Using fruitflies to examine alcohol tolerance
...yond our current understanding, that is, that some humans possess a genetically influenced tendency to devel...at similarity among the genomes of flies, mice and humans may very well help us to do so."...Biological importance of basal activity of appetite suppressor
The most frequent genetic cause of obesity in humans is melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) mutations. MC4R has an effect on appetite: when MC4R is activated by its ligand amelanocyte-stimulat-ing hormone (a-MHC) appetite is suppressed. When its activity is suppressed by its ligand agouti-related protein (...Antibiotic identified as potential anti-cancer candidate
...ng Institute, have been investigating an enzyme in humans that is similar to one in bacteria called peptide deformylase (Pdf) and have found that an antibiotic called actinonin, which inhibits the human Pdf, also inhibits tumor growth. Pdf was thought to be important only to bacteria and the bacterially-re...The long road to a promising malaria vaccine started at NYU School of Medicine
... vaccine to show that the CS protein could protect humans against malaria. ...Research gaining momentum by silencing genes
...also benefit research into other organisms, namely humans and animals. A model system for plants, animals and humans Arabidopsis thaliana or the mouse-ear cress (a member of the mustard family) is a weed that is cult...Zebrafish may offer researchers powerful new tool for studying innate immunity
...n's Hospital. "They may be related to receptors in humans involved in natural killer cell function." Natura...ne of defense against foreign microorganisms. But, humans and other jawed vertebrates have also evolved more customized or adaptive immune systems, which use ...Genetically modified parasite lets researchers probe immune system's memory
...ssful recovery from Leishmania infection immunizes humans and animals against subsequent infection. But previous experiments led researchers to suspect that this immunity resulted from the presence of a very small population of parasites that remained in the host even after full recovery. Loss of this minim...International human genome sequencing consortium describes finished human genome sequence
...tion. "Only a decade ago, most scientists thought humans had about 100,000 genes. When we analyzed the work...in olfactory reception, which helps to explain why humans have fewer functional olfactory receptors and, consequently, a poorer sense of smell than rodents. T...New genomic method can identify disease-causing genes
...isease. The mouse genome is similar to that of humans and mice can be genetically manipulated. Because of this, the mouse is the most commonly used experimental model for studying human disease, and the "mouse to man" approach is widely used. Since analyses of mouse genetic models by traditional methods...Are yeast cells bringing us a step closer in treating obesity?
...hortage of a particular sugar. Yeast as model for humans The VIB scientists are conducting their research ...del organism for learning more about mechanisms in humans and animals. There has long been a question about whether mammals have glucose receptors. The discov...Latest buzz in research: Intoxicated honey bees may clue scientists into drunken human behavior
...r, a new study suggests. "Alcohol affects bees and humans in similar ways it impairs motor functioning alon... the molecular level, the brains of honey bees and humans work the same. Knowing how chronic alcohol use affects genes and proteins in the honey bee brain may...Reductions in blood oxygen levels in newborns could contribute to ADHD development
...develop behavioral traits similar to those seen in humans with ADHD. This is the first time, however, that researchers have linked repetitive reductions in blood oxygen levels during a period of critical brain development to long-lasting deficiencies in release of dopamine specifically within the striatum,...Brain differences in adolescents, psychopaths, lend to their impulsive, risk-taking behavior
...ual meeting in San Diego. New research--in both humans and animals--shows differences in the structure and functioning of adolescent brains compared with preadolescents or adults that correspond to such teenage behaviors as immature decision making, increased risk taking, and impulsive behaviors. As a re...Pesticides may promote Parkinson's disease and exercise may offer protection
...ave a brain structure that is much more similar to humans than rats," notes J. Timothy Greenamyre, MD, PhD, of Emory University. "These studies on monkeys, therefore, support our previous findings that chronic pesticide exposure may be capable of causing parkinsonian pathology in humans." The results also s...Insects implicated in the evolution of new human infectious diseases
...new strain evolves that is suddenly able to infect humans as well as other animals. "The picture is further complicated by climate change, which seems to be altering the range of places insects can survive and breed, bringing new insects which can carry devastating diseases such as malaria into the Northern...Predicting infection risk of mosquito-borne disease
...ting effective control measures. The rate at which humans become infected is determined by how often they ar...us mosquitoes increases, so will the rate at which humans get bitten. But in a new study published in the open access journal PLoS Biology, David Smith, Jonat...Emory study details dolphin brain evolution for the first time
...d behavioral faculties previously only ascribed to humans and, to some extent, other great apes. These abilities include mirror self-recognition, the comprehension of artificial, symbol-based communication systems and abstract concepts, and the learning and intergenerational transmission of behaviors that h...Yerkes researchers to present array of new data at Society for Neuroscience Meeting
...mize damage caused by metabolism, thereby allowing humans to live longer than nonhuman primates. (7 p.m. 8 ...tivity in the brains of chimpanzees with brains of humans to further understand the behavioral and cognitive differences between the two species whose genetic...Humans and dolphins: If brain size is a measure, we're not that different
...tomical Record, show that, in terms of brain size, humans and dolphins aren't that different. Lead scientis...d behavioral faculties previously only ascribed to humans and other great apes. These abilities include mirror self-recognition, the comprehension of artifici...Tufts Veterinary School scientists decode Cryptosporidium genome
...f the most common causes of waterborne diseases in humans and classified by the Centers for Disease Control ... pathogen, which can be found in the feces of both humans and animals, is difficult to work with, thereby impeding the efforts of investigators to conduct lab...