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Mitochondrial genes cause nuclear mischief

While the nucleus of a cell may be its command headquarters, mitochondria are equally vital—they are the power plants of the cell, and without them all cellular activity would quickly and irrevocably come to a halt.

7 Sep 2004

Yellow glasses save vision

Blue light destroys certain structural elements in the eye, as was revealed by the Russian research team. The mechanism of this effect was studied, and protective measures were offered.

5 Sep 2004

Mouse stem cells may help restore hearing loss in humans

The work is important because, in humans, inner ear sensory hair cells are a precious commodity. Humans are born with only about sixteen thousand of these sound detectors in each ear, which can be easily damaged by age, certain illnesses, exposure to loud sounds, and some medications. Once damaged, the cells do not easily grow back. And with the cell loss comes so-called irreversible hearing loss.

26 Aug 2004

Compounds break bonds holding dangerous pollutants together

Everything from the manufacture of new materials to the creation of modern medications relies on chemicals known as metal-based catalysts. Catalysts pack a double punch: Even as they greatly increase the rate of chemical processes, they regenerate so they can be used again.

25 Aug 2004

Limb kinematics help to better understand why it’s more “efficient” to walk than to run

Your knees take the brunt of the increased demands on your lower body in terms of the amount of muscle mass used and joint flexion when you compare walking to running. By a lot. Why? Because you’re human.

23 Aug 2004

Antibodies produced by shark immune systems could be used to detect human pathogens

A recent discovery shows that antibodies produced by shark immune systems could be used to detect a range of human pathogens some of which have the potential to be used as biological warfare agents.

20 Aug 2004

The prion appears to function as an evolutionary stepping stone

“This prion,” explains Lindquist, “has a capacity to hide and release genetic information throughout the entire genome that can contribute to new traits in a complex way.”

16 Aug 2004

Pineal gland which regulates the cycles of sleep and waking evolved to improve vision

The pineal gland - which regulates the cycles of sleep and waking - appears to have evolved as an indirect way to improve vision, by keeping toxic compounds away from the eye

13 Aug 2004

Three recent deaths in Viet Nam were caused by infection with avian influenza

The Ministry of Health in Viet Nam has informed the World Health Organization (WHO) that three recent deaths from influenza-like illness in Viet Nam were caused by infection with avian influenza. These are the first officially reported cases of avian influenza in Viet Nam since late February.

13 Aug 2004

Not only has life evolved, but life has evolved to evolve

That's the conclusion drawn by two Rice University scientists who have designed a computer simulation to test the idea that evolvability — the likelihood of genetic mutation — is a trait that can itself be favored or disfavored through the process of natural selection.

11 Aug 2004

Why the skeleton starts to fail us as we age

Why the skeleton starts to fail us as we age and what drugs of the future will do to build and maintain our bones, will be discussed at a free public lecture at the University of Melbourne tomorrow (August 10).

9 Aug 2004

Humans can speed up their own evolution

A study by J. Todd Streelman, new assistant professor of biology at the Georgia Institute of Technology suggests that humans may have sped up the evolutionary clock for one species of fish.

5 Aug 2004

A protein that the body uses to attack the AIDS virus is actually a stealthy defense mechanism that evolved 32 million years before HIV

A protein that the body uses to attack the AIDS virus is actually a stealthy defense mechanism that evolved 32 million years before the emergence of HIV, according to new findings from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

2 Aug 2004

Miniature spectroscopic instruments and software to look at changes that occur within the cells and tissue of the brain

When molecules in cells are stimulated by light, they respond by becoming excited and re-emitting light of varying colors (fluorescence) that can be captured and measured by highly sensitive optical equipment.

2 Aug 2004

Patent pending botanical extract, V38-AMF-1, completely inhibits bird flu (H5N1) and Fujian Flu

PRB Pharmaceuticals and Lee's Pharmaceuticals have announced the discovery that PRB'S patent pending botanical extract, V38-AMF-1, completely inhibits bird flu (H5N1) and Fujian Flu (H3N2) infections in vitro.

29 Jul 2004

Research using genomic testing reveals new information on flesh-eating bacteria

New research using nearly a dozen different genomic testing procedures has revealed unprecedented detail about the molecular characteristics and virulence of group A streptococcus (GAS), the “flesh-eating” bacteria, according to scientists at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories, part of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

27 Jul 2004

Researchers discover a mechanism that blocks replication of a retrovirus

A team of scientists led by University of Georgia researchers has discovered a naturally occurring mechanism that blocks a critical step late in retrovirus replication.

21 Jul 2004

Computer modeling method for mapping the evolution of the influenza virus

A University of California scientist working at Los Alamos National Laboratory with collaborators from the University of Cambridge (England) and the World Health Organization National Influenza Center at Erasmus Medical Center, (Rotterdam, Netherlands) have developed a computer modeling method for mapping the evolution of the influenza virus.

21 Jul 2004

DNA left overs, new mechanism for evolution

A team of researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) has discovered that transposons, small DNA sequences that travel through the genomes, can silence the genes adjacent to them by inducing a molecule called antisense RNA.

16 Jul 2004

Drugs and crime are important, yet often neglected factors in the evolution of the HIV/AIDS pandemic

The Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Antonio Maria Costa, is participating in the Bangkok International AIDS Conference.

13 Jul 2004