Climate change plus human pressure caused large mammal extinctions in late Pleistocene
...set by humans had as much to do with extinction as direct hunting. Over a few thousand years, Barnosky said, an extended sitzkrieg may have led to the extinction of large mammals such as kangaroos, wombats, the marsupial lion (Thylacoleo carnifex) and the largest ever marsupial, the 2 1/2-ton Diprotodon. El...Scientists sequence genome of kind of organism central to biosphere's carbon cycle
...evealed by the genomic work. The research provided direct genetic confirmation of a hypothesis that diatoms evolved when a heterotroph, a single-cell microbe, engulfed what scientists say was likely a kind of red alga. The two became one organism, an arrangement called endosymbiosis, and swapped some geneti...Gladstone investigator Mike McCune wins prestigious NIH Director's Pioneer Award
...e them with enough funding -- $500,000 per year in direct costs over five years -- to develop and test far-ranging ideas. The only constraint on the funding is that it be used for research that is relevant to the NIH mission of science in pursuit of knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems....Safety of isoflavones in dietary supplements targeted by Illinois initiative
... and Donna L. Korol, professor of psychology, will direct research on the effects of phytoestrogens on brain tissue and cognitive function, including cognitive flexibility, attention, inhibitory control and working memory. John A. Katzenellenbogen, professor of chemistry, and Benita S. Katzenellen...Cancer vaccine based on pathogenic listeria bacteria shows promise targeting metastases
... Cerus using Portnoy's methods in order to prevent direct invasion of liver cells, thus dramatically lowering liver damage by the vaccine strain. Cerus plans to use this doubly attenuated listeria strain as a platform for various types of cancer vaccines. In fact, Cook said, as long as an antigen can be fou...'Most recent common ancestor' of all living humans surprisingly recent
...dels showing that the most recent person who was a direct ancestor of all humans currently alive may have lived just a few thousand years ago. "While we may not all be 'brothers,' the models suggest we are all hundredth cousins or so," said Joseph T. Chang , professor in the Department of Statistics at...Cardiac arrest may hinder ability to learn certain tasks
...e in the number of dendritic spines may have had a direct effect on the performance of the cardiac arrest group. "Most people who survive a heart attack are left with perfectly functional neurons, along with ones that are clearly injured," she continued. "The long-term goal is to figure out how ...USAID, Conservation International & Starbucks launch Conservation Coffee Alliance in Central America
...n January 2004, Starbucks announced a $2.5 million direct loan to help capitalize the fund. Starbucks has also enabled consumers to support these conservation efforts by making the high quality, sustainable coffees from Conservation Coffee project available to Starbucks customers across North America and in......elusive. Today, scientists have reported the first direct observation of how this protein, amelogenin, interacts with crystals like those in bone to form the hard, protective enamel of teeth. The study, published by a team from the Department of Energys Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Universi...NSF and AIBS sign cooperative agreement for NEON project office
...Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network, will direct the NEON project office at AIBS headquarters in Washington, D.C. The project will be managed at AIBS by science office director Jeffrey Goldman. "The most pressing challenges facing the nation's biosphere, like the impact of climate change on for...AIBS tapped to coordinate design of ecological observatories
...of the Long Term Ecological Research Network, will direct the NEON project office at AIBS headquarters in Washington, DC. The project, which will be internally managed by AIBS Science Office Director Jeffrey Goldman, will rely heavily on support from members of the scientific and educational communities, wh...Genetic modification of linseed produces healthier omega 3 and 6 fatty acids
...is process is slow and inefficient compared to the direct consumption of C20 and C22 PUFA that may be obtained from fish oils. Oilseed crop species contain all of the proteins and enzymes necessary for the biosynthesis of the range of fatty acids present in seed oil, but they lack the few additional enzymes...Tips from the Journals of the American Society for Microbiology
...e researchers. "New molecular approaches based on direct analyses of DNA (or RNA) in its environment without microbial enrichment have allowed for precise descriptions of microbial dynamics in complex ecosystems." Using these new technologies, the researchers analyzed bacterial populations i...Genetic analysis rewrites salamander's evolutionary history
... patterned way, sequentially abandoning larvae for direct development, gaining highly specialized, projectile tongues, et cetera." "The results were stunningly different than what we anticipated," he said. "Only one of the currently recognized four major groups is supported." The study, published this week ...Can an old gene learn new tricks?
...ene in CNS development and, surprisingly, can also direct development of the inner ear. Therefore, a Drosophila gene can direct formation of an organ system that does not even exist in the Drosophila body. "These results demon...Case for IBD combination therapy comes from research at Baylor, MIT and Hebrew University
... concluded that the probiotic regimen demonstrated direct mucosal anti-inflammatory effects independent of pathogen antagonism. Treatment of IBD by membrane-anchored phospholipase A2 inhibitors linked to glycosaminoglycans: novel multi-functional anti-inflammatory drugs. Researchers at Saul Yedgar's laborat...The search for a kinder, gentler chemotherapy
... exterior of the vehicle with folic acid is a very direct route to enter cancer cells. This type of an approach will bring cancer chemotherapy to a new level of treatment," she said. Traditional chemotherapy, by contrast, can be described as a shotgun approach with the cellular poisons affecting tumors and ...OutFoxed! New research may redefine late-stage cardiac development
... In the early mammalian embryo, the gut tube helps direct the fusion of the two tubes of pre-cardiac cells into one tube. Dr. Morrisey thinks that expression of Foxp4 in the gut tube may be responsible for this lack of fusion: "Other mutations in genes expressed in the gut tube have led to similar results ...Sandia experiments may reduce possibility of future water wars
...water use is for irrigated agriculture rather than direct human consumption and other productive uses." Preliminary indications are that hydroponic greenhouses in New Mexico, for example, could reduce the current 800,000 acre-feet of water to 11,000 acre-feet to produce an equivalent amount (dry weight)...Fossils reveal direct link between global warming and genetic diversity in wildlife
For the first time, scientists have found a direct relationship between global warming and the evolut...on levels increased. These findings established a direct correlation between climate change and population size, but how did individual voles and pocket goph...