Alien plants attack using 'resource conservation' as weapon, researchers say
...of the study. "Typically people think low-resource systems aren't invasible. People think of the native plants as having a home-field advantage, because they evolved there." Smart plant growth Plants depend on sunlight, nutrients and water to survive, and a shortage of any one of these will restrict ho...Amphibians in losing race with environmental change
... to adapt while others fail and go extinct. The systems developed over millions of years to give amphibian...ozone layer, is causing mutations, impaired immune systems and slower growth rates. Through evolution, amphibians were able to adapt to changing UV-B levels in...Early exposure to indoor fungus molecules may protect infants against future allergies
...rgy development in high-risk infants. The immune systems protective effects only appear to occur when there are high levels of microbial exposure," she explains. "Cleaner environments do not have enough microbial components to trigger the immune system response." The UC team reports their findings in th...Corals -- More complex than you?
...of such complex features as the nervous and immune systems of vertebrates. Around 10 or 12 per cent of the known coral genes are in fact shared uniquely with vertebrates these are genes that have been lost from all other animals so far examined. These include genes for the development of nerves, vision, D...BCM, Rice make major advance in structural biology
...." "We can use this method to improve many other systems in our lab." Ma said "We are indeed working on a bunch of other important systems, such as membrane proteins, that will demonstrate the breadth of applicability of the method." Co-author and BCM faculty member Qinghua Wang, who was responsible for ...Fish growth changes enhanced by climate change
...th west Pacific are consistent with shifts in wind systems and water temperatures, according to new Australian research published in the United States this week. We have drawn correlations between the growth of fish species related to their environmental conditions faster growth in waters above a depth of......ents of biological systems. Collins will discuss systems biology and its significance in today's world, des...ween Earth's living and non-living components. And systems biologists make use of a combination of experimentation, computation and modeling such that each par...Smithsonian hosts Polar Science Symposium to celebrate International Polar Year 2007-2008
...rch, with particular attention to changes in polar systems past, present and future, and their global impact. The symposium will carry on a Smithsonian tradition of polar science that began nearly 150 years ago and resulted in some of the worlds foremost collections and archives of Arctic and Antarctic mater...Double honor recognises world-class science and spin-out success
...(COPD), and novel controlled-release drug delivery systems for a variety of diseases. Dr Nikin Patel, Chief Executive of Molecular Profiles Ltd, says: "We are extremely honoured to be awarded this prestigious accolade. Our services and technology are highly innovative but it is our scientists who develop t...Florida Tech explores microalgae for biofuel
...gae in outdoor, open settings. Cultures in outdoor systems are difficult due to the openness to light, temperature and potential contamination. Lin will manipulate dependent variables such as salinity, nutrient concentrations, pH and carbon dioxide to test optimum conditions for growth. "Alternative energy i...An electroacoustic path to custom-made gene chips
..., which include photomask and inkjet-like printing systems and and also painstaking contact transfer. Inkjet systems also eject droplets, but "the smallest droplet size depends on the size of the nozzle, but the small...Satellites play vital role in understanding the carbon cycle
... used in state-of-the-art carbon data assimilation systems (CCDAS) for better understanding the role of the biosphere in the global carbon cycle," Gobron said. Phytoplankton, microscopic marine plants that drift on or near the surface of the sea, absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide through photosynthesis ju...Asymmetry due to perfect balance
... understanding of the principles of how biological systems establish asymmetric distribution of molecules in a dynamic and precise way." In this study the yeast cells were only a model for the abstract mathematical approach because diffusion, active transport and endocytosis are equally responsible for the e...Springer ecology book wins award for excellence
...he complex interactions of biological and physical systems in the response of the volcanic landscape. The books editors are all experts in their fields. Virginia Dale is a Corporate Fellow in the Environmental Sciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She is also an adjunct faculty member in t...Discovery of new family of pseudo-metallic chemicals
... may be tuned for use as specific probes in living systems to detect or treat disease at the earliest state." In addition, because the compounds possess such a wide range of flexibility, they might have ramifications for nanotechnology and various kinds of electronics. "This single discovery could open ...Story tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, April 2007
...ngineering Technology Division are examining power systems from a building or home all the way back to the original transmission source at the electrical grid to determine better efficiencies. The project is looking at automation, robotics, sensors and other tools to reduce energy consumption and taking into...Everything starts with recognition
...well as bacteria, animals, plants and other living systems - move, sense, reproduce and accomplish the processes that keep all living creatures alive. A very common example of recognition can be experienced in daily life whenever one meets someone and shakes right hands. In principle, one can also shake le...New report explores nanotechnology's future
...the technical means for economical community-based systems that treat water at its point of use. Similarly, new solutions to the worlds energy problems are also possible using nanotechnology, ranging from improving the efficiency in production, storage, and transmission of fossil-fuel-based sources of energ...Brain networks strengthened by closing ion channels
...er (ADHD). "Our data reveal how the brains arousal systems influence the cognitive networks that subserve working memorywhich plays a key role in abstract thinking, planning, and organizing, as well as suppressing attention to distracting stimuli," said Amy Arnsten, lead author and neurobiology professor at ...... today. Many animals have evolved complex nervous systems throughout the course of evolution, but their arch...e and how it gave rise to the diversity of nervous systems seen in animals today is what Detlev Arendt and his group study at EMBL. To do so, they investigate ...