science wire

AAAS Notebook: Faculty views range across natural world, human health, more
Last week's American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Vancouver, BC, included 11 speakers from the University of Washington on topics including marine protected areas, the myth of black progress, women's reproductive health and how undergraduates learn best.

Yale’s Nelson gets $8.4 million grant to study photosynthesis
Timothy Nelson, professor of molecular, cellular & developmental biology, has been awarded an $8.4 million grant by the Plant Genome Research Program of the National Science Foundation to investigate

Surprising diversity at a synapse hints at complex diversity of neural circuitry
A new study reveals a dazzling degree of biological diversity in an unexpected place — a single neural connection in the body wall of flies. The finding raises several interesting questions about the importance of structure in the nervous system and the evolution of neural wiring.

Familiarity breeds contempt in cleaner fish
Familiarity with your partner is usually thought to promote teamwork, but new research has found that on coral reefs at least, female cleaner fish are more cooperative with unfamiliar males than their breeding partner.

Flesh-eating bacteria inspire superglue
A bio-inspired superglue has been developed by Oxford University researchers that can't be matched for sticking molecules together and not letting go.

Under the Microscope #10 – Mouse tail skin
Through the work that I am completing, I hope that I can also gain a perspective as to what goes wrong in disease processes such as skin cancer." —Claire Cox Claire Cox: “

New Book Ponders Ethical Issues of Genetic Testing
A patient who tested positive for the gene that leads to Huntington's disease wrestled with a host of questions.

Researcher wins novel grant to study lupus
Sandra Wolin of Yale School of Medicine, is among 12 investigators to receive a 2012 Novel Research Grant from the Lupus Research Institute (LRI) to conduct innovative work in lupus.

Rare fungus kills endangered rattlesnakes in southern Illinois
CHAMPAIGN, lll. - A small population of rattlesnakes that already is in decline in southern Illinois faces a new and unexpected threat in the form of a fungus rarely seen in the wild, researchers report. The eastern massasauga rattlesnake ( Sistrurus catenatus catenatus ), a candidate for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act, suffers from habitat loss and environmental stresses wherever it is found, said University of Illinois comparative biosciences visiting instructor and wildlife veterinarian Matthew Allender, who led the health investigation.

IPads show the way forward for medical imaging
Tablet computers such as the iPad are becoming more and more popular, but new research from the University of Sydney means they could soon be used in hospitals as a tool for doctors to view medical imaging. Results of the University of Sydney study, presented this month at the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE) Medical Imaging conference in San Diego, show tablet computers such as the iPad are as good as standard LCD computer screens when used as secondary display devices for viewing medical imaging.

Search begins for adoption expert to lead new centre
Search begins for adoption expert to lead new centre The University has this week begun its search for an expert to lead a new research centre focusing on the major challenges facing adopted children and their families.

Wheat varieties are being developed to resist global threat
Innovative techniques in wheat breeding are necessary to meet the needs of the world's growing population and overcome environmental challenges, said Ravi Singh at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting, Feb.

Honeycomb structure responsible for bacteria’s extraordinary sense
Cornell researchers have peered into the complex molecular network of receptors that give one-celled organisms like bacteria the ability to sense their environment and respond to chemical changes as small as 1 part in 1,000. Just as humans use five senses to navigate through surroundings, bacteria employ an intricate structure of thousands of receptor molecules, associated enzymes and linking proteins straddling their cell membranes that trigger responses to external chemical changes.

New approach could more effectively diagnose personality disorders
Personality disorders could be more effectively diagnosed by identifying and targeting the disrupted neurobiological systems where the disorders originate, report Cornell researchers. The way that these mental illnesses are now classified - based on particular patterns of thought and behavior - is misguided and has little hard evidence to support it, reports Cornell neuroscientist Richard Depue and his colleague in a special issue of the Journal of International Review of Psychiatry (23:3).

Decline in proboscis monkeys
University researchers and conservationists in Sabah have shown that proboscis monkey populations throughout Borneo may experience population decline if nothing is done to stop their habitat degradation.

Four Penn Researchers Awarded Sloan Fellowships
Four University of Pennsylvania faculty members are among this year's Sloan Fellowship recipients.

Do we needlessly fear sharks and spiders?
When and how do animals 'become' dangerous? In Australia, neither sharks nor spiders were considered serious hazards to human life until almost 100 years ago and we've been trying to quantify, control and exterminate these beasts ever since.

The balancing act between protection and inflammation in MS
Scientists have discovered a molecular mechanism that could help explain how multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases can be exacerbated by the onset of an infection. MS is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system which affects approximately 100,000 people in the UK. The research, directed by Bruno Gran at The University of Nottingham , focused on a population of cells of the immune system known as regulatory'T cells, which control and regulate the behaviour of other immune cells.

U-M Life Sciences Institute lab identifies potential antibiotic alternative to treat infection without resistance
U-M Life Sciences Institute lab identifies potential antibiotic alternative to treat infection without resistance ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Researchers at the University of Michigan have found a potential alternative to conventional antibiotics that could fight infection with a reduced risk of antibiotic resistance.

The Splice of Life: Proteins Cooperate to Regulate Gene Splicing
RNAs wound in a knot and bound by hnRNP proteins illustrates the intractable problem of RNA regulation addressed by Huelga et al. Understanding how RNA binding proteins control the genetic splicing code is fundamental to human biology and disease - much like editing film can change a movie scene.

UCLA ranks second in nation in number of 2012 Alfred P. Sloan fellows
Six outstanding young profssors from UCLA are among 126 scientists and scholars from 51 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada to receive 2012 Sloan Research Fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Nanoparticles in food, vitamins could harm human health
Billions of engineered nanoparticles in foods and pharmaceuticals are ingested by humans daily, and new Cornell research warns they may be more harmful to health than previously thought. A research collaboration led by Michael Shuler, the Samuel B. Eckert Professor of Chemical Engineering and the James and Marsha McCormick Chair of Biomedical Engineering, studied how large doses of polystyrene nanoparticles - a common, FDA-approved material found in substances from food additives to vitamins - affected how well chickens absorbed iron, an essential nutrient, into their cells.

Two U-M early-career scientists win 2012 Sloan research fellowships
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Two University of Michigan professors are among 126 researchers from across the United States and Canada selected as 2012 Alfred P. Sloan research fellows.

Under the Microscope #9 – Skate head
Andrew Gillis shows us an embryonic skate head and explains how the red denticles dotted all over it have very similar properties to human teeth.

Express Yourself: How Zygotes Sort Out Imprinted Genes
Writing in the February 17, 2012 issue of the journal Cell , researchers at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Toronto Western Research Institute peel away some of the enduring mystery of how zygotes or fertilized eggs determine which copies of parental genes will be used or ignored.

