Scientists find nanowires capable of detecting individual viruses
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 22, 2004 - Harvard University scientists have found that ultra-thin silicon wires can be used to electrically detect the presence of single viruses, in real time, with near-perfect selectivity. These nanowire detectors can also differentiate among viruses with great precision, suggesting that the technique could be scaled up to create miniature arrays easily capable of sen...Wrapping a memory with an experience, capacity for recollection detected in non-human species
(Boston) -- For millennia, the process of memory and remembering has intrigued scholars and scientists. In 350 B.C., Aristotle, in his seminal treatise on the subject, described it as having two forms: familiarity and recollection. Of these, he considered recollection to be a purely human condition. ... ...That tenet is now being challenged by researchers at Boston University. ...... Neurobio...Disease-resistant papaya saves Hawaiian papaya industry
St. Paul, Minn. (August 20, 2004) A new papaya, genetically resistant to papaya ringspot virus (PRSV), has rescued the Hawaiian papaya industry and may have the potential to do the same in other papaya-growing regions of the world, say plant pathologists with The American Phytopathological Society (APS). ... ..."In 1992, Hawaii's papaya industry faced economic disaster when PRSV was discovered...Mouse brain stem cells capable of converting into blood vessel cells
Adult stem cells in the brains of mice possess a broader differentiation potential than previously thought and may be capable of developing into other cell types including those involved in the formation of new blood vessels, according to a new study supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a part of the National Institutes of Health. The finding could help resolve a critical question...A gene that keeps species apart
Nearly 150 years after Darwin published On the Origin of Species, biologists are still debating how new species emerge from old--and even the definition of species itself. Darwin demurred from offering a hard and fast definition, suggesting that such a thing was "undiscoverable." ...... In this issue of PLoS Biology, Daniel Barbash and colleagues identify a true speciation gene in the fruitfly D...Japanese researchers develop novel method of introducing transgenes into animals
Reproductive biologists at Kyoto University have succeeded in producing the first animal offspring with transgenic material carried directly from sperm stem cells "infected" by a retrovirus. Some of the resulting transgenic mice reproduced and passed on the new genetic material to their offspring....... The team of researchers, headed by Dr. Takashi Shinohara, injected the retrovirus into the sem...Lung cancer patients in Japan, United States react differently to the same chemotherapy regimen
(NEW ORLEANS) -- A chemotherapy regimen commonly used to treat non-small cell lung cancer is both more effective and more toxic in Japanese patients than in American patients, researchers reported Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncologists. The first of its kind, this analysis underscores the importance of genetic variations in medicine and points to a need for...Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop DOE leadership-class computing capability for science
WASHINGTON, DC Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announced today that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will grant Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tenn., and its development partners, Cray Inc., IBM Corp. and Silicon Graphics Inc., $25 million in funding to begin to build a 50 teraflop (50 trillion calculations per second) science research supercomputer. The department sel...Toxin combo common in fish appears capable of impairing motor skills
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Pups of female rats exposed to a combination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and methylmercury (MeHg) slip and fall more often trying to maneuver on a rotating rod than do pups from non-exposed moms, scientists say.... ...The findings, published in the February issue of the journal Toxicological Sciences, come from a study focusing on the effects of combined expo...HHMI international programs build science capacity in developing countries
At the United Nations on February 5, scientists from around the world proposed steps to strengthen science and technology in developing countries. Among the recommendations from the InterAcademy Council (IAC), an international group of science academies including the U.S. National Academy of Sciences: ... ... ... ... ... ... Devise novel funding mechanis...2nd Annual CDB Symposium: Developmental Remodeling (March 29 - 31, 2004; Kobe, Japan)
The RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) was established in April 2000 in Kobe, Japan to promote research into the fundamental mechanisms of animal development and regeneration. To keep up with advances and identify future directions in these rapidly evolving fields, the CDB inaugurated a program of annual symposia covering diverse aspects of developmental biology and regeneration and aim...Counting the molecules that pull cells apart
