To control germs, scientists deploy tiny agents provocateurs
...consin-Madison chemistry professor Helen Blackwell described the ongoing construction of a new class of molecules that conduct such chemical warfare. Targeting natural signaling mechanisms in bacterial cells, Blackwell aims to ultimately control the formation of biofilms, goo-like amalgamations of bacteria tha...Gray wolves maintain the food chain in winter
...nitude of this predicted buffer effect. The models described here can guide their efforts and help species adjust to major environmental shifts like climate change. Crucially, Wilmers and Getz's study shows that a robust food chain - including this still embattled top predator - may be even more important as ...Cure no quick fix for cancer survivors on long road to recovery
...orted deficits that persisted for 20 years. Others described the post-cancer phase as a time of psychological and interpersonal growth. Researchers say that's because merely surviving puts some problems in perspective. These patients reported the experience strengthened relationships, renewed their appreciatio...Classical subject underpins new biomedical advances
...advances. He will say: "This classical subject was described by Aristotle as the study of the whole organism and its component parts. It is now at the forefront of current biomedical advances as it seeks to understand how the catalogue of our genes, the human genome, is exploited to generate and maintain the h...Vampire bats keep out of trouble by running
.... The unprecedented gait of Desmodus rotundus is described in a brief communication in this week's issue of Nature magazine (March 17, 2005) from Daniel Riskin, Cornell graduate student in zoology, and his adviser John W. Hermanson, associate professor of biomedical sciences. What seemed like a crazy idea...Studies expand understanding of X chromosome
...archers led by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute described an analysis of the complete DNA sequence of the hu...s on the much smaller Y chromosome, which has been described as an "eroded" version of the X chromosome. Interestingly, almost 10 percent of the genes on the X c...Pall prion removal technology presented to FDA blood products advisory committee
... leukocytes) and non-cell associated. Dr. Cervia described the results of studies that show the novel technol...ection of the Western blot assay. Dr. Cervia also described the results of studies demonstrating that the filter does not damage red cells thereby not impacting...Institute for Medical Research scientists identify gene critical to type 1 diabetes
...he door to new drugs and gene therapy. Dr. Al-Abed described the team's findings today at the 229th national meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Diego, CA. The gene is responsible for making an immune system messenger called macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a protein that the scientist...Highlights of chemical society national meeting in San Diego, March 13-17
...ms, may act as aphrodisiacs . Selected topics are described below: Sunday, March 13 The changing face of chemistry Chemistry is undergoing many changes: Its becoming more multidisciplinary, more international, and will require new skills and business practices. A special two-day Presidential symposium ...Chemists identify key gene in development of type 1 diabetes
...ple in the U.S. and is on the rise worldwide. They described their findings, which they say could lead to new drug interventions and possibly gene therapy, today at the 229th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society. In the current study, the researchers focused...Two UT Southwestern researchers named Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators
...uitously found in nature. Ubiquitin was originally described as a molecular flag planted on proteins that were destined to be destroyed. The flag allows a cell's disposal system to distinguish between proteins still in use and those that are primed for destruction. Dr. Chen's most dramatic discovery came fro...Leslie Roberts, Science Deputy News Editor, wins prize for 'first-rate' polio story
...e judges cited Roberts' "first-rate reporting" and described the story as "importantmeticulously researched and beautifully told," and "a compelling read without loss of technical accuracy." The American Society for Microbiology said the story offered a powerful account "of how microbiology, public health and ...Plants defy Mendel's inheritance laws, may prompt textbook changes
...e face of the scientific laws of inheritance first described by Gregor Mendel in the mid-1800s and still taught...hing we believe. "We've done a lot of experiments, described in this paper, that show none of the simple explanations account for this skipping of generations by...Student work in human subjects protection sought for FDA conference at UH
...ented at an upcoming meeting, the research or work described by the poster should address protection of human subjects in research and may target one of the categories of the breakout sessions ( http://www.uh.edu/pharmacy/ohrp/agenda.htm ). The contents of the abstract and poster must present actual research ...Yeast finding links processes in heart disease and cancer
...lps it survive when oxygen is scarce. The finding, described in the March 25 issue of Cell, offers a new strategy for killing infectious yeast, but it also suggests that cells' efforts to make cholesterol and detect oxygen levels might be connected in people, too. "We were simply trying to establish that this ...Wine, music and schizophrenia genes
...will enable Brzustowicz's research into a recently described class of genes that functions differently from the standard model. Generally, a gene serves as a template for the production of RNA, which then carries genetic information to manufacture a protein that governs cellular processes. Researchers are now ...Scientists develop new color-coded test for protein folding
...ary pH tests that measure the acidity of water, is described in the March 2005 issue of the journal Chemistry and Biology. "What we've developed is a simple and inexpensive sensor for determining when a protein changes its conformation," said study co-author Richard N. Zare, the Marguerite Blake Wilbur Profess...Scientists collaborate to assess health of global environment
...governments and institutions direction that Mooney described as a consensus of the scientific community and a synthesis of all available information. Cause for concern "If you look at all the indicators of human well-being, globally averaged we're doing pretty well," Mooney said. "But in the last 50 years, w......aul, Minn., metropolitan area during 2000-2004, as described in the April 1, 2005 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases. This new disease has also been determined in seven additional cases nationwide. Of the 12 known cases, only two patients have survived. Purpura fulminans is an acute illness commonly asso...