Why do some people get bitten by mosquitoes more than others?
...tunity to develop safe, naturally occurring insect repellent which could be far more effective than conventional products because it relates to the way mosquitoes select their hosts." James said, "By identifying these key components and understanding how they work we could be closer to new methods of protectio...Individual differences in taste perception directly related to genetic variation in taste receptors
...phia, PA -- Why do brussels sprouts taste bitterly repellent to one person and bland - or even delicious - to the next? A study published in the February 22 issue of Current Biology confirms the influential role of genetics in determining the wide range of human sensitivity to taste, ultimately impacting how w...Cerebral navigation: How do nerve fibers know what direction to grow in?
...av2 and the related Vav3, thereby eliminating this repellent signal, the mice had abnormal axon projections and defects in neural circuitry formation. The second paper demonstrates the role of a protein called ephexin1 in axon guidance. By itself, ephexin 1 promotes axon growth; neurons from mice genetically ...DuPont announces additional $25 million funding for DuPont MIT alliance
...g: a novel material similar to the naturally water repellent surface of the lotus leaf. Potential applications include self-cleaning fabrics, water-repellant windshields, or plumbing that resists the growth of harmful bacteria by preventing water from accumulating on its surface. Since its inception, the DuPon...Researchers find molecule that inhibits regrowth of spinal nerve cells
...t is this molecule, whose normal function is to be repellent during embryonic development, doing in the mature system? "To our surprise, we found that ephrin-B3, which normally is present as a 'wall' down the middle of adult spinal cords, also is found in very high levels in adult myelin," said Dr. Parada. The...Parasitic plants sniff out hosts
...chers note that the identification of at least one repellent compound raises the possibility of eventually using airborne chemicals to deter plant parasites. Looking forward, they would also like to determine exactly how the parasites are able to sense and respond to host volatiles. They hope to identify the...A green way to slag off bunnies
...002/ps.1302). Humans only eat the grain, so the repellent would only affect the vermin. But when the slag-treated plants were compared to normal plants, grazing damage fell by more than half. Slag or calcium silicate a plentiful byproduct of blast furnaces, is dirt-cheap and environmentally friendly. Wh...Nectar is not a simple soft drink
...ing nectar thieves. Nicotine, the most abundant repellent found, affected both pollinators and nectar thieve...nicotine was present. To determine if nicotine was repellent in the real world, the researchers genetically transformed N. attenuata plants to create nicotine-fr...Story tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, March 2007
...luding how an attractant of one species could be a repellent of another. This research is funded by the National Institutes of Health and Science Alliance. [Contact: Ron Walli, (865) 576-0226; wallira@ornl.gov ] CLIMATE -- Precision predictions . . . A new adaptation of statistical tools applied to geop...Malaria -- Effective insecticide-repellent synergy against mosquito vectors
...sociation between the insecticide and the standard repellent produced a synergistic effect that inhibited the mosquito from taking its blood feed. A synergistic effect was also observed with regard to the treatments residual efficacy which is several months longer than that of either agent applied alone. The a...