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Early learning experiences forever change the brain's structure

Educational Christmas toys can leave a mark on more than just your checkbook - they can also leave a permanent imprint on a child's brain.

20 Dec 2004

DNA crystal that computes as it grows

In a demonstration that holds promise for future advances in nanotechnology, California Institute of Technology computer scientists have succeeded in building a DNA crystal that computes as it grows. As the computation proceeds, it creates a triangular fractal pattern in the DNA crystal.

7 Dec 2004

Scientist develops way to deliver promising genetic tool into living cells

By exploiting an HIV protein that readily traverses cell membranes, Carnegie Mellon University scientists have developed a new way to introduce a gene-like molecule called a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) directly into live mammalian cells, including human embryonic stem (ES) cells.

6 Dec 2004

First live imaging of specialized immune system cells reveals new clues about body’s security system

To keep the body safe, the immune system enlists more than one form of protection. A circulating task force of immune system cells monitors the body’s periphery, and sends information back to field command centers — the lymph nodes — located at pivotal traffic points.

6 Dec 2004

Temperature sensing protein implicated in mediating thermotaxis

The songwriter Noel Coward once declared that only mad dogs and Englishmen went out in the midday sun. MIT biologists Mark Rosenzweig, Paul Garrity and their colleagues now have a third candidate for the lyric—fruit flies with defects in a gene called dTrpA1.

4 Dec 2004

Fossil record of the human immune system reveals antibodies that block cancer metastasis

A team of researchers at The Scripps Research Institute has reconstructed the "fossil record" of the immune systems of a group of human cancer patients to investigate if they had ever produced antibodies against their disease.

4 Dec 2004

Gene decoding revealed at atomic level

A recent finding by a North Carolina State University biochemist advances the fundamental biology of how genetic information, encoded in DNA, is decoded for the production of proteins.

4 Dec 2004

Why our immune system worsens with age

Scientists at the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute at Oregon Health & Science University have made a discovery that helps explain why our immune system worsens with age. The work was led by Janko Nikolich-Zugich, M.D., Ph.D., a senior scientist at the VGTI.

2 Dec 2004

Tofu-based biomaterial that can help mend broken bones

A new Tofu-based biomaterial that can help mend broken bones and damaged tissues is being developed thanks to an investment of £149,000 from NESTA (the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts), the organization that champions UK creativity and innovation.

2 Dec 2004

Scientists have induced human insulin-producing cells of the pancreas to revert to islet precursor cells

Scientists at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) have induced human insulin-producing cells of the pancreas to revert to islet precursor cells.

29 Nov 2004

Scientists have given blind nerve cells the ability to detect light

Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have given "blind" nerve cells the ability to detect light, paving the way for an innovative therapy that could restore sight to those who have lost it through disease.

24 Nov 2004

Scientists create world’s smallest test tube

Oxford scientists have made it into the Guinness Book of World Records by making the world’s smallest test tube – so tiny that around 300 billion would fit onto a full stop on this page.

24 Nov 2004

Crystals may help to revolutionise drug discovery

A groundbreaking technique developed at The University of Manchester, which uses crystals to map ‘invisible’ parts of molecules, is set to revolutionise drug discovery.

From The University of Manchester 24 Nov 2004

Acid-resistant bug also alcohol-resistant

A chemist at Washington University in St. Louis has found surprisingly tough enzymes in a bacterium that "just says no to acid."

23 Nov 2004

Scientists have determined the crystal structure of a protein kinase C (PKC) isozyme

This structure should prove extremely useful in the rational design of small molecule inhibitors of PKCÈ, which has been implicated in T-cell mediated disease processes including inflammation and autoimmunity.

19 Nov 2004

Transport route explain why peanuts are one of the most allergenic foods

A UK scientist has discovered the route and type of transport taken by peanut proteins through the gut to the immune system. This route favours an immune response, which helps explain why peanuts are one of the most allergenic foods.

18 Nov 2004

Sequencing of human genetic code promises to usher in a new era of genetic medicine

The ability of molecular biologists to sequence the human genetic code promises to usher in a new era of genetic medicine, but that doesn’t mean science can accurately read personal genetic codes.

16 Nov 2004

Fluorescent protein tool may speed identification of molecular changes that reveal cells' inner workings

Scientists at Johns Hopkins and the University of Texas Medical Branch have created a new tool that easily reveals when and where a key cellular signal is active.

16 Nov 2004

Sex genes of infectious fungus closely resemble human Y chromosome

Fungi and animals, including humans, have a lot in common when it comes to the arrangement of genes that determine their sex, according to new work by Howard Hughes Medical Institute geneticists at the Duke University Medical Center.

10 Nov 2004

Stem cell gene linked to a portion of one of the most common childhood brain cancers

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have linked a stem-cell gene to a portion of one of the most common childhood brain cancers, opening the door to tailored therapies that block the gene's tumor-promoting ability.

10 Nov 2004