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Genome of entire family reveals parents give kids fewer gene mutations than thought

High school and college students who understand the geological age of the Earth (4.5 billion years) are much more likely to understand and accept human evolution, according to a University of Minnesota study published in the March issue of the journal Evolution.

Source: University of Minnesota
Posted on: Thursday, Mar 11, 2010, 6:36am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 66 | Comments: 0

Researchers demonstrate link between brain chemical, decline in schizophrenia

Researchers at the University of Utah and other institutions have sequenced for the first time the entire genome of a family, enabling them to accurately estimate the average rate at which parents pass genetic mutations to their offspring and also identify precise locations where parental chromosomes exchange information that creates new combinations of genetic traits in their children.

Source: University of Utah Health Sciences
Posted on: Thursday, Mar 11, 2010, 6:35am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 49 | Comments: 0

Scientific breakthrough in genetic studies of animal domestication

In one of the first such studies involving human patients with schizophrenia, researchers at UC Davis have provided evidence that deficits in a brain chemical may be responsible for some of the debilitating cognitive deficits — poor attention, memory and problem-solving abilities — that accompany the delusions and hallucinations that are the hallmarks of the disorder.

Source: University of California - Davis - Health System
Posted on: Thursday, Mar 11, 2010, 6:35am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 55 | Comments: 0

Scientists solve puzzle of chickens that are half male and half female

The domestication of animals and plants is the most important technological innovation during human history. This genetic transformation of wild species has occurred as humans have used individuals carrying favorable gene variants for breeding purposes.

Source: Uppsala University
Posted on: Wednesday, Mar 10, 2010, 3:58pm
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 60 | Comments: 0

Molecule tells key brain cells to grow up, get to work, Stanford study shows

A puzzle that has baffled scientists for centuries – why some birds appear to be male on one side of the body and female on the other – has been solved by researchers.

Source: University of Edinburgh
Posted on: Wednesday, Mar 10, 2010, 3:19pm
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 189 | Comments: 0

Way to go: Scientists identify driving forces in human cell division

About four out of every 10 cells in the brain are so-called oligodendrocytes. These cells produce the all-important myelin that coats nerve tracts, ensuring fast, energy-efficient transmission of nerve impulses. Mixed among them are proliferating but not particularly proficient precursor cells that are destined to become oligodendrocytes when needed but, for now, remain suspend

Source: Stanford University Medical Center
Posted on: Wednesday, Mar 10, 2010, 2:58pm
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 94 | Comments: 0

Inhibition of myostatin results in fish with 'six-pack abs'

If you can imagine identical twin sisters at rest, their breath drawing them subtly together and apart, who somehow latch onto ropes that pull them to opposite sides of the bed—you can imagine what happens to a chromosome in the dividing cell.

Source: Marine Biological Laboratory
Posted on: Wednesday, Mar 10, 2010, 12:43pm
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 100 | Comments: 0

Decoding the long calls of the orangutan

A 10-year effort by a University of Rhode Island scientist to develop transgenic rainbow trout with enhanced muscle growth has yielded fish with what have been described as six-pack abs and muscular shoulders that could provide a boost to the commercial aquaculture industry.

Source: University of Rhode Island
Posted on: Wednesday, Mar 10, 2010, 11:42am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 163 | Comments: 0

Animal Behavior

Research into the long calls of male Orangutans in Borneo has given scientists new insight into how these solitary apes communicate through dense jungle. An acoustic analysis of the calls, published today in Ethology, reveals that the calls not only serve to attract females, but also contain information on the identity and the context of the caller.

Source: Wiley-Blackwell
Posted on: Wednesday, Mar 10, 2010, 10:24am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 78 | Comments: 0

Sonic hedgehog gene found in an unexpected place during limb development

Development

Sonic hedgehog, a gene that plays a crucial rule in the positioning and growth of limbs, fingers and toes, has been confirmed in an unexpected place in the embryos of developing mice — the layer of cells that creates the skin.

Source: University of Florida
Posted on: Wednesday, Mar 10, 2010, 9:35am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 126 | Comments: 0

Hidden habits and movements of insect pests revealed by DNA barcoding

After a fight with a partner, brain activity predicts emotional resiliency

University of Minnesota researcher George Weiblen and colleagues have found a faster way to study the spread and diet of insect pests.

Source: University of Minnesota
Posted on: Wednesday, Mar 10, 2010, 9:02am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 113 | Comments: 0

Scientist finds link between low oxygen levels in body and cancer-aiding protein

Common wisdom tells us that for a successful relationship partners shouldn't go to bed angry. But new research from a psychologist at Harvard University suggests that brain activity—specifically in the region called the lateral prefrontal cortex—is a far better indicator of how someone will feel in the days following a fight with his or her partner.

Source: Harvard University
Posted on: Wednesday, Mar 10, 2010, 8:35am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 121 | Comments: 0

Chemical competition: Research identifies new mechanism regulating embryonic development

What began as research into how diabetics could possibly preserve their eyesight has led to findings that could prolong the vision of children afflicted with retinoblastoma.

Source: Kansas State University
Posted on: Tuesday, Mar 09, 2010, 3:46pm
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 93 | Comments: 0

Study provides a better understanding of how mosquitoes find a host

A Princeton University-led research team has discovered that protein competition over an important enzyme provides a mechanism to integrate different signals that direct early embryonic development. The work suggests that these signals are combined long before they interact with the organism's DNA, as was previously believed, and also may inform new therapeutic strategies to fight cancer.

Source: Princeton University
Posted on: Tuesday, Mar 09, 2010, 3:46pm
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 92 | Comments: 0

Animal Behavior

The potentially deadly yellow-fever-transmitting Aedes aegypti mosquito detects the specific chemical structure of a compound called octenol as one way to find a mammalian host for a blood meal, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists report.

