Scientists Characterize Protein Structure Of Environmentally Friendly Bacteria

Scientists have determined the structure of a key protein domain in a bacterium that could help with bioremediation of uranium-contaminated land sites.

Cause of lupus may be genetic 'editing'

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., May 21 (UPI) -- U.S. scientist say they've found evidence that the abnormal "editing" of gene messages in a type of white blood cell might be...

Modified protein might help hemophiliacs

HOUSTON, May 21 (UPI) -- U.S. pathologists say they've created a chemically modified protein that might help people suffering hemophilia -- a hard-to-treat genetic bleeding disorder.

Improved Gene Therapy Agent Is 30 Times More Efficient Than Current One

Geneticists have developed a new version of the adeno-associated virus gene transfer vector. With just a small molecular change, AAV works about 30 times more efficiently at transferring genes in...

Video: Panda Cubs Rescued After Quake

Seen in cell-phone camera footage, handlers at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in China evacuated more than a dozen panda cubs just after the massive May 12 earthquake.

Plant Biologists Discover Unexpected Proteins Affecting Small RNAs

Now that high school biology students can recite that genes are made of DNA, which is transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA), which is then translated into protein, along comes a...

Embryonic Pathway Delivers Stem Cell Traits

Cells that undergo an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition show properties of stem cells, including the ability to self-renew. In addition, stem cells exhibit properties of cells that undergo EMT. Strikingly, both normal...

Mice on remote Atlantic island eat birds

LONDON, May 20 (UPI) -- Mice on a remote South Atlantic island have adapted so well to local conditions that they are threatening the survival of some nesting...

Extinct tiger gene resurrected in a mouse

New Meaning For The Term 'Computer Bug': Genetically Altered Bacteria For Data Storage

Researchers have created 'living computers' by genetically altering bacteria. The research demonstrates that computing in living cells is feasible, opening the door to a number of applications including data storage...

Clue To Mystery Crustacean In Parasite Form

First identified in 1899, y-larvae have been one of the greatest zoological mysteries for over a century. No one has ever found an adult of these puzzling crustaceans, despite the...

Researchers find smallpox drug may also target adenovirus

Scientists at Saint Louis University have made two key discoveries that could lead to the first-ever human testing of a drug to target the adenovirus, which causes a number of...

Those with rare diseases offered a chance for free treatment

(AP) -- They're the cold cases of medicine, patients with diseases so rare and mysterious that they've eluded diagnosis for years.

Larger Horns A Gamble For Young Soay Sheep

When it comes to winning mates, larger horns are an asset for male Soay sheep. But those that grow them may be putting their young lives on the line.

Beetle juice inspires innovations

A beetle’s chemical warfare against marauding ants, birds and frogs has provided the inspiration for a European effort to design more efficient fire extinguishers, reliable pharmaceutical sprays and fuel-injection engines.

3-D Model of Chili Pepper Heat Receptor Generated

You can now not only feel the spicy kick of a jalapeno pepper, you can also see it in full 3D, thanks to researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in...

Surgeon operates to rescue chimp with rare deformity

An orthopaedic surgeon at the University of Liverpool has performed a groundbreaking operation on a chimp in Cameroon to correct a deformity more commonly seen in dogs.

Climate change raising extinction risk among birds: study

Climate change has emerged as a major factor behind the growing risk of extinction facing birds, the world's leading conservation agency warned on Monday.

DNA clues to reproductive behaviour

A species of wild yeast goes through a cycle of sexual reproduction once in every 1,000 asexual generations, according to new research by Imperial biologists published in the PNAS journal...

Phylogenetic Fallacies and Platypus Genomes

There has been considerable interest in the publication of the platypus genome but it has led to a lot of confusion and some misconceptions about evolutionary relationships.

Human genetic separation suggested

TEL AVIV, Israel, May 19 (UPI) -- Israeli scientists say they've determined the human race was divided into two separate groups within Africa for as much as half...

Study Implicates 350 Gene Regions In Cancer Development In The Mouse

A large genetic study in mice has identified hundreds of genes involved in the development of cancer by examining the DNA of more than 500 lymphomas to find the cancer...

U.S. scientists develop artificial cell

STATE COLLEGE, Pa., May 19 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists report creating an artificial cell that can be used to study the organization and function of the most basic...

First Evidence Of Native Dendritic Cells In Brain Surprises Scientists

In a finding that has the potential to change the way researchers think about the brain, scientists at Rockefeller University have found dendritic cells where they've never been seen before:...

DNA could reveal viable embryos

Scientists have used DNA fingerprinting to find which embryos are successful after IVF, taking some of the guess work out of the previously random process.

Turning back the clock for Schwann cells

Myelin-making Schwann cells have an ability every aging Hollywood star would envy: they can become young again. According to a study appearing in the May 19 issue of the Journal...

An Ancient Protein Balances Gene Activity And Silences Foreign DNA In Bacteria

Compared to humans, bacteria have a much tidier genome. The tiny microorganisms pack their genes closely together, and don't carry around a lot of extraneous DNA, so-called junk DNA that...

'Wrinkle-free' sheep answer to mulesing says Australian inventor

An Australian who has bred sheep with no wrinkles said Monday the animals were a cruelty-free alternative to mulesing, the painful cutting of the hide to prevent disease.