'Good vibrations' from deep-sea smokers may keep fish out of hot water
...d the sound and vibrations of black smokers be the reason fish in total darkness avoid being poached by waters as hot as 750 F? And might similar sounds guide them to the smorgasbord of tube worms, mussels, shrimp, snails and other fauna at vents with more temperate waters? Want to be the first on your bloc...Stanford-led study closes in on genes that may predispose some people to severe depression
... likely to develop depression as men, although the reason is not yet known. "We don't think depression is entirely genetic, by any means, but there are important genetic factors," said Levinson. "If we can succeed in finding one or more genes in which there are specific DNA sequence variations that affect...Articles on animal migration published in BioScience
...to scientific understanding of migration. Another reason for focusing on migration is more urgent. Global warming is changing the timing of bud bursts and myriad other cyclical processes that provide food for wildlife, and driving many birds and insects to move their ranges. In some birds, warming may favo...A form of the alcohol dehydrogenase gene may protect Afro-Trinidadians from developing alcoholism
... and Native Americans we have simply isolated one reason why that might be so."...'Biomimetic Technologies' project will create first soft-bodied robots
...ely controlled," he says. "This is the fundamental reason why robots currently move like robots instead of lifelike animals." The new robots developed at Tufts will be continuously deformable and capable of collapsing and crumpling into small volumes. They will have capabilities that are not currently a...Turning a cellular sentinel into a cancer killer
...ald DePinho wrote that "these three papers provide reason for cautious optimism that reactivation of p53, and possibly of other tumour-suppressor genes, might be useful in treating certain cancers." However, they noted that Evan and his colleagues had seen rapid appearance of tumors that progressed despite ...Wanderlust -- deep-sea fauna under Antarctic ice shelf
... occur in shallow Arctic waters. Maybe this is the reason why this animal is aptly named glacialis (icy) especially with regard to our confirmatory findings on the opposite pole Antarctica. This species, its bigger "sister" Scotoplanes globosa and other relatives according to their feeding mode are referr...New culture method for hepatitis C virus uses primary hepatocytes and patient serum
... hepatocellular carcinoma, represents the foremost reason for liver transplantation in much of the U.S. Study of HCV replication within liver cells, or hepatocytes, has been hampered by a lack of adequate virus culture systems. Some systems allow the virus to infect cells but do not permit prolonged repl...Baby fish 'smell their way home'
...ey role in the emergence of new species is a fresh reason to take even greater care in how we look after them." ...Tears reveal some of their deepest secrets to researchers
...ere for a reason, but we're not sure yet what that reason is." Nichols and her team are currently studying the role of oleamide in cellular signaling and communication in the eye, along with the role that the lipid may play in dry eye. "Dry eye is really a disorder of symptoms that irritate the eyes," N...UCLA and NYU microbiologists crack genome of a parasite that causes a common STD
...s vary greatly among infected individuals, and the reason for this wide range of variable pathogenic outcomes is poorly understood. Among the many new insights brought by deciphering the genome sequence of this organism are ones that provide new clues for identifying critical factors that are responsible fo...Toward more effective paleolgenetic analysis
...n collections or in museums. However, there was no reason to suppose that the treatment carried out by fieldworkers (archeologists, paleontologists and curators), as well as storage conditions, were compatible with a paleogenetic approach. In fact, such analyses were often subject to a high failure rate, du...Lead with a poisonous electron shield
...zinc, it only binds to the three sulfur atoms. The reason for this is the emerging free electron pair of the lead cation. It acts as an electronic shield on one side, pushing away the fourth ligand. Such a dramatic geometrical distortion at the active center could explain why lead inhibits this enzyme. The...Dangerous wheat disease jumps Red Sea
..., exceeding USD 1 billion in value. There is every reason to believe the new Ug99 strain of stem rust represents a much greater risk to world wheat production. Annual losses of as much as USD 3 billion in Africa, the Middle East and south Asia alone are possible. According to the Food and Agriculture Org...ACS News Service Weekly PressPac -- January 10, 2007
...ole in the RNA World Hypothesis Uncovering a new reason why patients respond differently to the same drug ... ARTICLE #3 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Uncovering a new reason why patients respond differently to the same drug dose Molecular Pharmaceutics Why does the stand...White blood cells in lung produce histamine seen in allergies
...histamine levels rose up to 50 times normal." The reason was straightforward, Caughey says. Neutrophil numbers increased in response to infection, and neutrophils in turn produced histamine. "It's a direct effect of the mycoplasma bacteria on neutrophils. They induce neutrophils to produce the enzyme that ...Scientists find potential 'off-switch' for HIV virus
...st that target other cellular enzymes, so there is reason to hope the approach will work. "There is precedent for this type of treatment," he said. Though more research will be needed to develop drugs based on the Princeton scientists' "resistor" model, Weinberger said he hopes the discovery stimulate...Dramatic results from combo therapy surprises Krabb-disease researchers
...d inside the cell, and at first glance, there's no reason to think that transplanting normal bone marrow would do anything at all," Sands says. "But it turns out that lysosomal enzymes can escape from cells and get incorporated into other cells. When bone marrow is given, the marrow cells circulate to every...The G allele of the mu-opioid receptor gene is linked to craving for alcohol
...are not related to this gene. This is part of the reason that there are inconsistencies in the scientific literature." Nonetheless, both van den Wildenberg and Hutchison noted the importance for treatment options of identifying "risk genes" that predispose certain individuals to alcohol-problems. "Even...Hotspots of mercury contamination identified in eastern North America
...to people and wildlife that consume fish. There is reason to believe, however, that lowering emissions can reduce risk: an analysis of levels of mercury contamination over time in the Merrimack River watershed suggests that lowered emissions reduced mercury levels in biota within a few years. The 10-member ...