Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have discovered that ENPP1 gene associated with risk of developing type-2 diabetes may be associated with premature child birth and low birth weight in Hispanic women. The study Errol Norwitz, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at Yale revealed that both the genetic make-up of the mother and the genetic make-up of the baby play a role in preterm births. Norwitz and his colleagues tried to figure out some of the genetic factors responsible for preterm birth. They isolated DNA in blood samples from a largely Hispanic population of mothers with a history of preterm birth and compared them to the DNA of women who had only had full-term pregnancies. The team later screened the DNA for 128 different genetic variations in 77 candidate genes. The findings revealed that four polymorphisms were associated with premature birth and a variant of the ENPP1 gen
The evolution of new genes is not the only way for a species to change. The loss of genes may also lead to adaptations that help species survive, but this idea has not been well studied. Now, scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have carried out the first systematic computational analysis to identify long-established genes that were lost during the millions of years of evolution leading to the human species. Their findings appear in the December 14 issue of PLoS Computational Biology."This is the first study designed to search the entire genome for recent loss of genes that do not have any near-duplicate copies elsewhere in the genome. These are likely to be the more important gene losses," said David Haussler, professor of biomolecular engineering at UCSC. Haussler and five others in his research group--postdoctoral researcher Jingchun Zhu, graduate students Zack Sanborn and Craig Lowe, technical projects manager Mark Diekhans, and evolutionary biologist Tom Pringle
Swedish scientists are developing new ways to utilise stem cell therapy for developing brain cells in the laboratory, that may be used for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease in future. The research, led by Professor Ernest Arenas of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, was presented at the EuroSTELLS “Stem Cell Niches” conference in Barcelona. Parkinson’s disease results from the loss of a particular type of brain cell called dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the part of the brain called the substantia nigra. “The idea is to start with stem cells and induce them to become neurons. These could then be transplanted into the brain of the patient. Also, such cells could be ideal for developing and testing new drugs to treat brain disease,” said Professor Arenas. For the study, the researchers studied the development of DA neurons in animals in order to find out the important biological molecules in the brain, necessary for th
SAN FRANCISCO, USA -- If you're worried about nuclear terrorism, it makes sense, at face value, to support nonproliferation programs, particularly those that target the former Soviet Union. The problem, however, is that money can't always buy you security.
Nothing illustrates this dilemma better than a new report by the Government Accountability Office.
The GAO says that no only does the
Scientists have discovered three previously unknown species of salamanders in La Amistad International Park on the Costa Rica-Panama border, which is Central America’s biggest rain forest reserve. Discovered last year during expeditions by Alex Monro of the Natural History Museum in London, the newly revealed amphibians include a dwarf salamander just the width of a fingernail, and a creature with colorful markings resembling a poison frog's. According to a report in National Geographic News, the new species increase the number of known salamanders in Costa Rica to 45, which probably don't exist anywhere else in world. "These particular species will have very small ranges," said Monro. "This area hadn't been explored, so they just weren't known before," he added. Among the new species, the dwarf salamander measuring just 1.2 inches (3 cm), belongs to the genus Nototriton and lives in mosses and leaf litter. The other newfound
French scientists have made advancement in uncovering the cause of some types of unbearable migraine headaches, by observing activity in the hypothalamus region of the brain in sufferers undergoing a migraine attack. The team says that their discovery may lead to new treatments for migraine. It was suspected for long that the hypothalamus regulates physiological responses to factors known to trigger headaches, such as hunger. Contrary to popular belief migraine is not just a specific brain disorder, but it is a series of systems that go wrong. The study was carried out by a team of researchers at Rangueil Hospital and was led by Dr Marie Denuelle. The researchers compared functional activity within the brain using a technique called Positron Emission Tomography (PET) on seven patients with migraine without aura, the most common type of migraine. Earlier, activation in the brain stem and midbrain, and a thickening in some areas of the cortex
Scientist have found a potential target for anti-lung cancer drugs, by identifying a gene called 14-3-3zeta, which when silenced, doesn’t allow lung cancer cells to survive. The study was led by Haian Fu, PhD, professor of pharmacology, hematology & oncology at Emory University School of Medicine and Emory Winship Cancer Institute. Zenggang Li, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Fu's laboratory and the first author of the study, said that though lung cancer kills more Americans per year as compared to any other type of malignancy, the treatment options are still very limited. "The recent trend towards targeted therapies requires us to understand the altered signaling pathways in the cell that allow cancer to develop," said Dr. Fu. He added: "If you think about genes that are dysregulated in cancer as drivers or passengers, we want to find the drivers and then, aim for these drivers during drug discovery." The research team focused specifically on the gene 1
Researchers at the University of Minnesota have announced the development of potential new antidotes for cyanide that can be taken by mouth rather than injection. The development comes after researchers cited that there’s an “alarming” lack of preparedness for terrorist attacks or other incidents involving release of the deadly poison. Herbert Nagasawa and colleagues said that the current antidotes for cyanide poisoning need a series of intravenous drug injections, making them cumbersome and difficult to administer in incidents in which hundreds or thousands of people are exposed. Researchers therefore said that there was ‘urgent need’ for a fast-acting, easy-to-use treatment that can be administered on a large scale. The new compounds, which are chemically modified versions of 3-mercaptopyruvate, change cyanide into a nontoxic substance. When researchers gave it orally to laboratory mice prior to cyanide exposure, the
When you ask them why they’re in favor of various policies that hurt people, like racial segregation, laws against various forms of consensual sex, and the relaxation of industrial pollution standards, conservatives will often tell you that they’re not really in favor of those policies, just “states’ rights” to engage in those policies. But [...]
