Diatom genome reveals key role in biosphere's carbon cycle
...for many other marine organisms. Scientists would like to better understand how these organisms react to ...ver before been seen in a photosynthetic eukaryote like a diatom, she says. Nitrogen is crucial for diatom growth and is often in short supply in seawater, ...NIH awards new $14.5 million, five-year grant to the Scripps Research Institute
...ology and Membrane Proteins Ideally, one would like to be able to stick a molecule under a microscope,...o know what an individual membrane protein "looks" like in nature have to rely on some other type of biophysical analysis. Currently, three fundamental t...New therapy for specific form of leukemia
...s, our white blood cells combat foreign intruders, like viruses and bacteria. However, in leukemia, there is a breakdown in the formation of white blood cells. The cells in the bone marrow that should develop into white blood cells multiply out of control without fully reaching maturity. These blood cells...Commandeering cellular machinery: recognition mechanism to detect small molecules
...unction of on-off switches, while others were more like dimmer switches, responding in proportion to the amount of LG335 bound to them. Doyle's team also studied their re-engineered receptors in mammalian cells and found they behaved much the same as in yeast. The re-engineered receptors could be used in...College students recognized & rewarded for their innovative work
...s are outstanding innovators. Young men and women like this will provide the kind of creativity needed to make the world a better place for future generations, and this competition celebrates their inventiveness." Undergraduate winner Wei Gu , 21, has found a way to microscopically control small amounts...An embryonic stem cell model for Parkinson's disease
...ism that react with and damage cellular components like proteins and DNA. In a second paper, they link DJ-...neuronal cell death and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's. Proving a causal relationship between oxidative stress and neurodegeneration, however, ...A treatment, not a cure: Calcium silicate neutralizes an acidic stream
...ssolved inorganic carbon and an increase in metals like aluminum. When pH-levels decline, a stream is said...plications as a prescriptive cure for acid rain is like a runner viewing steroids as a cure for a bad knee. At the end of the race, when the steroids have w...HHMI researchers Richard Axel and Linda Buck win 2004 Nobel Prize
...us labs--was that the odorant receptors look a lot like rhodopsin, the receptor protein in rod cells of the eye. Rhodopsin and at least 40 other receptor proteins criss-cross the cell surface seven times, which gives them a characteristic, snake-like shape. They also function in similar ways, by interacti...How roots control plant shoots
... grow. Mutants grew only two smaller leaves shaped like triangles or cones. After a series of experiments suggested that the roots sent a signal to halt leaf growth, Van Norman did what Sieburth calls "a brilliant experiment." She grew mutant seedlings, cut their roots off and placed the shoots on agar,...Stanford researchers establish center for physics-based simulations of biological structures
...ourtesy appointment in Computer Science. "We would like to bring this capability to all biologists in a routine way." The grant, which holds the possibility for renewal for another five years, aims to build an easy-to-use software package allowing high-quality physical modeling. Altman's vision? "A biolo...Stanford cooling tool may improve performance of athletes, soldiers
...f the technology can be developed as a glove, much like a bicycling glove, that won't impede fine motor control. We also want to incorporate it into [a] boot in a way that won't impede foot performance. With such devices, you could send a soldier in a chemical protective overgarment out into the desert, w...Running not swimming or biking is best kind of loading exercise for childrens bone growth
...fect longitudinal growth, Turner says. Activities like "serious weight-lifting, however, aren't recommended for children because overloading growing joints can stunt longitudinal bone growth," and consequently stunt overall limb growth and height, he adds. Turner says that the strengthening effect of exe...Putting physiology into the Nobel Prize: 2004 marks 100th anniversary of Pavlov's award
...t is, either for a medical breakthrough per se, or like Axel and Buck's work, research in the broad context of the health sciences, of which physiology is arguably the most inclusive. [A comprehensive review article on smell, "Olfaction: From odorant molecules to the olfactory cortex," appeared News in Ph...Protein energy profiles offer clues about amyloids
... proteins involved in even more prevalent diseases like cancer and heart disease. "We know now that most d...graph, Clementi and her colleagues study the image like a mountain range, looking for low-lying valleys -- reduced energy states where the protein is most l...New biosensor rapidly detects deadly foodborne pathogen
...ss caused by consuming Listeria-contaminated foods like deli meats or cheese, leads to higher rates of hospitalization and mortality than any other foodborne illness, said Tao Geng, research associate in the department of food science and the sensor's co-developer. "The mortality rate for people with l...September/October 2004 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet
... time of hospital admission and other life events, like a birth or death in the family. The study further found that although patients want contact, most would never initiate it they consider that the responsibility of the physician. Patients anticipated needing contact with their personal physician if a...Low dose radiation evades cancer cells' protective 'radar'
... suppression of a protein, called ATM* which works like a radar to detect DNA damage and begin repair. Theodore DeWeese, M.D., who led the study, speculates that cells hit with small amounts of radiation fail to switch on the ATM radar, which prevents an error-prone repair process. DeWeese, who will prese...Viruses found in untreated city water
...the U.S. is from shallow sand and gravel aquifers, like La Crosse. If we were to test the water in communities that use these aquifers we would probably find the same level of viruses." In setting up the research project, Borchardt and Randy Hunt, Ph.D, co-author of the study and hydrogeol...After flu exposure, mild exercise protects mature mice from dying
... any affect on gross measures of sickness behavior like food intake and cage activity. Editors note: Woods and Lowder are reporting their findings at the American Physiological Society's 2004 Intersociety Meeting, "The Integrative Biology of Exercise," Oct. 6-9 in Austin. The meeting schedule can be fou...Component of volcanic gas may have played a significant role in the origins of life on Earth
...ithout air, and with and without other ingredients like metal ions, and they found peptides formed readily...kely evolved from some simpler life forms because, like all modern life, cyanobacteria are highly sophisticated living organisms--with cell walls, complex m...