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Scientists challenge current views on how genes are controlled in mammals

Scientists at the Omics Science Center (OSC) of the RIKEN Yokohama Institute in Japan - along with researchers from McGill University and other institutions worldwide - are challenging current notions of how genes are controlled in mammals.

22 Apr 2009

Move over, Y chromosome - it's time X got some attention

In the first evolutionary study of the chromosome associated with being female, University of California, Berkeley, biologist Doris Bachtrog and her colleagues show that the history of the X chromosome is every bit as interesting as the much-studied, male-determining Y chromosome, and offers important clues to the origins and benefits of sexual reproduction.

16 Apr 2009

Discovery of a new target for novel HIV treatment strategy

The AIDS-causing HIV specifically counteracts the mechanisms of human cells that protect these against viral infections - a special viral protein marks protective cellular proteins for their rapid destruction and thus diminishes the cell's supply.

15 Apr 2009

Rural AIDS and HIV expert comments on media campaign

A recent study revealed that the public's concern about the HIV/AIDS problem in the United States has lessened: In 1995, 44 percent of people surveyed considered HIV/AIDS the most urgent health problem, but only 5 percent of study participants reported feeling this way today, said William L. Yarber, senior director of the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention at Indiana University.

9 Apr 2009

Gene scan shows body's sleep cycle influences numerous physical functions

The pineal gland - integral to setting the body's sleep and wake cycles - may be involved in a broad range of bodily functions, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

30 Mar 2009

Single embryo transfer is the cheapest and most effective strategy for assisted reproduction

Transferring single embryos to women's wombs over several assisted reproduction cycles that use both fresh and frozen embryos is more effective and cheaper than transferring two or more embryos at one time, according to data from the world's longest running series of patients who choose to have only one embryo implanted per cycle - elective single embryo transfer (eSET).

24 Mar 2009

Clotrimazole drug used to treat skin conditions is a marine pollutant

Clotrimazole is a common ingredient in over-the-counter skin creams. Recent results from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, now show that it is associated with major environmental risks. "The pharmaceuticals and chemicals in everyday use form a mixture in the ocean that has a direct impact on the growth and reproduction of organisms", says scientist Tobias Porsbring.

24 Mar 2009

Rewrite of the recipe for life - new type of DNA

In a dramatic rewrite of the recipe for life, scientists from Florida today described the design of a new type of DNA with 12 chemical letters instead of the usual four.

23 Mar 2009

Researchers investigate new way to block reproduction of the hepatitis C virus

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers are investigating a new way to block reproduction of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) - targeting not the virus itself but the human genes the virus exploits in its life cycle.

20 Mar 2009

Researchers clone key sperm-binding proteins

New treatments for infertility could be closer to reality, thanks to a discovery from scientists at the Université de Montréal and Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre.

17 Mar 2009

A new perspective on the obesity 'epidemic'

Headlines tell us the nation is getting fatter, and that obesity has become an epidemic.

16 Mar 2009

Researchers look at genetic dynamics of inbreeding depression

Researchers have taken a first look at the broad genetic changes that accompany reproductive declines in inbred populations.

12 Mar 2009

AMP-activated protein kinase essential contributor to brain growth

An enzyme researchers have studied for years because of its potential connections to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and stroke, appears to have yet another major role to play: helping create and maintain the brain.

12 Mar 2009

AMP-activated protein kinase is unexpected contributor to brain growth

12 Mar 2009

New perspective on what part of the brain controls fear

Mice lose their fear of territorial rivals when a tiny piece of their brain is neutralized, a new study reports.

10 Mar 2009

Obesity and infertility in women

Obese women have alterations in their ovaries which might be responsible for an egg's inability to make an embryo, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

3 Mar 2009

Mathematical method helps to select human embryos

A team of researchers from the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU) have developed a mathematical classification which makes it possible to select human embryos for use in assisted reproduction treatments. Scientists have used the morphology of embryos to select the best candidates for implantation in the woman's uterus.

24 Feb 2009

Parents 'avoid pregnancy' rather than face testing choices

Parents of children with genetic conditions may avoid the need to choose whether to undergo pre-natal testing or to abort future pregnancies by simply avoiding subsequent pregnancy altogether, a study has found.

15 Feb 2009

Genetic interactions are the key to understanding complex traits

In recent years, genetic studies have uncovered hundreds of DNA variations linked to common diseases, such as cancer or diabetes, raising the prospect that scientists can gauge disease risk based on information in an individual's genome.

23 Jan 2009

HPS files world patent for mood-enhancing compound from sea coral

Human Pheromone Sciences, Inc. has announced that it has filed a Comprehensive Patent Application with the International Bureau of the World Patent Office for the use of its innovative and previously undeveloped compound with its origin in sea coral, which has significant emotional impacts on both men and women, enhancing feelings of positive social relationships, personal well-being and social attraction.

19 Jan 2009