Diatom genome reveals key role in biosphere's carbon cycle
...w finding reported in Science concerns the unusual way the diatom metabolizes silicon to form its characteristically ornate silica frustule. "Diatoms can manipulate silica in ways that nanotechnologists can only dream about. If we understood how they can design and build their patterned frustule as par...Don't stand so close to me: A new view on how species coexist
... are shaped both by ecology and by evolution." One way of capturing the essence of the new work, he added, is expressed in the concept of the 'Darwinian demon' - a hypothetical species that develops rapidly, reproduces continuously and does not age. Trade offs in life histories are thought to prevent Dar...DNA sequence controls expression of gene involved in cancer
...h transcriptionally and posttranscriptionally. One way bcl-2 levels are controlled is through an adenine and uracil-rich sequence of nucleotides in the 3' untranslated region of the bcl-2 mRNA. This sequence, called the AU-rich element, or ARE, recruits a number of proteins that destabilize the bcl-2 mRN...Penn receives grant for initiative to help understand genes' effects on medications
...ciplinary research. Recent advances have paved the way for significant gains in understanding how genetic...afety of drugs. The Penn project seeks to pave the way for a complete understanding of the genetic basis for these sometimes unpredictable responses to med...Commandeering cellular machinery: recognition mechanism to detect small molecules
...uld potentially detect small molecules in a robust way that could complement or replace other detection technologies," he explained. The same technology could also be used to produce enzymes, and to regulate metabolism in cells, Doyle said. Having demonstrated the ability to re-engineer one nuclear recep...College students recognized & rewarded for their innovative work
...s." Undergraduate winner Wei Gu , 21, has found a way to microscopically control small amounts of liquid...samples, giving medical researchers a powerful new way to study biological processes. His advisor for his work is Dr. Olav Solgaard, who receives $10,000....Columbia University scientist wins 2004 Nobel Prize
... their profoundly important discovery, and for the way in which they achieved it," said David Hirsh, executive vice president for research at Columbia University. "Their experiments represent the highest form of creativity, scientific discipline and scholarship. This is science at its most beautiful." ...A treatment, not a cure: Calcium silicate neutralizes an acidic stream
...e acidic." Likens comments. Adding that, "The only way to successfully combat stream acidity is through i...ever solve the acid rain problem. At most, it is a way to buy time until the real solution emerges-- a reduction in air pollution." He goes on to warn tha...How roots control plant shoots
...rated that BPS1 could be manipulated to change the way leaves develop even if a plant has enough food and water. The study used a plant named Arabidopsis, commonly known as thale cress, which is frequently used in studies of plant genetics because it is small, easy to handle, lives only seven weeks fro...Daphne Koller named MacArthur Fellow
...ings-attached" grant over five years to use in any way they see fit. Above all, Koller believes her work "can provide a framework to use as a starting point for answering tough questions." She says she hopes to resolve "the complex network of interactions between many genes, proteins, metabolites and si...Stanford cooling tool may improve performance of athletes, soldiers
... Olympic Games in Athens, and it may soon find its way into attire for military personnel and others who ...erature regulation, originally set out to devise a way to eliminate the violent tremors many patients have when they come out of anesthesia after surgery. ...Good news: As you age, leg blood vessels adapt so you can still exercise without fainting
...ur ability to respond to stressful situations. One way to look at exercise physiologically -- is as a non-life-threatening example of a stressful situation. Think about it: When we exercise, our heart and breathing rates rise rapidly and blood vessels in our limbs dilate in order to deliver more oxygen...Putting physiology into the Nobel Prize: 2004 marks 100th anniversary of Pavlov's award
...rk and saw physiology as a body of knowledge and a way of thinking that would diminish these difficulties." Perhaps the most unusual aspect of Pavlov's career and approach to science, Smith believes, was that shortly after receiving his Nobel Prize in 1904, Pavlov would change his research program at the...Protein energy profiles offer clues about amyloids
...equence to be incorrectly synthesized. "The second way proteins go wrong is by not folding at all, which is what we find in diseases involving amyloids. In these situations, the misfolded proteins assemble together into macroscopic aggregates." All the basic functions of life are carried out by proteins,...September/October 2004 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet
... Buetow, M.D. calls for a fundamental shift in the way we think of provider continuity, arguing the need to expand the meaning to include the patient and informal caregivers. Currently, provider continuity is defined by visits over time to the same clinician. Buetow points out that many patients and info...University of Edinburgh hosts European conference on childhood disability
...st effective help. The conference should point the way forward for us to promote and extend research in all aspects of childhood disability." She added: "Conference delegates comes from all over Europe to share ideas and learn from each others' research and clinical experience, with the common goal of ch...Brain circuit may permit scientists to eavesdrop on memory formation
...the brain's higher functions. The studies open the way for eavesdropping on one of the central processes in learning and memory, says HHMI investigator Erin M. Schuman . She and Miguel Remondes of the California Institute of Technology published their findings in the October 7, 2004, issue of the journa...Viruses found in untreated city water
...king water professionals. La Crosse is leading the way and has the most extensive dataset of any community in the U.S. that uses groundwater as its drinking water source."Researchers tested 48 untreated water samples from six of the city's 15 wells to evaluate whether viruses were present in the raw wate...Researchers find chemosignal that encourages women's sexual desire
...were plentiful. The chemosignal would have been a way of encouraging other women to reproduce when circumstances were optimal. In 1998, McClintock and other researchers at the institute produced the first evidence of human pheromones. ...Botulism bug says no to nitric oxide, provides key to molecule's role in human cell signaling
... activity in the absence of nitric oxide in such a way that we can combat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease." And don't forget meat protection. The research team showed that C. botulinum uses SONO to detect nitric oxide, and then to flee its presence. "It's a strange topic for a strict ...