Scientists discover how climate change causes the simultaneous boom or bust of multiple populations
... direct effects on chick survival -- are the major factor driving grouse populations into synchrony," Hudson reports. "We previously had discovered the temporal mechanism -- that the parasites affect the size of individual populations of the Red Grouse. Now, in this paper, we have discovered the spatial m...Scientists rid stem cell culture of key animal cells
...n conditions, a protein known as fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) accomplishes the same critical role that feeder cells are thought to play: ensuring that the stem cells remain in their undifferentiated state and capable of proliferation. "We've got it down to the mechanism," Xu says. Moreover, Xu made th...New science sheds light on rebuilding fisheries
...es, size-selective fishing altered production by a factor of two in just four generations of fish. "And by selectively harvesting the largest fish, we end up changing the whole biology not only growth rates, but egg size, fecundity, feeding behavior... even the number of vertebrae we're changing an entir...Why some lung cancers stop responding to Tarceva and Iressa
...ations in a gene that encodes the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The MSKCC team has also shown that lung cancer patients with these mutations are often people who have never smoked. "Although these targeted therapies are initially effective in this subset of patients, the drugs eventually stop wor......vre says that the IQ index meticulously avoids the factor that gets feathers ruffled with human IQ tests: cultural bias. The index statistically takes into account differences in the number of observations for commonly seen birds, such as crows, and rare isolated sightings. Even then, he says, there's a cle...Study identifies mechanism of resistance to targeted therapy in lung cancer patients
...inib acts on the receptor for the epidermal growth factor protein (EGFR) to halt the spread of cancer cells. In 2003, it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for NSCLC. Clinical applications of the new drug initially yielded very good results, with approximately 10 percent ...James D. Watson to recieve 2005 Othmer Gold Medal
...ehind setting up the Human Genome Project, a major factor in his receipt of the 1993 Copley Medal from the Royal Society. All through his career, he has found time to share his insights, writing important texts for those in the sciences and also popular works, some of them best sellers, that describe his li...Newly-discovered class of genes determines and restricts stem cell fate
...fferentiation. The ability of a single biochemical factor or complex of factors to have this dual role may represent a new general paradigm for developmental and stem-cell biology. "My idea is that this is a new family of genes--they can both determine the cell type, but also put the breaks on differentiati...Fox Chase Cancer Center scientists identify immune-system mutation
... a point mutation in the zinc finger transcription factor Th-POK. We show that when the normal form of this factor is active in all developing lymphocytes, it can redirect would-be killer cells to the CD4 helper T c...Poor prenatal nutrition permanently damages function of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas
...to become overweight, eliminating this common risk factor for diabetes. The only difference was that the mot... to minimize insulin resistance -- the other major factor involved in triggering type 2 diabetes. "In particular, someone who was a low-birth-weight baby can ...It's not all genetic: Common epigenetic problem doubles cancer risk in mice
...eered to have a double dose of insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) develop more so-called precursor cells within the lining of the colon than normal mice. When these mice also carried a colon-cancer-causing genetic mutation, they developed twice as many tumors as those with normal IGF2 levels, the researche...VCU researchers identify networks of genes responding to alcohol in the brain
...to be regulated by alcohol involved a nerve growth factor called Bdnf. Bdnf is found in the brain and is a vital part of nervous system development. "We found that the interaction between the Bdnf gene and several other genes that interact with Bdnf were all regulated in one region of the brain that is know...Researchers uncover mutated genes involved in lung cancer; one affects nonsmokers
...r no response." Mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene are present mainly in adenocarcinomas, the most common form of lung cancer found in smokers and non-smokers, as well in women and people under 45. These mutations have shown increased sensitivity to gefitinib (Iressa) and erlotin...Olfactory receptor cells may provide clues to psychiatric disease
...s of cellular calcium metabolism as a contributing factor to bipolar disorder. Changes in how much calcium is inside ORNs and other nerve cells tell researchers how the nerves respond to stimulation. In the study, researchers used a fluorescence imaging technique to measure basal and stimulated calcium l...Study examines role of EGFR gene mutations in lung cancer development
...te. Studies have found that the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene is mutated in many nonsmall-c...ntal tobacco smoke may not be the major pathogenic factor involved in the origin of lung cancers in never smokers but that an as-yet-unidentified carcinogen(s...JCI table of contents March 1, 2005
...errant masses of blood vessels. Recently, another factor a neurotrophic factor called BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) has been shown to regulate the vasculature of the d...Boosting blood vessels with BDNF
...errant masses of blood vessels. Recently, another factor a neurotrophic factor called BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) has been shown to regulate the vasculature of the d...One step closer to prediction: Baltimore to host international scientific meeting
...so known as eutrophication, is recognized as a key factor contributing to the increasing proliferation of harmful algal blooms. More than 100 scientists from 12 different countries will gather in Baltimore from March 7 to 10 and discuss eutrophication's role in harmful algal blooms and design the next phas...First step towards a non-invasive screening test for early signs of testicular cancer
...ich produces a protein called AP-2y (transcription factor activator protein-2), was expressed in CIS and therefore provided a marker for detecting the cancer. "The AP-2y protein is not expressed in the normal adult reproductive tract, but is abundant in the nuclei of CIS and tumour cells and it does not de...Researchers investigate 'whole farm' approach to reduce dairy pollution
... that reflect the "real world," Muir said. Another factor that makes the research project different from those that came before is this real-world nature, Lambert said. "We're doing this work on real, operating dairies. It's not something confined to a laboratory," Lambert said. "(We will be) tracking phosp...