Bacterial Toxin Surprises Scientists
...gure out exactly how the channel forms and what regulates it. For example, although one end of the protein is already anchored to the membrane by two transmembrane stretches (see images), the protein is able to form an open channel by transporting just on...Duke Researchers Discover Central Role Of Nitric Oxide In Hemoglobin Action
...which other molecules could attach, but no oneknew what the cysteine's function was," he said. "We now knowthat it serves to bind NO." Further experimentation by the group uncovered the intricate interplaybetween hemoglobin, oxygen, NO and carbon dioxide: After hemoglobin loads up oxyg......eating amphetamineaddiction, Caron said. "Much of what we know about dopamine's function comes from studi...nts makevery little dopamine, the trick is to keep what little dopamine they havein the synapse longer, significantly increasing neurotransmission, Caronsai...Enzyme's "Magic" May Hold Key to Anticancer and Antimicrobial Drugs
...nd before rejoining them (see figure). "Basically, what this type of drug does is to convert the normal enzyme into a DNA-damaging agent. Therefore, the more enzyme you have, the more potent the drug becomes." This is an unusual pharmaceutical mechanism, Dr. Wang said. "Usu...New Cancer Switch Discovered By Duke Medical Center Pharmacologists
...the first time we've been able to open a window on what activates normal cABL," said Pendergast. "People have been looking for this molecule, or a molecule with these characteristics, for over a decade." In their experiments, Dai and Pendergast discovered that if they truncate the segments of Abi-2 that f...Key to Triplet Repeat Brain Diseases Open Door For New Way To Understand, Treat Genetic Diseases"
...cientists say. "This is the first explanation of what these proteins produced by tripletrepeat genes may...e diseases," Vance said. "Eventhough we don't know what the normal function is of each of the diseasegenes, the triple repeats are causing all the proteins ...Researchers Pinpoint Site For Petit Mal Seizures In Brain
...a burst pattern of signal transmission, similar to what we see in sleep. In a sense, the petit mal seizure is like a momentary lapse into sleep." To determine where in the neural signaling process the defect lies, Caddick measured the function of GABAb receptors at the junction between nerve cells where s...Duke Geologists Explore Alternative Way To Measure Ice Age Sea Bottom Temperatures
...em improbably large. Those scientists suggest that what foraminifera oxygen ratios are really measuring is...ing to the temperature of the ocean water. "That's what we hope will be one of the beauties of this technique," he said. "If it works, it will be a direct p...Duke Researchers Discover Candidate Susceptibility Gene For Autoimmune Disease
...etes. Instead, they found they hadactually located what may be a key gene involved in autoimmune diseasess... "Right now we really don't have a good handle on what TTP is doing,although there are hints it is involved in gene regulation," Blackshearsaid. "Our next ...Heat-loving Microbe Repairs Its DNA With Light
....acidocaldarius raises particular questions about what it takes tosurvive in geothermal habitats. For example, are we to infer thatUV radiation is a significant threat to survival in these high-temperature environments?" On one hand, it would seem logical that S. acidocaldarius , likemany organisms, sho...Children Become Gorillas In VR Zoo
...5, researchers from both organizationsdemonstrated what they believe is the world's first virtual realitygorilla exhibit. Local schoolchildren were on hand to try out the virtual realitysystem, which puts them into a real gorilla habitat as a member of agorilla family. The demonstrations were in the Ford...From Corn Rootworms To Art, Cornell's Reactor Is At The Core
...er beneath layers of pigments on a painting to see what lies beneath. As an experiment, he took a classic...a inside the high-flux beam configuration can show what happens to a sample, as it is happening. This beam is 40 times more intense than the beam used in ...Duke Researchers Find Second Gene Linked To Blood Vessel Disorder
...know howthey operate normally so we can understand what can go wrong. Second, whenit's your family with th...and needs to be repaired. "This makes sense with what we know about the disease," Marchuksaid. "Children with HHT usually don't show any signs they have t......s from, but you can't have it until we mate." And what is this enticing chemical, males of many species by now are wondering, and where can I get mine? According to the CIRCE biologists, the chemical is none other than cantharidin, or Spanish fly, the notorious aphrodisiac of human folklore. Spanish f...Southern Pine Beetle Reaching Outbreak Levels In North Florida
...cades, with planted acreage of loblolly pine twice what it was30 years ago and at a higher level than in 1949, when Florida's firstforest inventory was conducted, Foltz and Meeker said. That means plenty offood for the beetle, which is partial to the taste of loblolly, and morefrequent, widespread and des...Water Recycling Project Tested in Turkey Plant
...orsythe conducted tests of the system to determine what level ofozone usage would be most efficient. The ozone generator used in the unitcreates ozone at just the rate needed. The process immediately uses up theozone so that there is only about 3 grams in existence at any given moment. Current Food and D...Florida Researchers Discover Gene For Fatal Childhood Disease
...s is significant for several reasons. Nobody knew what caused thisfatal disease," Kingsmore said. "Now we can design a diagnostic test. Andhopefully by understanding the gene we can forge better treatments forChediak-Higashi syndrome, and in the long run offer genetic therapy for it." People and ...Photosystem I -- An Intermediate Step -- May Not Be Necessary For Plants
...ong time, and this revelation flies in the face of what we know," said Thomas G. Owens, Cornell University associate professor of plant biology. "What does this all mean? No one knows yet." The Z scheme is the classic example of how scientists describe the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis. Wh......sible without access to power demands in excess of what was available from a car battery. These microchip based sensors will use special in built heaters and can generate jumps in the sensors temperature of up to 300 degrees centigrade within milliseconds in order for it to carry out accurate analysis of ...Bee Sting Treatment Should Emphasize Speed, Not Method Of Removal
... smalltime delays do make a difference, though, so what is important is that thesting be removed as quickl...s,as they get out a knife, or even try to remember what to do.The method ofremoval is irrelevant, contrary to popular belief. The best advice for thosestung...