Three UCLA researchers honored for bravery in face of threats from extremists
Three UCLA professors have been recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science for their "strong defense of the importance of the use of animals in research and their refusal to remain silent in the face of intimidation" by anti–animal research extremists.

Top researchers to lead U of T’s Institute for Human Development
Professor Stephen Lye will serve as the inaugural executive director and Professor Marla Sokolowski as the inaugural academic director of the University of Toronto's newly established Institute for Human Development.

BREAD grant funds research to tackle plant viral diseases
A team of international researchers is working to tackle the global problem of plant viral diseases that are spread by insects, thanks to close to $1 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

A neuroscientific odyssey into how we ’remember the future’
Shimon Edelman finds happiness when he hikes. He treks the canyons of the American southwest, the hills of the Negev Desert, the gorges of Ithaca.

Chemists reveal why sea urchins are no easy prey
Nature invented a hi-tech composite material millions of years ago Scientists from the Electron and Scanning Probe Microscopy Unit in the University of Bristol's School of Chemistry were part of an international network of institutes specialising in materials characterisation who have helped solve a decades-long debate on the nature of the sea urchin spine.

Psychiatric diagnoses: Why no one is satisfied
ANN ARBOR, Mich.—As the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is revised for the first time since 1994, controversy about psychiatric diagnosis is reaching a fever pitch.

Scientists report link between traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder
UCLA life scientists and their colleagues have provided the first evidence of a causal link between traumatic brain injury and an increased susceptibility to post-traumatic stress disorder. Their new study, published Feb. 15 in the in the journal Biological Psychology, also suggests that people who suffer even a mild traumatic brain injury are more likely to develop an anxiety disorder and should take precautions to avoid stressful situations for at least some period of time.

Genes may travel from plant to plant to fuel evolution
Genes may travel from plant to plant to fuel evolution Evolutionary biologists at the University of Sheffield and Brown University have documented for the first time that plants pass genes from plant to plant to fuel their evolutionary development. The evolution of plants and animals generally has been thought to occur through the passing of genes from parent to offspring and genetic modifications that happen along the way.

Art and Science Have a Chat in ’ANOMALIA’
In scientific research, an anomalous finding can be cast aside because it falls outside of the typical and does not fit cleanly in a normal distribution curve.

Women leave math-intensive science fields when they decide to have kids
Women with advanced degrees in math-intensive academic fields drop out of fast-track research careers primarily because they want children - not because their performance is devalued or they are shortchanged during ing and hiring, report two Cornell professors.

People forage for memories in the same way birds forage for berries
Humans move between ‘patches' in their memory using the same strategy as bees flitting between flowers for pollen or birds searching among bushes for berries.

Calnexin - a stable component of the ribosome-translocon complex
Palmitoylated calnexin is a key component of the ribosome-translocon complex. A third of the human genome encodes N-glycosylated proteins.

Lecture: Bringing the Dino-Birds to Life
Some 150 million years ago lived an early intermediate form between feathered dinosaurs and birds.

Saltwater crocodile breeders to benefit from genome sequence
The genome sequence of the saltwater crocodile has been completed by an international collaboration of scientists, including researchers from the University of Sydney.

World’s greenest supercomputer heads to Melbourne to boost health research
Victoria will be home to one of Australia's fastest supercomputers and the world's greenest supercomputer, the IBM Blue Gene/Q, which will be housed at the Victorian Life Sciences Computation Initiative (VLSCI) hosted by the University of Melbourne, and is aimed at advancing the study of human disease.

Perched with the parrots
The eclectus parrots of Cape York Peninsula have an unusual and gruesome habit, writes LEANNE O'ROURKES.

UCLA brain-imaging technique predicts who will suffer cognitive decline over time
Cognitive loss and brain degeneration currently affect millions of adults, and the number will increase, given the population of aging baby boomers. Today, nearly 20 percent of people age 65 or older suffer from mild cognitive impairment and 10 percent have dementia. UCLA scientists previously developed a brain-imaging tool to help assess the neurological changes associated with these conditions.

Explosive evolution need not follow mass extinctions
In the wake of a mass extinction like the one that occurred 445 million years ago, a common assumption is that surviving species tend to proliferate quickly into new forms, having outlived many of their competitors. But new research shows that tiny marine organisms called graptoloids did not begin to rapidly develop new physical traits until about 2 million years after competing species became extinct.

Getting the measure of MRI
A method for imaging the brain that has largely been confined to neuroscience labs may now find its place as a proper tool for medical diagnosis. Oxford University scientists have come up with a new approach that turns functional magnetic resonance imaging ( fMRI ) from something that produces pictures of changes in brain activity into a full numerical measure of how the brain is working.

Under the Microscope #8 – Beetle embryo
The beetle shown in this video has been genetically modified so that the nucleus of each cell is labelled with a fluorescent protein." —Matt Benton Under the Microscope is a collection of videos that show glimpses of the natural and man-made world in stunning close-up.

Could "Love Hormone" Help Treat Depression?
Gazing into your lover's eyes isn't only romantic; it also releases a brain chemical called oxytocin that strengthens social bonds in a variety of species.

Former Haverford President Stephen G. Emerson Appointed Director of the Herbert Irving Cancer Center
Stephen G. Emerson Former President of Haverford College Appointed Director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center NEW YORK (Feb.

New immunotherapeutic agent for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease
Selective neutralization of APP-C99 with monoclonal antibodies reduces the production of Alzheimer's Aβ peptides.

Imperial signs up to strategic partnership with BBSRC
By Simon Levey Friday 10 February 2012 Scientists hope to deliver advances in biosciences - including food security, bioenergy, ageing and synthetic biology - faster and more cost effectively

New Molecule Has Potential to Help Treat Genetic Diseases and HIV
AUSTIN, Texas — Chemists at The University of Texas at Austin have created a molecule that's so good at tangling itself inside the double helix of a DNA sequence that it can stay there for up to 16 days before the DNA liberates itself, much longer than any other molecule reported.

Mats Sundin establishes medical fellowships at U of T, Karolinska Institutet
Former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin announced today he will establish an elite scientific exchange program in the field of developmental health between the University of Toronto and Karolinska Insitutet in Stockholm, Sweden.

New therapeutic strategies for the treatment of Parkinson's disease
Mimicking Phosphorylation at Serine 87 Inhibits the Aggregation of Human α-Synuclein and Protects against Its Toxicity in a Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease. Several lines of evidence suggest that phosphorylation of α-synuclein (α-syn) at S87 or S129 may play an important role in regulating its aggregation, fibrillogenesis, Lewy body formation, and neurotoxicity in vivo.

Four U of’T researchers recognized as rising stars in global health
Losing a limb can be devastating enough, but the high cost of a prosthetic limb makes them unavailable to many in the developing world.

