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Eavesdropping on cellular communication

Scientists have discovered the secrets of a sophisticated molecule that plays a role in many aspects of human health from fertility to blood pressure; digestion to mental health.

25 Feb 2009

Crab claws pack strengthening bromide-rich biomaterial

Next time you have an unlucky encounter with a crab's pinchers, consider that the claw tips may be reinforced with bromine-rich biomaterial 1.5 times harder than acrylic glass and extremely fracture resistant, says a University of Oregon scientist.

25 Feb 2009

New theory of how animals smell

In the real world, odors don't happen one puff at a time. Animals move through, and subsequently distort, plumes of odor molecules that constantly drift, changing direction as the wind disperses them.

25 Feb 2009

Scientists identify stem-cell genes that help form plant organs

Plant stem-cells are master cells located at the tip of the stem and are part of a structure called the shoot apical meristem (SAM).

24 Feb 2009

McGill researcher's radical new green chemistry makes the impossible possible

McGill University chemistry professor Chao-Jun (C.J.) Li is known as one of the world leading pioneers in green chemistry, an entirely new approach to the science which eschews the use of toxic, petrochemical-based solvents in favour of basic substances like water and new ways of making molecules.

24 Feb 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

Scientists manipulate bacteria into generating their own vaccine

Scientists have developed a way to manipulate bacteria so they will grow mutant sugar molecules on their cell surfaces that could be used against them as the key component in potent vaccines.

23 Feb 2009

Scientists shed light on how proteins find their shapes

Researchers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) have brought together UCSD theoretical modeling and Caltech experimental data to show just how amino-acid chains might fold up into unique, three-dimensional functional proteins.

23 Feb 2009

Radiolabeled nanoparticles boost PET-CT combination imaging

In an attempt to decrease the amount of cancer-targeting nanoparticle needed to image tumors, a team of investigators at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School has developed a simple method for creating iron oxide nanoparticles labeled with 18F, a radioisotope that is easily detected using positron emission tomography (PET). The result is a nanoparticle that can be imaged using PET, computerized tomography (CT), and fluorescence imaging.

23 Feb 2009

Oxford Nanopore announces publication of DNA analysis paper

Oxford Nanopore Technologies ("Oxford Nanopore") today announced the publication of new research in Nature Nanotechnology, demonstrating accurate and continuous identification of DNA bases using nanopores.

From Oxford Nanopore Technologies 23 Feb 2009

Better sequence searches of genes and proteins

Since the sequencing of the human genome eight years ago, enormous progress has been made in analyzing and understanding it. Nevertheless, the function of most human genes is still barely understood.

23 Feb 2009

Electrons on the fast lane

Complex computer simulations have, for the first time, allowed scientists to examine in detail the processes that help to ensure the stability of DNA when exposed to UV light.

23 Feb 2009

Tiny flakes of silicon spotlight tumors, deliver drugs

Small is promising when it comes to illuminating tiny tumors or precisely delivering drugs, but many worry about the safety of nano-scale materials.

22 Feb 2009

Traces of blood are eliminated completely when washed with detergents containing active oxygen

A team of scientists from the University of Valencia (UV) has proven that traces of blood in various materials are eliminated completely when they are washed with detergents containing active oxygen.

18 Feb 2009

Braconid parasite wasps have practiced gene therapy for a hundred million years

Braconid parasite wasps and their caterpillar hosts form a unique host-parasite model: the wasps lay their eggs inside the caterpillars and simultaneously inject some viral particles to get around the host's defenses and control its physiology.

17 Feb 2009

New possibilities for the uses of nanoparticles

Chemistry researchers at the University of Warwick have found that tiny nanoparticles could be twice as likely to stick to the interface of two non mixing liquids than previously believed.

17 Feb 2009

Researcher presents evolutionary history of modern humans in Africa

Sarah A. Tishkoff, PhD, David and Lyn Silfen University Associate Professor, will present "Evolutionary History of Modern Humans in Africa," at the 2009 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Chicago, as a part of the Sunday, February 15th session, "Studying Vertebrate Genomes: Reading Evolution's Notebooks."

16 Feb 2009