It was reported earlier this week that South Korean scientists have bred cats that glow in the dark by inserting a fluorescence protein gene into the DNA of clones, which makes them glow under ultraviolet light !
The procedure could help scientists develop treatments for genetic diseases in humans.
Scientists led by Kong Il-keun of Gyeongsang National [...]
Clear communication between GABA – a chemical substance of the central nervous system which forbids work of neurons in a brain - and dependence of nicotine was found out by experts of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP). Nicotine has essential effects on brain levels of GABA this discovery will allow [...]
The American scientists have begun the preparation for the following flu epidemic, which, presumably, will capture the United States in the next winter. But, as it was found out, even the greatest experts could not give any forecasts concerning possible mutations of a virus of a flu without which the purposeful synthesis [...]
I'm shocked this hasn't been broadcast on every television and printed in every newspaper and magazine. Ok, not really, but who needs them? I was going to edit this press release, but there's too much good stuff in it to do that. Plus, It's a government release, so it's not subject the "fair-use" rule. An international team of scientists skeptical of man-made climate fears promoted by the UN and former Vice President Al Gore, descended on Bali this week to urge the world to "have the courage to do nothing" in response to UN demands. Lord Christopher Monckton, a UK climate researcher, had a blunt message for UN climate conference participants on Monday. "Climate change is a non-problem. The right answer to a non problem is to have the courage to do nothing," Monckton told participants. "The UN conference is a complete waste of our time and your money and we should no longer pay the slightest attention to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,)" Monc
The experts from the Harvard University have found out with what age-specific memory impairment is connected and why some old people manage to keep acuteness of mind longer. In their opinion, the basic role is played by system of transfer of the information between different departments of brain which is to some [...]
Researchers at the University of Alberta have made a remarkable advancement in the understanding of what they call a new state of matter or supersolidity.
British scientists have made a breakthrough in the fight against powerful super bugs by opening up new avenues of altering the molecular structure of antibiotics.
Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have developed a powerful tool to aid scientists in studying the genetics of inflammatory diseases, using information
Keith Murray from 'We Are Scientists' being interviewed by Ceri-Lee Thomas, at 53 Degrees, University of Central Lancashire,Preston.November 2007www.wearescientists.com/www.myspace.com/wearescientists/www.53degrees.net/www.uclan.ac.uk/
A research team, led by an Indian scientist at MIT, has developed remotely controlled nanoparticles that, when pulsed with an electromagnetic field, release drugs to
Although it is sometimes contended that astronomers never report UFOs, the Air Force's Project Blue Book files indicate that approximately 1% of all their reports came from amateur and professional astronomers or other users of telescopes (such as missile trackers or surveyors). In the 1970s, astrophysicist Peter A. Sturrock conducted two surveys of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and American Astronomical Society. About 5% of the members polled indicated that they had had UFO sightings. [6] [7] In 1980, a survey of 1800 members of various amateur astronomer associations by Gert Helb and astronomer J. Allen Hynek of the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) found that 24% responded "yes" to the question "Have you ever observed an object which resisted your most exhaustive efforts at identification?"[29]Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, who admitted to 6 UFO sightings, including 3 green fireballs supported the Extraterrestrial hypothesis (ETH) for UFOs and stated he thought sci
Although it is sometimes contended that astronomers never report UFOs, the Air Force's Project Blue Book files indicate that approximately 1% of all their reports came from amateur and professional astronomers or other users of telescopes (such as missile trackers or surveyors). In the 1970s, astrophysicist Peter A. Sturrock conducted two surveys of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and American Astronomical Society. About 5% of the members polled indicated that they had had UFO sightings. [6] [7] In 1980, a survey of 1800 members of various amateur astronomer associations by Gert Helb and astronomer J. Allen Hynek of the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) found that 24% responded "yes" to the question "Have you ever observed an object which resisted your most exhaustive efforts at identification?"[29]Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, who admitted to 6 UFO sightings, including 3 green fireballs supported the Extraterrestrial hypothesis (ETH) for UFOs and stated he thought sci
