONDON, June 1 (UPI) -- British government officials say they are considering legal action to allow scientists to use dead donors' tissue in stem cell cloning research.

Bees genes best carried by siblings

Researchers have revealed that insects often raise their siblings, instead of reproducing themselves, as it gives them the best chance of passing on their genes.

Malaysians patrol turtle sites after 4,000 eggs stolen: report

Malaysian authorities are carrying out night patrols near endangered Hawksbill turtle nesting sites after 4,000 eggs were stolen, according to reports Sunday.

Organic Corn: Increasing Rotation Complexity Increases Yields Substantially

Researchers investigated the impact of increasing crop rotation length and complexity on crop yields in organic agricultural systems over a ten year period. They found that longer, more complex rotations...

It's love or bust for Yangtze turtles

International experts are trying to mate two aged reptiles in a last bid to save their species

Students skip slime, stink with virtual dissection

(AP) -- It's not just concern for the squeamish biology students who wince at the feel and smell of cutting into a formaldehyde-soaked animal. Think about the frog. The...

Tumor Suppressor Genes Speed Up and Slow Down Aging in Engineered Mouse

Mayo Clinic researchers have developed an animal model that can test the function of two prominent tumor suppressor genes, p16 and p19, in the aging process. Scientists knew that both...

Taxonomists Describe The Top 10 Most Surprising Species Discovered In 2007

Each year the scientific community identifies around 17,000 new animals and plants. To attract people's attention on the discovery of species, a key for their evolution, survival and conservation, an...

Plant Foods For Preserving Muscle Mass

Fruits and vegetables contain essential vitamins, minerals and fiber that are key to good health. Now, new research suggests plant foods also may help preserve muscle mass in older men...

Spider Silk Can Be Stretchy Like Springs Or Like Rubber

What Makes Spider Silk Stretchy? Spider silks are incredibly stretchy, but are they stretchy like elastic or springs? The answer lies in their amino acid content. Spider silks are made...

Research measures movement of nanomaterials in simple model food chain

New research in Nature Nanotechnology shows that while engineered nanomaterials can be transferred up the lowest levels of the food chain from single celled organisms to higher multicelled ones, the...

Caring or cruel? Inside the primate laboratory

The Guardian is given access to an animal research facility and talks to the scientists

Audio slideshow: Inside a secret animal research lab

James Randerson was given exclusive access to one of the most controversial research facilities in the UK, where monkeys are used to investigate the neural basis of diseases such as...

Gene Signature Profile For Metastasis Discovered

Researchers have identified a common signature of tiny, specific pieces of non-coding genetic material known as microRNAs (miRNAs) that may be directly involved in the spread of cancer. The findings...

Self-assembled viruses

Researchers Pinpoint Gene Mutations Responsible for 10 Percent of Schizophrenia

Scans of the genome of patients with schizophrenia have revealed rare spontaneous copy number mutations that account for at least 10 percent of the non-familial cases of the disease. Researchers...

Input Needed from the Research Community to Choose Standard Measures for Genomics Research

As part of a collaborative effort to better understand the relationships among genetics, environment, health and disease, RTI International seeks expertise from the scientific community to help establish a standard...

Does Fishing On Drifting Fish Aggregation Devices Endanger The Survival Of Tropical Tuna?

Biologists studying tropical tuna fisheries aimed to establish if the use of drifting fish aggregation devices, a technique employed increasingly for industrial-scale tuna fishery, could act as just such an...

A Little Bit Of Egg Makes Tracking Aphids Easier

The green peach aphid, despite its name, is a pest of potatoes. Besides siphoning off juices from potato plants, the aphid can infect the plants with viruses that cause an...

Sticky Business: Researchers Devise New Way Of Mapping The Viscosity Of Cells

A fluorescent dye can be used to map how viscous, or 'gloopy', different parts of a cell are, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Chemical...