Two Long-sought Diabetes Gene Found
... be "transcription factors," proteins that control how and when other genes are turned on or off. Both were known to be active in regulating gene expression in the liver, kidney and intestine. "This surprising finding means we have to quit thinking of diabetes purely as a defect in glucose metabolism and...Optical Microscopy Shines Light On Biology
...and that, it can lead to a better understanding of how protein changes affect biological processes." By studying a single molecule, "we can examine how the molecule moves very precisely," he said. "For us, we plan to use this to watch a single protein ...Siblicide In Nature: Study Of Galapagos Seabird Finds Death Can Ensure Species Survival
...reproduction in evolution is. The bottom line isnt how many babies you have now, but the total number of ...son said. "Getting back to Darwin, the question is how could you maximize long-term reproductive success this way?" He found part of the answer in the boo...Fast Measurement Technique Reveals Early Steps In Protein Folding
... being missed by other techniques." Understanding how proteins fold is a necessary first step toward the...goal of tailoring designed proteins. But, to study how proteins fold, researchersfirst must unfold them. Gruebele and his colleagues -- graduate students...Florida Company Using ORNL Technology For Revolutionary Wheelchair
...nological innovations. "This is a prime example of how we can use knowledge gained in a specificarea for a particular purpose for other worthwhile endeavors," Killoughsaid. Cybertrax will integrate several unique technologies into its powerwheelchairs; however, ORNL's invention is the heart of the TransR...Environmental Impact Statements Need To Be Made Easier To Decipher
... of I. researchers traveled to Joliet,Ill., to see how well 113 high school students understood the Hickory Creekflood-improvement project of the Illinois Department of Transportation.They gave students the project description to read, then tested students'recall of basic facts, understanding of the main...Scientists Identify Gene For Sexual Behavior In Male Flies
...g point for a whole hostof other studies, to learn how sexual behavior and sexual orientationare specifie...element and then go into the nervous system andsee how it is organized." "This is a spectacular example of the value of open exchange atscientific confere...Methane Deep In Ocean Crust Could Feed Chemical-Hungry Microorganisms
...uch a large food source bolsters speculation about how pervasive these life forms might be. Kelley has been studying the source of these nutrients in what is called "layer three" of the oceanic crust. Located at a depth of about two and a half miles, this layer consists of rock that was once part of ...World's Experts Plan Global Locator Service For Environmental Information
...s either do not know that it exists or do not know how to access it. This initiative will make use of ba...f content but had to work out common agreements on how to catalog it," Christian said. "Today, librarians and citizens everywhere rely on the common forma...Disease Resistance Mechanism Identified in Plants
...very similar defense mechanisms. By understanding how a plant recognizes one pathogen, we should begin to understand how plants identify many different pathogens," Martin said. "This is the first demonstration tha...Mechanism For Disease Resistance Identified In Plants
...very similar defense mechanisms. By understanding how a plant recognizes one pathogen, we should begin to understand how plants identify many different pathogens," Martin said. "This is the first demonstration tha...Researchers Find How Disease-resistant Plants Recognize Bacteria
... -- Scientists at Purdue University have uncovered how plants that are resistant to disease recognize dis...volves and the resistance breaks down. By learning how the plants and microbes recognize one another, we hope to create crop plants that have broader, more...Urbanized Watersheds More Sensitive To Climate Change
...ersheds in this way." De Walle is trying to see how urbanization affects sensitivity of stream flow t...ty confident that temperatures will increase, but how much precipitation will change is hotly debated," says De Walle. "We are interested in the effects...Pinpoint Gene Control Holds Promise For Nervous System Studies
...rom its networking. If we truly want to understand how thebrain works, we must study it with methods that...ear. Brooks and Dr. Federoff are studyingprecisely how increased NGF levels are causing these changes inthe animals' behavior. The ability to turn on ...New Finding Suggests "HATs" Are Key To Gene Activation Puzzle
...hat adds significantly to the developingpicture of how genes are activated. The findings from the Univers...ntists have proposed many different mechanisms for how genes are turned on. Our finding provides strongsupport for one of these mechanisms." During mu...A Sensor, A Switch, A Zipper: Protein Engineers Design Potential Tool
... because scientists don't fully understand how proteins fold into their final structure. ...knowledge of protein architecture, they determined how to generate the desired structure--a triple helix. After synthesizing this newly des...Proteins Interacting With RNA And DNA Are Surprisingly Similar
...in's interaction with RNA,which couldshed light on how the antibiotic distinguishes between the twoforms of RNA.Such insights could one day enable scientists to make betterantibiotics. In the search for more effective antibiotics, Draper is workingwith abiotechnology company to investigate compounds tha...Moving DNA Molecules With Magnetic Tweezers
... has allowed Wirtz to make critical measurementsof how a single DNA molecule moves and changes shape. At rest,DNA is a long, chain-like molecule that coils itself into theshape of a ball. When one end is pulled by a magnet, the moleculestretches into a narrow trumpet-like shape. Wirtz used themagnetic tw...Bottom-up Ecological Processes Better For Clear Waters, Study Finds
...lif. -- Weighing in on the ecological debate about how best tocontrol human-induced algae growth in natur...he analysis also casts doubt on a popular model of how energy moves throughfood webs in general and of how many plants and animals can be found ateach leve......cause for migraine andepilepsy, the focus turns to how the mutation affects cells' function. "The implicated gene affects the movement of calcium into and out ofspecific brain cells," Stubbs said. "This calcium movement regulates therelease of neurotransmitters, which are critical elements in thecommunic...