Sex versus survival: A tradeoff at geographical range limits
...vestigial traits," says Dr. Eckert, noting that in humans an example of a vestigial, or lost trait, is our tailbone. "If our data are borne out by other genetic studies, it means that these complex traits can be eroded very quickly."...Genome of ancient fish could reveal evolutionary mysteries, Stanford scientists say
...e coelacanth genome is smaller than that of either humans or mice. To make his case for the coel...nces and similarities. This region has 54 genes in humans and 97 genes in the zebrafish, whose genome has been sequenced. He found that the coelacanth had 49 ...Dinosaurs in bullet-proof vests
...uruses have these osteons, too, but in contrast to humans these are also strengthened with fibres.' Possibly these collagen fibres are the reason why this third type of armour plating is even more stable than the 'normal' ankylosaurus armour. 'In this third group the plates of bone are far thinner than in a...Study identifies molecular complex vital to creation of miRNAs
... interest from scientists since their discovery in humans only a few years ago. Viewed most broadly, they appear to play significant roles in controlling gene expression and development in many different settings. Now, a new study from researchers at The Wistar Institute identifies for the first time a mole...Endurance running may be key to evolution of human body form
...of chimpanzees and Homo erectus, conspired to make humans unusually strong endurance runners, permitting our...ature. "These esoteric anatomical features make humans surprisingly good runners. Over long distances, we can outrun our dogs and give many horses a good r...... in human history. We are arguing the emergence of humans is tied to the evolution of running." That concl...ong distances. Another possibility is that early humans and their immediate ancestors ran to scavenge carcasses of dead animals maybe so they could beat hy...Researchers discover defense mechanisms in some plants believed bred out by humans
...lf and drop seeds to grow a new generation. But as humans selected for the cob and the ear, they made it impossible for the seed to get out and disperse itself; so maize now can't sustain itself. "We mutilated it," Esen said. "It can't survive on its own." However, maize can still defend itself. Esen and...Tips from the Journals of the American Society for Microbiology
...diseases and can result in severe complications in humans ranging from hemorrhagic colitis to death. Previous outbreaks have been primarily associated with ground beef and raw milk, but a recent increase in cases involving highly acidic foods such as fermented dry sausages, mayonnaise, and apple cider have...Acid-resistant bug doesn't give in to alcohol either
...de should be completely harmless, just as it is to humans (besides ruining their wine). "I think it's likely going to be a piece of a larger story," Kappock said. "What I'm hoping to get out of it is a better understanding of how proteins work. Our contribution is to find out how a couple ......t could pick words out of ambient noise as well as humans can. While work continues on speech recognition applications, the systems need training to learn individual signals, and this is time consuming, since for language each individual word has to be taught. "But for alarm signals...Studies suggest promising new directions for gallstone treatment
...models for CGD, said Mangelsdorf, because mice and humans have the same genetic regulatory pathways to contr...s -- conditions that closely matched those seen in humans with CGD. They also found that the bile acids created the same hydrophobic conditions and inflammati......indings suggest that a specific genetic make-up in humans could further explain why some individuals are more susceptible than others."...Genetic discovery paves way to decode sense of smell in mammals
...s many as 1,000 different odorant receptors, while humans with a relatively poorer sense of smell have 350 of the protein receptors for smell. However, the selectivity of those different receptors for chemical stimuli remains unclear, he added. The researchers' extensive search for proteins involve...Heart protein could be used to repair damage caused by heart attack
...tually lead to new treatments for heart disease in humans and could even change the way healthcare providers...e online. "If the protein has a similar effect in humans as it does in mice, the impact by sheer volume is great nearly 1 million people have heart attacks ...Study: Pigeons can sense the Earth's magnetic field; ability might allow them to return home
CHAPEL HILL Homing pigeons have intrigued humans for many centuries through their seemingly uncanny ability to find their way home from thousands of miles away. But how they do that has remained a mystery. Now, through a series of careful behavioral experiments in the laboratory, scientists say th...Oral saline spray may slash spread of exhaled pathogens
...gens via bioaerosols. Viruses known to spread from humans and animals through breathing, sneezing, and coughing include those responsible for measles, influenza, foot and mouth disease, chicken pox, bronchitis, smallpox, and SARS. Airborne bacteria include anthrax, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, F...A global view of gene expression in the aging kidney
...g the authors to argue that understanding aging in humans will require human subjects. Most importantly, the genetic profile of the tissue samples correlated with the physiological decline of an aging kidney. An 81-year-old patient with an unusually healthy kidney had a molecular profile typical of s...Computer analysis shows scientists could reconstruct the genome of the mammalian common ancestor
...point. The point is to understand the evolution of humans and other mammals at the molecular level, said Dav... whether that DNA was inserted in the evolution of humans from the mammalian ancestor or deleted in the evolution of mice," he said. "If the ancestral genome ...UCSD biologists identify gene in corn plants that may have paved way for development of maize
...ection of this particular barren stalk1 variant by humans was likely an important addition to the traits res... of human selection," says Doebley. "The fact that humans preferred some allelic form of this gene over others is a smoking gun. But we don't have the direct ......ar dysfunction due to laminin-alpha2 deficiency in humans with muscular dystrophy. TITLE: Inhibition of apoptosis improves outcome in a model of congenital muscular dystrophy AUTHOR CONTACT: Jeffrey Boone Miller Boston Biomedical Research Institute Watertown, Massachusetts, USA Phone: 617-658-7737 Fax: 617-...