New England forests at greater risk from air pollution
...for timber production, they are also important for maintaining watersheds and protecting biodiversity," says Will-Wolf. "This ability may be impaired under certain conditions." Recognizing the potential of these plants to signal changes in the environment, the Wisconsin botanist and her colleagues developed regi...Pump failure implicated in a form of dystonia
...rgy of ATP to do so. Such transport is critical to maintaining the gradients of those substances that are necessary for the neurons to fire properly, activating muscle cells. The scientists' analyses of the mutations revealed them to be six different "missense" mutations in the gene, each of which caused the inc...Researchers discuss revised Food Guide Pyramid and what it will mean for the food industry
...int, internet and the media. (1) "Optimizing and maintaining health involves selecting foods from all food groups to obtain the range of nutrients needed," said Dr. Hentges. "The proposed revised food guide system seeks to accomplish this by enabling people to base their choices on their personal dietary need...Carnivore extinction risk determined more by biology than human population density, says study
... now would offset greater danger later: "Arguably, maintaining the stability of particularly susceptible species before they become threatened could be more cost-effective in the long term than postdecline attempts to rescue them from the brink of extinction," they conclude. They suggest pre-emptive action inclu...Oxygen sensing in worms may hold key to healthy blood pressure in humans
...tmosphere with a rich and stable supply of oxygen, maintaining the correct levels in our bodies is a relatively routine task. For organisms that live in soil or water, however, where oxygen levels can fluctuate wildly, the task is far more challenging -- and pretty much of a mystery, until now. A multi-institut...DFG announces three percent budget increase
...he case in previous years, met its declared aim of maintaining spending on the Individual Grants Programme at over 40 percent. This also applies to the half-year figures as of 30 June 2004. The reason the funding rate in the Individual Grants Programme has fallen from 40 percent to 35 percent is due to a ten per...Gene therapy alternative to calcium channel blockers
...here the heartbeat originates. Calcium is vital to maintaining good health, as it is involved in many everyday cellular processes, including gene regulation, memory and cell death. However, excessive levels of calcium can lead to arrhythmias, as well as hypertrophy (uncontrolled growth of muscle tissue), apopto...Confidentiality of genetic databases questioned by Stanford researchers
..., looked for ways to disguise the data while still maintaining its usefulness. For example, a computer program could randomly change one in 10 data points - a method similar to those used with other kinds of sensitive research data, such as census results. But, Altman said, "We realized that anything we tried ru...Researchers discover how worms' noses sense oxygen
...nvolved in learning in memory. "NO is important in maintaining blood vessel homeostasis, and so is critical to cardiovascular function, gut motility and penile erection, among other things," Marletta said. Marletta's students have painstakingly picked apart the guanylate cyclase protein, in particular the exact ...Tracing a killer's path in Lou Gehrig's disease
...tic machinery of cells. Bcl-2 is also important in maintaining the function of the mitochondrial membrane. The researchers did not find evidence of such linkage in liver cell mitochondria, hinting that, for a reason they do not yet understand, spinal cord neurons are particular targets of the mutant protein. Suc...JCI table of contents, 1 July 2004
...sponsible for preparing the body for pregnancy and maintaining it until birth. These data make it clear that the ... which has previously been shown to play a part in maintaining metabolic energy balance. Now Dennis Taub and colleagues from the National Institute on Aging, have ...Make a splash for public health this summer
...need to stay personally involved in monitoring and maintaining healthy pools this summer. Through the Healthy Poo... strong message that we need to do a better job of maintaining the nation's pools." As promoted on the partnership Website, www.healthypools.org , the positive ......c activation. Such regulation may be important for maintaining continuous cell movement....A pregnant pause for unexpected interactions
...sponsible for preparing the body for pregnancy and maintaining it until birth. These data make it clear that the immune system, by interfering with the reproductive hormones, may contribute to human infertility, especially in cases of recurrent pregnancy loss. Further the finding that there is a link ...... ecologists can test the underlying assumptions in maintaining an ecologically sustainable certification while conservation biologists can help define habitat use expectations and the appropriate use of shade-grown coffee certification to meet regional conservation goals. In the meantime, say Mas and Dietsch, c...Noah's modern ark: The role of ART in conserving endangered species
...oics via technology?" ART has played a key role in maintaining genetic diversity amongst captive populations. For instance, it is much easier to transport eggs or sperm from one institution to another, than to transport a killer whale or elephant. In addition, there are animals such as the giant panda who simp...'Plants for the future': A European vision for plant biotechnology towards 2025
...ion needs to become more environmentally friendly: maintaining productivity while reducing inputs including water, pesticides, fertilisers, energy. The issue of economical sustainability will necessitate the development of novel biomaterials, bioenergy and renewable resources. Agriculture will also face consequ...Mutant mice lead to memory insights
...ves a drug that inhibits de-acetylation -- thereby maintaining a higher level of acetylation of histones. They found that the circuitry of the brain slices returned to normal, and the mutant mice that received the drug showed a reversal of their memory deficits. "Our study therefore suggests that it might be po...Frogs muscle-in on 'wasting' process
...stock production levels and boost the prospects of maintaining human muscle strength into old age. According to CSIRO Livestock Industries' (CLI) post-doctoral fellow, Dr Nick Hudson, the green-striped burrowing frog (Cyclorana alboguttata) can remain buried in mud for months in an inactive state known as 'aes......n to the children. "Sex is all about maintaining the health of the DNA you give your kids," Michod said. Although there has been work supporting the DNA-repair hypothesis as the reason for sex in single-celled organisms, Michod said the current work is the first evidence that DNA repair is a reas...