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New hypothesis on cause of Alzheimer's

New hypothesis on cause of Alzheimer's

Feb 19 2009 | comment(s)

A new hypothesis, published in today's Nature, suggests that Alzheimer's may be caused by a normal prenatal developmental process gone awry in the adult brain.

Before you cast aside years of beta-amyloid research or proclaim a cure is imminent, relax - the results are only from lab and mouse studies. The research indicates that beta-amyloid precursor protein "and DR6 are components of a neuronal self-destruction pathway, and suggests that an extracellular fragment of APP, acting via DR6 and caspase 6, contributes to Alzheimer's disease."

Hildegard Von Bingen (1098-1179)

Hildegard Von Bingen (1098-1179)

Feb 19 2009 | comment(s)

Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) was a remarkable woman. At a time when few women wrote, Hildegard, known as "Sybil of the Rhine", produced major works of theology, medicine and visionary writings. Hildegard composed music and spoke of Christ as God's song.  

Partnering VCs and National Labs (An Energy Moonshot)

Partnering VCs and National Labs (An Energy Moonshot)

Feb 19 2009 | comment(s)

Should the government or private industry shoulder the initiative for meaningful strides in alternative energy breakthroughs?  The level of disruption necessary cannot be achieved on any practial time horizon by private industry without some enormous stroke of luck.  Obama's references to JFK, an energy moonshot and government initiatives in this area is the best hope, but the logistics of propelling this economically and pragmatically are unclear.  An encouraging answer is some combination of private and public effort such as the DOE's initiative to partner national laboratories with VCs.   

GRB 080916C - The Most Extreme Gamma-Ray Blast Ever (That We Know About)

GRB 080916C - The Most Extreme Gamma-Ray Blast Ever (That We Know About)

Feb 19 2009 | comment(s)

Gamma-ray bursts are the universe's most luminous explosions. Astronomers believe most occur when exotic massive stars run out of nuclear fuel. As a star's core collapses into a black hole, jets of material -- powered by processes not yet fully understood -- blast outward at nearly the speed of light. The jets bore all the way through the collapsing star and continue into space, where they interact with gas previously shed by the star and generate bright afterglows that fade with time.

Breastfeeding May Inhibit Multiple Sclerosis Relapses?

Breastfeeding May Inhibit Multiple Sclerosis Relapses?

Feb 19 2009 | comment(s)

Make of it what you will but a study released today says that breastfeeding may reduce multiple sclerosis(MS) relapses.   Sorry guys, this only helps women MS sufferers and only after pregnancy.

For the study, researchers followed 32 pregnant women with MS and 29 pregnant women without MS during each trimester and up to a year after they gave birth. The women were interviewed about their breastfeeding and menstrual period history. 

A total of 52 percent of the women with MS did not breastfeed or began supplemental formula feedings within two months of giving birth. Of those, 87 percent had a relapse after pregnancy compared to 36 percent of women with MS who breastfed exclusively for at least two months after pregnancy. 
Ribosome - 'Universal' Molecular Machine May Hold Clues To Origin Of Life

Ribosome - 'Universal' Molecular Machine May Hold Clues To Origin Of Life

Feb 19 2009 | comment(s)

A major mystery about the origins of life may be resolved if a new hypothesis holds up, says  a study published in Nature.   Two Université de Montréal scientists have proposed a new idea for how a 'universal molecular machine', the ribosome, might have managed to self-assemble as a critical step in the genesis of all life on Earth.
You Can Literally Get Sick Of Sex, Says Study

You Can Literally Get Sick Of Sex, Says Study

Feb 19 2009 | comment(s)

Want to get a lot of money thrown at immunology?   Show that sex can not only be exhausting, if you do it right, it can also cause drops in the immune system.

According to a study in Journal of Evolutionary Biology, when fruit flies mate the females' genes are activated to roughly the same extent as when an immune reaction starts.   Using a combination of behavioral studies and genomic technology, so-called microarrays, researchers at Uppsala University can show how fruit fly females are affected by mating.

