ACS News Service Weekly PressPac -- Oct. 25, 2006
...in Japan have discovered direct molecular evidence supporting that link between acetaldehyde and alcohol-related cancers. In a report published in the current (October) issue of the monthly ACS journal Chemical Research in Toxicology, Tomonari Matsuda and colleagues studied DNA from the blood of 44 patients bei...Ohio University researchers discover evolutionary oddity in flamingos
...s fill with blood, they stiffen, strengthening and supporting the floor of the mouth. "We suspect this stabilizes the mouth and tongue and helps with the peculiar way that flamingos eat," he said. "It's an important new piece of the puzzle of flamingo feeding--frankly, a piece we hadn't known was missing!"...Lehigh scientist receives NHGRI grant to streamline, expand use of genome sequencing
...chnologies, and that the institute is committed to supporting innovative efforts to benefit scientific labs and medical clinics. "These technologies will eventually revolutionize the way that biomedical research and the practice of medicine are done," Collins says. Since 1990, the NHGRI has invested approxima...Groups and grumps: Study identifies 'sociality' neurons
...ot after the negative experience of being bullied, supporting the idea that the cells are selectively sensitive. "In sum," Goodson said, "these vasotocin neurons increase their activity in response to positive social stimuli, and the neurons appear to have evolved in relation to sociality, so that the gregari...Carnegie Mellon uses new imaging technique to discover differences in brains of people with autism
...f the latest study. "The new findings also provide supporting evidence for a new theory of autism that attributes the disorder to underconnectivity among brain regions," Just said. In 2004, Just and his colleagues proposed the underconnectivity theory based on a groundbreaking study in which they discovered a...Age-related changes in DNA repair illuminate the connection between age and genetic damage
...mage has long been suspected. One line of evidence supporting the connection is that defects in certain genes needed for DNA repair produce maladies that mimic those of accelerated aging. In humans and other mammals, these effects include elevated occurrence of malignancies, osteoporosis, hearing loss, graying ...Lupus Research Institute awards $4.5 million to explore new approaches to lupus
...earch Task Force. "The Lupus Research Institute is supporting both basic and applied studies that will have an impact on this challenging disease. The supported research ranges from genes that are important for keeping the immune system in balance to the potential novel roles of bacteria in triggering lupus. Th...Potassium limitation, ammonium toxicity and amino acid excretion in yeast
...er mortality even in high potassium concentration, supporting the idea that ammonium is the root of the problem. Also in these engineered cells, growth was limited even though potassium was not, and again, a high level of amino acid excretion was seen. It seems, therefore, that S. cerevisiae experiences ammon...16 outstanding researchers receive Singapore's highest honor in science and technology
...rmance motor research and has played a key role in supporting and anchoring Singapore's HDD industry. For their outstanding contributions to advanced micro motor technologies used in hard disk drive and miniaturized mechatronic systems, Dr. Bi Chao, Dr. Jiang Quan, and Dr. Lin Song from Data Storage Institute...NHGRI aims to make DNA sequencing faster, more cost effective
...e sequencing technologies and, we are committed to supporting these innovative efforts to benefit scientific labs and medical clinics," said NHGRI Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. "These technologies will eventually revolutionize the way that biomedical research and the practice of medicine are done." ...New wood-plastic composites to boost industry, help use waste products
...vallis, Sustainable Industries Group, LLC, is also supporting the research. And the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute has provided support to get the new equipment installed, which also has the capability to produce nanocomposite materials. The new wood-plastic composites are just the latest ad...You can't scare people into getting fit or going green
...ermines the extent of change in behaviour. But the supporting evidence for these widely accepted ideas was weak; there was a need to take a closer look at experiments that changed attitudes, norms and self-efficacy in order to measure the true extent of any changes in subsequent intentions and behaviour. The ...MIT finds most complex protein knot ever seen
...und in ubiquitin hydrolase in humans and in yeast, supporting the theory that there is a connection between the knot and the protein's function. This also seems to suggest that the knot has been "highly preserved throughout evolution," Virnau said. Until now, scientists have not paid much attention to knots i...FDA approves new epilepsy indication for Lamictal
...ock, AR, a key investigator for the clinical study supporting this indication. "There are few treatments approved for generalized seizures and fewer approved for both PGTC and partial seizures. The approval of lamotrigine as add-on therapy for patients with PGTC seizures is a testament to the drug's broad spe...USGS at The Wildlife Society: From sea-ice change to contaminants to predators and prey
...c, polar bears reflect the status of the ecosystem supporting them and are one of the best harbingers of the future of the Arctic ecosystem. Still, polar bears did somehow survive a period in the Holocene between 5 and 10 thousand years ago when temperatures were substantially warmer than they are now. These fa...Crickets on Hawaiian Island develop silent wings in response to parasitic attack
...than normal-winged males on the other two islands, supporting the notion that the new morphs are using the callers as female attractors....NIH director announces 2006 Pioneer Award recipients
... and programmatic considerations. "In addition to supporting outstanding research, the Pioneer Award is an innovation in its own right. It is one way we are exploring of funding unconventional ideas that are promising but might not fare well in the traditional peer review system," Zerhouni noted. "I am please...Don't care for broccoli? A receptor gene's variation suggests an evolutionary excuse
...e receptor, researchers have obtained new evidence supporting the idea that evolution of the receptor gene has shaped avoidance of certain vegetables that can inhibit thyroid function. The findings are reported by Mari Hakala and Paul Breslin of Monell Chemical Sciences Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and ...Republic of Congo announces two massive protected areas
...uding rehabilitation of neglected protected areas, supporting ecotourism of existing national parks, and investigating more cross-border conservation with neighboring countries....... 100 picoseconds to complete. So when it comes to supporting life -- on the molecular scale, anyway -- water has to move 100 times slower to get the job done. "The fast-moving water has to slow down to connect with a slow-moving protein -- it's that simple," Zhong said. "It sounds trivial, I know. But it sho...