An eye for the tsetse fly
The female Aedes aegypti mosquito "is the lab rat of vector insects," says Attardo, who studied gene signaling in these mosquitoes for his doctoral research.

Possible Link Between Diet Soda and Vascular Risks
— People who drink diet soft drinks on a daily basis may be at increased risk of suffering vascular events such as stroke, heart attack, and vascular death, according to a new study led by Hannah Gardener, Sc.D., epidemiologist in the Miller School's Department of Neurology.

University of Minnesota and startup to develop antidote to cyanide poisoning
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (02/09/2012) —Cyanide poisoning is often fatal and typically affects victims of industrial accidents, terrorist attacks, or structural fires.

Integrated weed management best response to herbicide resistance
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Over-reliance on glyphosate-type herbicides for weed control on U.S. farms has created a dramatic increase in the number of genetically-resistant weeds, according to a team of agricultural researchers, who say the solution lies in an integrated weed management program.

Midges 'actively spread' bluetongue epidemic
The midges that spread bluetongue, a devastating livestock disease, across Europe in 2006 weren't ‘passengers' on the wind but actively transported the disease, Oxford University scientists have found. Bluetongue is a non-contagious virus that causes symptoms such as drooling, and swelling of the neck, head and tongue in sheep, cattle, goats, deer and other ruminants.

Scientists boost memory by stimulating key site in brain
UCLA neuroscientists have demonstrated that they can strengthen memory in human patients by stimulating a critical junction in the brain. Published in the Feb. 9 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, the finding could lead to a new method for boosting memory in patients with early Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers Develop Gene Therapy to Boost Brain Repair for Demyelinating Diseases
Our bodies are full of tiny superheroes—antibodies that fight foreign invaders, cells that regenerate, and structures that ensure our systems run smoothly.

Eighth grader creates second iPhone app to benefit UCLA pediatric cancer research
When he was 11, Cameron Cohen created the hit drawing app iSketch for the iPhone and donated $20,000 of the proceeds from its sales to the Chase Child Life program at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA.

Seven UChicago faculty members receive named professorships
Seven members of the University faculty—Habibul Ahsan, Pete Angelos, Shadi Bartsch-Zimmer, Young-Kee Kim, Paul Mendes-Flohr, David H. Song, and Jerrold R. Turner—have received named professorships.

Inspiration for New Materials in Piranha-proof Armor
It's a matchup worthy of a late-night cable movie: put a school of starving piranha and a 300-pound fish together, and who comes out the winner? The surprising answer - given the notorious guillotine-like bite of the piranha - is Brazil's massive Arapaima fish.

Director appointed for inflammation research centre
The University of Manchester, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and AstraZeneca have appointed Professor Tracy Hussell as Director of the new Manchester Collaborative Centre for Inflammation Research (MCCIR).

Calories drive earlier puberty
Environmental pollutants, eating habits, lack of exercise and genetic traits have all been raised as possible causes of earlier puberty onset in girls in recent years.

Defeating dementia in Down’s syndrome
A £1m brain-imaging study has just been launched at the University of Cambridge to investigate why people with Down's syndrome (DS) are at such high risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Pivotal study published in JAMA confirms potential of Novartis candidate vaccine Bexsero to help protect infants against devastating meningococcal serogroup B disease
Data previously presented at ESPID annual meeting add to the body of evidence showing that Bexsero can help protect all vulnerable age groups Study including more than 1,800 infants showed Bexsero induces robust immune response when given alone or with other routine vaccines in different vaccination schedules Current vaccines do not broadly protect against MenB which is easily misdiagnosed and can kill within 24 hours;

Scientists' model predicts seabird feeding habits
A computer model which predicts the foraging habits of seabirds could be a vital tool in the quest to protect wildlife along the British coastline. Experts from Plymouth University say the technique can also be used to predict the at-sea distributions of species which are too small to be tracked at present.

Research, policy, practice: conservation in the round
Conservation scientists working in partnership with practitioners and policy makers are building practical tools for real-world conservation.

Molecular Path From Internal Clock to Cells Controlling Rest and Activity Revealed in Penn Study
The molecular pathway that carries time-of-day signals from the body's internal clock to ultimately guide daily behavior is like a black box, says Amita Sehgal, PhD , the John Herr Musser Professor of Neuroscience and Co-Director, Comprehensive Neuroscience Center, at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania .

Fossil cricket reveals Jurassic love song
The love song of an extinct cricket that lived 165 million years ago has been brought back to life by scientists at the University of Bristol. The song - possibly the most ancient known musical song documented to date - was reconstructed from microscopic wing features on a fossil discovered in North East China.

Brain cells created from patients’ skin cells
This approach gives us the ability to study human brain development and disease in ways that were unimaginable even five years ago." —Dr Rick Livesey of the Gurdon Institute and Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge Cambridge scientists have, for the first time, created cerebral cortex cells - those that make up the brain's grey matter – from a small sample of human skin.  The researchers' findings, which were funded by Alzheimer's Research UK and the Wellcome Trust, were published today .

Smallest tools could give biggest results in bone repair
When William Murphy works with some of the most powerful tools in biology, he thinks about making tools that can fit together.

It’s not solitaire: Brain activity differs when one plays against others
CHAMPAIGN, lll. - Researchers have found a way to study how our brains assess the behavior - and likely future actions - of others during competitive social interactions. Their study, described in a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first to use a computational approach to tease out differing patterns of brain activity during these interactions, the researchers report.

£4.5M biomedical research boost
Leading university neuroscience and immunology research which helps translate new knowledge into improved clinical practice and treatments for the benefit of patients is set to receive a £4.5M funding boost. Cardiff University has secured funding from the Wellcome Trust's new Institutional Strategic Support Fund (ISSF) - a new fund designed to support major scientific research.

Under the Microscope #5 – Daisy
In this video Beverley Glover explains how a daisy is a collection of tiny flowers grouped together to make it look like a single big flower. " Under the Microscope is a collection of videos that show glimpses of the natural and man-made world in stunning close-up. They will be released every Monday and Thursday for the next couple of months and you can see them here: http://bit.ly/A6bwCE Glover: “The flowering plants (Angiosperms) form the dominant vegetation over most of the Earth's land surface.

Public lectures explore the brain and behavior
Register for the lectures online or call 206-616-5274. See previous years' lectures on UWTV. How do fish hear and communicate with each other?

New device removes stroke-causing blood clots better than standard treatment
An experimental device for removing blood clots in stroke patients dramatically outperformed the standard mechanical treatment, according to research presented by UCLA Stroke Center director Jeffrey

Neurons from stem cells could replace mice in botulinum test
Using lab-grown human neurons, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have devised an effective assay for detecting botulinum neurotoxin, the agent widely used to cosmetically smooth the wrinkles of age and, increasingly, for an array of medical disorders ranging from muscle spasticity to loss of bladder control.

