Crucial site for endangered frogs and birds saved
...The alliance issued a report in December 2005 that pinpointed 595 sites around the world containing the last significant habitat for one or more endangered species of mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian and plant. It listed the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta site as one of the most crucial to protect. "This represen...Researchers trawl the origins of sea fishing in Northern Europe
...Archaeology, who is co-ordinating the project, has pinpointed the century between 950AD and 1050AD as the critical period when this fisheries revolution took place. By studying fish bones from archaeological sites such as York, Gent in Belgium, Ribe in Denmark, Schleswig in Germany and Gdansk in Poland, the res...Separate genetic mutations gave people, chimps bitter-taste sensitivity
...re of the gene, Wooding and his fellow researchers pinpointed a mutation in a single nucleotide--one of the structural units of DNA--as the difference between the taster and non-taster forms found in chimps. A single nucleotide's difference indicates the mutation occurred long after humans and chimps diverged, ...Keeping amyloid - and Alzheimer's - in check
...this hypothesis. St George-Hyslop's group recently pinpointed a new component called TMP21 that controls presenilin's dicing tendencies, preventing it from snipping apart APP. The researchers report their findings in the April 27, 2006, issue of the journal Nature. When TMP21 was first discovered, it appeared ...Why we could all do with a siesta
...in Manchester's Faculty of Life Sciences. "We have pinpointed how glucose -- the sugar in food -- can stop brain cells from producing signals that keep us awake. Dr. Burdakov's research has shown exactly how glucose blocks or "inhibits" neurons that make orexins -- tiny proteins that are vital for normal regula...Race to halt global amphibian crisis boosted by rediscovery of endangered Colombian frogs
...nction.org ) issued a report in December 2005 that pinpointed 595 sites around the world containing the last significant habitat for one or more endangered species of mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian and plant. It listed the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta site as one of the most crucial to protect. In late Decemb...Brain region linked to fly slumber
...l. --- Researchers at Northwestern University have pinpointed a brain area in flies that is crucial to sleep, raising interesting speculation over the purpose of sleep and its possible link with learning and memory. In a paper to be published June 8 by the journal Nature, a team led by Ravi Allada, assistant p...Parkinson's disease mechanism discovered
Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have pinpointed defects in a critical cellular pathway that can lead to the death of dopamine-producing nerve cells and ultimately Parkinson's symptoms. Their studies have also identified a new way to rescue dying neurons in several animal models of Parkinson's dise...Novel mechanism of taxane resistance
...f Dr. Stanley N. Cohen at Stanford University have pinpointed a gene that affects human cancer cells' sensitivity to chemotherapy - an important finding in the effort to increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Their paper will be published online in advance of its scheduled August 1 publication date ( ww...New clues to how major weight-loss drugs work
... Neuron, published by Cell Press, researchers have pinpointed key components in the mechanism of serotonin's action. The research was led by Michael Cowley of Oregon Health and Science University, Joel Elmquist of University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and formerly of Beth Israel Deaconess Me...How Rett Syndrome mutation targets the brain
Researchers have pinpointed why mutations that cause Rett Syndrome (RTT)--among the leading causes of mental retardation in females--specifically target the brain rather than other body tissues. They said their findings yield important insight into the origin and course of the ...Insights into honey bee sex gene could bring sweet success in breeding
...a bee a he or a she? Three years ago, scientists pinpointed a gene called csd that determines gender in honey bees, and now a research team led by University of Michigan evolutionary biologist Jianzhi "George" Zhang has unraveled details of how the gene evolved. The new insights could prove useful in designin...Extraordinary life found around deep-sea gas seeps
...hetic communities,' says Dr Baco-Taylor. The team pinpointed potential seep sites using sophisticated sonar to map seafloor topography and substrate and to detect plumes of methane-enriched water. The scientists then lowered a towed video and still camera system over each site to identify seep organisms and th...Gene linked to aggressive 'wet' age-related macular degeneration
...very much associated with AMD, but no one has ever pinpointed the clinical features of the gene. We need to conduct further analysis in order to understand the biological mechanisms," said Hoh....University of Alberta researchers discover hummingbird secret
University of Alberta researchers have pinpointed a section in the tiny hummingbird's brain that may be responsible for its unique ability to stay stationary mid-air and hover. "This was a very exciting moment for us," said Dr. Doug Wong-Wylie, Canada Research Chair in Behavioural and Systems Neuro...Tearing down the fungal cell wall
... Institute and Duke University Medical Center have pinpointed a fungal gene that appears to play an important role in the development and virulence of Alternaria brassicicola. A. brassicicola, a destructive fungal pathogen that causes black spot disease on most cultivated Brassica crops worldwide, results in c...Penn researchers discover initial steps in the development of taste
...tanding how the sense of taste develops. They have pinpointed a molecular pathway that regulates the development of taste buds. Using genetically engineered mice, they discovered that a signaling pathway activated by small proteins called Wnts is required for initiating taste-bud formation. They have also deter...Origin of inherited pain disorder pinpointed
...auses severe burning pain with no warning has been pinpointed by researchers. They found that paroxysmal extreme pain disorder (PEPD) is caused by specific mutations in porelike sodium channels in peripheral nerve cellsa discovery that they said emphasizes the role of such channel disorders in inflammatory pain...Cease and desist -- genome stability and epithelial carcinogenesis
... January 1st issue of G&D, Dr. Zon's research team pinpointed a mitotic checkpoint gene, called separase, as being responsible for the proper segregation of chromosomes during cell division. Mutations in separase resulted in chromosomal instability and increased epithelial tumor load after exposure to carcinoge......d nucleosome locations. The technique successfully pinpointed the location of some nucleosomes previously found through other means, but the new method can be applied to the entire genomes of human and other cells, said the scientists. In the future, the techniques might be useful as a diagnostic tool, Fisher...