Using computers and DNA to count bacteria
...be deciphered," said Dunbar. "More than a million distinct genomes were present in the pristine soil, exceeding previous estimates by two orders of magnitude. When we examined the populations levels in metal-contaminated soil, we found the bacterial genetic diversity was reduced more than 99.9 percent," lead...Novel compounds show promise as safer, more potent insecticides
...ceptors exist in both mammals and insects but have distinct differences. Researchers have known that ryanodine itself has insecticidal properties, but no synthetic molecules had previously been identified that potently and selectively target these receptors in insects, until now. Nihon Nohyaku Co., Ltd., ba...Thyroid hormone, brain development, and behavior
...at reduced TH signaling during development lead to distinct neurological abnormalities in adulthood: extreme anxiety, reduced memory and locomotor dysfunction. Interestingly, the anxiety and memory impairment could be suppressed through dietary supplementation of the adult mice with TH (supplementation was no...A step closer to a malaria vaccine
...y analysis showed that the segment consists of two distinct regions, called domains, and further revealed unusual features: long molecular loops extending outward from the center of one domain. These loops form a "scaffold" for attached amino acids, which can mutate without affecting the function of AMA1. The...Human Y chromosome preserves itself better than the chimp Y
...at the X and Y sex chromosomes became separate and distinct from the autosomes, the other type of chromosomes, about 300 million years ago. Unlike the autosomes, the X and Y do not pair up and exchange genes during reproduction. As a result, the Y chromosome remains essentially stable a clone from deep in th...Where bonehead investments come from
...ing may require a delicate balance--recruitment of distinct circuits may be necessary for taking or avoiding r...es (such as buying insurance) may be driven by two distinct neural circuits involving the NAcc and the anterior insula. The findings are consistent with the not...Can ancient rocks yield clues about catastrophes like Hurricane Katrina?
...ton, at the sea floor, leading to the formation of distinct sediments, "marine black shale", also well known as the world's primary source for oil and gas. Professor Wagner and colleagues uncovered evidence of the mechanisms that drove rapid and repetitive climate change by studying the quantity and content o...University of Chicago researchers find human brain still evolving
...lass of haplotypes, called haplogroup D, shows two distinct characteristics. First, they are very young. Because not enough evolutionary time has passed since the first copy of these variants appeared for them to diversify, all the haplogroup D variants are nearly identical. Second, despite recent emergence t......plotypes, whereby each haplotype is, in essence, a distinct genetic variant of the gene. They found that they could further break the haplotypes down into related variants called haplogroups. Their analysis indicated that for each of the two genes, one haplogroup occurs at a frequency far higher than that exp...NYU researchers discover mechanism linking color vision and cancer genes
...ered a system by which a random choice between two distinct cellular fates in the fruit fly eye becomes firmly established. Surprisingly, the genes involved are known 'tumor suppressor genes', i.e. genes that are inactivated in some forms of cancer due to uncontrolled cell proliferation. Because the fly eye ...JCI table of contents October 1, 2005
... Human alpha1 type IV collagen NC1 domain exhibits distinct antiangiogenic activity mediated by alpha1beta1 integrin. AUTHOR CONTACT: Sudhakar Akulapalli Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, NE USA Phone: 402-498-6681; Fax: 402-498-6331; E-mail: akulapallis@boystown.org View the PDF of this artic......e white whale lice covering the callosities create distinct markings that stand out against the whales' dark s...species of right whales each are infested by three distinct species of cyamid. That tripled from three to nine the number of cyamid species infesting right wh...Alcoholics have a greater chance of infection following cardiac surgery
... More specifically, long-term alcoholics showed a distinct increase in their cortisol and interleukin-10 levels following cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. There was one death in the long-term alcoholic group, and two deaths in the nonalcoholic group. "A key consideration here is that long-term alcoholics hav......maller daughter airways to their parent airway are distinct constants, which are different in different species. They also investigate how this branching structure determines resistance to air flow, and suggest that this structure may have originated from optimization of fluid delivery within the constraints ...Environment, not genes, key in family relationships
...ults are consistent with the notion that there are distinct gene-based systems lying within and helping to shape family interaction systems," said lead author John C. Loehlin, Ph.D., professor emeritus in the University of Texas-Austin's psychology department. "But direct evidence of this and of the details o...'Underground' tunnels discovered as means for communication between immune system cells
...early a third form of intercellular communication, distinct from gap junctions and synapses used by nerve cells. And, it is possible that tunneling nanotubules are essential for the function of the immune system, just as gap junctions are critical for the function of cardiac muscle. Exactly how this is so, we...How a zebra lost its stripes: Rapid evolution of the quagga
...tion of plains zebras that became isolated and the distinct quagga body type and coloring evolved rapidly. This study reveals that the Ice Age was important not just in Europe and North America, but also in Africa. "The rapid evolution of coat color in the quagga could be explained by disrupted gene flow beca...Two Sandia microChemLab technologies soon to be checking for toxins in the nation's water supplies
...Lab identifies proteins by separating samples into distinct bands in seconds to minutes. Separations occur in channels as narrow as a human hair coiled onto a glass chip about the size of a nickel. Curtis Mowry, principal investigator for the New Mexico project, says his team is seeking to develop a device th...Penguin chicks exposed to human visitors experience spike in stress hormone
...rates or weight differences at fledging, caused by distinct differences in corticosterone levels between newly hatched chicks in tourist and non-tourist areas of the reserve, Walker said. But it is unclear what later effects the elevated stress hormones might have. "We don't know yet what it means it might ...Gene variants linked with increased risk of death among heart patients treated with beta-blockers
...y encourage further replication of our findings in distinct patient cohorts so that the potential benefit or harm of beta-blocker therapy within specific ADRB2 genotype groups can be definitively demonstrated," the authors conclude. "With further validation, pharmacogenetic targeting of beta-blocker therapy ...