Microbiology

The Biology Of Meeting And Mating

Pheromones are a key reason many creatures, including humans, meet. In addition, while mating recognition systems in each species might be unique, pheromones are considered the important common denominator there also. The mating 'language' is a k ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 19 2007 - 8:56pm

Gene Therapy For Retinal Activity Also Restores Brain's Visual Center

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have demonstrated that gene therapy used to restore retinal activity to the blind also restores function to the brain’s visual center, a critical component of seeing. The multi-institutional study led by Geoffr ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 25 2007 - 8:25pm

Frog Molecule Could Provide Drug Treatment For Brain Tumors

A synthetic version of a molecule found in the egg cells of the Northern Leopard frog (Rana pipiens) could provide the world with the first drug treatment for brain tumours. Known as Amphinase, the molecule recognises the sugary coating found on a tumour c ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 26 2007 - 9:43am

Neurodegenerative Breakthrough- How Nervous System Cells Communicate

In a host of neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS) and several neuropathies, the protective covering surrounding the nerves – an insulating material called myelin – is damaged. Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science have now dis ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 27 2007 - 4:32pm

The Immune Cell Key To Male Infertility

A factor in immune cells regulates human semen and seems to determine whether a man will be fertile, according to a new study. Yousef Al-Abed, PhD, and his colleagues at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have isolated an immune substance called ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 29 2007 - 2:19pm

Allergy Molecule Identified

A vital molecule for resistance to food allergy has been identified and offers a potential target for therapy. There is currently no way to treat food allergy and the only way for sufferers to manage the problem is to avoid certain foods and make sure they ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 1 2007 - 6:06pm

Discovering The Function Of Enzymes

In the last 40 years, scientists have perfected ways to determine the knot-like structure of enzymes, but they’ve been stumped trying to translate the structure into an understanding of function – what the enzyme actually does in the body. This puzzle has ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 1 2007 - 1:47pm

Blood Clotting Protein May Inhibit Spinal Cord Regeneration

Fibrinogen, a blood-clotting protein found in circulating blood, has been found to inhibit the growth of central nervous system neuronal cells, a process that is necessary for the regeneration of the spinal cord after traumatic injury. The findings by rese ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 4 2007 - 5:24am

Chromosome Disorders In Sex Cells Cause Infertility And Miscarriage

Chromosome disorders in sex cells cause infertility, miscarriage and irregular numbers of chromosomes (aneuploidy) in neonates. A new study from Karolinska Institutet published in Nature Genetics shows how chromosome disorders can arise when sex cells are ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 8 2007 - 4:12pm

Why Altruism Persists Even Among Amoebae- They Only Trust Family

No one likes a cheater, even a single-celled one. New research from Rice University shows how cooperative single-celled amoebae rely on family ties to keep cheaters from undermining the health of their colonies. The research appeared in the Proceedings of ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 8 2007 - 6:30am