Scientists coax shy microorganisms to stand out in a crowd
“Untangling Genomes from Metagenomes: Revealing an Uncultured Class of Marine Euryarchaeota” Science, Feb. 3, 2012 The communities of marine microorganisms that make up half the biomass in the oceans and are responsible for half the photosynthesis the world over, mostly remain enigmatic.

Sirtuin 1 at the pinnacle of metabolic control
Targeting Sirtuin 1 to Improve Metabolism: All You Need Is NAD+? (Review) Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is an evolutionarily conserved NAD+-dependent deacetylase that is at the pinnacle of metabolic control, all the way from yeast to humans.

Here is what real commitment to your marriage means
What does being committed to your marriage really mean? UCLA psychologists answer this question in a new study based on their analysis of 172 married couples over the first 11 years of marriage.

Microfluidics Research Aims for New Cancer Diagnostics
At the KTH Symposium, the director of the U.S. National Science Foundation explains how scientific co-operation with Sweden benefits American research.

Microfluidics and Nanotech Research Aims for New Cancer Diagnostics
At the KTH Symposium, the director of the U.S. National Science Foundation explains how scientific co-operation with Sweden benefits American research.

How does the compassionate brain, measured in the lab, predict what occurs in real life?
University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers are launching a new series of studies to understand how laboratory measures of virtuous qualities such as compassion relate to their behavior in the real world. Richard J. Davidson , founder of the UW's Center for Investigating Healthy Minds (CIHM) , at the Waisman Center, has received a three-year, $1.7 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation to develop laboratory and real-world measures of virtuous qualities such as altruism and compassion.

Prostate cancer risk halved for subfertile men
Involuntary childlessness owing to reduced fertility is a concern for many men. However, these men do have one advantage – they run a significantly lower risk of suffering from prostate cancer. Researchers are interested in whether this phenomenon could be used in the fight against cancer. There is a clear link between male subfertility and a lower risk of prostate cancer.

Nano-Sized Protein Clusters Address Major Challenge of Drug Delivery
AUSTIN, TX — A new form of proteins discovered by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin could drastically improve treatments for cancer and other diseases, as well as overcome some of the largest challenges in therapeutics: delivering drugs to patients safely, easily and more effectively.

MIT faculty speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos
Talks explore the mind/machine interface and the science of predicting the economy, among other topics.

‘Picture This #14′ Polymelus, Museum of Zoology
All British thoroughbred racehorses, including Polymelus, are descended from three stallions - the Darley Arabian, the Godolphin Arabian and the Byerley Turk.

Scientists decode brain waves to eavesdrop on what we hear
Neuroscientists may one day be able to hear the imagined speech of a patient unable to speak due to stroke or paralysis, according to University of California, Berkeley, researchers. Frequency spectrograms of the actual spoken words (top) and the sounds as reconstructed by two separate models based solely on recorded temporal lobe activity in a volunteer subject.

Protein study helps superbug battle
Scientists have shed light on the way superbugs such as MRSA are able to become resistant to antibiotics. Researchers have mapped the complex molecular structure of an enzyme found in many bacteria. These molecules - known as restriction enzymes - control the speed at which bacteria can acquire resistance to drugs and eventually become superbugs.

Watching the Engine of Life, in Real Time, to Understand How Things Go Wrong
Ruben Gonzalez views ribosomes—the minute particles in cells that make proteins—as the “machines” of life. Naturally, the associate professor of chemistry is interested in watching these little protein-producing factories in real time, especially when they malfunction and cause disease.

The Waisman Center: Decades later, what would Harry think?
Last fall, the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison bid successfully for the same National Institutes of Health core grant that the late Harry Waisman first won 45 years ago. Harry Waisman, left, with colleagues C.S. Reiquam and Nathan J. Smith, examine pathology microscope slides in a research lab.

Addicts’ cravings have different roots in men and women
When it comes to addiction, sex matters. A new brain imaging study by Yale School of Medicine researchers suggests stress robustly activates areas of the brain associated with craving in cocaine-dependent women, while drug cues activate similar brain regions in cocaine-dependent men. The study, expected to be published online Jan.

Yale lectures focus on music and human evolution
The 2012 Shulman Lectures in Science and the Humanities will explore the human capacity for music-making and music perception in light of new developments in evolutionary science and theory.

Life extinguished, life rekindled
This year's Darwin Lectures address the theme of life. Tonight's speaker, Cambridge academic Robert Macfarlane, will discuss "Life in Ruins" in art and literature.

Caring for country creates new land of opportunity
New conservation partnerships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians are saving threatened animals, returning Aboriginal people to their ancestral homeland, discovering new types of plant species and developing novel cross-cultural ways of managing country.

Scientists Link Evolved, Mutated Gene Module to Syndromic Autism
A team led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine reports that newly discovered mutations in an evolved assembly of genes cause Joubert syndrome, a form of syndromic autism. The findings are published in the January 26 online issue of Science Express . Joubert syndrome is a rare, recessive brain condition characterized by malformation or underdevelopment of the cerebellum and brainstem.

McGill University’s Life Sciences Complex earns LEED Gold certification
Life Sciences video: http://www.youtube.com/watch'v=gV2MFmckUXw McGill University's Life Sciences Complex has been awarded LEED gold certification for new construction from the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC), a significant upgrade from the silver rating that was first sought.

Making sure the food we grow is good enough to eat
Producing enough food to feed the world's growing population is becoming a major concern. But making sure the food we grow is safe, nutritious and good enough to eat is also fraught with difficulty.

Under the Microscope #3 – mouse embryo
In this video, we see a mouse embryo developing. Erica Watson tells us that studying this process helps us better understand human pregnancy. We can get valuable information from a mouse model about how an embryo and its placenta develop over time." —Erica Watson Under the Microscope is a collection of videos that show glimpses of the natural and man-made world in stunning close-up.

Penn Anthropologists Clarify Link Between Asians and Early Native Americans
A tiny mountainous region in southern Siberia may have been the genetic source of the earliest Native Americans, according to new research by a University of Pennsylvania-led team of anthropologists. Lying at the intersection of what is today Russia, Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan, the region known as the Altai "is a key area because it's a place that people have been coming and going for thousands and thousands of years," said Theodore Schurr , an associate professor in Penn's Department of Anthropology.

Rotational Motion of Cells that Plays a Critical Role in Their Normal Development
Berkeley Lab researchers have discovered a rotational motion in human breast cells that continues through mitosis and enables the cells and their progeny to form sphere-shaped acini. In a study that holds major implications for breast cancer research as well as basic cell biology, scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have discovered a rotational motion that plays a critical role in the ability of breast cells to form the spherical structures in the mammary gland known as acini.