This release is also available in ........."Cells obey the laws of physics and chemistry," begins a famous biology textbook, and one of the main goals of molecular biology is to link the properties of single molecules to the behavior of cells and the lives of organisms. So it is probably no surprise that an important new discovery about the physical forces that underlie cell division comes from...Counting the molecules that pull cells apart
"Cells obey the laws of physics and chemistry," begins a famous biology textbook, and one of the main goals of molecular biology is to link the properties of single molecules to the behavior of cells and the lives of organisms. So it is probably no surprise that an important new discovery about the physical forces that underlie cell division comes from a physics student-turned biologist, using ma...Mercury in packaged whale meat across Japan may be a major health problem
Dangerous levels of mercury appear to be present in whale, dolphin and porpoise meat sold widely as food in Japan, according to a study by Japanese scientists. One U.S. researcher says the findings point to a "major health problem" in Japan. ...... The Japanese scientists bought samples from across the country, and found that every single slice of toothed whale red meat Japan's most popular whal...Researchers in Japan and UCSD discover novel role for pseudogenes
The mantra of molecular biology DNA makes RNA, which makes protein* has pretty much ignored pseudogenes. Considered defective copies of DNA segments, the 20,000 pseudogenes in the human genome are thought to be non-participants in the protein-production assembly line.... ...Now, scientists in Japan and at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have discovered a nov...Heart disease among some Japanese may be due to sequencing variation inside a gene
April 9, 2003 (San Diego, CA) -- Previously published epidemiological studies have shown that there are ethnic differences in the prevalence of certain arrhythmogenic (heart-related) diseases. More recent reports indicate that mutations of the human gene SCN5A are linked to heart diseases, such as long QT syndrome type 3 (LQT3) and Brugada syndrome (BS). In a new study being presented today, rese...Womens health issues, child and adolescent disorders featured at APAs annual meeting
Arlington, Va. Post-partum depression, childhood grief, breast cancer and depression, and weight reduction are among the cutting-edge research topics being presented at the American Psychiatric Association's 156th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, May 17-22 the world's largest psychiatric conference.... ...APA expects an estimated 19,000 attendees from more than 34 countries. More than 1,000...Teasing apart the molecules of life
Fifty years after James Watson and Francis Crick's publication of the structure of DNA, research in the latest issue of the Journal of Biology shows how scientists can now measure the forces needed to tear the DNA double helix apart. The work was carried out using the first successful simultaneous combination of two important techniques for looking at single molecules - single molecule fluorescen...Masatoshi Nei of Penn State honored in Japan with International Prize for Biology
Masatoshi Nei, Evan Pugh Professor of Biology and director of the Center for Molecular Evolutionary Genetics, has been honored by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) with its International Prize for Biology. The award, which consists of a medal and a monetary grant, was presented to Nei in the presence of the Emperor and Empress of Japan during a formal ceremony in Tokyo during...Prenatal alcohol exposure can damage both information processing and response capabilities
... Scientists use reaction time to measure neurological deficits related to prenatal alcohol exposure.... One signal and response is called simple reaction time (SRT). ... Two or more signals and responses are called choice reaction time (CRT). ... Children who were prenatally exposed to alcohol, yet do not have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, have slower information processing and motor responses to C...Darwin's letters being sent to Galapagos Islands as part of Darwin Correspondence Project
Blacksburg, Va., Sept. 10, 2002 -- The letters of Darwin are going back to the place at which his theory of evolution took shape....... Charles Darwin did a great deal of the research leading to his controversial theory of evolution by exploring the plant and animal life of the volcanic Galapagos Islands and by corresponding with people around the world about his ideas. "The Galapagos became imp...Brain reserve capacity and its role in preventing clinical signs of Alzheimer's disease studied
Identifying factors that increase the reserve capacity of the brain and enable people to tolerate the pathological changes that occur in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease offers a new and potentially powerful approach to delaying the clinical signs of the Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, according to researchers at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago....Japanese shore crabs invade Penobscot Bay, Maine
... ITHACA, N.Y. -- They're here.... Japanese shore crabs, a square-shaped crustacean that poses a direct threat to soft-shell (steamer) clams, mussels and lobsters, were discovered July 13 by Cornell University marine biologists in Owl's Head, Maine, on the shores of Penobscot Bay. The detection of this crab, which has the potential to hurt Maine's seafood industry, means that Penobscot Bay bec...UT Southwestern researcher receives $15 million grant from Japan Science and Technology Corp.
