EurekAlert! - Biology
Sun Apr 24 04:23:11 EDT 2011
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Effect of cloud-scattered sunlight on earth's energy balance depends on wavelength of light - (DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) Atmospheric scientists trying to pin down how clouds curb the amount of sunlight available to warm the earth have found that it depends on the wavelength of sunlight being measured. This unexpected result will help researchers improve how they portray clouds in climate models.

Seafloor recovery from fishing gear impacts in Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary slow, unstable - (NOAA Headquarters) The University of Connecticut and California State University researchers found that seafloor communities in a restricted fishing area in NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary showed indications of recovery from chronic fishing gear impacts but is not fully stable.

The ultimate camo: Team to mimic camouflage skill of marine animals in high-tech materials - (Marine Biological Laboratory) Camouflage expert Roger Hanlon of the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is co-recipient of a $6 million grant from the Office of Naval Research to study and ultimately emulate the exquisite ability of some marine animals to instantly change their skin color and pattern to blend into their environment.

Penn research using frog embryos leads to new understanding of cardiac development - (University of Pennsylvania) During embryonic development, cells migrate to their eventual location in the adult body plan and begin to differentiate into specific cell types. Thanks to new research at the University of Pennsylvania, there is new insight into how these processes regulate tissues formation in the heart.

Signaling pathway reveals mechanism for B cell differentiation in immune response - (RIKEN) An article in Science Signaling by researchers at the RIKEN Research Center for Allergy and Immunology (RCAI) has clarified for the first time the mechanism governing differentiation of B cells into antibody-producing plasma cells. The finding establishes a role for the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway in B cell differentiation, a key step toward the development of B cell-targeted drugs for treatment of autoimmune diseases and allergies.

TGen findings contribute to understanding of diabetic kidney disease - (The Translational Genomics Research Institute) A gene called PVT1 may help reduce the kidneys ability to filter blood, leading to kidney disease, kidney failure and death, according to a study published today by researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute.

Scotland's first marine reserve already producing benefits - (University of York) Scotland's first fully protected marine reserve, and only the second in the UK, is already providing commercial and conservation benefits, according to new research.After only two years in operation, it is already showing positive signs for both fishermen and conservationists, according to a study by the University of York and the Community of Arran Seabed Trust.

New approach to defeating flu shows promise - (American Thoracic Society) New research on mice has shown that pulmonary administration of granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) significantly reduces flu symptoms and prevents death after a lethal dose influenza virus. While GM-SCF therapy for humans as a flu prophylaxis or treatment may be years away, the study results were striking: All of the mice treated with GM-SCF survived after being infected with the influenza virus, whereas untreated mice all died from the same infection.

Ben-Gurion University professor awarded top prize for best article on Palestinian-Israeli watersheds - (American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev) Prof. Tal and his co-authors from BGU's Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research were recognized for the article titled "Chemical and Biological Monitoring in Ephemeral and Intermittent Streams: A Study of Two Trans-boundary Palestinian-Israeli Watersheds." The article described the joint monitoring and restoration of the Besor and Alexander streams undertaken by the two groups.

Optical microscope without lenses produces high-resolution 3-D images on a chip - (University of California - Los Angeles) UCLA researchers have redesigned the concept of a microscope, by removing the lens, to create a system small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, but powerful enough to create 3-D tomographic, or sectional, images of miniscule samples. The advance, published online this week in PNAS, represents the first demonstration of lens-free optical tomographic imaging on a chip, a technique capable of producing high resolution 3-D images of large volumes of microscopic objects.

What motivates environmental activists, policymakers? asks new research center - (University of Maryland) A new University of Maryland research center will focus on the human side of environmental policymaking and activism -- one of the first of its kind in the field."Environmental legislation and community activism doesn't just spring up in a vacuum," said Dana R. Fisher, a University of Maryland sociology professor who directs the new Center for Society and the Environment.

UGA compound offers new hope for treatment of painful adult shingles - (University of Georgia) Researchers at the University of Georgia and Yale University have discovered a compound with the potential to be more effective than existing agents in treating the very painful blisters known as shingles -- a condition that affects up to 30 percent of Americans, mostly elderly, and for which no specific treatment exists.

