How a bacterium overcomes a tomato plant's defenses and causes disease, by sneakily disabling the plant's intruder detection systems, is revealed in new research published in the December issue of Current Biology.

The new study focuses on a pathogen which causes bacterial speck disease in tomato plants. This bacterial invasion causes black lesions on leaves and fruit. Severe infection can cause extensive and costly damage to tomato crops, and researchers believe that understanding more about how this microbe works could lead to new ways of tackling it, and other plant diseases, without the need for pesticides.

Research carried out at MIT's Alcator C-Mod fusion reactor may have brought the promise of fusion as a future power source a bit closer to reality, though scientists caution that a practical fusion powerplant is still decades away.

Fusion, the reaction that produces the sun's energy, is thought to have enormous potential for future power generation because fusion plant operation produces no emissions, fuel sources are potentially abundant, and it produces relatively little (and short-lived) radioactive waste. But it still faces great hurdles.

"There's been a lot of progress," says physicist Earl Marmar, division head of the Alcator Project at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC). "We're learning a lot more about the details of how these things work."

Scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have determined the first 3D structure of ZP3, a protein essential for the interaction between the mammalian egg coat and sperm. The findings, presented in Nature, gives a first glimpse into the molecular architecture of animal egg coats, with important implications for the future of human reproductive medicine and the possibility of developing novel contraceptives.

With up to half of a person's body mass consisting of skeletal muscle, chronic inflammation of those
muscles – which include those found in the limbs – can result in significant physical impairment.

According to University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Kimberly Huey, past research has demonstrated that the antioxidant properties of Vitamin E may be associated with reduced expression of certain pro-inflammatory cytokines, in vitro, in various types of cells. Cytokines are

The first robot that can jump like a grasshopper and roll like a ball could play a key role in future space exploration. The 'Jollbot' has been created by Rhodri Armour, a PhD student from the University of Bath. It's hoped his creation, which can jump over obstacles and roll over smoother terrain, could be used for space exploration or land survey work in the future.

Researchers using functional MRI (fMRI) have determined that the circuitry in the area of the brain responsible for suppressing memory is dysfunctional in patients suffering from stress-related psychiatric disorders. Results of the study will be presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

NEW YORK, December 4 /PRNewswire/ --

- PTT's Bunsumpun and GDF Suez' Mestrallet Receive CEO of the Year Honors

International energy giant Royal Dutch Shell, the Netherlands-based oil company, grabbed the esteemed award for Energy Company of the Year tonight at the 10th annual Platts Global Energy Awards.

In addition, for the first time ever, Platts' independent panel of judges chose two industry leaders as CEOs of the Year: Prasert Bunsumpun of Thailand's PTT, and Gerard Mestrallet, head of France's GDF Suez.

/ON HOLD ON HOLD ON HOLD -- Acision, PIV330758 Please place the following release: Rednano's Proximity Search Goes 'LIVE' Enabled by Acision and Seeker Wireless ON HOLD.

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MONTRÉAL, Canada, December 3 /PRNewswire/ --

- Product Extremely Well Tolerated

MONTRÉAL, Canada, December 3 /PRNewswire/ --

ConjuChem Biotechnologies, Inc. (TSX:CJB) announced preliminary results today showing that its Type 2 diabetes product, PC-DAC(TM):Exendin-4, achieved statistically significant reductions in HbA1c and weight in its two Phase II clinical trials.

LONDON, December 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Unite, the UK's biggest union has criticised the Scottish Government's policy proposals for Scotland's energy future in a response to the consultation, 'Making Scotland a Leader for Green Energy'.

In the same week that the Scottish Government launched a GBP10 million 'Saltire Prize' for innovation in renewable marine energy, Scotland's largest trade union believes that Alex Salmond has a blinkered outlook on how to deliver Scotland's energy future and a workforce that can develop and sustain it.