Dangerous Chemical Combination Presents Possible Scenario For Gulf War Illnesses
...s are an important component because they test the biological plausibilityof our theory that combinations of certain chemicals can cause symptomsthat are not caused by individual chemicals alone." In the Duke study, researchers exposed healthy chickens to each of the threechemicals -- DEET, permethrin and PB -...Enzyme's "Magic" May Hold Key to Anticancer and Antimicrobial Drugs
...tists have known since the 1970s that this biological feat--akin to the familiar magic trick of unlinking two interlocked metal rings--is accomplished by a family of enzymes called topoisomerases. Their critical role in cell division makes these enzymes prime ta...Tumor Suppressor Gene Located In Liver Cancer Cells
...agnosis. Researchers often work backwards from the biological changes involved in cancer to find the genes responsible for these alterations. In this case, however, the functions of an already-identified gene led Jirtle and his team to hypothesize its involvement in liver cancer. "This is an 'old' gene for whi...From Corn Rootworms To Art, Cornell's Reactor Is At The Core
...Jean-Yves Parlange, professor of agricultural and biological engineering, and Tammo Steenhuis, associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering, to study oil and water penetration in sand. Such studies will be useful for determinin......restrial community," said ThomasKane, professor of biological sciences. "We have now shown thatchemoautotrophic systems are more widespread than had beenthought." To prove that the food web was based entirely on chemicalenergy and not solar energy, Kane, doctoral candidate SerbanSarbu and assistant professor Br...Photosystem I -- An Intermediate Step -- May Not Be Necessary For Plants
...sis? Owens gives an emphatic "no." This is just a biological alternative that had not been found until the Oak Ridge experiments. "It doesn't completely replace our thinking about photosynthesis; it simply demonstrates that our present knowledge is inadequate to explain this surprising observation," he said....Nitric Oxide May Hold Key To First Treatment For Deadly Form Of Malaria, Duke Scientists Report
...Oto activate them may prove to be as fundamental a biological process asflagging proteins with phosphate, a process now understood to be the primaryon-off switch for thousands of proteins that control life processes. Although the discovery was made in bacteria, the team believes that humancells also us......is is an excellent tool for looking at an isolated biological system at the cellular level, like a single nerve synapse," McLafferty said. "Or say your microscopic examination shows suspicious red blood cells in a sample -- do these contain new molecular components as clues to their formation? You could get a ...Nitric Oxide Found To Control Cells By Turning On Genes; Suggests New Role In Health And Disease
...Oto activate them may prove to be as fundamental a biological process asflagging proteins with phosphate, a process now understood to be the primaryon-off switch for thousands of proteins that control life processes. Although the discovery was made in bacteria, the team believes that humancells also us...Study Shows Songbirds Switch From Bugs To Berries To Fuel Fall Migration
...here has been ahuge gap in our knowledge about the biological processes of songbirds duringmigration and how those activities might affect the recently reported declinesin their numbers." During three fall migrations on Block Island, R.I., Parrish and volunteersnetted 7,000 songbirds and analyzed more than 1,60...Major Plant Genome Research Project Underway
...ording to Mary Clutter, NSF assistant director for biological sciences, and will lead to the creation of new and improved plants and plant-based products. "Because plants are vital to our existence, increased understanding of the biology of plants will impact every facet of our lives, from agriculture, to ener...Discovery Could Help Understand Breast-Cancer Therapies
...g the transcription signal (the message system)for biological activity important in bone maintenance, especially...stitutes of Health, was conductedusing a molecular biological technique called alanine-scanning mutagenesis,in which a different form of amino acid is substituted...North America Hit Hard By Asteroid Strike In Yucatan 65 Million Years Ago
...lsjettisoned downrange. The researchers said that biological evidence appears to support theiroblique-impact hypothesis. North America, the first region to experience thefireball, had the most severe extinctions of plants. After the devastation, ferns dominated the flora of central North America.Ferns account...Sea Turtles Have Favorite Oceanic Routes
...rsity; and Frank V. Paladino, chair, department of biological sciences at Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne, Ind. At the nesting beaches in Costa Rica, Morreale and his colleagues tagged eight female leatherback turtles with small satellite transmitters designed to survive the crushing pressure o...Optical Microscopy Shines Light On Biology
LAWRENCE, Kans. -- A chance to study individual biological molecules in a liquid environment has been a goal ...fully using near-field optical microscopy to study biological samples," he said. "People thought it couldn't be done." Dunn said the softness and fragility of bio...A Sensor, A Switch, A Zipper: Protein Engineers Design Potential Tool
... designed property is significant because many biological processes depend on a protein's ability to change its shape in response to outside signals. The scientists predict that with further refinements, their protein may one day be used to detect environmental toxins or--in ...Bigger Biology Tackled Through Keyboards
Solving crucial biological problems these days can involve trying tofigure ou...fornia, Davis, and other universities. "Important biological issues can and need to be understood throughcomputational biology," says co-author Alan Hastings, ch...Researchers Corral Millions Of Microscopic Membranes
...rication techniques have been applied to an entire biological system like a membrane. They were able to do this by adapting standard photolithography techniques from microelectronics to cover a surface of silica coated with silicon dioxide with a pattern of microscopic squares. Each square was about five micron...Learning From Birds And Bees: Engineers Study Insects For Ideas On Tiny "Micro Air Vehicles"
... area of miniaturizedintegrated-optic chemical and biological sensor systems. Though flown under human control, the MicroFlyers must beindependent enough to avoid obstacles and maintain stable flight bythemselves. "Flying a remote-controlled helicopter is extremely difficult, andeven experienced people crash ......hensivenuclear test ban treaty, and for increasing biological science in supportof federal land managers. ...ndards for scientific excellence in earth, water, biological andmapping investigations. In concert with our old and new partners andthrough a variety of effort...