Researchers Pinpoint Site For Petit Mal Seizures In Brain
...ng important in receiving signals, but this result suggests we should be looking at the sending side of the neuron," Hosford said. Hosford has already shown that drugs that inhibit GABAb receptors control seizures in the mice genetically prone to petit mal epilepsy. The new information will allow the researc...New 'Twist' In Proteins Offers Possible Route To Improved Antibiotics
...ral structure in the molecule. The finding suggests the possibility of a new kind of antibiotic that c...dingto Raetz, the finding of the unusual structure suggests that other enzymeswith similar sequences also form the left-handed helix. "There is a long l...Duke Geologists Explore Alternative Way To Measure Ice Age Sea Bottom Temperatures
DURHAM, N.C. --A new study suggests that differing calcium-magnesium ratios in the shells of tiny North Atlantic Ocean marine fossils may finally provide scientists with an unambiguous way to reconstruct how bottom sea water temperatures have changed during and between past ice ages. I...Rosemary May Have Anti-Cancer Properties
...ncreased with the amount of fat in the diet. "It suggests that people who eat high-fat diets will actually get themost benefit from rosemary," Milner says. "For typical Americans,who eat more fat than they should, rosemary may be particularly important." However, the type of fat consumed was important: Die...Freshwater Sponges May Pose Threat To Zebra Mussels
...and the increase in freshwater sponges, the timing suggests a relationship." Changes in water chemistry due...id. "It would be a long way off, but our research suggests this might be a way to control zebra mussels in those areas." But, would the freshwater sponge po...International Research Team Clones New Skin Cancer Gene
...position to skin cancer may be fairly common. Bale suggests genetic screening for those who have had more than two basal cell carcinomas to determine if they are genetically predisposed. 3Through a simple blood test, we can identify people who are cancer-prone,2 he noted. 3For those who are, more aggressive ......interesting thing about Raff's research is that it suggests that suicideis the cell's default setting. The death machinery is always in place, ready tobe activated. There are many evolutionary advantages to this set-up, Raff saysin The Sciences. "Such a mechanism could ensure that any cell that ends upin the ...Study Shows Songbirds Switch From Bugs To Berries To Fuel Fall Migration
...rry. A new study by a Brown University researcher suggests that many songbirdsmigrating south each autumn may... most likely explanations. However,the Brown study suggests important aspects of the birds' migration biology mayhave been overlooked. "Many of these migrant b...Duke Ecologist Says Logging Is Creating 'Mahogany Deserts'
...ok's research in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula suggests that replacingthe many stately mahoganies felled by loggers in tropical forests will notbe a simple matter. While mature mahogany trees normally grow in thick woods, she has foundno evidence that new mahogany seedlings will successfully grow in the ...Newly Discovered Gene Halts Cell Division and May Have Cancer Link
...t. 11 issue of the journal Science . The study suggests that if the gene's activity is blocked, cell divis...That's where the MAD2 gene comes in. The research suggests that MAD2 produces a protein that sits at the centromere of each chromosome and waits for the thread...Cholesterol Anchor Helps Signaling Proteins Direct Development
...on leads to birth defects in animals; the new work suggests that this may be because lack of cholesterol interferes with the production of hedgehog protein or with the way it spreads through tissues. "While I do not suggest that expectant mothers switch to a high-fat diet, based exclusively on these results,...Researchers Find Genetic Clues To Intestinal Disease
...lose relatives who have inherited the disease.This suggests the disease is actually several different disorder...y members had the same form of the disease. "This suggests that there are different genes responsible for the different forms of the disease," says Bayless. Th...North America Hit Hard By Asteroid Strike In Yucatan 65 Million Years Ago
...ownrange of the impact in North America. The study suggests one rationale for the dire consequences of such animpact: The severity of extinctions that result from an object's impact onEarth may reflect the incoming object's angle. Editors: Color transparencies are available through the News Bureau. "This ...Animal Studies Indicate Aging Brain Responsive To Estrogen
...is replace it." Einstein said their research also suggests a possible mechanism to explainrecent findings that women on hormone replacement therapy, and with a familyhistory of Alzheimer's disease, are less likely than their untreated siblingsto get the disease. The Duke scientists theorized that treating Al...Siblicide In Nature: Study Of Galapagos Seabird Finds Death Can Ensure Species Survival
...student working in Andersons Galapagos laboratory, suggests that masked booby parents even stand over their chicks to give the attacking bird more room to maneuver. The masked boobies nest, flatter than the blue-footed species, may also make the ejectors job easier. In contrast, blue-footed booby parents squa...Proteins Interacting With RNA And DNA Are Surprisingly Similar
... journal, Nature Structural Biology. The discovery suggests that the RNA-binding protein, called L11,could be anancient, ancestral form of other proteins that bind to DNA andare crucial toan embryo's development, turning on and off various genes neededto formspecific anatomical features. L11 has existed for a...Stronger Evidence That Global Climate Change Can Reduce The Variety Of Life
... of species of ostracodes during 11 glacial cycles suggests that theeffects of any future global climate change-whether natural ormanmade-could further affect the richness of life on Earth beyond the riskalready posed by habitat degradation and other environmental effects." Cronin and coauthor Dr. Mau...Erodible plastic microspheres could be effective oral drug delivery system
...creases the oral effectiveness ofseveral drugs. It suggests a new oral delivery system for compounds, such asinsulin, which until now could not be delivered orally. Editors: This news release is distributed in advance of publication for your information only. Please respect Nature's embargo by withholding...Prostate Cancer's Aggressiveness May Be Predicted Early By The Ratio Of Free To Total PSA
... an opportunity for cure. "This preliminary study suggests that the free to total PSA ratio may be valuable t...ther prostate cancer is present or not. This study suggests that in men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer, the ratio of free to total PSA is an early indi...Scientists Use Magnetic Field As Alternative To Space-Based Zero Gravity
...d to levitate embryosof a small frog. The maneuver suggests an Earth-based alternative to expensivespace missions for observing how living plants and animals develop in alow-gravity environment. The Brown scientists think that use of a technique called magnetic fieldgradient levitation (MFGL) could allow re...