A gene that keeps species apart
...isms as distinct reproductive units and species as groups of individuals that can interbreed and produce viable, fertile offspring. The lack of genetic exchange between species, called reproductive isolation, lies at the heart of this definition. At the heart of reproductive isolation is a phenomenon call...Monkey business: Studies show tiny callimicos have unusual characteristics
...est," she said. In her fieldwork, Porter observed groups ranging in size from two to 11 individuals with si...eeding female in a group, although she did observe groups with two breeding females on several occasions. Groups engage in cooperative infant care, sharing f...Study probes ecosystem of tree holes
...owse and filter-feed and will attack either of the groups of species. 'It's war inside a tree hole," Kneitel said. "We found that predation has the strongest effect when there are no disturbances. Disturbance has the strongest effect when there is little predation. When there is no disturbance o...Conflicting views on embryonic and adult stem cells complicate research in stem cell therapeutics
...tion and expansion among multiple recipients. Some groups have found, however, that certain ASCs do not cause immune rejection, allowing cells to be pooled from many patients, which would solve this problem. Though biological hurdles are common ground for both ASCs and ESCs, the latter face political barrie......imes as an embryo develops. All mammals have 13 groups of Hox genes with two to four genes per group, for a total of 39 Hox genes. These genes help ensure various parts of the body form in the correct place during embryo development. Researchers already knew that Hoxb1 was "expressed" or active meani...Genetic modification in mice lowers cholesterol and homocysteine by half
...r to suffer any ill effects. But animals from both groups had markedly lower levels of cholesterol in their blood stream. Alteration of one of the pathways also lowered blood levels of homocysteine by 50 percent. Speaking June 13, at the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecul...Two billion vulnerable to floods by 2050; number expected to double or more in two generations
...sment and ranking of the vulnerability of affected groups should serve as the starting point in defining priorities and remedial interventions." Background: UNU-EHS Supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Ministry of Science and Research of the State of North ...Fox Chase Cancer Center's Alfred Knudson Jr. named 2004 Kyoto Prize winner
...o Prizes that they are presented to individuals or groups in appreciation not only of their outstanding achievements but also of the excellence of the personal characteristics on which they have built their contributions to mankind. The laureates are selected through a strict and fair process considering ca...Changes to insect-seeking calls of horseshoe bats may drive new species formation
... found that the bats were diverging into exclusive groups primarily because of acoustic differences in the calls they make to locate the insects they eat. Their finding challenges long-standing theory that geographical barriers are the mechanism by which new species evolve. This new perspective on an old...Fat cells could provide the key to a longer life
... but the pay off is reduced fertility. Elsewhere, groups have looked at mutations such as the DAF-2 gene in C. elegans, which can also double life span or reduce fertility depending on what stage in life the gene is interfered with. "DAF-2 encodes the worms' equivalent of the human insulin receptor and as...Canine word-learning research published in Science
...rget toys, Rico retrieved them, upon request, from groups of four familiar and four completely novel toys in three out of six sessions. His retrieval rate is comparable to the performance of three-year-old toddlers, according to the authors. "For psychologists, dogs may be the new chimpanzees," writes Paul ...Alzheimer's may leave some forms of memory intact
... "For this task, we found that all three groups showed a significant reduction with practice in th...lts were faster in performing the tasks, all three groups showed a robust reduction in time with practice, he said. The researchers next asked th...Memory fails you after severe stress
...n during the questioning. The performance of all groups was abysmal. Only 30 per cent could find the right person in a line-up, 34 per cent from a photo-spread and 49 per cent from sequential photos- though the clothing cue boosted correct identification to 66 per cent (International Journal of Law and Ps...Damaged genes in aging human brain provide clues to cognitive decline
...of genes at a time, the researchers identified two groups of genes with significantly altered expression levels in the brains of older individuals. A gene's expression level is an indicator of whether or not the gene is functioning properly. "We found that genes that play a role in learning and mem...First ever standards linking climate change, biodiversity and poverty seek global peer review
...ganizations, governments and international funding groups to efficiently identify cost-effective carbon emission reduction projects that also have a positive impact on biodiversity and local communities. The CCBA members include: BP, Conservation International, GFA Terra Systems, the Hamburg Institute of ...Parting genomes: UA biologists discover seeds of speciation
...s cease reproducing with one another. When the two groups can no longer interbreed, or prefer not to, they stop exchanging genes and eventually go their own evolutionary ways, forming separate species. While the evolutionary record is brimming with examples of speciation events, Reed says, biologists haven...Researchers report major advance in gene therapy technique
...ses to carry genes inside cells, a path many other groups have taken. Instead, they used "naked" DNA, an approach Wolff has pioneered. Naked DNA poses fewer immune issues because, unlike viruses, it does not contain a protein coat (hence the term "naked"), which means it cannot move freely from cell to cell...K-State business researchers to help with major study on food supply veterinary medicine
...ormed coalition of food supply veterinary interest groups determine methods to ensure adequate veterinary involvement in the production of a continuing abundant supply of safe and wholesome food. The $300,000 study, "Estimating Food Supply Veterinary Medicine Demand and Maintaining the Availability of Veter......ationally. Also in 2003, VIB expanded its research groups with 3 new ones active in emerging fields in the life sciences. In fact, this is an instance of reverse brain drain, because, after an international search, 3 Belgians proved to be the best candidates and they were eager to return to Flanders after s...