How ancient whales lost their legs, got sleek and conquered the oceans
...d dolphins and fossils of ancient whales to try to pinpoint the genetic changes that could have caused whales, dolphins and porpoises to lose their hind limbs. More than 50 million years ago the ancestors of whales and dolphins were four-footed land animals, not unlike large dogs. They became the sleek swimme...Penn receives $4 million to establish a Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology
...nce of disease and health effects in this area and pinpoint those diseases that are associated with environmen...rs could identify people susceptible to asthma and pinpoint early changes in lung tissue and cells that may not yet manifest as full-blown disease. Each of the ...Methane-belching bugs inspire a new theory of the origin of life on Earth
...se is a very ancient enzyme." No such evidence can pinpoint the age of Pta, "but these two enzymes always work together," suggesting that they evolved together. The two enzymes' primeval genetic provenance and the simplicity of the three-step cycle, House says, "are absolutely central to the idea." "This long...NYU algorithm enhances ability to detect cancer genes
... through Bayesian statistics in order to optimally pinpoint the genes involved in the cancer, even when these genomes may have many other unrelated deletions, which happen as "collateral damage" to the genomes as the cancer progresses to an advanced stage. The NYU algorithm estimates the location of tumor sup...Study provides first look at the 'birth' of a retina cell
...ina cells during early development, allowing us to pinpoint the exact time at which rods are 'born,'" says Swaroop. "Because the cells have been tagged, we can watch them at each step as they develop into mature and functional rods." Kellogg scientists then purified the rods at various stages and generated th...Key root-development pathway mapped using advanced genomic technique
...ene, which reflects its activity. Thus, they could pinpoint among thousands of genes only those activated or repressed under different conditions, such as mutation of SHR. However, in the search for SHR targets, the scientists went a step further in their microarray analysis. They modulated the SHR pathway in...Computers to save unique type of American red squirrel
...eloped a special computer model which in time will pinpoint the biggest threats to the rare Mount Graham Red Squirrel. Details of the model are published in the academic journal Biological Conservation. The Mount Graham Red Squirrel, isolated for the last 10,000 years in a small area of coniferous forest on ...In chemical genetics, a new strategy could speed drug discovery
...r a certain biological effect, researchers rapidly pinpoint drug candidates. But that's where chemical genetics hits a wall. Once researchers find an inhibitor, or potential drug, they want to know how it works, by identifying the protein on which the inhibitor acts. But how? "This is a significant problem f...Ancient DNA provides clues to the evolution of social behavior
...ravel the colonial tuco-tuco's mysterious past and pinpoint the cause of its low genetic diversity. The result...andard population genetics model, Chan was able to pinpoint the drastic decline of C. sociabilis to about 2,600 years ago, when the population was likely reduce...Interdisciplinary team develops guidelines for treating severely injured patients
... genetic make-up is also thought to contribute. To pinpoint the relevant genetic factors, the researchers are looking for gene activity patterns that correlate with specific outcomes. All nine of the clinical institutions participating in the project are adopting the standard practices, which will make these ...SNM issues first procedure guideline for imaging cancer in adults and children with PET/CT
... CT are standard imaging tools that can be used to pinpoint the location of cancer within the body. The highly sensitive PET detects the metabolic signal of actively growing cancer cells. When PET is used to image cancer, a radiopharmaceutical (such as FDG, which includes both a sugar and a radionuclide) is i...Mutation in blood stem cells provides clues to cancer development
...ls. "This discovery is important because if we can pinpoint an inhibitor that directly targets the JAK2 mutant allele, we can fight the disease without inhibiting normal stem cell differentiation. These patients could then still produce normal red blood cells, normal platelets and white blood cells," said Ca...Evolutionary scrap-heap challenge: Antifreeze fish make sense out of junk DNA
... their evolutionary history the scientists hope to pinpoint the time of onset of freezing conditions in the polar and subpolar seas. Professor Cheng will present her latest results at the Annual Main Meeting of the Society for Experimental Biology in Canterbury on Tuesday the 4th April [session A2]. Fish such...MSU researchers shake out basis for rice domestication
...ding corn and wheat. The researchers were able to pinpoint and confirm that a single base pair mutation in DNA causing an amino acid change in a protein led to non-shattering rice varieties. This slight change in DNA prevented mature rice grains from easily falling from stalks to allow a more effective field...New RNAi tools enable systematic studies of gene function
...enes using RNAi allows researchers to more readily pinpoint the genes that control a biological process. Therefore, TRC developed the high-throughput techniques and quality-control measures required for such genome-scale studies. "It is a distinct challenge to achieve consistent and cost-effective RNAi method...UCR-led study identifies crucial mechanism involved in immune response against viruses
... issue of Science Express. "We've been able to pinpoint which mechanism protects fruit flies against viral infections," said Shou-Wei Ding , a professor of plant pathology at UCR and the lead author of the paper. "We now understand how this viral immunity works at the molecular level. Our work shows that...Electrical stimulation boosts stroke recovery
...the brain corresponding to hand function. Surgeons pinpoint the site using "neuronavigation" techniques, including functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, then remove a circular, 4-centimeter flap of the skull to access the dura. The technique is similar to one used to treat Parkinson's disease called...Researchers seek answers to combat TB epidemic
...r the College of Medicine. The researchers hope to pinpoint the role of alcoholism in the global epidemic by studying a population of HIV- and tuberculosis-infected patients in India. The researchers are collecting data for the National Institutes of Health-funded project and hope to have answers within two t...NHGRI announces new sequencing targets
...enomes represent one of the most effective ways to pinpoint the roughly 5 percent of the 3-billion base pair human genome that is most obviously functional. According to computer modeling results, it is expected that comparisons among the 24 genome sequences will allow conserved sequences as small as six base...Researchers convinced satellites are helpful in tracking epidemics
...t mapping and temperature researchers are able to pinpoint climatic conditions which are favourable for harbouring various epidemic hosts, indicating where people are at greatest risk. As the project draws to completion, epidemiologists and data users gathered in Frascati, Italy, at the 'Earth Observation ...