New insightes in early specification of pancreas progenitors
RNA profiling and ChIP-Sequencing reveal that PTF1a stabilizes pancreas progenitor identity via the control of MNX1/HLXB9 and a network of other transcription factors.

New Fluorescent Dyes Highlight Neuronal Activity
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have created a new generation of fast-acting fluorescent dyes that optically highlight electrical activity in neuronal membranes. The work is published in this week's online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .

Janet Rowley to receive Japan Prize for role in development of targeted cancer therapy
Janet Davison Rowley, the Blum-Riese Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine, Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology and Human Genetics at the University of Chicago, will receive the 2012 Japan Prize for Healthcare and Medical Technology.

Attack or retreat? Circuit links hunger and pursuit in sea slug brain
CHAMPAIGN, lll. - If you were a blind, cannibalistic sea slug, living among others just like you, nearly every encounter with another creature would require a simple cost/benefit calculation: Should I eat that, do nothing or flee? In a new study, researchers report that these responses are linked to a simple circuit in the brain of the sea slug Pleurobranchaea .

Envelope for an Artificial Cell
Neal Davaraj watches as undergraduate student Weilong Li works on a next step in their quest to create an entirely artificial cell.

Under the Electron Microscope - A 3-D Image of an Individual Protein
When Gang Ren whirls the controls of his cryo-electron microscope, he compares it to fine-tuning the gearshift and brakes of a racing bicycle. But this machine at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is a bit more complex. It costs nearly $1.5 million, operates at the frigid temperature of liquid nitrogen, and it is allowing scientists to see what no one has seen before.

Making Sense of Sensory Connections
A key feature of human and animal brains is that they are adaptive; they are able to change their structure and function based on input from the environment and on the potential associations, or consequences, of that input. For example, if a person puts his hand in a fire and gets burned, he learns to avoid flames; the simple sight of a flame has acquired a predictive value, which in this case, is repulsive.

Thoroughbred speed gene has its origins in native breeds
Research by a team of scientists suggests that a variant of the so-called speed gene found in top racehorses can be traced back to a single British mare living around 300 years ago. That mare may have had a similar genetic make-up to today's sturdy native ponies.

Restored wetlands rarely equal condition of original wetlands
Restored wetlands like this pond converted from agricultural use in Aragon, Spain, may look natural, but a new study shows that it can take hundreds of years for restored wetlands to accumulate the plant assemblages and carbon resources of a natural, undamaged wetland. Credit: David Moreno-Mateos/UC Berkeley Wetland restoration is a billion-dollar-a-year industry in the United States that aims to create ecosystems similar to those that disappeared over the past century.

Ancient dinosaur nursery oldest nesting site yet found
An excavation at a site in South Africa has unearthed the 190-million-year-old dinosaur nesting site of the prosauropod dinosaur Massospondylus-revealing significant clues about the evolution of complex reproductive behaviour in early dinosaurs. The newly unearthed dinosaur nesting ground predates previously known nesting sites by 100 million years, according to study authors.

Among disadvantaged, college reduces odds for marriage
For those with few social advantages, college is a prime pathway to financial stability, but it also unexpectedly lowers their odds of ever marrying, according to an analysis by Cornell sociologist Kelly Musick in the February issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family (74:1).

Thalamic control of cortical states
The group of Carl Petersen (LSENS - Laboratoire de traitement sensoriel ) investigated the impact of thalamus on ongoing cortical activity in the awake, behaving mouse.

1.66m to explore the challenges and opportunities of making science public
Climategate, Nuttgate, opposition to GM crops, the MMR and BSE health scares: over the last 30 years high profile political crises surrounding the integrity of research, the status of expert advice a

Gene Therapy Research team from Penn Vet and Scheie Eye Institute Cures Retinitis Pigmentosa in Dogs
Members of a University of Pennsylvania research team have shown that they can prevent, or even reverse, a blinding retinal disease, X-linked Retinitis Pigmentosa, or XLRP, in dogs. The disease in humans and dogs is caused by defects in the RPGR gene and results in early, severe and progressive vision loss.

Elliott Levinthal, Stanford professor emeritus of mechanical engineering, dead at 89
In a career that ranged from radar to medicine to outer space, Elliott Levinthal played an instrumental role in the schools of Engineering and Medicine, and in the rise of Silicon Valley.

Star Organic Chemist Appointed
The University of Manchester is pleased to announce that Professor David Leigh FRS, one of the world's foremost organic chemists, will be joining the School of Chemistry later in the year.

Transcriptional barcoding of retinal cells identifies disease target cells
Transcriptional barcoding of retinal cells identifies disease target cells By developing a large scale gene expression map for retinal cell types, FMI Neurobiologists have been able to identify the cells in the retina, where the genes causing retinal diseases specifically act. This narrows down the search for a better understanding of the diseases and opens up new avenues for therapeutic approaches.

Seeking the neurological roots of conflict
MIT neuroscientists explore how longstanding conflict influences empathy for others. MIT postdoc Emile Bruneau has long been drawn to conflict - not as a participant, but an observer. In 1994, while doing volunteer work in South Africa, he witnessed firsthand the turmoil surrounding the fall of apartheid; during a 2001 trip to visit friends in Sri Lanka, he found himself in the midst of the violent conflict between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan military.

Microbubbles provide new boost for biofuel production
Microbubbles provide new boost for biofuel production A solution to the difficult issue of harvesting algae for use as a biofuel has been developed using microbubble technology pioneered at the University of Sheffield. The technique builds on previous research in which microbubbles were used to improve the way algae is cultivated.

Small things, big thinking
Using an electron microscope it's possible for the human eye to see in minute detail the foot of the fruit fly - an appendage that is just about the same width as a human hair.

Computational research aims to alleviate embarrassing bladder problems
Scientists from the University of Birmingham and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay are working together to develop new ways of treating bladder overactivity, a problem which affects millions of people worldwide. The joint research focuses on understanding the electrical activity in the bladder and how this goes wrong and causes urinary incontinence.

Sustainable seaweed: Researchers explore algae-based animal feed
The pigs and poultry in Professor Xingen Lei's lab have been consuming feed one wouldn't expect in Ithaca: marine algae.

Interdisciplinary science building opens doors to researchers
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - When Penn State's Millennium Science Complex opened its doors to researchers this fall, it inaugurated a new era of scientific discovery at the intersection of materials science, engineering, nanoscience and the life sciences at Penn State.

Origins of Esophageal Cancer
VIDEO: Richard Mayeux discusses ongoing Alzheimer's Disease research.

Anatomy museum opens doors to public
A facial cast of mass murderer William Burke taken shortly before his execution is to form part of an exhibition of medical artefacts.

