Scientists identify protein that may promote migraines
A University of Iowa study may provide an explanation for why some people get migraine headaches while others do not. The researchers found that too much of a small protein called RAMP1 appears to "turn up the volume" of a nerve cell receptor's response to a neuropeptide thought to cause migraines. Th...Human pubic lice acquired from gorillas gives evolutionary clues
...have had lice all along because this was a simpler explanation than acquiring lice from gorillas, but they were proved wrong. It is not unusual for lice to switch hosts, with this occurring in both birds and mammals, Reed said. Lice that lived on the passenger pigeon before it became extinct persist today beca......utations of the LH hormone receptor were the only explanation known for sexual precocity in boys. A team at the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology (IGBMC, CNRS / Inserm / Universit Louis Pasteur de Strasbourg)), in collaboration with researchers at the University of Dallas and the Universi......ereas others never travel at all? One textbook explanation suggests either eating fruit or living in non-forested environments were the precursors needed to evolve migratory behavior. Not so, report a pair of ecologists from The University of Arizona in Tucson. The pressure to migrate comes from seasonal...Single genetic defect causes early heart disease
...re, so the discovery by itself will not provide an explanation for the more common forms of coronary artery disease, which are caused by a constellation of factors, said Lifton. However, he said, understanding the molecular nature of this single genetic defect, which is at the root of a familial form of such a c...Why migrate? It's not for the fruit
...r whereas others never travel at all? One textbook explanation suggests that eating fruit or living in nonforested environments were the precursors needed to evolve migratory behavior. Not so, report ecologists W. Alice Boyle and Courtney J. Conway of the University of Arizona, Tucson, in the March issue of the ...Virtual duck bills demonstrate species coexistence
...efficient and out-compete the other. The classical explanation is that each species has evolved morphological or physiological traits that allow it to exploit some resources more efficiently than all other species. Such partitioning of resources essentially provides each species with exclusive access to resource...DNA analysis reveals rapid population shift among Pleistocene cave bears
...ion for sheltering caves may represent a plausible explanation for the disruption in the cave bear population, creating an opportunity for the infiltration by a neighboring cave bear group. The authors note that though the new bears successfully colonized the Ach Valley for a time, they endured only another 2,00...Studies of population genetics, evolution are an exercise in bad taste
...bly responds to something," Dr. Wooding said. "One explanation could be that, long ago, it conferred some sort of protection from a different compound in these people." Follow-up studies of variation in other bitter-taste receptor genes have revealed that different genes show different patterns of diversity. ...UCSB study on sibling detection mechanism highlighted in Nature
...s to determine who is a sibling. This may offer an explanation as to why someone might have an inclination toward incest." It also suggests, he says, ways of building families that would be more strongly and reliably linked together by bonds of affection....Protein sensor for fatty acid buildup in mitochondria
...ous Diseases department at St. Jude. "It offers an explanation of why the absence of this enzyme can cause mitochondrial malfunction." Rock is a co-author of the PNAS paper. The researchers showed that PanK2, is suppressed by CoAthe molecule this enzyme triggers the cell to make. CoA normally binds tightly to...AAAS honors defenders of evolution with Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award
...forcefully that evolution is a strong and balanced explanation of how species change over time, and has no necessary conflict with religion. Proponents of "intelligent design" argue that the complexity revealed by modern biology could only have occurred through the intervention of an intelligent agent. Scott s...Winners of the 2006 AAAS Science Journalism Awards
...on, speciation and the geology of sand dunes. "The explanation of the process of science was non-intimidating," Helmuth said, "and true to field biology's gritty, eye-squinting, seat-of-the-pants nature." Geiger said the research on the quickly changing lizards was an accessible way to explain evolution to child...JCI table of contents -- February 8, 2006
... Jerusalem, Israel, describe a potential molecular explanation for the distinct responsiveness of patients with C...na, use mouse models of TSC to provide a potential explanation for the fact that individuals with TSC develop only benign tumors. The lack of malignant tumors in...Taking heart failure to the MAT1
...al complex with it, providing a direct biochemical explanation for the ability of MAT1 to serve as an essential partner to PGC-1, facilitating its role in regulating cell metabolism. In fact, two forms of PGC-1 exist alpha and beta both of which have been reported by other groups to be vital to the heart. Bo...For some species, an upside to inbreeding
...kinship generally favors cooperation, one possible explanation for kin preference in breeding in this species is that it offers a benefit by facilitating parental cooperation. And indeed, observations of behavior exhibited by this chiclid species showed that related parents were more cooperative and invested mor...Huddling and a drop in metabolism allow penguins to survive the South Pole cold
...es up to 40-41C. The team believes that a possible explanation for the constancy (or slight decrease) of core temperature inside the dense huddles, in contrast to the expected temperature rise, is the depression of metabolic rate. Such depression could be achieved by entering sleep. In fact, during tight huddles...Noise echoes in cell communications
...Camden professors who have produced a mathematical explanation for the benefits of noise. Their findings could le...y improves previous knowledge by offering a single explanation of the properties of noise in hearing under different conditions. To develop the theory, Hong used a......literally broke. The discovery may provide a new explanation for spinocerebellar ataxia type 5 (SCA5) ? a disease previously tied to a human version of the gene and identified in 11 generations of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's family, starting with his paternal grandparents. SCA5 may have afflicted Lincoln ...Rotting leaf litter study could lead to more accurate climate models
...initial nitrogen concentrations. The most probable explanation is that systems exposed to high UV radiation circumvent the biological processes in other ecosystems."...