Today we tell about some recent studies of pain, and new possibilities for controlling it.Have you ever wished you could not feel pain? There are people in the world with this ability. They do not know when they are hurting. If you have ever broken a leg or given birth, this might sound good to you. But a person unable to feel physical pain can be in danger and not know it.Last year, Nature magazine published a report about six children who have never suffered pain. C. Geoffrey Woods of the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research in England and his team wrote the report.The six children come from three families from northern Pakistan. The research team found the children after hearing about a boy who apparently felt no pain. The boy stood on burning coals and stabbed his arms with knives to earn money. He died in a fall before the researchers could meet him.But the team was able to find members of the boy's extended family. They also seemed unable to feel pain.These children were six
ROBOT nurses could be bustling around hospital wards in as little as three years. The mechanised "angels" - being developed by EU-funded scientists - will perform basic tasks such as mopping up spillages, taking messages and guiding visitors to hospital beds. They could also be used to distribute medicines and even monitor the temperature of patients remotely with laser thermometers. Working in teams, the intelligent robots will be able to communicate with each other and co-ordinate their duties. Scientists from the universities of Warwick, Cardiff, Dublin and Newcastle are among the engineers and software experts taking part in the "IWARD" project. They aim to have a three-robot prototype system ready by 2010. It is hoped the machines will ease pressure on hospitals and free staff to spend more time with patients. By helping to keep wards cleaner, they could also cut infections by hospital superbugs such as MRSA. Each "nursebot" will consist of a mobile platform mounted with a module
From LiveScience.com:
A genetic switch that gives tadpoles three eyes could allow stem-cell scientists to eventually grow human eyeballs or at least create replacement parts needed for repair jobs. If scientists could grow eyeballs from stem cells in the lab, the process wou
Washington, Oct 17 (ANI): Researchers have shed more light on how schizophrenia develops, by discovering major clues behind the growth of the disease. Researchers ...
If this isn’t a slippery slope, I don’t know what is! One would think that the world has enough dangers lurking around before the next sun up without scientists creating a new species of bacteria!! I wonder if we are not witnessing a Mary Shelly sequel but we just don’t know it yet?
I sure [...]
If ever you saw virus infection movies like Outbreak or have read about the potential disaster of a full-blown SARS or bird flu (NHN1) infection will do to humanity, you’d know how big the problem is.
To further study the potential of dangerous diseases and perhaps how to contain it, scientists are turning to MMORPGs to [...]
By Gregg Zoroya,USA TODAYScientists trying to understand traumatic brain injury from bomb blasts are finding the wound more insidious than they once thought.They find that even when there are no outward signs of injury from the blast, cells deep within the brain can be altered, their metabolism changed, causing them to die, says Geoff Ling, an advance-research scientist with the Pentagon.The new findings are the result of blast experiments in recent years on animals, followed by microscopic examination of brain tissue. The findings could mean that the number of brain-injured soldiers and Marines — many of whom appear unhurt after exposure to a blast — may be far greater than reported, says Ibolja Cernak, a scientist with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.TROOPS AT RISK: USA TODAY'S full coverage on IEDs in IraqThis cellular death leads to symptoms that may not surface for months or years, Cernak says. The symptoms can include memory deficit, headaches, vertigo
By Gregg Zoroya,USA TODAYScientists trying to understand traumatic brain injury from bomb blasts are finding the wound more insidious than they once thought.They find that even when there are no outward signs of injury from the blast, cells deep within the brain can be altered, their metabolism changed, causing them to die, says Geoff Ling, an advance-research scientist with the Pentagon.The new findings are the result of blast experiments in recent years on animals, followed by microscopic examination of brain tissue. The findings could mean that the number of brain-injured soldiers and Marines — many of whom appear unhurt after exposure to a blast — may be far greater than reported, says Ibolja Cernak, a scientist with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.TROOPS AT RISK: USA TODAY'S full coverage on IEDs in IraqThis cellular death leads to symptoms that may not surface for months or years, Cernak says. The symptoms can include memory deficit, headaches, vertigo
The American Nuclear Society has a large variety of scholarships and research grants available to women who plan to pursue a career in the nuclear sciences. One scholarship awarded each year is reserved for women who are returning to school after a break/delay in their education. All scholarships can be applied for using one application form, which is available on their website. Contact American Nuclear Society, 555 N. Kensington Ave., La Grange Park, IL 60525; {www .ans.org}.
