New USGS research shows how land use affects amphibians
... early warning that some of our ecosystems -- even seemingly pristine ones -- are seriously out of balance....Discovery of taste receptors may make bitter a bygone taste
... the 298 amino acids making up the receptor. This seemingly subtle difference in receptor structure determined whether or not the mice could recognize a bitter chemical. While humans can identify a wide range of bitter compounds, they all taste pretty much the same. This observation may be explained by anoth...Acid-loving microbe may be a key to mine pollution
...th. It could be, say Banfield, that the organism's seemingly fragile cytoplasmic membrane confers an advantage that is yet unknown to science. Research on the new microbe and its remarkable abilities will continue at UW-Madison in collaboration with Brian Fox, a UW-Madison professor of biochemistry, and Charle...UMass microbiologist's Nature article contributes to understanding of how cells divide
...ing to Sandler. The Nature article summarizes some seemingly unrelated pieces of data, and proposes that these different processes are actually related and delicately coordinated. Moreover, the coordination revolves around the ability of the cell to fix replication forks -- points at which DNA replication take...Marine biology course uses Antarctica as its classroom
... scuba diver to collect marine animals. Although seemingly remote from the rest of the world and strikingly different, the course emphasizes that Antarctica and its surrounding waters play a major role in global climate. The Southern Ocean, which forms a barrier around the Antarctica, for example, helps reg...Amphibian declines complicated, disturbing
...ogical systems work in a delicate balance and that seemingly trivial impacts in one area can become magnified as they ripple through the ecosystem, with unintended results or consequences that are difficult to predict and sometimes frightening in their scope. For some time, researchers have been referring to ...The future of planet earth: scientific challenges in the coming century
...astal Waters -- Pristine or Polluted? The earth's seemingly boundless oceans and scenic coastlines have limits. The oceans cannot provide unlimited fish to feed growing populations, nor can they absorb unlimited wastes from human activity. As population growth near and adjacent to the coasts increases water ...Creatine may improve performance during short bursts of activity
... For elite male swimmers, the seemingly small decrease in time could mean the difference between winning a competition and failing to qualify for that competition, Leenders said. Neithe...MGH researchers first to identify genetic malfunction in type 1 diabetes
... autoimmune diseases. These findings are bringing seemingly unrelated areas of basic research together to address one of the most significant human diseases. They almost bring us full circle on the complex genetics of this disease, because the Lmp2 gene, while it is critical to Class I processing, is located...Science and Amersham Pharmacia Biotech award Young Scientist Prize
...ognize and fight off invading pathogens. These two seemingly contradictory processes may also be involved in tumor growth, which could give her research clinical applications for treating certain cancers. Her study of immunoglobin gene mutation suggests that the high rate of mutation in these genes, which cons...Sea level rise behind coastal tree deaths
...rage of about 1.5millimeters each year globally, a seemingly small increase. But on the largeareas of Florida's west coast which have little or no slope, this small increaseis converting as much as 2 meters of forest to salt marsh annually, Williamssaid. The forest retreat threatens many coastal parks and natu...USGS finds elevated levels of organochlorine pesticides in Aleutian bald eagles
... nesting bald eagles on remote islands in the seemingly pristine Aleutian Archipelago in Alaska, according to recent research published in the September issue of the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Organochlorines are chemical compounds invented to kill agricultural ...Researchers discover genetic basis of heritable sleep disorder
...hms." All creatures -- from bacteria to humans -- seemingly operate on a biologicalclock synchronized to a 24-hour day. This internal clock controls a variety ofdaily biochemical and behavioral cycles -- including fluctuations in sleep andwakefulness -- that are collectively called circadian rhythms. People ...New UNC-CH study explains variations in onset of ice ages
... agesstill occurs but over a much longer span. The seemingly irregular durations fromone ice age to the next eventually can be predicted if one takes into accountastronomical events such as changes in the orbit's shape, the earth's tilting onits axis and the gravitational effects of other planets. "Und...NCAR scientists seek clues to wildfires during Alaska prescribed burn
... forest this monthseeking clues to how violent and seemingly unpredictable forest firesspread. Between July 8 and July 31, if conditions are right, amultiagency team of researchers will observe the burn on 2,000 acresapproximately 25 miles northeast of Fairbanks, Alaska. As of July 7, thechance of initiating t...Discovery Of Mechanism Causing Colon Cancer
... The discovery of the new mechanism has solved two seemingly unrelated molecular mysteries. One concerned an important finding made some two years ago: the fact that colon cancer cells often have abnormally large quantities of a protein called beta-catenin, one of today's "hottest" research molecules. Beta-cat...New Class Of Molecular Cues Guides Nervous System Wiring
...e March 19, 1999, issue of the journal Cell , this seemingly contradictory "Stop-and-Go" behavior of the protein,Slit, opens an intriguing new chapter in understanding how the nervous system iswired, say the scientists. If the researchers can understand the machinerycontrolling such wiring decisions, their ins...... a large and complex molecule to perform afunction seemingly controlled by this relatively tiny loop, Vogel sought tounravel its internal mechanical operations. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals the 3-D structure of individualmolecules in exquisite detail. And researchers using atomic force microscopy...A Fresh Look At Love And War Between The Sexes
...ources." The last technique---a risky, costly, and seemingly meaningless advertisement ofone's quality as a mate---usually occurs when neither resources nor females canbe controlled economically. As a mating strategy, Low observes, it's a littleweak. You see it in forest-dwelling grouse drumming on a hollow ...Scientists Find First Protein In Central Nervous System Junctions
...nes says. "So it looks to us as if gephyrin hastwo seemingly unrelated functions - an amazing example of nature using whateverworks to get the job done."...