CU study reveals why starling females cheat
...hat males of many species cheat and mate widely to produce as many offspring as possible to spread their genes, the reasons behind female infidelity appear more complex. With this study and this species, "we can break down the reasons why superb starling females are not faithful to their mates and see that t...Hepatitis B drug can compromise HIV treatment
...ymerase enzyme in the hepatitis B virus that helps produce new viral DNA. However, the hepatitis B polymerase closely resembles the reverse transcriptase enzyme that HIV uses to copy its genome inside an infected cell. Thus, there was a possibility that treating co-infected patients for hepatitis B with ente...The mouflons of the Kerguelen archipelago
... decreases. Furthermore, consanguinity is known to produce genetic diseases. The most heterozygous individuals are better able to resist these diseases, explains Renaud Kaeuffer. The researchers stress the point that the genetic variety of the mouflons on the Kerguelen Islands is still less than what could b...Turn-ons and turn-offs for neurons
...n the adult brain can be avoided by making neurons produce high levels of gene-specific activators which facilitate un-silencing of previously silenced genes. These findings have important implications in experimental research that makes use of reversible gene expression tools to switch genes on and off. Neu...Another sexual attraction is possible ...
...es with the "Z" pheromone. Although hybrid matings produce perfectly viable offspring, both types very rarely mate in nature. At a first glance, it is tempting to believe that this is due to their different pheromones. However, in a study published in the June 20th issue of the online, open-access journal ...Researchers demonstrate way to control tree height
...lentiful seed. In orchards, semi-dwarf fruit trees produce more fruit that is easier to harvest. The improvements in cereal yields have been credited with preventing the starvation of millions. ...American Chemical Society's Weekly PressPac -- June 13, 2007
...dvance toward genetically engineering animals that produce higher levels of a natural growth-promoting protei...earchers genetically engineered laboratory mice to produce milk enriched in pig LF, and studied the growth of 10 generations of mice pups fed on the milk. Mice......00 genes, which carry the code needed for cells to produce the proteins used to make body parts and carry out most functions in living organisms. Genes typically have 50,000 base pairs but can range in size from a few thousand to 300,000 base pairs, Capecchi says. The genes include only about 2.5 percent ...The kapok connection -- Study explains rainforest similarities
...head poking above the forest canopy. Its flowers produce more than 50 gallons of nectar per tree in a season, attracting bats that travel as far as 12 miles between trees and transfer pollen in the process. When the seed pods ripen, they break open to reveal fluffy fibers that are used to stuff pillows and...UVa researchers restore genes in human inner ear cells
...who showed that similar gene therapy compounds can produce new hair cells and restore hearing function in guinea pigs suggest that the future of gene therapy in the human inner ear is sound, Holt said. Hair cells have hair-like projections that line the cochlea. In people with normal hearing, hair cells co...In nature, proteins sweep up nanoparticles
...hat the proteins travel far from the microbes that produce them, and then amass metal nanoparticles into piles that are too large to be swept away by underground currents. Precisely how and why the bacteria undertake this bit of housecleaning remains a mystery, but it suggests that proteins could play a key ...Exploring the dark matter of the genome
...ncing. Celniker says, "We grind up whole flies and produce libraries of DNA fragments of two sizes, some that are 2 kilobases long" -- a kilobase (Kb) is 1,000 bases -- "and some that are 10 kilobases long. Contiguous lengths of sequence are assembled by matching overlaps of these fragments. With euchromatin...Mucosal-surface immune function discoveries could boost vaccine research
...ypes of IgA antigens, how do local B cells know to produce this variety" The new cell-culture experiments performed at Weill Cornell solve that riddle. "The answer lies in a surprising place -- the billions of epithelial cells that line the gut, urogenital tract and respiratory mucosa," explains co-lead a...Pre-cancerous blood diseases can be products of their environment
...ve disease, in which the stem cells in bone marrow produce too many blood cell progenitors and blood cells. Unexpectedly, they reported, transplant studies revealed that this disease was caused by the bone marrow deficiency. Bone marrow from healthy mice transplanted into mice with the RAR-deficient microe...JCI table of contents: June 14, 2007
...s the fact that progesterone-deficient mice cannot produce offspring. However, as FKBP52 is a molecule that acts to optimize signaling through the progesterone receptor, Fkbp52-/- mice provide a unique opportunity to study the roles of progesterone signaling throughout pregnancy. In a study appearing onlin...Yale journal examines the global impact of cities
...ct of cities extends beyond their borders. Cities produce greenhouse gases whose impact is global. More subtly, urban residents stimulate resource extraction and manufacturingwith all the attendant environmental pressures beyond the city boundaries. The topics in the special issue, Industrial Ecology an...New findings challenge established views on human genome
...test the feasibility of a full-scale initiative to produce a comprehensive catalog of all components of the human genome crucial for biological function. This impressive effort has uncovered many exciting surprises and blazed the way for future efforts to explore the functional landscape of the entire hum...Bacteria ferry nanoparticles into cells for early diagnosis, treatment
...e DNA to the nuclei of cells, causing the cells to produce a fluorescent protein that glowed green. The same ... said. "Only when it is in the nucleus can the DNA produce proteins that perform specific functions and correct genetic disease conditions." When the cargo-c...ENCODE map changes view of the human genome landscape
...ly evaluate this concept at high resolution and to produce the first human domain map. The methodology developed in this study simplifies the interpretation of large amounts of genomic data and will be employed in future genome-wide analyses aimed at understanding the large-scale functional organization of......test the feasibility of a full-scale initiative to produce a comprehensive catalog of all components of the human genome crucial for biological function. The findings promise to reshape our understanding of how the human genome functions. They challenge the traditional view of our genetic blueprint as a t...