Laser Beam 'Fire Hose' Used To Sort Cells Separating particular kinds of cells from a sample could become faster, cheaper and easier thanks to a new system developed by MIT researchers that involves pushing up the cells with a laser beam "fire hose."
Molecular Biology Source: Science Daily
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Monday, Dec 17, 2007, 8:59am Rating: | Views: 1336 | Comments: 0
Cholesterol fine tunes hearing Levels of cholesterol in the membranes of hair cells in the inner ear can affect your hearing
Molecular Biology Source: EurekAlert
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Monday, Dec 17, 2007, 8:58am Rating: | Views: 1155 | Comments: 0
New target for anti-malaria drugs Targeting a key protein may help overcome the malaria parasite's increasing resistance to conventional drugs
Molecular Biology Source: BBC News
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Saturday, Dec 15, 2007, 6:23pm Rating: | Views: 1460 | Comments: 0
Identification of new genes shows a complex path to cell death Can a tiny winged insect’s salivary glands really tell us about processes relevant to human disease" Yes, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), who gained new insights into autophagy—a cellular degradation process associated with a form of programmed cell death—by studying the salivary gland cells of the fruit fly.
Molecular Biology Source: EurekAlert
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Friday, Dec 14, 2007, 9:41am Rating: | Views: 1149 | Comments: 0
One Small Step for Plants The first analysis of a moss genome reveals that mosses are surprisingly complex, with 35,000 potential genes--10,000 more than the first land plant sequenced--and a host of unique adaptations not found in other green landlubbers. And because of where mosses fall on the plant family tree, those genes are revealing how plants made their way onto land.
Plant Biology Source: Science
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Friday, Dec 14, 2007, 9:40am Rating: | Views: 1711 | Comments: 0
Semen boosts HIV transmission A component found in semen can enhance HIV transmission by as much as 100,000-fold, researchers have found. The results, if verified in a clinical setting, could identify a new way to help prevent the spread of the disease.
Profound immune system discovery opens door to halting destruction of lupus A researcher has discovered an entirely new and powerful molecular switch that controls the inflammatory response of the immune system. The major finding, reported in the December 14th issue of the journal Cell, means that new methods can now be pursued to shut down uncontrolled inflammation, restore immune system regulation, and treat chronic autoimmune disorders such as lupus.
Molecular Biology Source: EurekAlert
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Friday, Dec 14, 2007, 9:29am Rating: | Views: 1190 | Comments: 0
Deadly virus strips away immune system's defensive measures When the alert goes out that a virus has invaded the body, cells that have yet to be attacked prepare by "armoring" themselves for combat, attaching specific antiviral molecules to many of their own proteins to help resist the invader. Unfortunately, the deadly Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus knows a simple but devastating way around this defense: just cut the armor off host cell proteins.
Molecular Biology Source: EurekAlert
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Thursday, Dec 13, 2007, 9:18am Rating: | Views: 1179 | Comments: 0
Molecular Biology Source: New Scientist
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Thursday, Dec 13, 2007, 9:18am Rating: | Views: 1222 | Comments: 0
The impact of El Niño on Galápagos marine iguanas A before-and-after study led by Yale biologists, of the effects of 1997 El Niño on the genetic diversity of marine iguanas on the Galápagos Islands, emphasizes the importance of studying populations over time and the need to determine which environmental and biological factors make specific populations more vulnerable than others.
Environment Source: EurekAlert
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Wednesday, Dec 12, 2007, 10:32am Rating: | Views: 1151 | Comments: 0
Piddling fish face off threat of competition Research published today in the online open access journal, BMC Biology, shows that male tilapia fish use pheromones in their urine to fight off competitors and enforce social dominance.
Animal Behavior Source: EurekAlert
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Wednesday, Dec 12, 2007, 10:32am Rating: | Views: 1150 | Comments: 0
Marine worms chow down on cow bones When researchers first discovered a strange new genus of marine worms feasting on whale skeletons on the sea floor, some thought that the creatures had a very specialized habitat and could survive only on the lipid-rich bones of whales. But now it seems that several species of the Osedax worm can dine on cow carcasses as well.
Ecology Source: Nature
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Wednesday, Dec 12, 2007, 9:03am Rating: | Views: 1342 | Comments: 0
Molecular Biology Source: The Scientist
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Wednesday, Dec 12, 2007, 9:03am Rating: | Views: 1191 | Comments: 0
Bacteria Employ Type Of DNA Modification Never Before Seen In Nature Scientists have discovered that bacteria employ a type of DNA modification never before seen in nature. For several decades, researchers have known that it is possible to modify synthetic oligonucleotides by adding sulfur to the sugar-phosphate DNA backbone as a phosphorothioate. Bacteria contain a gene cluster that gives them the ability to make this modification on their own.
