Surprising link between body size and extinction risk
...o extinction. New research debunks this belief and reveals another link between body size and extinction: small mammals are less likely to die out. This work is presented in the October issue of Conservation Biology by Marcel Cardillo and Lindell Bromham, who did this work at the University of Queensland, A...Scientists discover how some viruses take strong hold of cells
...n virus-based vehicles for gene therapy. The study reveals that the receptor protein for coxsackievirus (known as coxsackievirus-adenovirus receptor, or CAR) forms pairs on the surface of human cells, with two adjacent CAR receptors attached to one another below the surface of the cell membrane. When coxsack...Study by Boston College chemistry team shows critical role of water in protein function
...amyloid-forming peptide from the yeast prion Sup35 reveals a dehydrated beta-sheet structure for amyloid" PNAS, 98 2375-2380). Thus, it may be possible to maintain the flexibility and hydration of proteins by adjusting surface conditions or by small ligands as therapeutics to prevent dehydration or aggregati...Blood vessels trigger development of the pancreas
...e said. "But it is an important finding because it reveals one of the signals in a stepwise path in islet cell differentiation," he said....Anthrax - How to protect ourselves
...ser pulses at a suspect cloud. The reflected light reveals the size and density of the particles. If all are the same size, the cloud is likely to be artificial. But LIDAR doesn't reveal the type of bacteria. So researchers shifted to ultraviolet wavelengths, which can yield signals unique to different path...Gene chips bring new order to lung cancer types, could yield sharper diagnoses, better drugs
...ted with smoking than others. Because the analysis reveals which genes are most active in the different tumors, the researchers envision future drugs tailored to target one or more genes in each tumor, while leaving normal cells unharmed. None of the hoped-for benefits are close at hand, however. I want to e...Enzyme studies at Brookhaven Lab may lead to new antiviral agents
...SLS). The pattern of x-rays bouncing off the atoms reveals the three-dimensional molecular structure. In the current studies, Stony Brook University graduate student Mary Lynn Baniecki characterized the binding of the cofactor to the protease, identifying which parts bind to the enzyme and which parts stimul...Bone strength probed by scientists
...ariety of tissues including bone, tendon and skin reveals special properties which allow it to "bounce back" when pulled or stressed in laboratory experiments. The AFM operates by tapping and pulling with a tiny needle. "We learned that the collagen in bone contains sacrificial bonds that rupture as colla...Antarctic mud reveals ancient evidence of global climate change
...utomobile. "We`ve got a sedimentary record that reveals very significant changes in water temperature and ice melt during the past 7,000 years," says Robert Dunbar, professor of geological and environmental sciences at Stanford. "The cause of these highly variable climate changes is still a mystery." Gla...White sharks migrate thousands of miles across the sea, new study finds
... a study in the Jan. 3 issue of the journal Nature reveals that whitesharks can range across vast stretches of the open ocean. In fact, one maletagged along the Central California coast migrated thousands of miles tothe warm waters off Hawaii - and remained there for nearly four months. The Nature study was ...January media highlights: GEOLOGY and GSA TODAY
...ition of the Eocene groundwater. The isotopic data reveals that environmental water was strikingly depleted in heavy O isotopes. In modern ecosystems, such ratios would indicate annual average temperatures below 0 C. However, the authors reject such cold paleotemperatures to explain the data because the lush...January media highlights-GSA Bulletin
...thin the crust, beneath the ocean floor. The study reveals that fluids within the fault zone and the mechanical properties of this fault may, in turn, be controlled by other, previously unrecognized, faults cutting the zone from beneath. Interactions of these faults vary in both time and space and may ultima...New genetic technique delivers knockout blow to 'Asthma Virus'
...h year. New research published in BMC Microbiology reveals how synthetic inhibitory double stranded RNA (siRNA) can be used to knock out the function of specific RSV genes. This technique will be exceptionally useful in furthering understanding of RSV and related viruses. In addition, it could lead to the de...Stem cells for eggs and sperm also control aging in roundworm
...t is it? Do humans have it?" Overall, the research reveals a refined system of control over lifespan in C. elegans, both through the ability of the somatic gonads to increase longevity, and the newfound capacity of the proliferating germline stem cells to shorten life....Darwin and the worlds first ecological experiment
...the Origin of Species, but our historical research reveals a much more solid base." "This pushes back the link between community and ecosystems ecology back to the birth of the subject, before it even had a name in fact*2. We've now found the experimental work, since forgotten, that inspired these ideas and,...Differences between boys and girls show less than three weeks into pregnancy
...ls of maternal serum HCG (MSHCG) the hormone that reveals in blood or urine tests whether or not a woman is pregnant are nearly a fifth higher less than three weeks into pregnancy if a woman is carrying a girl than if she is carrying a boy. HCGs role at the beginning of pregnancy is to maintain the functio...Study reveals new information on how viruses enter cells
...ture designed to inject viral DNA into a host cell reveals a unique and complex entry scheme for viruses. ...lished in the Jan. 31 issue of the journal Nature, reveals for the first time how the virus binds to the surface of the host, punctures the cell wall with a sy......o be local in scale, this new ocean wide synthesis reveals that the collapse applies to the entire North Atlantic Ocean. You may think we are making headway with a few individual stocks, but overall we are unequivocally losing the battle to manage fisheries in the North Atlantic, says Pauly. Unless you have ...The science of the scoop: Wheat proteins for ice cream?
...identities and get reassigned new ones. "Ice cream reveals a great way of looking at how foods change. We think ice cream is all-American, but you really have to look further," she said. Even on its home turf, ice cream's identity is constantly in flux, helped along by innovators like Gus Rancatore, owner of...Genetic clues for finding and treating cardiovascular disease (CVD)
...your son or daughter carry it too? Genetic testing reveals whether an individual has a disease gene or is susceptible to it. Predictive testing identifies individuals at risk for certain disease years before symptoms appear. The ability to test for the presence of the genes associated with coronary artery di...