Why do smells make some people sick?
Do you get a headache from the perfume of the lady next to you at the table? Do cleaning solutions at work make your nose itch? If you have symptoms prompted by everyday smells, it does not necessarily mean you are allergic but rather that you suffer from chemical intolerance.

Genetic code cracked for a devastating blood parasite
Scientists have cracked the genetic code and predicted some high priority drug targets for the blood parasite Schistosoma haematobium, which is linked to bladder cancer and HIV/ AIDS and causes

Researchers Help Solve Questions About Ethiopians’ High-Altitude Adaptations
Over many generations, people living in the high-altitude regions of the Andes or on the Tibetan Plateau have adapted to life in low-oxygen conditions. Living with such a distinct and powerful selective pressure has made these populations a textbook example of evolution in action, but exactly how their genes convey a survival advantage remains an open question.

New collaboration to benefit women faculty in STEM
Northwestern University and the University of Chicago have launched the Chicago Collaboration for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics , a three-year effort to enhance the recruitment and advancement of women faculty members in those fields.

Stem cell genetic ’switch’ offers Alzheimer’s hope
PA 14/12 Scientists at The University of Nottingham are leading a £1.3 million research project to develop new treatments to replace brain cells lost during dementia.

Biologists replicate key evolutionary step
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (01/17/2012) —More than 500 million years ago, single-celled organisms on the Earth's surface began forming multicellular clusters that ultimately became plants and animals. Just how that happened is a question that has eluded evolutionary biologists. But scientists in the University of Minnesota's College of Biological Sciences have replicated that key step in the laboratory using natural selection and common brewer's yeast, which are single-celled organisms.

From field to biorefinery: Computer model optimizes biofuel operations
CHAMPAIGN, lll. - Research into biofuel crops such as switchgrass and Miscanthus has focused mainly on how to grow these crops and convert them into fuels. But many steps lead from the farm to the biorefinery, and each could help or hinder the growth of this new industry. A new computer model developed at the University of Illinois can simplify this transition, researchers say.

Breeding better grasses for food and fuel
Newly discovered family of genes could help us breed grasses with improved properties for food and fuel. Unlike starchy grains, the energy stored in the woody parts of plants is locked away and difficult to get at.

Guilt, gender play major roles in human-animal relations
Until recently, most archaeologists viewed human-animal relationships primarily in terms of their dietary role.

Researchers put the squeeze on citrus disease by developing trees that taste bad to bugs
With Florida's $9 billion citrus industry threatened by a deadly bacterial disease, Rick Kress '73 asked scientists at Cornell's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva for help.

Probing Question: Are invasive plants always a threat?
Board chair and vice chair issue statement on questions about Paterno Alumni Town Hall meetings begin in Pittsburgh Panel discussion 'Responding to Child Sexual Abuse' set for Jan.

Climate adaptation difficult for Europe’s birds
For the past 20 years, the climate in Europe has been getting warmer. Species of bird and butterfly which thrive in cool temperatures therefore need to move further north. However, they have difficulty adapting to the warmer climate quickly enough, as shown by new research published Climate Change.

Role of ATP13A2 in neuronal integrity.
PARK9-associated ATP13A2 localizes to intracellular acidic vesicles and regulates cation homeostasis and neuronal integrity.

New tool puts plant hormone under surveillance
Charles Darwin was the first to speculate that plants contain hormones. His pioneering research led to the identification of the very first and key plant growth hormone — auxin — in 1937. Seventy five years on an international team of researchers have made another break-through in our understanding of this important plant hormone.

New gene discovery unlocks mystery to epilepsy in infants
A team of Australian researchers has come a step closer to unlocking a mystery that causes epileptic seizures in babies. Benign familial infantile epilepsy (BFIE) has been recognised for some time as infantile seizures, without fever, that run in families but the cause has so far eluded researchers.

Scientists: they are surprisingly normal
One in four of us suffer from mental illness at some point in our lives - but the stigma surrounding mental health has proved hard to shift.

English literature influenced prize-winning paleontologist
For a short time in grade school, Kevin Boyce lived within two blocks of the La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles, a place where ice age mammal fossils had been discovered.

Plymouth University graduates share their tips on going back to nature
Three resourceful graduates who took up a challenge issued by TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall to travel the British Isles and ‘live off the land’ have put pen to paper to share their experiences.

Class snapshot: 'Disease Ecology, Economics and Policy'
  The course "Disease Ecology, Economics and Policy" focuses on global health, combining insights from epidemiology, biology and economics to explore how these influence policy.

Two embryos is optimum number for safe and effective IVF treatment, say researchers
A study by scientists at the University of Glasgow has shown that IVF treatment is most effective and safest when no more than two embryos are used – particularly for older women. Currently in the UK, women over 40 years old are allowed to have three embryos used in an IVF treatment cycle, but the research published in The Lancet says the chances of success are no greater than for two while the risk of complications is higher.

Hotter homes produce smarter babies
A hotter home appears to produce babies with better cognitive abilities - but before you turn up the home heater to make your baby brainier, the research was conducted on the Australian lizard Bassiana duperreyi by researchers from the University of Sydney. Many traits in young reptiles are determined by the temperature of the nest, so Joshua Amiel , a PhD student in the School of Biological Sciences , and his supervisor, Professor Rick Shine , looked at how incubation temperature would affect the learning performance of these lizards.

Testing vitamin D levels in most patients is ’costly, confusing and without credibility’
A study by scientists at the University of Glasgow has shown that IVF treatment is most effective and safest when no more than two embryos are used – particularly for older women. Currently in the UK, women over 40 years old are allowed to have three embryos used in an IVF treatment cycle, but the research published in The Lancet says the chances of success are no greater than for two while the risk of complications is higher.

Diet counts: Iron intake in teen years can impact brain in later life
Iron is a popular topic in health news. Doctors prescribe it for medical reasons, and it's available over the counter as a dietary supplement. And while it's known that too little iron can result in cognitive problems, it's also known that too much promotes neurodegenerative diseases. Now, researchers at UCLA have found that in addition to causing cognitive problems, a lack of iron early in life can affect the brain's physical structure as well.

New Information on the Waste-Disposal Units of Living Cells
Important new information on one of the most critical protein machines in living cells has been reported by a team of researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley. The researchers have provided the most detailed look ever at the "regulatory particle" used by the protein machines known as proteasomes to identify and degrade proteins that have been marked for destruction.

Memory experiment takes off
Memory experiment takes off Researchers at Cambridge and Durham universities have launched what could be the world's biggest ever memory experiment. The psychologists have teamed up with the Guardian to run an online experiment for members of the public to test their memory abilities and find out how they stack up against their friends.