Molecular Biology Source: Science Daily
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Monday, Dec 10, 2007, 9:49am Rating: | Views: 1647 | Comments: 0
Pathogens Use Previously Undescribed Mechanism To Sabotage Host Immune System New research identifies a previously unknown enzymatic mechanism that subverts the early host immune response and promotes pathogenicity by manipulating a common signaling pathway in host cells. The research may have important implications for the food industry and for development of new antibiotics.
Molecular Biology Source: Science Daily
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Monday, Dec 10, 2007, 9:49am Rating: | Views: 1297 | Comments: 0
Heads Or Tails? Scientists Identify Gene That Regulates Polarity In Regenerating Flatworms When cut, a planarian flatworm can use a population of stem cells called neoblasts to regenerate new heads, new tails or even entire new organisms from a tiny fragment of its body. Mechanisms have been sought to explain this process of regeneration polarity for over 100 years, but until now, little was known about how planaria can regenerate heads and tails at their proper sites.
Molecular Biology Source: Science Daily
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Sunday, Dec 09, 2007, 3:33pm Rating: | Views: 1701 | Comments: 0
Protein Protects Brain Against Compound In Lead Poisoning, Liver Disease Scientists have discovered that a protein known as PEPT2 protects the brains of mice from a naturally occurring but potentially toxic compound present in lead poisoning and in a class of liver diseases that can cause serious neurological complications.
Molecular Biology Source: Science Daily
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Friday, Dec 07, 2007, 10:40am Rating: | Views: 1347 | Comments: 0
From kinase to cancer The story of discovering PI3 kinase, and what it means for a fundamental pathway in cancer.
Molecular Biology Source: The Scientist
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Friday, Dec 07, 2007, 10:40am Rating: | Views: 1208 | Comments: 0
Pheromone for mouse aggression found A whiff of a single type of protein from urine is enough to make a male mouse pick a fight, researchers have found. Pheromone scents that elicit aggressive behaviour have long been predicted, but have proven elusive until now.
Cell biology sideshow draws a crowd “Talent is not a pre-requisite,” said Kerry Bloom, a cell biologist at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, minutes before he judged Cell Slam, a scientific sideshow that drew a crowd of more than 500 cell biologists during their society’s annual meeting. “Spirit — that’s what we want.”
Misc Source: Nature
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Thursday, Dec 06, 2007, 8:48am Rating: | Views: 1427 | Comments: 0
Cells mend damaged mouse hearts Researchers have managed to restore heart function by transplanting muscle stem cells into damaged mouse hearts. Their results suggest that the technique could one day be used to heal heart tissue in humans.
'Scrambled' polymers kill drug-resistant bacteria "Scrambled-up" polymers can kill bacteria, and may offer hope in beating problems of antibiotic drug resistance, suggests a new study. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin, in Madison, US, had been working on making molecules that mimic the short proteins known as "host-defence peptides".
Molecular Biology Source: New Scientist
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Thursday, Dec 06, 2007, 8:46am Rating: | Views: 1363 | Comments: 0
Why Skin Is Strong: Cells Stick Like Velcro Scientists have gotten their best look ever at interactions inside human skin cells, finding a Velcro-like setup that links them and makes skin strong while also supple. The cell-interior images, made with a new a technique called cryo-electron tomography, show the proteins responsible for cell-cell contacts for the first time.
Molecular Biology Source: LiveScience
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Thursday, Dec 06, 2007, 8:45am Rating: | Views: 1413 | Comments: 0
Kudzu Plant: Source Of Ozone Pollution? They say more research is necessary to be sure, but scientists suspect the pesky but aggressive kudzu vine - which each year adds 200 square miles to its turf - might also be causing smog and adding to global warming.
Plant Biology Source: CBS News
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Tuesday, Dec 04, 2007, 11:20am Rating: | Views: 1700 | Comments: 0
Evolution Source: EurekAlert
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Tuesday, Dec 04, 2007, 11:19am Rating: | Views: 1124 | Comments: 0
'Smart' flower bulbs pull themselves to deeper ground Confused about the right planting depth for flower bulbs? Trust the bulbs! Researchers have discovered that some flower bulbs are actually "smart" enough to adjust themselves to the right planting depth.
Plant Biology Source: EurekAlert
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Monday, Dec 03, 2007, 11:28am Rating: | Views: 1228 | Comments: 0
How cells keep in shape Scientists elucidate a molecular mechanism that plays a key role in giving a cell its shape
Cell Biology Source: EurekAlert
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Sunday, Dec 02, 2007, 8:38pm Rating: | Views: 1165 | Comments: 0