Pack-MULEs are toting a new look at plant evolution
...paratively manageable. Rice also has been a strong thread which runs through her life. "Rice is the most important food for me; nothing else can replace it," Jiang said. "In the first 15 years of my life, the rice straw was the major fuel for us to cook our food." Jiang studies transposable elements the "j...Bright idea could doom cancer and viruses, say Purdue scientists
...r of the body is dark, but it might be possible to thread a fiberoptic cable through the arteries and flood a tumor with light. Some lasers are also capable of shining through tissue without damaging it, and they might also be candidates for light delivery." The compound - known as DPPZPHEN, an abbreviation...Technology could enhance accuracy of breast biopsy
...s built fiber-optic probes that doctors easily can thread down the existing hollow biopsy needle to the tip to help them find the right area to sample. The researchers are testing probes in both the near-infrared wavelength, which allows light to go deeper but probes fewer molecules, and UV-visible waveleng...How DNA copying enzyme 'stops the presses' for repair synthesizing enzyme
...the template strand through its active site like a thread through the eye of a needle. In this replication process, the polymerase normally guides the template strand and assembles the complementary, growing "primer" strand by pairing each base with the correct counterpart -- always pairing adenine with thy...A new molecular culprit for type II diabetes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's
...non in type II diabetes, and demonstrates a common thread among the three diseases. The majority of research continues to focus on mature fibrils, but this could prove to be dangerous if the new protofibril mechanism is correct, according to Gazit. Breaking up the large amyloid deposits may actually increas...Common gene variant increases risk of atherosclerosis
..., named after the Greek Fate purported to spin the thread of life, made mice age quickly and similarly to humans, developing conditions similar to atherosclerosis and osteoporosis that are practically unheard of in the furry critters. Intrigued, Dietz and his colleagues, including Dan Arking, Ph.D., now a ...Scientists hone in on cause of amphibian deformities
...y act in concert," Blaustein said. "But the common thread that runs through the issue is that each cause can eventually be traced to human alteration of our climate or amphibian habitat. And one of the most common deformities, extra or deformed legs, is most often linked to a particular parasite." The defo...Smart polymers provide light-activated switch to turn enzymes on and off
...In the case of endoglucanase, a contracted polymer thread blocks the site and an expanded one moves away from the site, leaving it open. Researchers synthesized two light-sensitive polymers, called DMAA and DMAAm. When exposed to visible light, DMAA becomes hydrophilic it attracts water molecules and exp...International consortium launches genetic variation mapping project
...ve remained largely intact and provide an unbroken thread that connects all people to a common past and to each other. Recent research indicates that about 65 to 85 percent of the human genome may be organized into haplotype blocks that are 10,000 bases or larger. The exact pattern of SNP variants withi...Revealed: How a master protein remodels chromosomes to orchestrate gene expression
...nucleus of the cell. It consists of DNA wound like thread around groups of histone proteins to form bead-like nucleosomes; this string of nucleosomes is coiled into fibers 30 nanometers (billionths of a meter) thick, and the fibers are folded into chromatin loops, further compacting the DNA. Thus a eukaryot...Tourists, soothsayers & scientists try to predict peak Fall foliage color
...nt is affected by a number of factors, "one common thread may be stress," according to Abby van den Berg research technician at UVM's Proctor Maple Research Center, who's spent the last four years studying foliage in Vermont forests. She and a team of University of Vermont and US Forest Service scientists u...Megavitamins may help treat many genetic diseases, could tune up everyone's metabolism
...ases due to defective enzymes. Ames found a common thread in the effectiveness of these megavitamin therapies that suggests there may be many more diseases treatable with high-dose vitamins, in particular the eight B vitamins like niacin, thiamine and pyridoxine. And because aging involves similar biochemic...Study shows plants inherit traits from more than gene sequence alone
...is wrapped around proteins similar to the way that thread is wrapped around a spool. Loosely wrapped DNA is more readily accessible and therefore more easily expressed than tightly wrapped DNA, allowing another mechanism for regulation of gene expression. The location of DNA within the nucleus also influenc...Common variation of 'klotho' gene associated with human life expectancy
...ene named for the Greek Fate purported to spin the thread of life, contributes to life expectancy in humans, according to a team led by Johns Hopkins scientists who report their findings in the Jan. 15 online version of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Studying more than 2,000 anonymous...Hopkins researchers find missing link between major proteins in Parkinson's disease
...tain nerve cells that characterizes PD, the common thread offers clues for further studies, says Ted Dawson,...destruction of alpha-synuclein could be the common thread in causing these neurons to die," says Dawson. "Exactly how isn't understood, but we're continuing t...One-two punch knocks out fly genes
...nock-out/in technique hinges on a common molecular thread that runs through the biological kingdom: Broken bits of DNA don't hang around long--they are swiftly "recombined," or stitched back into the genome. Dr. Rong capitalized on this chink in the flies' molecular armor, reasoning that if he could pu...Environmental jigsaw pieces fall into place
...coastalareas. Health issues run like a connecting thread through all 15 environmental goals.The intermediate goalsinclude reducing the risk of cancer by, among other things, lowering the radoncontent in buildingsand reducing the benzene content in the ambient air. Allergies and asthma can beprevented bymea...... take up residence in varioustissues is the common thread that explains how the body's immune system respondsto both infectious diseases and organ transplants. The authors say thismechanism, involving a delicate balancing act, governs the immune system'sresponse or nonresponse against infections, tumors, s...Enzyme's Structure Yields Blueprint For Antibiotic Resistance
...y crystallography on each complex. "Essentially,we thread the amino acid sequence of the unknown structures through thestructure of the protein we do know and ask, 'Is it a good fit?'" Burley says.Using this technique, the researchers determined that all 150 highly conservedenzymes share the same basic stru...Wonder Thread: UD Scientists Report First Protein With Collagen And Elastin-Like Domains
...eads a surprising mix of properties. "If a byssal thread were simply a stiff stick attached to an elastic tube, it wouldn't have an outside chance of surviving these relentless tidal beatings," Waite notes. "In fact, the collagen in byssal threads goes from being a stiff material, to something that's very ...