Variable Outcome of Mutations.
Genetics - Variable Outcome of Mutations. Why do some mutations produce a particular trait or disease, whereas others only increase the likelihood of such an outcome? One explanation is that other variations in the DNA sequence strengthen or weaken the effect of a given mutation, although environmental factors may also have an impact.

Picky females prefer well-fed males
A good upbringing can make you more attractive to females - if you are a mosquitofish, that is.

Howard Bern, expert on effects of hormones, has died at 91
Howard A. Bern, professor emeritus of integrative biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a pioneer in understanding how hormones affect development, including that of the human fetus, died Jan.

Carnegie Mellon Will Tap Advanced Computer Methods To Help Doctors Make Sense of Their Patients’ DNA
: Carnegie Mellon Will Tap Advanced Computer Methods To Help Doctors Make Sense of Their Patients' DNA-Carnegie Mellon News - Carnegie Mellon University Ion Torrent Systems Sponsors Multi-Univ

Yale one of first institutions to get powerful new DNA sequencing technology
Yale University is one of three institutions to acquire new DNA sequencing technology that its creator says will allow researchers to sequence the entire human genome within 24 hours at a cost of just $1,000. The benchtop DNA sequencers, developed by Yale alumnus Jonathan M. Rothberg, represent a dramatic improvement over existing technology that can take months and up to $10,000 to sequence the three billion letters of the human genome.

Fortunately for men, size doesn’t matter (much)
Researchers from The Australian National University have discovered that the male-specific Y-chromosome is shrinking - and it's happening at different rates across species. The research team discovered that a marsupial's Y-chromosome is genetically denser than the human Y-chromosome, meaning that animals like the tammar wallaby are bounds ahead on the 'manliness' scale.

Protein changes identified in early-onset Alzheimer’s
With a lack of effective treatments for Alzheimer's, most of us would think long and hard about whether we wanted to know years in advance if we were genetically predisposed to develop the disease. For researchers, however, such knowledge is a window into Alzheimer's disease's evolution. Understanding the biological changes that occur during the clinically "silent" stage — the years before symptoms appear — provides clues about the causes of the disease and may offer potential targets for drugs that will stop it from progressing.

Warwick joins £2.2m Anglo-Canadian quest for new weapons in war against antibiotic resistance
University of Warwick researchers have teamed up with Canadian scientists on a £2.2 million project to search for new antibiotics which will beat resistance in deadly “superbugs”.

Leeds genetic research ’blueprint’ for NHS
The approach to genetic research established at the University of Leeds could serve as a blueprint for how the NHS could make more of the advances new genetic technologies can deliver. The UK Government has set up a Human Genomics Strategy Group to improve new advances in genetic medicine in the health service.

Strep-resistant fire blight found in New York orchards
Cornell plant pathologists have issued a warning to New York apple and pear growers after discovering a strain of fire blight that is resistant to such traditional treatments as the antibiotic streptomycin.

Revolutionary tool will methodically track fish populations in the ocean
Oceanographer Chuck Greene envisions a day when he will be able to observe the ocean the way a meteorologist observes the weather - with continuous streams of data that allow him to see changes as they happen and predict future impacts on marine animal populations and ecosystems. That day may be coming soon, thanks to a revolutionary ocean-observing tool he is helping to optimize, one capable of collecting and transmitting ecosystem data to his desktop in real time.

New Chair Named for UC San Diego Department of Medicine
Wolfgang H. Dillmann, MD, has been selected as chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

’Smart’ bird feeders can track who eats when
To study bird feeding and breeding behavior, ornithologists used to tag birds with colored bands and then painstakingly track the birds' activity.

Professor’s cell phone microscope honored as best innovation of 2011
A groundbreaking imaging technology developed by UCLA Engineering professor Aydogan Ozcan that can turn a simple cell phone into a powerful microscope has been named the top innovation of 2011 by The Scientist , a magazine focusing on the life sciences, research and technology.

Study pinpoints Ritalin’s influence
MADISON -Millions of individuals diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are helped by methylphenidate, the stimulant better known as Ritalin. Now researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have pinpointed the area of the brain in which Ritalin does its work. "These drugs are highly effective at controlling the symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder for the great majority of patients," says Craig Berridge , a UW psychology professor.

’Back talk’ from blood cells to their progenitors is critical to balancing blood supply
When it comes to the body's blood supply, maintaining the right balance is crucial. UCLA stem cell scientists have now discovered that in the common fruit fly, this balancing act requires a complex "conversation" involving more parties than originally thought. In a new study, they show that two-way signaling from two different sets of cells is necessary for bloody-supply balance, both to ensure that enough blood cells are produced to respond to injury and infection and that blood progenitor cells remain available for future needs.

Magnetically-levitated flies offer clues to future of life in space
PA 03/12 Using powerful magnets to levitate fruit flies can provide vital clues to how biological organisms are affected by weightless conditions in space, researchers at The University of Nottingham say. The team of scientists has shown that simulating weightlessness in fruit flies here on earth with the use of magnets causes the flies to walk more quickly — the same effect observed during similar experiments on the International Space Station.

Leaping lizards and dinosaurs inspire robot design
An African Agama lizard swings its tail upward to prevent pitching forward after a slip during take-off.

How good are your horse’s brakes?
Horseriding is a popular summer holiday activity, but few people know that horses kill more Australians annually than any other animal.

Compound that controls Listeria
In a year when cantaloupe tainted with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes killed 30 people, the discovery of a compound that controls this deadly bacteria - and possibly others - is great news. Cornell researchers have identified a compound called fluoro-phenyl-styrene-sulfonamide (FPSS) that is safe for mammals but stops Listeria in its tracks.

Alzheimer’s damage occurs early
The first changes in the brain of a person with Alzheimer’s disease can be observed as much as ten years in advance – ten years before the person in question has become so ill that he or she can be diagnosed with the disease. This is what a new study from Lund University in Sweden has found. Physician Oskar Hansson and his research group are studying biomarkers – substances present in spinal fluid and linked to Alzheimer's disease.

Six research projects supported by Heart-Lung Foundation
Six researchers at Umeå University have been granted SEK 3.9 million in project funding from the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation to develop methods and treatments that can help patients with heart, lung and vascular diseases. The Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, which pays for the majority of independent heart-lung research in Sweden, annually grants around SEK 165 million to research in Sweden.

‘Extreme Sleepover #5’ – a night in the life of a shift-working medic and clock biologist
In the fifth of a series of reports contributed by Cambridge researchers, medic and scientist Ak Reddy describes the challenges of disrupting our circadian programming.

‘Extreme Sleepover #2’ – A night in Ghana’s tropical forest
In the second of a series of reports contributed by Cambridge researchers, zoologist Ben Phalan ventures into a tropical forest to understand the impact of encroaching agriculture.

