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MIT researchers uncover surprising difference in gene regulation in mouse and human liver cells

Scientists often study mice as a model for human biology and disease, because their basic biological processes are assumed to be essentially the same as those of humans.

22 May 2007

Genes add up risk of autoimmune disease

Geneticists have identified a link between the number of copies of a specific gene an individual has and their susceptibility to autoimmune diseases like lupus.

22 May 2007

Origins and mechanisms of morality

How much money would it take to get you to stick a pin into your palm?

18 May 2007

Circadian clock gene plays role in weight gain

Scientists at the University of Virginia and the Medical College of Wisconsin have discovered that a gene that participates in the regulation of the body's biological rhythms may also be a major control in regulating metabolism.

18 May 2007

Quest for effective HIV vaccines present new possibilities, challenges

A vaccine that prevents HIV infection remains an important goal in the fight against AIDS, but the current top HIV vaccine candidates may not work in this way, say scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

17 May 2007

Important new gene-silencing mechanism

Genes provide the instructions used by the individual cells to produce the many different proteins that make up the body.

17 May 2007

Researchers develop way to calculate rate of gene transfer among bacteria in the environment

Scientists from the University of California-Davis recently developed a mathematical model of the rate of gene transfer among bacteria in the environment.

16 May 2007

Indonesia demands 'a fair go' for poor countries over bird flu vaccines

Indonesia has taken the lead in demanding that poor countries have equal access to bird flu vaccines.

15 May 2007

Catheter-based aortic valve replacement is set to take off

Twenty years ago, few interventional cardiologists could have imagined that during their professional careers it would be possible to replace a diseased aortic valve using catheter-based techniques, rather than open-chest surgery.

11 May 2007

Sexual selection had an important influence on primates brains

When male primates tussle and females develop their social skills it leaves a permanent mark, on their brains.

11 May 2007

Opossum DNA provides new insight into natural selection

Study of the DNA of a South American marsupial called the opossum has revealed that a gene's location influences whether or not it is likely to gather changes that could lead to disease.

10 May 2007

Researchers map genome for mite-borne typhus

Researches at Uppsala University, in collaboration with a Korean research team, have mapped and analyzed the genome for mite-borne typhus.

10 May 2007

Gene mutation linked to cognition is found only in humans

The human and chimpanzee genomes vary by just 1.2 percent, yet there is a considerable difference in the mental and linguistic capabilities between the two species.

9 May 2007

Scientists work out mechanism underlying asymmetric cell division in nematode worms

When a cell divides, normally the result is two identical daughter cells. In some cases however, cell division leads to two cells with different properties. This is called asymmetric cell division and plays an important role in embryonic development and the self-renewal of stem cells.

4 May 2007

Google maps used to track avian flu spread

An interactive "supermap" that portrays the mutations and spread of the avian flu around the globe over time should help researchers and policy makers better understand the virus and anticipate further outbreaks, according to a new study involving University of Colorado at Boulder and Ohio State University researchers.

1 May 2007

Newly founded National Institute for Quality Improvement and Education

The newly founded National Institute for Quality Improvement and Education (NIQIE) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the integration of quality improvement and continuing education for healthcare professionals.

1 May 2007

Ape gestures offer clues to evolution of human communication

Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, have found bonobos and chimpanzees use manual gestures of their hands, feet and limbs more flexibly than they do facial expressions and vocalizations, further supporting the evolution of human language began with gestures as the gestural origin hypothesis of language suggests.

1 May 2007

World's first no-scar surgery

On April 2, 2007, at the University Hospital of Strasbourg in France, Professor Jacques Marescaux and his team successfully performed the world's first no-scar surgery.

27 Apr 2007

Researchers have developed an animal model of infantile spasms

Researchers have developed an animal model of infantile spasms, improving the likelihood of finding new treatments for the thousands of young children who suffer from these catastrophic epilepsy seizures, according to research to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 59th Annual Meeting in Boston, April 28, May 5, 2007.

26 Apr 2007

Teaching about evolution in a biomedical context

Three of America's best known voices in the debate about evolution in the teaching of science will meet to discuss the issue on Sunday, April 29, 2007 in Washington, DC.

26 Apr 2007