Ireland announces its participation in international marine research program
...ow mounds relate to cold- and deep-water coral and sponge reef development, and give clues about past regional climates. According to GSI Director Peadar McArdle, "The [expedition also] will shed significant light on the evolution of Ireland's carbonate mounds, and the possible role of gas seeps in the deve...UCLA researchers discover new method to generate human bone
...nge into the area where bone growth is needed. The sponge offers few biological benefits for the surgeon, and proteins can migrate away from the sponge. In contrast, the team at UCLA is developing a carrier that is engineered for UCB activities in the biological environment. "It's the right combination of c...A little stress gives beneficial oomph! to immune system
...archers compared the numbers of leukocytes in each sponge once the sponges were removed. "Just one session of acute stress caused a significant increase in the numbers of leukocytes to collect in the sponge," Dhabhar said. Indeed, the amount of certain types of immune cells had increased by 200 to 300 perce...Searching the depths of the straits of Florida for disease cures
...species, a key goal will be to gather samples of a sponge collected last May that produces chemicals currently showing potential in fighting pancreatic cancer. The upcoming expedition is being supported through funds appropriated by the Florida legislature and approved by Governor Jeb Bush as part of the st...Technological revolutions in sensors, robotics, and telecommunications allow new views of ocean
...off Alaska, Watling's group discovered a predatory sponge standing 1.5 feet tall and acting like a fly-trap flower to catch crustaceans. The only similar species known to the world was found in a cave in the Mediterranean and stands only 3 to 4 inches. They also discovered worms that induce corals to form......sign, by trimming some of the fat from a molecular sponge that scientists use to study proteins. In the Dece... lipid and water molecules -- a kind of wet, fatty sponge that soaks up thousands of proteins at once and draws them together into crystals. The sponge ...