Heart rhythm genes possible factors in SIDS
... basis of the condition remains unclear. A popular theory proposes that SIDS occurs because of a combination of risks including abnormal physiological state, environmental factors and developmental vulnerabilities. Genetic factors have also been proposed to be important. "SIDS is not one disease," said Ge...New study to test statin-Parkinson's link
...ssociated with lower LDL cholesterol, supports her theory that low LDL is the culprit in many cases of Parkinson's. Huang says that if there is a link with statins, we could see big surges in the number of Parkinson's diagnoses in the next five years, because at that stage, statins will have been in common...Soil nutrients shape tropical forests, large-scale study indicates
...f the National Academy of Sciences, challenges the theory that at local scales tree distributions in a forest simply reflect patterns of seed dispersal, said James W. Dalling, a U. of I. professor of plant biology and a principal researcher on the study. The study evaluated three sites: two lowland forest...How are phenotypic differences between sexes related to phenotypic variation within sexes?
...variation depends on individual condition. Indeed, theory predicts that sexual dimorphism will evolve based on condition dependence so that, among traits, a more pronounced difference between male and female should be associated with a stronger response to variation in condition. Russell Bonduriansky (Un...Big-brained birds survive better in nature
...viours and survive environmental challenges. This theory was first put forward to answer the puzzle surrounding why animals, including humans, would evolve a larger brain, given the 'cost' associated with developing and maintaining a larger brain. The researchers compared the brain size, body mass and mor...USC study in Nature Genetics supports a stem cell origin of cancer
...s link lends support to the increasingly discussed theory that cancer is rooted in small populations of stem cells. USC researchers uncovered this link after observing that of 177 genes repressed by Polycomb group (PcG) proteins, fully 77 showed evidence of cancer-associated enzymatic modification of DNA (...Bioengineer wins $500,000 engineering prize
...al biology, and atherosclerosis. His "sheet-flow" theory provided a quantitative description of pulmonary circulation, hypertension, edema, and respiratory distress syndrome. Problems related to severe thorax impact injuries have been solved by Fung's "stress wave propagation" theory.Morphometric data wor...New study challenges 'critical period' in childhood vision development
...n undergoes during childhood. The critical period theory asserts that the brain's learning mechanisms are significantly dependent on early sensory stimulation. Sinha and his colleagues posit that while some aspects of vision, such as acuity, might indeed be subject to critical periods, many other aspects o...Imaging pinpoints brain regions that 'see the future'
...ests, offer strong support for a relatively recent theory of memory, which posits that remembering the past ...with suicidally depressed people. So, there's this theory that it all goes hand-in-hand, but nobody has looked closely enough to explain exactly how or why th...Scientists develop method to find genetic basis for plant variation
... to vary is termed natural variation. Evolutionary theory proposes that differences among populations can arise for evolutionarily favorable, or adaptive, reasons. If the differences between populations become great enough, they might lead to the development of a new species, called speciation. The mechan...Doing it right: New book helps biologists conduct rigorous and reliable research
...perimental Design for Biologists --a new source of theory and practical guidance--is based on a well-received course that Glass taught while working at a biopharmaceutical company. The course was for recent hires, new PhDs who--surprisingly but frequently--had received little training in basic experimental...Study: Living coral reefs provide better protection from tsunami waves
...e first quantitative confirmation of a widely held theory regarding the value of living coral reefs as a defense against tsunami waves, which are often generated by powerful undersea earthquakes. Princeton professor Michael Oppenheimer said his team's work will give scientists the ability to quantify how ...Microbe fixes nitrogen at a blistering 92 degree Celsius
... professor of oceanography. This is opposed to the theory that the nitrogenase system arose within archaea and was later transferred laterally to bacteria. "There's been lots of evidence that point to high-temperature archaea as the first life on Earth but the question has been, 'So why cant we find archaea...Leibniz Prize winners 2007 announced
...on theoretical solid state physics, especially the theory of magnetism in low-dimensional systems and in nanostructures. His microscopic explanation of special exchange interactions in ferromagnetic layered systems (interlayer exchange coupling) is already a staple of modern textbooks on solid state physics......at least 16 million years ago, has put paid to the theory that New Zealand's diverse prehistoric bird fauna had evolved there because they had no competition from land mammals. An international team led by Trevor Worthy, of the University of Adelaide, Alan Tennyson, of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Ton......ra chromosomes as they become more aggressive. The theory is that these extra chromosomes provide backup copies of important genes, allowing the original copies to mutate in ways that help the cells survive stresses (such as drugs) that are meant to kill them. The observation that both yeast and cancer c...Geneticists discover genes that make fruit fly hybrids sterile
...he finding supports the Dobzhansky-Muller model, a theory from the 1930s that suggests hybrid incompatibilities (such as death or sterility) are caused by genes that have evolved from a common ancestor but diverged in each of the species. More specifically, in the common ancestor, these genes may have work...'Best of both worlds' -- Targeting a single gene could inhibit bone decay and stimulate bone growth
...ing bone formation. "We have finally proven the theory that targeting one gene can do both," said Choi. "Now that we have demonstrated a new approach that is theoretically attainable, one that combines the best of both worlds, we can go to work on the genes up and down stream from our target gene. If we ...'Diabetes gene' may be linked to polycystic ovary syndrome
...s study provides additional strong support for the theory that two areas of one gene -- CAPN10 UCSNP-56 and UCSNP-ins/del-19 -- are related to PCOS susceptibility. These data also suggest that the SNP ins/del-19 may be related to both PCOS and type 2 diabetes. The findings are good news for the estimate......ase and longevity. The great monkey wrench in that theory was the common gray squirrel, which lives an amazing two decades, yet also expresses telomerase in great quantity. Evolution clearly didn't see long life in a squirrel to be an increased risk for cancer.Body mass, however, showed a clear correlation ...