In studies involving more than 35,000 people and a survey across the entire human genome, an international team supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found evidence that common genetic variants recently linked to osteoarthritis may also play a minor role in human height. The findings were released in Nature Genetics.

The variants most strongly associated with height in the new genome-wide association study lie in a region of the human genome thought to influence expression of a gene for growth differentiation factor 5 (GDF5), which is a protein involved in the development of cartilage in the legs and other long bones.

Many researchers have tried to create a mathematical model of how cells pack together to form tissue, but most models have many different complicated factors, and no model is universal.

Researchers at Northwestern University have now created a functional equation -- using only two parameters -- to show how cells pack together to create the eyes of Drosophila, better known as the fruit fly. They hope that the pared-down equation can be applied to different kinds of tissues, leading to advances in regenerative medicine.

Sascha Hilgenfeldt, associate professor of engineering sciences and applied mathematics and of mechanical engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, teamed up with Richard W.

Recently there has been some discussion in the blogosphere about student-advisor relationships in science.

When people in a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study were told that anorexia nervosa had a biological or genetics-based cause they were less likely to put any personal accountability on anorexics than when they were told it was personal or cultural.

That makes sense. A disease that is egalitarian and exculpatory like a genetics or biological mutation is different than a syndrome. We can't blame kids with Autism for having Autism, though we do teach them to moderate their behavior - and that's a key point.

Anorexia nervosa is characterized by an obsessive desire to be thin and results in self-starvation and related medical complications.

NAIROBI, January 11 /PRNewswire/ -- cbm through its staff and Regional Office in Nairobi is providing emergency assistance to the humanitarian crisis in Kenya.

It is estimated that around 500,000 people have lost their homes, due to the widespread violence following the disputed election.

Prof. Allen Foster, cbm's President announced, "There is an urgent need of food, shelter and health services, and cbm will provide immediate financial assistance through our partners to help people in the region."

NEW YORK, January 11 /PRNewswire/ --

"I am pleased to announce that Haas TCM Inc. and its subsidiaries, Kemfast Aerospace Group, Ltd. and Kemfast, Ltd (collectively Kemfast) and its MC Technologies division have combined with an affiliate of The Jordan Company, L.P. to form Haas TCM Group Inc. ICMS Holdings, Inc. (d/b/a Avchem, Inc.), an existing portfolio company of Jordan, will be integrated with Haas TCM Group Inc. The focus of these businesses is to provide chemical management services on a global basis to a wide range of industries including aerospace, automotive, electronics, health care and other markets, as well to government agencies such as the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency," stated Dean M. Willard, Chairman of the Board of Haas TCM Group Inc.