Iron is involved in prion disease-associated neuronal demise

Imbalance of iron homeostasis is a common feature of prion disease-affected human, mouse, and hamster brains, according to a new study by Dr Neena Singh and colleagues at Case Western...

Forceful New Method To Sensitively Detect Toxins, Proteins, Developed

Scientists recently reported the detection of toxins with unprecedented speed, sensitivity, and simplicity. The approach can sense as few as a few hundred molecules in a drop of blood in...

Scientists discover master regulator of motor neuron firing

(PhysOrg.com) -- When the Human Genome Project was complete, DNA bowed out of the limelight and gave way to RNA as a major player in genetic regulation. Now, findings at...

Gene involved in neuropathy is identified

ST. LOUIS, March 16 (UPI) -- U.S. medical scientists say they've identified the first gene that kills nerve cell branches from within the cell, possibly causing neuropathy.

Leatherback Turtle Threatened By Plastic Garbage In Ocean

Leatherback turtles, the most widely distributed reptiles on Earth, are threatened with extinction themselves, in large part due to the carelessness of humans. A professor addresses the threat of plastics...

Researchers Study Cave’s 'Breathing' For Better Climate Clues

Researchers are studying the way caves "breathe" to providing new insights into the process by which scientists study paleoclimates.

A sticky business -- how cancer cells become more 'gloopy' as they die

The viscosity, or 'gloopiness', of different parts of cancer cells increases dramatically when they are blasted with light-activated cancer drugs, according to new images that provide fundamental insights into how...

Monitoring of rare whales near NY harbor ends

(AP) -- Monitoring for endangered right whales off New York harbor is ending because the project has lost financing in the current budget crunch.

Aphids Borrowed Bacterial Genes To Play Host

Most aphids host mutualistic bacteria, Buchnera aphidicola, which live inside specialized cells called bacteriocytes. Buchnera are vital to the aphids well being as they provide essential amino acids that are...

Kiwifruit: Curious Chromosomes Of A Curious Fruit

Incipient sex chromosomes have been found in New Zealand's eponymous export, the kiwifruit. Researchers have mapped the kiwifruit genome and pin-pointed the sex-determining locus.

Optimistic Worms Are Ready For Rapid Recovery, Biologists Find

For the tiny soil-dwelling nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans, life is usually a situation of feast or famine. Researchers have found that this worm has evolved a surprisingly optimistic genetic strategy...

Swifts may hold the secret of staying young

What Drove The Cow Mad? Lessons From A Tiny Fish

Scientists have known for some time that a normal protein in the brain, prion protein (PrP), can turn harmful and cause deadly illnesses like CJD in humans, and BSE in...

Turn Back, Wayward Axon: Coreceptors Work Together As 'Navigators' For A Growing Axon, Study Shows

To a growing axon, the protein RGMa is a "Wrong Way" sign, alerting it to head in another direction. As a new study shows, translating that signal into cellular action...

Discovery Of Protection Against Cell Division Failures

Researchers have described the causes for division errors of human tissue cells and how the cells protect themselves against these.

Tiny Brain Region Key To Fear Of Rivals And Predators

A piece of the brain's hypothalamus is key to animals' fear of territorial rivals and predators, according to a new study. Without it, animals lose all sense of caution.

Researchers Unravel Unexpected Role Of Neuronal Population In Drug Addiction And Parkinson's

Researchers in Belgium have made an important step toward the understanding of drug addiction and Parkinson's disease. Their work has unraveled the unexpected role of a neuronal population in drug...

Prion discovery gives clue to control of mass gene expression

The discovery in common brewer's yeast of a new, infectious, misfolded protein -- or prion -- by University of Illinois at Chicago molecular biologists raises new questions about the roles...

Journalism evolving, not dying: science author

Newspapers are dying but journalism is evolving, an acclaimed science writer told a gathering of the techno-hip at South By South West Interactive Festival on Friday.

One virus particle is enough to cause infectious disease

Can exposure to a single virus particle lead to infection or disease? Until now, solid proof has been lacking. Experimental research with insect larvae at Wageningen University and Simon Fraser...

Molecule Tracking Reveals Mechanism Of Chromosome Separation In Dividing Cells

In examining how a cell evenly separates its genetic material before dividing, scientists looked closely at a nano-scale apparatus, the kinetochore, located on each chromosome to learn how it makes...

The Making Of An Intestinal Stem Cell

Researchers have found the factor that makes the difference between a stem cell in the intestine and any other cell. The discovery is an essential step toward understanding the biology...

Critical Growth Factor That Stimulates Sperm Stem Cells To Thrive Identified

Researchers have identified for the first time a specific "niche factor" in the mouse testes called colony stimulating factor 1, Csf1, that has a direct effect on sperm stem cell...

A Toxin a Day Keeps the Maggots Away

Infested caterpillars self-medicate by eating poisonous plants

Electrochemical technique follows the motion of individual microparticles in space and time

(PhysOrg.com) -- Many bacteria are able to 'swim' through liquids by means of a flagellum. When doing this, some bacteria follow attractants, some flee from harmful substances, and others align...

Goo gives eels just the right buoyancy

Scientists survey the specific gravity of 25 marine critters

Potential pathway for drug intervention

A newly identified molecular pathway that directs stem cells to produce glial cells yields insights into the neurobiology of Down's syndrome and a number of central nervous system disorders characterized...

Baby gorilla rejected by mom, named by dad

The father of a 3-month-old western lowland gorilla abandoned by its mother at the San Francisco Zoo has picked a handsome name for his son.