"We monitor how genetic expression is impacted by mating and show that the most common process that is affected is the immune defense system," says Ted Morrow at the Department of Ecology and Evolution, Uppsala University.
Shark Attacks Impacted By Economic Recession Too

Shark Attacks Impacted By Economic Recession Too

Feb 19 2009 | comment(s)

The world economy is an elaborate, complex system so a recession can have unforeseen effects all along the food chain - even among sharks, though that is a good thing for people.

Shark attacks worldwide in 2008 dipped to their lowest level in five years, a sign that Americans may be forgoing vacation trips to the beach, said George Burgess, ichthyologist and director of the International Shark Attack File, which is housed at the University of Florida.

According to the latest statistics released today, the total number of shark attacks declined from 71 in 2007 to 59 in 2008, the fewest since 2003, when there were 57, said Burgess, who works at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the UF campus.
Microbe Evolution 2.5 Billion Years Ago Began The Aerobic Nitrogen Cycle

Microbe Evolution 2.5 Billion Years Ago Began The Aerobic Nitrogen Cycle

Feb 19 2009 | comment(s)

As we mark the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, there is much focus on evolution in animals and plants. But new research shows that for the countless billions of tiniest creatures – microbes – large-scale evolution was completed 2.5 billion years ago.

All living organisms need nitrogen, a basic component of amino acids and proteins. But for atmospheric nitrogen to be usable, it must be "fixed," or converted to a biologically useful form. Some microbes turn atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, a form in which the nitrogen can be easily absorbed by other organisms.
Gene Modification Provides Fungal Disease Resistance, Reduces Wheat Yield Losses

Gene Modification Provides Fungal Disease Resistance, Reduces Wheat Yield Losses

Feb 19 2009 | comment(s)

A new gene that provides resistance to a fungal disease responsible for millions of hectares of lost wheat yield has been discovered by scientists from the US and Israel.  Resistance to stripe rust has previously been achieved using genes that are specific to single races of the disease. Unfortunately, each of these genes has had limited durability in the field because the pathogen has mutated to overcome them.

In the paper to be published in Science Express tomorrow, the international team of scientists report finding a novel type of gene in wild wheat that is absent in modern pasta and bread wheat varieties.
Drink Coffee, Improve Plant And Animal Diversity

Drink Coffee, Improve Plant And Animal Diversity

Feb 19 2009 | comment(s)

Coffee shrubs, both in themselves and because they are most often cultivated in the shade of large trees, can have a positive impact on plant and animal diversity in those parts of the landscape that are deforested and dominated by agriculture.

What constitutes a dilemma for consumers wishing to shop ecologically is that when coffee is grown in a forest, which is also common, the impact on diversity is negative, say researchers at the Department of Botany, Stockholm University, in Sweden, who recently published two articles about the role of coffee cultivation in conserving plants and animals in Ethiopia, the original home of coffee.
Making Dentist Visits Less Scary For Kids

Making Dentist Visits Less Scary For Kids

Feb 19 2009 | comment(s)

For many children, a trip to the doctor or dentist is a stressful experience. The sensory environment (i.e., the sounds, smells, and lights associated with the clinical setting) can cause a child's anxiety levels to rise. This is especially true in children with developmental disabilities who may have difficulty understanding the unfamiliar clinical environment. A new study soon explores the relationship between the sensory environment and anxiety levels in children.
Kepler Gets Set To Look For Life On Other Planets

Kepler Gets Set To Look For Life On Other Planets

Feb 19 2009 | comment(s)

NASA's Kepler spacecraft will soon begin a journey to search for worlds that could potentially host life. Kepler is scheduled to blast into space from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., aboard a Delta II rocket on March 5 at 7:48 p.m. Pacific Time (10:48 p.m. Eastern Time). It is the first mission with the ability to find planets like Earth -- rocky planets that orbit sun-like stars in a warm zone where liquid water could be maintained on the surface. Liquid water is believed to be essential for the formation of life. 
Ancient Cellular Machinery Pumps Out Signals For Wandering Fly Cells

