Microbiology

Skinny Mouse Fat Depot Leads To Cell Discovery About Obesity

Obesity is a health problem in western countries in part from an increase in the mass and number of white fat cells. Because white fat cells are post-mitotic, meaning that they cannot divide, scientists have hypothesized that a population of fat precursor ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 4 2008 - 4:17pm

Non-Coding RNAs Shed Light On Gene Expression

A gene contained in laboratory yeast has helped an international team of researchers uncover new findings about the process by which protein molecules bind to control sequences in genes in order to initiate gene expression, says a new study. Previously th ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 6 2008 - 11:13am

Proteomics Key To Understanding Protein Role In Male Infertility

Proteins found in sperm are central to understanding male infertility and could be used to determine new diagnostic methods and fertility treatments according to a paper published by the journal Molecular and Cellular Proteomics (MCP). The article demonst ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 9 2008 - 12:42am

How Infectious Bacteria Can Switch Species

Scientists from the Universities of Bath and Exeter have developed a rapid new way of checking for toxic genes in disease-causing bacteria which infect insects and humans. Their findings could in the future lead to new vaccines and anti-bacterial drugs. Th ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 9 2008 - 10:48pm

DNA's Double Helix Gets Some New Spring In Its Step

The DNA's double helix--the sub-microscopic core of our life--has been the subject of intense study and scrutiny for decades. Observations and measurements at the scale of DNA are tricky. The distance between the rungs in DNA's ladder (or base pa ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 17 2008 - 1:04am

Plants And Pathogens- A Microbial SOS

Researchers at the University of Delaware have discovered that when the leaf of a plant is under attack by a pathogen, it can send out an S.O.S. to the roots for help, and the roots will respond by secreting an acid that brings beneficial bacteria to the r ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 19 2008 - 12:54am

26 Genes Linked To Lung Cancer Identified

Researchers say they have assembled the most complete catalog to date of the genetic changes underlying the most common form of lung cancer. They identified 26 genes that are frequently mutated in a type of cancer called lung adenocarcinoma, a finding tha ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 22 2008 - 2:46pm

Cold Virus 'Manipulates' Genes

Sneezing, runny nose and chills? You might blame the human rhinovirus (HRV), which causes 30 to 50 percent of common colds. But in reality, it's not the virus itself but HRV's ability to manipulate your genes that is the true cause of some of the ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 24 2008 - 12:23pm

5 Things You Should Know About Stem Cell Research

In November, America will vote for a new President.   The next President, whomever it is, has said he will overturn the restrictions President Bush placed on use of federal money for human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research that does not meet criteria est ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 27 2008 - 6:17pm

Hot Acid Microorganism Reveals New Cell Division Mechanism

A novel cell division mechanism has been discovered in a microorganism that thrives in hot acid. The finding may also result in insights into key processes in human cells, and in a better understanding of the main evolutionary lineages of life on Earth. Th ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 28 2008 - 10:52am