Researchers at UT Southwestern discover new function for old enzyme
DALLAS Feb. 3, 2005 In a step toward understanding the early evolution of the cell, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered that an enzyme important in the production of energy also protects the mitochondria, the energy factory itself. The enzyme, called aconitase...Story tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, February 2005
...operties. Consequently, this is a significant step toward long-sought designer materials expected to have a wide range of applications, particularly as sensors and switches and in the semiconductor industry. Funding for this research, which is published in the Jan. 27 issue of Nature, is provided by ORNL'S ...Flocking together: Study shows how animal groups find their way
...ls were instructed to balance their desire to move toward their goal with their desire to stay in the group. In repeated simulations, it required only a few individuals with specific goals to set hundreds of others on the same course. "It demonstrates the power of the little guy," said Daniel Rubenstein, ch...Finland tops environmental scorecard at World Economic Forum in Davos
... empirical and analytically rigorous. Such a shift toward data-driven policy-making represents a potential revolution in the environmental realm," said Esty, who directs the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy. "While the ESI makes comparative policy analysis possible, it is shocking how many criti...Dartmouth Medical School lab blends DNA and technology to aid in crime-solving
...puter-based professional education that is applied toward producing 'virtual clinics' on a range of topics. ...the US justice system. The first course is geared toward health care and victims' services providers, training them how to respond to the concerns of the vic...Experimental domestication of foxes yields clues to cognitive evolution
...vior--for example, fearlessness and non-aggression toward humans. Understanding how intelligence evolved in ... of breeding selection against fear and aggression toward humans. To better understand how dogs evolved their unusual social cognitive ability, the researcher...Falling ants glide back to trunk to avoid dangers of forest floor
... their bodies so their hind legs and abdomen point toward the tree, and use their head-up fall through the air to take them feet-first toward the trunk. How they land is still a mystery, but evidently claws on their back legs act like grappli...Falling canopy ants glide home
...y Laboratory, showed that the ants visually orient toward tree trunks. In addition, small workers don't fall as far as their larger counterparts before making contact with the tree. Yanoviak: "We still don't understand exactly what mechanisms the ants use to change direction and to maintain a steady glide ...A startling diary reveals the onset of autism
...act, less verbal communication, and less affection toward others than did his sister. His sleep patterns were also noticeably different from his sister's. By the age of two, the boy had developed a fixation on particular patterns and puzzles; at age three, a child psychologist noted the boy "did not offer c...Ingestion of afterbirth appears to promote maternal behavior in mammals
...e as well for the emergence of caretaking behavior toward the young. "This activation is best described by focusing on two sites in the brain where it takes place," he says. "Increased opioid activity in the ventral tegmental area, a motivation area of the brain, facilitates the onset of mate...Studies reveal methods viruses use to sidestep immune system
... the viral protease is attacking, which could help toward further developing the protease inhibitors and more effective therapies for hepatitis C and possibly other viral infections." A third paper, also appearing in PNAS, describes collaborative research with a group at UT Medical Branch in Galveston. The...Map of human genetic variation across populations may promise improved disease treatments
...f years. Genetic patterns may help point the way toward improved disease treatments. "Imagine that friends are giving you directions," Jasny suggested. "They might tell you that their house is part of a development that is three street lights south of the movie theater. Finding the street lights and the m...'I had them a moment ago, now where are my glasses?'
...likelihood that the model is a significant advance toward understanding fundamental properties of brain structure and function....Brain controls robot arm in monkey, University of Pittsburgh researcher reports at AAAS
...o reach and manipulate a desired object. As a step toward that goal, University of Pittsburgh researchers report that a monkey outfitted with a child-sized robotic arm controlled directly by its own brain signals is able to feed itself chunks of fruits and vegetables. The researchers trained the monkey to f...Biological clock may shut down long-term memory at night
...This research will provide significant information toward understanding memory and thus diseases that affect memory," Eskin said. With the potential to shed light upon neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's marked by a loss of brain function due to the deterioration of neurons studying these ner......be. "There's more of a consensus on trying to work toward solutions rather than arguing over whether there is a problem or not," explains Dr. Fleming. "Making fish farming more sustainable is certainly in everyone's better interests." Dr. Fleming himself is a transplant from the West Coast. He was previousl...New study highlights universality of public views toward science and technology
...e beliefs." Another aspect of Americans' attitudes toward science and technology is their basic lack of objection to new technologies, such as the genetic modification of food which Europeans are more likely to reject. Edna Einsiedel of the University of Calgary will unveil the results of a first-ever surve...New science sheds light on rebuilding fisheries
...ments of struggling populations. "We have to move toward true ecosystem based management," he explains. "Commercial and recreational fishing have reduced top predators to a remnant of their former abundances, but pollution and nutrients from the land also drive fish, crabs, and shrimp to suboptimal habita...Advocate for gender equity in the sciences honored by the Association for Women in Science
...ased over the years, we still have more work to do toward achieving gender equity and diversity, both of which, I believe, are essential for an institution to achieve excellence in the sciences." AWIS, a non-profit association established in 1971, works to promote women's activities in all fields of scienc......he authors say. Such studies would go even further toward cracking the codes underlying animals' perception and memory....