Ancient Cellular Machinery Pumps Out Signals For Wandering Fly Cells

Feb 19 2009 | comment(s)

Show Me The Science Month Day 17



Often when something new crops up in evolutionary history, it's usually the result of tinkering with functional, preexisting molecular tools.. In a paper published in Science, some NYU researchers find that the protein cues used by  fruit fly embryos to direct their migrating reproductive cells are processed by some very ancient cellular machinery. The scientists test their ideas with a very weird experiment: they use their newfound knowledge to direct the reproductive cells to migrate into the embryos' brains.
If Osama Bin Laden Was A Panda, We Could Find Him With Satellites

If Osama Bin Laden Was A Panda, We Could Find Him With Satellites

Feb 18 2009 | comment(s)

Thanks to advances in satellite technology, college students are giving government intelligence a run for its money.  A student geography project from UCLA made waves in the Harvard International review for using principles of wildlife diversity to narrow bin Laden’s likely location to a few promising structures in Pakistan.  

Bin Laden has everything in common with a member of a species trying to escape extinction. This allowed the UCLA students used theories of wildlife dispersion to predict his whereabouts. 
Jerry Coyne And Extended Evolutionary Synthesis

Jerry Coyne And Extended Evolutionary Synthesis

Feb 18 2009 | comment(s)

I guess it was only a matter of time before my colleague Jerry Coyne at the University of Chicago lost his patience while reading one of several pieces that appeared in the press about the current and future status of evolutionary theory.
Cache Creek: Cowboys And Fossils A Plenty

Cache Creek: Cowboys And Fossils A Plenty

Feb 18 2009 | comment(s)


Looking for a great family vacation this summer? If you happen to be in BC's glorious interior, stop by and visit Cache Creek, the gateway to B.C.'s Cariboo Country. They boast cowboys aplenty, horses and, as it happens, some great fossil localities.
A Green's Function By Any Other Name (Green's Functions, Impulse Response, Propagators And All Of That)

A Green's Function By Any Other Name (Green's Functions, Impulse Response, Propagators And All Of That)

Feb 18 2009 | comment(s)

It's always satisfying to see concepts in the sciences, which reappear with varied nomenclature across fields and disciplines.  There are countless examples but one that always stood out for me is the concept of Green's functions.This is such an interesting an important concept in all of pure and applied science.  And to explain it will require some exploration of another interesting idea called a delta function and another important concept, linearity.
Thoughts About Theoretical vs. Applied Science

Thoughts About Theoretical vs. Applied Science

Feb 18 2009 | comment(s)

There is often an uncomfortable and artificial hierarchy amongst theorists and experimentalists.  Those exalting pure theory often forget that applied science is an art unto itself as is engineering.  There are many problems in applied science or engineering in which theorists are ill-equipped.  Of course, there are rare examples of great theorists who were also great experimentalists such as Fermi.  Steven Quake describes some examples of the crossover between pure and applied science and the scientists behind these initiatives.
Hormonal Regeneration: Turn Back The Wheel Of Time Like Benjamin Button

Hormonal Regeneration: Turn Back The Wheel Of Time Like Benjamin Button

Feb 18 2009 | comment(s)

- Bioidentical Hormones for Physical Rejuvenation and Fitness

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" has come to the movie theatres around the globe. Benjamin Button is born with the appearance and physical maladies of an elderly man but continuously growing younger - ailments and visible signs of aging disappear.

While in the film the effect of rejuvenation was achieved by changing actors, make up, and digital processing, modern medical technology can provide gentle rejuvenation of the body by up to 15 years.

DDr. Karl-Georg Heinrich, Vienna-based expert in anti-ageing and cosmetic surgery: "Age-related hormone deficiency is one of the main reasons for premature ageing and can be treated by use of bioidentical hormones." His surgery Clinic DDr.