Generalized reciprocity in rats
... reactions to anonymous experience can be found in non human animals, an evolutionary explanation would be far more likely. In this study, Norway rats received help gaining food from a partner who pulled a stick to produce the food. Rats could therefore be grouped into two classes: those that had previ...Human genetic 'deserts' are teeming with significant life
...d precise location of all the protein-encoding and non protein-encoding genes in the genome will have to be determined. The notion that mammalian transcriptomes [the set of all messenger RNA molecules produced in a population of cells] are made of a swarming mass of different overlapping transcripts, to...Largest synthetic gene ever built offers insights into anti-malarial drug resistance
...stroys the parasite by building up toxic levels of non crystalline heme. But because of the overuse of chloroquine, isolates of P. falciparum from around the globe have developed genetic mutations that make them resistant to that drug as well as other similar agents. Not all mutations found in all resi...Nutrition and heredity are genetically linked
...s to the richness of the available nutrients. This non metabolic function may explain why several enzymes of the central carbon metabolism are essential and strongly conserved in living organisms. In addition to its fundamental interest, the metabolism/replication link may be of medical importance as ...Rock climbing does not increase risk of osteoarthritis
...isk of osteoarthritis in rock climbers compared to non climbers, contrary to previous theory. The study, published in the November issue of Journal of Anatomy, examined osteological changes in the hands and fingers of rock climbers that result from intense, long-term mechanical stress placed on these b...Researchers report initial success in promising approach to prevent tooth decay
...ofilm without any collateral damage to related but non pathogenic species attached nearby. Biofilms are complex, multi-layered microbial communities that routinely form on our teeth and organs throughout the body. According to one estimate, biofilms may be involved to varying degrees in up to 80 percen...Commercial fishing causes dangerous fluctuations in fish populations
...ited species' population levels vary far more than non exploited species' in the same ecosystem. Researchers concluded that this increased variability in exploited fish stocks was most likely to be caused by the effect fishing has on the age structure of a population. Heavily-fished populations are unl...Gene offers new lead in cleft lip and palate research
... involved in the developmental process, renders it non functional, and causes a visible birth defect," said Dr. Fowan Alkuraya, a post-doctoral fellow in Maas's laboratory and co-lead author on the study. "In theory, the translocation will lead us to a biologically informative gene. The challenge is to...MatBase -- A new transcription factor knowledge base released by Genomatix
... for a minimum number of false positive results in non regulatory DNA. ...New procedure safer for detecting fetal anemia
An innovative, non invasive ultrasound procedure to detect anemia in the fetus during high risk pregnancy is safer for patients, according to a study to be published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday, July 13. "The research clearly demonstrates th...Next generation of science stars: 5 female scientists receive 2006 LOral USA fellowships
...rse enhancement of frequency conversion process in non cavity structures. Dr. Povinelli's research project will study slow light in two other types of engineered photonic devices (optical fibers and superconducting qubits) with the goal of developing practical engineering applications. Dr. Antonina R...Massive duplication of genes may solve Darwin's 'abominable mystery' about flowering plants
...pels and primitive petals and sepals, the sine qua non of flowering plants," dePamphilis says. Angiosperms also boast plenty of unique biochemistry. "They're a rich source of medicinal compounds. Even the kind of wood they make is special."The new results support the idea that "whole-genome duplicatio...Frogs ear canal may provide insights for understanding human hearing loss
...to as the concave-eared torrent frog, is the first non mammalian vertebrate found to be capable of producing and detecting ultrasounds for communication, much like dolphins, bats and some rodents. It does so, the researchers report, to make itself heard above the din of low-frequency sounds produced in i......ent showing altruistic helping toward goals in any non human primate,' says Warneken. 'It's been claimed chimpanzees act mainly for their own ends, but in our experiment, there was no reward and they still helped.' Altruism in chimpanzees may mean our common ancestor already had rudimentary forms of help......significant route of transmission of Salmonella in non egg-laying snakes is from the mother to the offspring during pregnancy and birth. One source of human Salmonella infection is associated with pet reptiles and these cases are often serious sometimes causing septicaemia, meningitis or even death, es...Reflecting on personal values offers protection from effects of stress, UCLA psychologists report
... job in front of "speech evaluators" trained to be non expressive, who would coldly tell them during pauses, "You still have time remaining. Please continue." After a short break, they were instructed to subtract 13 from 2,083 under harassing conditions. They were told to go faster and at each mistake, t...New treatment options for patients with prostate cancer
...rward in our understanding of which men with early non metastatic prostate cancer benefit from the addition of bicalutamide 150mg therapy, enabling physicians to be more targeted in their selection of appropriate treatments. These data show that men with localised disease gain no significant benefit whil...New ECCO 13 data emphasise vital importance of cervical cancer detection, treatment and prevention
... assessed. Yet the changes in incidence rates were non consistent across age groups, with the 40+ age bracket showing the most marked contribution to the observed decline. In contrast, incidence rates in those aged 20-39 and younger, increased in the period from 1981 to 2000. A further undesirable findin...EU research suggests that PCBs damage sperm but finds no dramatic effect on male fertility
...lorobiphenyl (CB-153), which is a marker for total non dioxin-like PCBs in the body. The men also answered questionnaires on their lifestyle, occupations and reproductive history. The results produced an intriguing and puzzling finding: among the European men overall, the DFI rose in concert with rising ...Marine bacterium suspected to play role in global carbon and nitrogen cycles
...like these continue to highlight the importance of non disease-causing microorganisms and their critical role in our understanding of global environmental cycles....