Researchers find color sensitive atomic switch in bacteria
...e found an atomic switch capable of discriminating color in a bacterial membrane protein. In a paper posted...a single sensory protein capable of distinguishing color would provide Anabaena with information about the color of light available in its environment, enabl...'Most recent common ancestor' of all living humans surprisingly recent
...suggests, "No matter the languages we speak or the color of our skin, we share ancestors who planted rice on the banks of the Yangtze, who first domesticated horses on the steppes of the Ukraine, who hunted giant sloths in the forests of North and South America, and who labored to build the Great Pyramid o...Hidden diversity: DNA 'barcoding' reveals a common butterfly is actually 10 different species
...east 20 individuals from each group of food plant, color variation and preferred habitat. As a result, they found 10distinct species within the group known as A. fulgerator in an area the size of the greater Philadelphia area and as many as six species in a place no larger than the 262-acre Penn campus. ...Researchers create nanotubes that change colors, form 'nanocarpet' and kill bacteria
...isplay sensitivity to different agents by changing color and can be trained to kill bacteria, such as E. co...cal or chemical agents being deployed would change color and simultaneously destroy the deadly substances. The researchers thought that by combining a chemi...'Fossil genes' reveal how life sheds form and function
...tory of how humans came to depend more on sight as color vision displaced a sense of smell that, in the distant past, was far superior to what humans enjoy today. In the Japanese yeast, the seven fossil genes that make up the eroding pathway are "still in the same place (on the genome) they are in neighbor...Amyloid fibers sprout one step at a time
... tagged with a fluorescent molecule of a different color and added to the immobilized fiber, researchers can watch the growth of the fiber. The analytical approaches revealed that the yeast amyloid fibers grow by the addition, one by one, of individual monomers -- rather than assembly of amorphous, globul...Serotonin metabolites in mollusks suggest pathways for human therapies
...ys in Aplysia californica, which are sea slugs the color of a purple plum that range up to a melon in size. Aplysia californica live in warm, shallow water off the California coast in areas rich in vegetation where they feed on algae. Pleurobranchaea californica live in the cold, dark depths of the ocean ...NASA satellites detect 'glow' of plankton in black waters
...ivers can absorb similar amounts of blue and green color signals as plants do, traditional satellites that simply measure ocean color cannot distinguish phytoplankton blooms within such patches. Although satellites cannot directly me...Revealing bizarre deep-sea secrets
...curs when an animal or object absorbs light of one color and then reemits light of, or glows, another color. In the ocean, detecting fluorescence can allow scientists to spot animals that would otherwise be too effectively camouflaged to see. Fluorescence is also important because the proteins that allow a...Method to visualize gene activity may provide insight into normal development & genome function
...nother, because the amount of fluorescence of each color is quantified separately. "When using the micr..., the light is fanned out into a rainbow, and each color is read through a separate channel," explains Bier. "That way if the light is 90 percent blue and te...Study suggests humans can speed evolution
...d, the other on the south, said Streelman. Cichlid color patterns are important in mate selection, so these distinct markings may promote the evolution of new species. Whether or not that happens and how long it will take is a question to which Streelman is eager to find the answer. "It could be that we'...Urban heat islands make cities greener
... were able to detect daily variations in the green color of plants. The researchers classified urban areas using MODIS data from October 2000 to October 2001, as well as Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's (DMSP) nighttime lights imagery and population density data. Only eastern North American cit...Researchers find that color perception is not innate, but acquired after birth
...nce is indispensable for the development of normal color perception. The wavelength composition of the ligh...rent conditions of illumination. Nevertheless, the color of the object remains the same. This property, so-called "color constancy," is the most important pr...New textbook introduces students to the foundations, applications of nanotechnology
...te. But copies of all the figures most of them in color are included in PowerPoint files on a CD that accompanies each copy of the book. The text will dramatically improve the learning experience, Heflin said. "We had the green light for the book in the summer of 2002 and we had all the chapters in hand...Rutgers chemist uses NMR to elucidate protein-DNA interaction
... of traits such as facial appearance, hair and eye color or behaviors. In the July 16 issue of the journal Science, Rutgers-Newark chemistry professor Babis Kalodimos offers a solution to this puzzle in his paper, "Structure and Flexibility Adaptation in Nonspecific and Specific Protein-DNA Complex...Oxygen sensing in worms may hold key to healthy blood pressure in humans
...to the heme molecule that gives hemoglobin its red color and binds to oxygen," says Marletta. "However, whereas the heme molecule in hemoglobin cannot discriminate between oxygen or nitric oxide, the heme molecule in guanylate cyclase only binds with nitric oxide. Somehow, nature engineered a way for the g...Study reveals evolution on the (butterfly) wing
...key genes has evolved in association with specific color patterns. The color patterns they studied vary among species, existing in a continuum including simple lines, teardrops ...Altered expression of key developmental genes underlies evolution of butterfly wing patterns
...these genes translated into the diversification of color patterns over evolutionary time. In their new stud...s changed during the evolution of line and eyespot color patterns. Comparing eight species of moths and butterflies, the researchers found that signature alt...Secret behind hard exoskeletons, spreading wings revealed
... to grow. The new outer shell then hardens and its color darkens. Both processes take place through the activation of a series of five hormones. The structure, genetic sequence and biochemical properties of four of these hormones were known since 1990; that of the fifth, bursicon, was not. Using biochemic...Chemical Society announces EPA awards for environmentally friendly technology
...degrees Celsius. Rightfit pigments are used to add color to mustard and ketchup bottles, coffee containers, motor oil and antifreeze cartons, and many other products. Since 1996, the 46 Green Chemistry Award winners have contributed to the environment by eliminating 387 million pounds and 9.1 million gallo...