Roche medicine Avastin receives EU approval for the treatment of women with newly diagnosed, advanced ovarian cancer
Roche medicine Avastin receives EU approval for the treatment of women with newly diagnosed, advanced ovarian cancer Avastin represents first major treatment advance for women with ovarian canc

Chinese fossils shed light on the evolutionary origin of animals from single-cell ancestors
Evidence of the single-celled ancestors of animals, dating from the interval in the Earth's history just before multicellular animals appeared, has been discovered in 570 million-year-old rocks from S

CAD for RNA
The computer assisted design (CAD) tools that made it possible to fabricate integrated circuits with millions of transistors may soon be coming to the biological sciences. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have developed CAD-type models and simulations for RNA molecules that make it possible to engineer biological components or "RNA devices" for controlling genetic expression  in microbes.

University of Texas Chemist Receives Major Grant to Improve Detection of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
AUSTIN, Texas — Developing a simple, paper-based test for drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is the goal of a University of Texas at Austin chemist, whose project just received a $1.6 million point-of-care diagnostics grant through Grand Challenges in Global Health , an initiative created by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Treating sleep problems may be important in schizophrenia
A study of schizophrenia patients has found profound disruptions in their sleep patterns, with half also having irregular body clocks that are out of synch with the pattern of night and day. The Oxford researchers argue that the extent and severe nature of these long-term sleep problems should be considered for treatment along with the other symptoms of schizophrenia, as they have such a strong impact on mood, social function, mental abilities and quality of life.

How the Brain Cell Works: A Dive Into Its Inner Network
— University of Miami (UM) biology professor Akira Chiba is leading a multidisciplinary team to develop the first systematic survey of protein interactions within brain cells.

Study details how dengue infection hits harder second time around
http://www.berkeley.edu/news2/2011/12/dengue.flv As part of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's (HHMI) 2010 Holiday Lectures on Science, UC Berkeley's Eva Harris talked about her work with scientists and clinicians in Nicaragua on dengue over the past two decades. Here, several partners in Nicaragua talk about the impact of this collaboration.

Rare Genetic Mutations Linked To Bipolar Disorder
An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, reports that abnormal sequences of DNA known as rare copy number variants, or CNVs, appear to play a significant role in the risk for early onset bipolar disorder. The findings will be published in the December 22 issue of the journal Neuron .

How do we split our attention?
McGill's Cognitive Neurophysiology Lab team finds that we are natural-born multi-taskers Imagine you're a hockey goalie, and two opposing players are breaking in alone on you, passing the puck back and forth. You're aware of the linesman skating in on your left, but pay him no mind. Your focus is on the puck and the two approaching players.

2011 News Highlights - Life Sciences
Stem cells, infectious diseases or genetic quirks are some of the subjects explored by students at the School of Life Sciences. Here is a selection of this year's headlines. FEBRUARY - Reprogrammed stem cells hit a roadblock Is there a future for stem cell therapies that don't use embryonic stem cells? An international study involving EPFL has raised doubts by showing that “reprogramming” adult stem cells leads to genetic aberrations.

Balancing the womb
The study by academics at the University of Bristol suggests a new mechanism by which the level of myosin phosphorylation is regulated in the pregnant uterus.  The researchers, Claire Hudson and Prof

Learning left from right
Pop psychology assertions about left-brain/right-brain differences are pretty much tosh. Our personalities are not dominated by a battle between the creative skills residing in one half of the brain competing with the hard reasoning in the other. But that's not to say there aren't any differences between the left and right sides of our brains.

Sensor that may explain working memory
In many cases, a delay occurs between the time you are presented information and the time you respond with an action or decision. Most of us call it a thought, while some scientists call it working memory. University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers believe they now understand on the cellular level how working memory holds a piece of information - or thoughts linger.

New Take on Impacts of Low Dose Radiation:
Imaging of a cell's DNA damage response to radiation shows that 1.5 minutes after irradiation, the sizes and intensities of radiation induced foci (RIF) are small and weak, but 30 minutes later damage sites have clustered into larger and brighter RIF, probably reflecting DNA repair centers.

Human skull study causes evolutionary headache
20 Dec 2011 Scientists studying a unique collection of human skulls have shown that changes to the skull shape thought to have occurred independently through separate evolutionary events may have actually precipitated each other. Researchers at the Universities of Manchester and Barcelona examined 390 skulls from the Austrian town of Hallstatt and found evidence that the human skull is highly integrated, meaning variation in one part of the skull is linked to changes throughout the skull.

Vets warn of dangers to pets during festive season and summer heat
20 Dec 2011 Veterinarians from the University of Melbourne are warning pet owners to take special care of their pets during the festive season and the hot summer holidays.

ANU philosopher urges consensus on 50-year debate
Misinterpretation of a key scientific concept has led to decades of fierce debate according to an ANU philosopher. In a hugely influential paper published fifty years ago, eminent scientist Ernst Mayr distinguished between 'why' questions and 'how' questions in biology; for example, the difference between asking 'why do birds migrate' and 'how they know when to migrate'.

Stopping influenza evolution before it starts
Model of flu proteins suggests new way to design vaccines that slow mutations. If you get vaccinated against the flu and then become infected with the virus, your body mounts an immune response that prevents you from getting sick. However, that pressure from the immune system can provoke the virus to mutate into a slightly different form - one that could be more infectious.

Snipping key nerves may help life-threatening heart rhythms
What do sweaty palms and abnormal heart rhythms have in common? Both can be initiated by the nervous system during an adrenaline-driven "flight-or-fight" stress reaction, when the body senses danger.

To turn up the heat in chilies, just add water
Biologists have learned in recent years that wild chilies develop their trademark pungency, or heat, as a defense against a fungus that could destroy their seeds. But that doesn't explain why some chilies are hot and others are not. New research provides an answer: Hot chilies growing in dry areas need more water to produce as many seeds as non-pungent plants, but the Fusarium fungus is less of a threat in dryer environments so chilies in those areas are less likely to turn up the heat.

Antimicrobials, perfumes, drugs pose challenges for sewage treatment
CHAMPAIGN, lll. - Think of it like sourdough. Or beer. Or yogurt. These popular products are all created through a process that involves using bacteria to systematically break down organic matter.

Penn Receives $16 Million Gift to Launch New Initiative Focusing on the Neuroscience of Behavior
The Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania announces the establishment of the Neuroscience of Behavior Initiative .

Secrets of Sharks Revealed
— Coral Gables — A new study examining the complex and dynamic interactions between white sharks and Cape fur seals in False Bay, South Africa, offers new insights on the physical conditions and biological factors underlying predator-prey interactions in the marine environment. Neil Hammerschlag, an assistant professor at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, and a colleague from the University of British Columbia describe how sharks are camouflaged as they stalk their prey from below.