Scientists to make news at Computational Biology Conference
... ways to discern how DNA folds into cell nuclei to possible treatments for diseases such as cancer, both basic and applied biology are getting a boost from researchers who call themselves bioinformaticians and whose "laboratories" are spread across chips and measured in terabytes. Several of these reputed ...Increase in creeping vines signals major shift in southern US forests
...n't fully understood, Allen and his colleagues say possible mechanisms include increases in carbon dioxide concentrations, which have been shown to increase vine growth more than tree growth. Many vines thrive on elevated levels of carbon dioxide, he said. Several studies suggest that vines like poison ivy ...News tips from the Journal of Neuroscience
...o cell death. This week, Sun et al. focused on its possible role in synaptic plasticity by targeting the endogenous BMP antagonist chordin. The BMPRII receptor protein was expressed throughout the hippocampus in wild-type mice, as was chordin. Brain slices from mice lacking Chordin (Chrd-/-) had enhanced pair...Tips from the Journals of the American Society for Microbiology
...gainst H. pylori in humans and may contribute to a possible ulcer vaccine in the future say researchers from the University of California, Davis. They report their findings in the July 2007 journal Infection and Immunity. Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that colonizes the digestive tract of 50% of the ...Accident-prone? Scientists link brain function to knee injuries
... athlete was asked to click in a box as quickly as possible only if the word red was displayed on the computer screen in a red color, not if the word appeared in the color green or blue. After the season started, a number of the tested athletes ended up sustaining noncontact ACL injuries. These athletes wer...Clues to future evolution of HIV come from African green monkeys
...al host organism helps us understand the disease's possible trajectory." The team's next steps are figuring out exactly when SIV infected African green monkeys and studying SIVs in other species of monkeys. ...Crystal structure enables tailoring of pharmaceuticals against asthma
...ave been identified. With this knowledge it is now possible to tailor new molecules that can block the LTC4 synthase. The new results are also very important as they can lead the way for the development of new and more effective therapeutics against other diseases. Some 40 % of the proteins of interest fo...Scientists take next step in understanding potential target for ovarian cancer treatment
...ues, suggesting that the km23 alterations may be a possible diagnostic indicator for development of ovarian cancer and that the km23 protein itself may be a possible target for cancer therapies. km23 is part of the signaling system for a growth factor called TGF,...A new plant-bacterial symbiotic mechanism promising
... different leguminous plants. It therefore becomes possible to increase agricultural production of a greater number of important plants, notably in tropical countries, while cutting down the use of fertilizers....EPA foregoes opportunity to improve nanotechnology oversight
...s promise while avoiding or greatly minimizing any possible dangers. See: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/07/07/an_epa_for_the_21st_century/ ...ACMG recognizes progress made in newborn screening
... disabilities. Advances in technology have made it possible and feasible to test newborns for a number of serious or deadly diseases, which can then be treated. With the current expansion of newborn screening panels, it is estimated that about 10,000 of the 4.1 million babies born each year in the United Stat...CU researchers discover evidence of very recent human adaptation
...putational biology. "We aimed to eliminate as many possible confounding variables as possible, and when all is said and done, we find that as much as 10 percent of the genome may have been affected by one of these bouts of recent selection." Previous studies at Cornell and elsewhere have searched for signs of...Sour taste make you pucker? It may be in your genes
...tify sour receptors. Future studies will evaluate possible receptors by determining whether individual differences in genes for these structures such as the recently-discovered PKD ion channel are correlated with individual differences in sensitivity to sourness. For any given candidate receptor, a strong...Research team discovers gallstone gene
...therapy. Professor Lammert thinks that, "It may be possible for certain patients to be helped with drug treatments in future, thus avoiding the need for an operation." However, the genetic contribution to the common problem of gallstones has not been fully explained by this study: "We believe there are at lea...Has science unearthed the Holy Grail of pain relief?
...standing how the molecule works and should make it possible to develop drugs that block the receptors actions, said Dr Thompson. Inhibiting P2X as a potential pain-relief therapy would be the Holy Grail of rational drug design and could revolutionise the way we manage chronic pain conditions like back pain ...A stepwise retreat: How immune cells catch pathogens
...nto the properties of filopodia retraction and the possible molecular mechanism underlying them could find applications in nanotechnology, says Alexander Rohrbach a former member of Stelzers group who is now a professor at the University of Freiburg. Future synthetic nano-machines must integrate themselves in...Researchers probe risks, benefits of folic acid fortification
...en of child-bearing age and their offspring, it is possible that it may, coincidentally, be linked to the increase in colorectal cancer rates. Our report is intended to create a foundation upon which to further explore that possibility. As Mason and colleagues note, there is a compelling body of scientific ...Scientists find brown fat master switch
...gators say a similar intervention is theoretically possible in people. "You might not have to implant a large amount of engineered precursors in people who are at risk for being obese," said Spiegelman, who is also a professor of cell biology at Harvard Medical School. "In theory, you would only have to reduc...A first-principles model of early evolution
...he authors find that survival of the population is possible only after a Big Bang when a very small number of advantageous protein structures is suddenly discovered and exponential growth of the population ensues. The subsequent evolution of the Protein Universe occurs as an expansion of this small set of pro...Biodesign Institute leads innovative project to prevent cancer
...ing private funding from Mayo and ASU funding made possible by the Arizona voter-approved, Proposition 301 Technology Research and Infrastructure Fund (TRIF). The funds allowed Johnstons team to launch the project and obtain the initial supportive data. Space has been allocated at research facilities at the B...