Algal protein in worm neurons allows remote control of behavior by light
...and function of specific neurons during particular behaviors has been difficult to achieve in undissected animals. The new findings are reported by Alexander Gottschalk and colleagues at Goethe-University Frankfurt and at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, also in Frankfurt. In their new study...Sea slug mixes chemical defense before firing at predators
...gainst predators. Its secretion stimulates feeding behaviors in spiny lobsters, but deters these behaviors in other animals. In previous studies, Derby and his team also identified an antimicrobial property ...Teaching worms good taste: Researcher reveals the cell biology of learning at ASCB meeting
...is serotonin, a neurotransmitter known to regulate behaviors in everything from the sea slug Aplysia to humans. Zhang traced olfactory learning in C. elegans to a pair of ADF neurons that produce serotonin. Worms trained through bitter experience to recognize pathogens in their diet had higher serontonin level...Marine biology mystery solved: Function of 'unicorn' whale's 8-foot tooth discovered
...nts to describe some of the unique and unexplained behaviors of thiselusive and extraordinary whale," said Nweeia....Scripps marine research physiologist pioneer to receive lifetime achievement award
...rface. Kooyman's travels have led him to study the behaviors of a host of animals. In addition to his work with seals and other pinnipeds, his extensive work recording the behavior of emperor penguins helped him identify them as a harbinger of the stresses placed on Antarctic ecosystems by global climate chang...Grabbing addiction by the tail
...ical for the expression of some of the devastating behaviors of addiction....Nine behavioral and environmental risk factors play a major role in global cancer deaths
... of cancer are preventable by changes in lifestyle behaviors and environmental interventions." He continued, "... also on technologies and policies that change the behaviors and environments that cause those cancers."...Gene controls whether fear is a factor
...l learning. Fear reactions represent a spectrum of behaviors that vary from those that are inborn to those instilled through experience, said the researchers. Instinctive fears--such as fear of heights or predators--are often species specific toward actual or potential threats. In contrast, learned fear result...Number of serotonin receptors influences brain's response to fear and stress
...the association between the amygdala and emotional behaviors and psychiatric diseases such as depression and anxiety, but relatively few studies have considered the added importance of the subgenual prefrontal cortex and its relationship to amygdala activity. The subgenual prefrontal cortex is one area where c...Seasonal depression, anxiety affects hamsters, study finds
...short days before weaning showed more anxiety-like behaviors as adults in some tests, but not in others. "Our ...ncreased anxiety-like behavior and depressive-like behaviors (with a few sex differences) compared to those exposed to long days. In general, the results showed...Breakdown of myelin insulation in brain's wiring implicated in childhood developmental disorders
...ne, concludes that the high incidence of impulsive behaviors that characterize the teen years as well as many p...its are not on line to quickly interrupt high-risk behaviors that are so prevalent in teens and young adults. "Myelination, a process uniquely elaborated in huma...Olfactory input dominates reproductive behavior in mice
...debate by providing evidence that key reproductive behaviors in mice arise predominantly, if not exclusively, from olfactory input instead of input from the vomeronasal, visual or auditory senses. The results, from a team led by Harvard biologist Catherine Dulac, appear on the web site of the journal Cell this...Worms know bad food when they smell it
...ournal Nature. One of C. elegans' fundamental behaviors is movement toward food based on its sense of smell. In the laboratory, this often means wriggling across a plate full of agar toward a cluster of E. coli. But in its natural environment, the soil, C. elegans encounters an astounding variety of ...Brainstem blocks pain to protect key behaviors
...ater or urinated. This response "protects critical behaviors from disruption," the authors note, "allowing an animal to nourish itself without being distracted." (Animals that don't urinate are at high-risk for infections.) As a final test the authors used drugs to inactivate the VMM. This completely eliminat...UW study shows deer in CWD zone stick to home
... the upshot of an intensive study of the traveling behaviors of 173 radio-collared white-tailed deer in south c...athews, by providing insight into the movement and behaviors of animals in an area where the disease has gained a toehold. Scientists have generally assumed that...Sudden change in social status triggers genetic response in male fish, study finds
...arm-up period in which his coloration and dominant behaviors return. Everyone in the tank accepts this process." Burmeister and her colleagues were the first to observe this diurnal transformation among dominants. "During the experiment, I would remove the dominant male one hour before the lights came on," sh......es may have critical roles in controlling rhythmic behaviors in humans and other animals." Discovery of the... of central importance for the control of rhythmic behaviors [in worms]." Scientists do not know if vav genes control human swallowing, ovulating or defecatin...Pregnant women at higher risk for HIV, Uganda study finds
...regnancy and breastfeeding were absent. The sexual behaviors of husbands of married women in the study were also assessed. According to the investigators, the rate of HIV acquisition was higher during intervals of pregnancy than during breastfeeding or during intervals with neither. The results of the study sh...Computer modeling reveals hidden conversations within cells
...heir computer model accurately predicts particular behaviors of living cells. They also believe that the model has important practical applications, including guiding the design of better treatments for cancer and other diseases that involve failures in cell communication "Our computational approach revealed ...Purdue scientists see biochemistry's future - with quantum physics
...it also should allow us to model and predict these behaviors accurately with computer simulation alone. It is an example of how much can be accomplished with interdisciplinary science." Rodriguez is pioneering a new field he calls "quantum biochemistry" - a field that involves both biochemistry and particle ph...