DALLAS - April 23, 2002 - UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas researcher Dr. Masashi Yanagisawa has received a five-year, $15 million grant from Japan Science and Technology Corp. to expand his research on receptor genes and the roles they play in the body....... Japan Science and Technology, administered by the Japanese prime minister's office, conducts and promotes basic research, technol...New findings represent the first aerobic capacity QTLs identified in genetic models
New Orleans, LA It is not by the pure chance of nature that some individuals have enhanced aerobic capacity. The ability to sustain efficient oxygen utilization is a quantitative trait influenced by the interaction of multiple genetic and environmental factors. This has been evidenced by previous studies on the genetic nature of aerobic endurance capacity in humans that suggest that between 70...A popular Japanese plum, now available in the US, may help prevent the onset of cardiac disease
New Orleans, LA Americans believe that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. In Japan, a similar saying holds true for the umeboshi, the Japanese plum. Recently, umeboshi plums started to become widely available in specialty stores throughout the United States. Could the Japanese plum replace the benefits of the all-American apple someday? Perhaps.... ...Background ...The pickled plum has been...Scientists develop markers capable of detecting minute numbers of cancer cells in blood
Scientists have identified three molecular markers which, when used together, are capable of detecting minute amounts of metastatic cancer cells in the blood of patients. Although this research is in its early days, they told the 3rd European Breast Cancer Conference in Barcelona that they hope it will lead to the development of a simple and easy test to spot cancer cells that are spreading from...Russian universities receive US funding to improve basic scientific research capabilities
Washington, DC - The U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) and the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation (RF Minobr) announced at a press conference in Moscow today the results of the third competition under their Basic Research and Higher Education (BRHE) program. The four universities that will each receive a grant award of $1 million under BRHE and their areas or...Past fire regime is key to managing chaparral fires in southern California
Understanding the natural role of fire in chaparral ecosystems is necessary to effectively manage fires in southern Californias shrublands, where large, high-intensity fires sweep the landscape each year, threatening lives and homes. Researchers have wondered if the natural fire regime in chaparral ecosystems has been lost because of overly effective fire suppression, and if fire managers can res...Global warming more common than thought, deep-sea drilling off Japan now demonstrates
CHAPEL HILL Core samples from a deep-sea drilling expedition in the western Pacific clearly show multiple episodes of warming that date back as far as 135 million years, according to one of the projects lead scientists. Analysis of the samples indicates warming events on Earth were more common than researchers previously believed.... ...The expedition aboard the scientific drill ship JOIDES Res...BOSTON, Mass. -- Whose hands were on that doorknob before yours? That handrail, pay phone, or subway pole? Kim Lewis, newly appointed professor of biology at Northeastern University in Boston, has worked with scientists at M.I.T. and Tufts University to ease our germ-fearing minds about this very thing. In their research, they demonstrate that covalent attachment of N-alkylated poly(4-vinylpyridi...UCSD researchers decipher molecular "code" capable of controlling plant water loss during droughts
Scientists have succeeded in deciphering the chemical signaling mechanism that allows plants to close their stomatathe tiny pores in leaves through which gases and water vapor flow during photosynthesis and respirationfor extended periods. ...The discovery of this signaling mechanism, a kind of biological Morse code used by plants to control the opening and closing of stomata, is described in the...Study focuses on antioxidant capacity of honey
. . . . NEW ORLEANS, LA Antioxidants in honey from different floral sources were identified and quantified at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. These results were presented today at the annual meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists. Antioxidants continue to be the hot topic in product development circles, as science is looking beyond basic nutrition to nutraceutical subs...Soil fertility limits forests capacity to absorb excess CO2.
. ANN ARBOR---A field study on the effects of elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) on forest ecosystems raises doubts about the ability of trees to absorb excess CO2 accumulating in the earth's atmosphere.. . Results of the seven-year study, to be published in the May 24 issue of Nature, show that some forests will not increase the amount of carbon they sequester---at least not enough to compensate fo....Scientists at the centre of developments in genomics, electronic patient.care and other emerging medical technologies will gather at Imperial College.next week to discuss the direction and consequences of their work with over.a hundred selected delegates from industry, government and education in.Japan, UK, the USA and other countries.. .This third conference, held for the first time in Britain...Scholar finds parallels between U.S./Japanese attitudes toward wolves
.The Japanese once saw wolves as benign creatures that guarded their crops. Farmers went to shrines to buy wolf talismans they could place around their grain fields for protection. In some places, the kindly Canis lupus was even honored with stone sculptures.. . "It was almost the exact opposite of our 18th and 19th centuries in the American West," says Brett Walker, assistant professor of histo...Parasite's sperm-encryption keeps species apart
. Scientists have found the most convincing evidence yet that a parasite can contribute to splitting a species in two, thanks to a phenomenon where a wasps damaged sperm can be rescued or fixed only by mating with particular females. A bacterium called Wolbachia prevents the successful development of embryos in matings between two very closely related wasp species that could otherwise produce vi...US and Japanese scientists develop new test for male infertility
.A team of US and Japanese experts in reproductive medicine has made a major advance in testing for male infertility that could prevent women seeking fertility treatment from taking unnecessary tests or having unnecessary treatments.. .The scientists have developed a method that could make diagnosis more accurate and lead to a correct diagnosis in cases where doctors can find no apparent cause f.... Amherst, MA -- An evolutionary biologist at the University of Massachusetts has presented new evidence that the different courting songs sung by the famous Darwin's finches of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, may be shaped by the evolutionary diversification of their beaks. Jeffrey Podos details his findings in the Jan. 11 issue of the journal Nature. A portion of the research was conducted dur.... New York, NY--November 6, 2000--Genetic material (DNA) is damaged on a daily basis due to environmental factors, such as solar radiation and exposure to certain hazardous materials, as well as natural cell processes. This damage can leave chaos in its wake, scrambling or deleting the genetic letters encoding an organisms traits. If left unchecked, the mutated DNA will continue to replicate, an...