About one fourth of those who had the so-called near-death experience say that they could see themselves out of their own bodies. Mystics insist that the fact proves the existence of soul, assuming that only soul that can leave the body and see it from outside.
Psychiatrists and neurophysiologists call the phenomenon "out-of-body experience." The phenomenon has been closely studied for many years. Researchers state that it is not connected with near-death conditions only.
Scientists show that people may have out-of-body experience under the action of drugs, as a result of stress or some diseases. Leading researcher from the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Brain based in St.Petersburg, Professor Leonid Spivak fixed the phenomenon with women in childbirth. Every tenth woman he observed reported about her out-of-body experience. He told that those women said they saw themselves, doctors and nurses, also their wardmates from a height of 2-3 meters. They suddenly f
Did you just decide on a new career path after reading that headline? Who wouldn’t want to be a breastician?
Researchers in Hong Kong claim that they have devised a mathematical equation for measuring breasts that result in a perfect fitting bra every time, for every woman. The current, outdated system of measurement is over 70 [...]
It's an amazing achievement. However; it could lead to backwards time travel, which I think could do more harm than good. A pair of German physicists claim to have broken the speed of light - an achievement that would undermine our entire understanding of space and time. According to Einstein's special theory of relativity, it would require an infinite amount of energy to propel an object at more than 186,000 miles per second. However, Dr Gunter Nimtz and Dr Alfons Stahlhofen, of the University of Koblenz, say they may have breached a key tenet of that theory. The pair say they have conducted an experiment in which microwave photons - energetic packets of light - travelled "instantaneously" between a pair of prisms that had been moved up to 3ft apart. Being able to travel faster than the speed of light would lead to a wide variety of bizarre consequences. For instance, an astronaut moving faster than it would theoretically arrive at a destination before leaving. The scient
Author: Emma Previato Paperback: 168 pagesPublisher: CRC (October 29, 2002)Language: EnglishISBN: 1584880538Despite the seemingly close connections between mathematics and other scientific and engineering fields, practical explanations intelligible to those who are not primarily mathematicians are even more difficult to find. The Dictionary of Applied Mathematics for Engineers and Scientists fills that void. It contains authoritative yet accessible definitions of mathematical terms often encountered in other disciplines. There may be bigger dictionaries, more comprehensive dictionaries, and dictionaries that offer more detailed definitions, theorems, and proofs. But there is no other dictionary specifically designed and written for scientists and engineers whose understanding and ability to solve real-world problems work can depend upon the application of mathematics. Concise, comprehensible, and convenient, the Dictionary of Applied Mathematics for Engineers and Scientists is a pr
Before life emerged on earth, either a primitive kind of metabolism or an RNA-like duplicating machinery must have set the stage – so experts believe. But what preceded these pre-life steps? A pair of UCSF scientists has developed a model explaining how simple chemical and physical processes may have laid the foundation for life. Like all useful models, theirs can be tested, and they describe how this can be done. Their model is based on simple, well-known chemical and physical laws.The basic idea is that simple principles of chemical interactions allow for a kind of natural selection on a micro scale: enzymes can cooperate and compete with each other in simple ways, leading to arrangements that can become stable, or “locked in,” says Ken Dill, PhD, senior author of the paper and professor of pharmaceutical chemistry at UCSF. The scientists compare this chemical process of “search, selection, and memory” to another well-studied process: different rates of neuron firing in the
I don’t need a reason or excuse to justify having a drink. That being said nothing makes you feel better then knowing that a little scientific evidence has got your back. Some of the world’s top neuroscientists are currently meeting in Australia discussing the growth of brain cells over the course of ones lifetime
Queensland Brain Institute director Professor Perry Bartlett says the report shows drinking alcohol does not kill off brain cells - and that drinking up to four standard glasses of wine a night might be beneficial.
Four standard glasses of wine a night!? My local bottle shop better start stocking up.
Original Article: ABC.au
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