Fossil sirenians give scientists new look at ancient climate - (National Science Foundation) What tales they tell of their former lives, these old bones of sirenians, relatives of today's dugongs and manatees. And now, geologists have found, they tell of the waters in which they swam.While researching the evolutionary ecology of ancient sirenians -- commonly known as sea cows--scientist Mark Clementz and colleagues unexpectedly stumbled across data that could change the view of climate during the Eocene Epoch, some 50 million years ago.

Researchers create functioning synapse using carbon nanotubes - (University of Southern California) Engineering researchers at the University of Southern California have made a significant breakthrough in the use of nanotechnologies for the construction of a synthetic brain. They have built a carbon nanotube synapse circuit whose behavior in tests reproduces the function of a neuron, the building block of the brain.

Are dietary supplements working against you? - (Association for Psychological Science) Do you belong to the one-half of the population that frequently uses dietary supplements with the hope that it might be good for you?

Purdue-led team studies Earth's recovery from prehistoric global warming - (Purdue University) The Earth may be able to recover from rising carbon dioxide emissions faster than previously thought, according to evidence from a prehistoric. When faced with high levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide and rising temperatures 56 million years ago, the Earth increased its ability to pull carbon from the air. This led to a recovery that was quicker than anticipated by many models of the carbon cycle.

Scientists engineer nanoscale vaults to encapsulate 'nanodisks' for drug delivery - (University of California - Los Angeles) The first steps toward the development of the vault nanoparticle into a versatile and effective DDS are reported in this paper. The ability to encapsulate therapeutic compounds into the vault is a critical and fundamental obstacle in their development for small-molecule drug delivery. Recombinant vaults are engineered to encapsulate the highly insoluble and toxic hydrophobic compound all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) using a vault-binding lipoprotein complex that forms a lipid bilayer nanodisk.

Study in roundworm chromosomes may offer new clues to tumor genome development - (University of North Carolina School of Medicine) Research led by UNC School of Medicine scientists finds that a "promiscuous DNA replication process" may be responsible for large-scale genome duplications in developing tumors. These findings challenge the long-standing, currently accepted model.

MIT: Development in fog harvesting process - (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Shreerang Chhatre is an engineer and aspiring entrepreneur at MIT who works on fog harvesting, the deployment of devices that, like the beetle, attract water droplets and corral the runoff. This way, poor villagers could collect clean water near their homes, instead of spending hours carrying water from distant wells or streams.

Scientists observe single gene activity in living cells - (Albert Einstein College of Medicine) Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have for the first time observed the activity of a single gene in living cells. In an unprecedented study, published in the April 22 online edition of Science, Einstein scientists were able to follow, in real time, the process of gene transcription, which occurs when a gene converts its DNA information into molecules of messenger RNA that go on to make the protein coded by the gene.

First articles in new neuroscience journal -- Brain Connectivity -- debut online - (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News) The new neuroscience journal, Brain Connectivity, set to become the premier source of cutting-edge basic and clinical research contributing to a better understanding of how structural and functional connections in the brain are organized, develop, and are altered in neurological disorders, launches with four compelling articles. Brain Connectivity, a bimonthly peer-reviewed journal, is published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The articles and a full description of the Journal and its editorial leadership are available online.

Simple fungus reveals clue to immune system protection - (Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions) A discovery by Johns Hopkins scientists about how a single-celled fungus survives in low-oxygen settings may someday help humans whose immune systems are compromised by organ transplants or AIDS.

Parasite strategy offers insight to help tackle sleeping sickness - (University of Edinburgh) Fresh insight into the survival strategy of the parasite that causes sleeping sickness could help inform new treatments for the disease.

Salmonella utilize multiple modes of infection - (Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) Scientists from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig, Germany, have discovered a new, hitherto unknown mechanism of Salmonella invasion into gut cells: In this entry mode, the bacteria exploit the muscle power of cells to be pulled into the host cell cytoplasm. Thus, the strategies Salmonella use to infect cells are more complex than previously thought.

Lawn of native grasses beats traditional lawn for lushness, weed resistance - (University of Texas at Austin) A lawn of regionally native grasses would take less resources to maintain while providing as lush a carpet as a common turfgrass used in the South, according to a study by ecologists at The University of Texas at Austin's Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.