Biology News Net

Argonne scientists uncover a photosynthetic puzzle

Thu, 24 May 2012 18:57:33 -0500

Quantum physics and plant biology seem like two branches of science that could not be more different, but surprisingly they may in fact be intimately tied.

Deep sea animals stowaway on submarines and reach new territory

Thu, 24 May 2012 18:57:33 -0500

Marine scientists studying life around deep-sea vents have discovered that some hardy species can survive the extreme change in pressure that occurs when a research submersible rises to the surface. The team's findings, published in Conservation Biology, reveal how a species can be inadvertently carried by submersibles to new areas, with potentially damaging effects on marine ecosystems.

Researchers find a way to delay aging of stem cells

Thu, 24 May 2012 18:57:32 -0500

Stem cells are essential building blocks for all organisms, from plants to humans. They can divide and renew themselves throughout life, differentiating into the specialized tissues needed during development, as well as cells necessary to repair adult tissue.

Tracking endangered elephants with satellite technology

Thu, 24 May 2012 18:57:30 -0500

A hundred years ago wild elephants on the Malay Peninsular could be counted in their thousands — now there are less than 1500. Over the last century around 50 per cent of forest cover in Peninsular Malaysia has been lost.

'Killer silk:' Making silk fibers that kill anthrax and other microbes in minutes

Wed, 23 May 2012 19:51:10 -0500

The latest episode in the American Chemical Society's (ACS') award-winning Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions podcast series describes a simple, inexpensive dip-and-dry treatment can convert ordinary silk into a fabric that kills disease-causing bacteria — even the armor-coated spores of microbes like anthrax — in minutes.

NIH-supported study shows how immune cells change wiring of the developing mouse brain

Wed, 23 May 2012 19:51:10 -0500

Researchers have shown in mice how immune cells in the brain target and remove unused connections between brain cells during normal development. This research, supported by the National Institutes of Health, sheds light on how brain activity influences brain development, and highlights the newly found importance of the immune system in how the brain is wired, as well as how the brain forms new connections throughout life in response to change.

Stem-cell-growing surface enables bone repair

Wed, 23 May 2012 19:51:09 -0500

University of Michigan researchers have proven that a special surface, free of biological contaminants, allows adult-derived stem cells to thrive and transform into multiple cell types. Their success brings stem cell therapies another step closer.

Warm, dry El Nino weather puts baby sea turtle at risk

Wed, 23 May 2012 19:51:08 -0500

Climate variability associated with El Niño was associated with higher mortality for eggs and hatchlings of the critically endangered leatherback turtle, an effect that could be worsened by continuing global climate change, according to research published May 23 in the open access journal PLoS ONE.

How one strain of MRSA becomes resistant to last-line antibiotic

Tue, 22 May 2012 17:06:45 -0500

Researchers have uncovered what makes one particular strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) so proficient at picking up resistance genes, such as the one that makes it resistant to vancomycin, the last line of defense for hospital-acquired infections. They report their findings in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, on Tuesday May 22.

Researchers take virus-tracking software worldwide

Tue, 22 May 2012 17:06:36 -0500

Associate Professor Daniel Janies, Ph.D., an expert in computational genomics at the Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University, is working with software engineers at the Ohio Supercomputer Center A biomedical informatics researcher who tracks dangerous viruses as they spread around the globe has restructured his innovative tracking software to promote even wider use of the program around the world.

New TB test promises to be cheap and fast

Tue, 22 May 2012 17:06:27 -0500

This microfluidic chip invented at UC Davis uses DNA, coated on the gold spots, to test for gamma interferon -- a test for latent TB infection. Biomedical engineers at UC Davis have developed a microfluidic chip to test for latent tuberculosis. They hope the test will be cheaper, faster and more reliable than current testing for the disease.

Breast-fed babies' gut microbes contribute to healthy immune systems

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:57:47 -0500

A new multi-university study reports that differences in bacterial colonization of the infant gut in formula-fed and breast-fed babies lead to changes in the expression of genes involved in the infant's immune system.

Zooming in on bacterial weapons in 3-D

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:57:44 -0500

This image shows bacterial infection of host cells: Pathogens of the type Salmonella typhimurium (orange) establish contact to a human host cell (blue). The plague, bacterial dysentery, and cholera have one thing in common: These dangerous diseases are caused by bacteria which infect their host using a sophisticated injection apparatus. Through needle-like structures, they release molecular agents into their host cell, thereby evading the immune response. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen in cooperation with colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin and the University of Washington in Seattle (USA) have now elucidated the structure of such a needle at atomic resolution. Their findings might contribute to drug tailoring and the development of strategies which specifically prevent the infection process.

Pollination with precision: How flowers do it

Thu, 17 May 2012 19:20:00 -0500

Next Mother's Day, say it with an evolved model of logistical efficiency — a flower. A new discovery about how nature's icons of romance manage the distribution of sperm among female gametes with industrial precision helps explain why the delicate beauties have reproduced prolifically enough to dominate the earth.