Source: United States Department of Agriculture-Research, Education, and Economics
Posted on: Tuesday, Mar 09, 2010, 3:11pm
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 109 | Comments: 0

Smelling the scenery in stereo

Physiology

Scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena have investigated another navigational skill of desert ants. These ants are already well-known for their remarkable visual orientation: they use a sun compass along with a step counter and visible landmarks to locate their nest after foraging for food.

Source: Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology
Posted on: Tuesday, Mar 09, 2010, 2:15pm
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 98 | Comments: 0

Scientists shed new light on how retina's hardware is used in color vision

Physiology

Biologists at New York University and the University of Würzburg have identified, in greater detail, how the retina's cellular hardware is used in color preference. The findings, published in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), enhance our understanding of how eyes and the brain process color.

Source: New York University
Posted on: Tuesday, Mar 09, 2010, 10:15am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 125 | Comments: 0

New insight on how fast nicotine peaks in the brain

Video: Unselfish molecules may have helped give birth to the genetic material of life

Nicotine takes much longer than previously thought to reach peak levels in the brains of cigarette smokers, according to new research conducted at Duke University Medical Center.

Source: Duke University Medical Center
Posted on: Tuesday, Mar 09, 2010, 9:37am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 85 | Comments: 0

Video: Immune cells use bungee of death to kill dangerous cells, shows new research

One of the biggest questions facing scientists today is how life began. How did non-living molecules come together in that primordial ooze to form the polymers of life?

Source: Georgia Institute of Technology
Posted on: Tuesday, Mar 09, 2010, 9:07am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 153 | Comments: 0

Immunology

Immune cells ensnare dangerous cells that are on the run with a bungee-like nanotube, according to research published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study, by researchers from Imperial College London, shows that natural killer (NK) cells use this bungee to destroy cells that could otherwise escape them.

Source: Imperial College London
Posted on: Tuesday, Mar 09, 2010, 9:07am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 139 | Comments: 0

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Articles From the Web

Scientists Still Hopeful About Gene Therapy's Promise
For 25 years, scientists have touted the promise of gene therapy to treat human diseases, but only a handful of therapies have shown progress. Nonetheless, proponents remain optimistic and say the approach may yet revolutionize medicine.

Source: NPR
Posted on: Monday, Mar 08, 2010, 1:24pm
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 29 | Comments: 0

Animals

'Extinct' Aussie Frog Is Alive and Well
Species of frog thought to have been extinct for 30 years has been found again.

Source: ABC News
Posted on: Monday, Mar 08, 2010, 1:23pm
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 31 | Comments: 0

Israel discovers large Byzantine-era wine press
Israeli archaeologists said Monday that they've discovered an unusually shaped 1,400-year-old wine press that was exceptionally large and advanced for its time.

Source: MSNBC
Posted on: Monday, Feb 15, 2010, 11:21am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 120 | Comments: 0

Turkeys domesticated not once, but twice
New research indicates that the birds were tamed in Mesoamerica and what is now the Southwestern United States, with the poultry we eat today descending from the former region.

Source: LA Times
Posted on: Tuesday, Feb 09, 2010, 8:58am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 170 | Comments: 0

Explorers' century-old whisky found in Antarctic
This Scotch has been on the rocks for a century.

Source: USA Today
Posted on: Tuesday, Feb 09, 2010, 8:57am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 142 | Comments: 0

Horse Genome Bet Pays Off
New genetic test helps predict how race horses will perform

Source: Science
Posted on: Tuesday, Feb 02, 2010, 11:51am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 162 | Comments: 0

Marine Biology

Winter chill takes toll on Florida Keys coral
Scientists begin early assessments of the damage on marine life, but initial reports are bleak.

Source: LA Times
Posted on: Tuesday, Feb 02, 2010, 11:51am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 146 | Comments: 0

Marine Biology

Humboldt Squid Invade California
Fishermen Descend on Southern Calif. for Chance to Catch Sea Creatures that Weigh up to 60 Pounds

Source: CBSnews
Posted on: Tuesday, Feb 02, 2010, 11:51am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 136 | Comments: 0

Foster Care for Chimps
Researchers say adoptions in wild show evidence of altruism

Source: Science
Posted on: Tuesday, Feb 02, 2010, 11:51am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 128 | Comments: 0

How Carnations Conquered Europe
Rapid diversification of flower suggests continent may have been an evolutionary hot spot

Source: Science
Posted on: Friday, Jan 29, 2010, 10:48am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 150 | Comments: 0

Religious 'Relics' Proven to be Forgeries
How did the bones of two ancient Egyptian mummies -- one human, the other feline -- end up in a bottle that supposedly contained the remains of Joan of Arc?

Source: Discovery Channel
Posted on: Wednesday, Jan 20, 2010, 9:48am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 174 | Comments: 0

Physiology

Fish May Not Have Evolved Gills to Breathe
The gills of fish may have evolved to exchange ions, not oxygen.

Source: Science
Posted on: Wednesday, Jan 20, 2010, 9:41am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 169 | Comments: 0

Microbiology

Ancient Egypt’s Toxic Makeup Fought Infection, Researchers Say
The elaborate eye makeup worn by ancient Egyptians served as a toxin that killed bacteria and helped prevent infections, according to a new report.

Source: NYT
Posted on: Wednesday, Jan 20, 2010, 9:41am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 131 | Comments: 0

Green sea slugs use plant genes to live on sunlight
The creature, which makes its own chlorophyll, incorporates algae genes into its system and retains chloroplasts for photosynthesis. The finding may have uses in genetic engineering and therapies.

Source: LA Times
Posted on: Wednesday, Jan 20, 2010, 9:41am
Rating: Not Rated | Views: 172 | Comments: 0