Marine biology mystery solved: Function of 'unicorn' whale's 8-foot tooth discovered
...e left side of theupper jaw and is an evolutionary mystery that defies many of the knownprinciples of mammalian teeth. The tooth's unique spiral, the degree of itsasymmetry to the left side, and its odd distribution among most males andsome females are all unique expressions of teeth in mammals. The narwhal ...How seizures progress to epilepsy in the young
A major mystery in epilepsy research has been why infants are more prone to seizures than adults and how those seizures progress to chronic epilepsy. Now, researchers have discovered that central to those seizures in the developing brain are neurons triggered by the...Tropical dry forests receive international recognition
...nchez-Azofeifa, who hails from Costa Rica. "It's a mystery to me why, when both ecosystems are in danger one is ignored over the other." Tropical dry forests once made up 42 per cent of all forests in the tropics yet less than one per cent is protected. The most diverse tropical dry forests exist in southern...Loss of fear factor makes timid mouse bold
...ay be involved in," Kandel said. "I think it's the mystery of the thing that creates part of the excitement. Except for thinking that the amygdala was very likely to be involved, we had no way of knowing what the outcome would be." An indication that stathmin might contribute to fear came when they mapped t...New microscope allows scientists to track a functioning protein with atomic-level precision
...ation. Medical researchers are trying to solve the mystery of how proteins fold in hopes of some day curing these and other diseases. In the experiment published in Physical Review Letters, the Block group addressed certain aspects of the general folding problem on a simpler scale by focusing on single DNA ...Study identifies several new bacterial species associated with common infection in women
...ues postulated that one reason for BV's persistent mystery is that scientists haven't identified the total community of bacteria that causes it. Indeed, the study found that most of the bacterial species detected in vaginal fluid are missed with conventional cultivation methods. The researchers catalogued a...Plant genes identified that can form basis for crops better adapted to environmental conditions
...to a plant's further growth and development. The mystery of capillary root formation Root systems absorb nutrients and anchor plants in the soil − two crucial functions for a plant's growth and further development. The formation of capillary roots is vital to the root system and determines how much ...Molecule crucial for processing non-coding RNA identified
...w these snRNAs were processed, however, remained a mystery for over twenty years. And because the spliceosome underlies the successful transcription of every single gene in the body, the question has been a vital one to answer. In the new study, the Wistar-led research team identifies an entirely novel mult...Rett gene regulates alternative splicing
...rstanding to the ongoing process of unraveling the mystery behind why neurons work and do not work. "There are multiple steps that a neuron goes through as it makes a decision to communicate with another neuron," said senior author Dr. Huda Y. Zoghbi, professor of pediatrics and human and molecular geneti...Did feathered dinosaurs exist?
...ience must be included if we are ever to solve the mystery of bird origins and the origin of avian flight. From their careful examination of the available evidence they offer an interim attempt to define morphologically the most salient features of Aves: "Birds are mesotarsal bipedal archosaurs with pennaceo...Scientists uncover why picture perception works
A team of scientists has solved a key mystery of visual perception. Why do pictures look the same when viewed from different angles? When you look at a picture, there is only one viewing position--the picture's center of projection--that yields a correct image at your eye. For example, there's b...'Underground' tunnels discovered as means for communication between immune system cells
...ighboring macrophages. "This may solve some of the mystery of how a local stimulus directed at a very small number of cells can be amplified and result in a successful immune response," explained Dr. Watkins. "Quite possibly, the tunneling nanotubules enable a small number of dendritic cells with captured an......he psoriasis-mice, hoping that they will solve the mystery about the cause of the disease. Author Rainer Zenz from the IMP is optimistic. "We strongly believe that this model will be highly suitable for future pre-clinical studies ultimately aimed at understanding and curing this widespread disease." The wor...Research shows where brain interprets 'pitch'
...tch-processing area in the brain solves an age-old mystery of auditory research." According to Wang, pitch's importance to humans is found in facilitating our ability to follow a sequence of sounds we would recognize as "melodic" and combinations of sounds we identify as harmony. As a result, pitch gives mea......biodiversity of the seas and the ocean floors is a mystery for science yet to unravel. With this curiosity, a research team including a biologist from the University of the Basque Country, is to set sail for the second time on an oceanographic campaign to study this biodiversity of the seas and the ocean fl...JCI table of contents September 1, 2005
...seph Goldstein and Michael Brown finally solve the mystery of the Shoenheimer effect. The authors show that Insig (insulin-induced gene) proteins are essential components of this cholesterol feedback response. They create mice lacking the two mammalian Insig genes - Insig1 or Insig2 in the liver. On a no...UCLA researchers identify key enzyme linked to childhood blindness
...ycle. The identity of this enzyme has long been a mystery to scientists. The study, "Rpe65 is the Retinoid I...blindness. "These results settle the long standing mystery about the identity of the retinoid isomerase," Travis said. "Scientists have been searching for this...Nobel Laureates solve 72 year old, dietary cholesterol puzzle
...seph Goldstein and Michael Brown finally solve the mystery of the Shoenheimer effect. The authors show that Insig (insulin-induced gene) proteins are essential components of this cholesterol feedback response. They create mice lacking the two mammalian Insig genes - Insig1 or Insig2 in the liver. On a no...Cells direct membrane traffic by channel width, scientists say
...ecular dynamics, Beckman researchers have solved a mystery that years of protein crystallography couldn't accomplish. Reporting in the August issue of Structure, they show that the main structural difference that makes an aquaporin a glycerol channel is a channel that is just a hundred-millionth of a centime...Scientists discover genetic pathway responsible for breast cancer cell growth
...ommon forms of breast cancer." What has remained a mystery however, is the molecular mechanism by which estrogen makes breast cancer cells grow. "Until this is solved, we will be no closer to figuring out how to prevent and cure breast cancer," Dr. Gigure noted. Over the past two decades researchers have ide...