http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (PhysOrg.com) -- Every year, more than 250 billion pounds of plastic are produced worldwide. Much of it ends up in the world's oceans, a fact that troubles MIT biology professor Anthony Sinskey. http://www.physorg.com/news177696802.html Chemistry Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:00:01 EST news177696802 Researchers at UAB in collaboration with the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, have discovered the structure of the PPC descarboxilase (PPCDC) enzyme present in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a very important organism in biotechnology and an excellent model for biological research. Scientists have verified that its structure differs substantially from that found in humans, which in addition to its characteristic as an essential enzyme makes it a potential therapeutic target. http://www.physorg.com/news176567951.html Chemistry Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:39:43 EST news176567951 Like all tissues in the body, the eye needs a healthy blood supply to function properly. Poorly developed blood vessels can lead to visual impairment or even blindness. While many of the molecules involved in guiding the development of the intricate blood vessel architecture are known, only now are we learning how these molecules work and how they might affect sight. http://www.physorg.com/news176131738.html Medicine & Health Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:29:29 EST news176131738 (PhysOrg.com) -- A toxin produced by mold on nuts and grains can cause liver cancer if consumed in large quantities. UC Irvine researchers for the first time have discovered what triggers the toxin to form, which could lead to methods of limiting its production. http://www.physorg.com/news175352760.html Chemistry Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:06:47 EST news175352760 (PhysOrg.com) -- An international team of researchers from the United States, Korea, and France has sequenced and analyzed the genomes of two important laboratory strains of E. coli bacteria, one used to study evolution and the other to produce proteins for basic research or practical applications. The findings will help guide future research and will also open a window to a deeper understanding of classical research that is the foundation of our understanding of basic molecular biology and genetics. http://www.physorg.com/news175272772.html Biology Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:53:30 EST news175272772 Even as research on the ribosome, one of the cell's most basic machines, is recognized with a Nobel Prize, scientists continue to achieve new insights on the way ribosomes work. http://www.physorg.com/news174834117.html Biology Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:02:28 EST news174834117 (PhysOrg.com) -- Charles Aquadro, professor of molecular biology and genetics, researches how fruit flies provide clues to humans' own genetic footprints of adaptation. http://www.physorg.com/news174649873.html Biology Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:20:20 EST news174649873 (PhysOrg.com) -- In one of the first studies of its kind, an international team of researchers has uncovered a single-letter change in the genetic code that is associated with autism. The finding, published in the October 8 issue of the journal Nature, implicates a neuronal gene not previously tied to the disorder and more broadly, underscores a role for common DNA variation. In addition, the new research highlights two other regions of the genome, which are likely to contain rare genetic differences that may also influence autism risk. http://www.physorg.com/news174140329.html Medicine & Health Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:19:11 EST news174140329 Plants and algae may be a source of green, renewable hydrocarbons that could replace the ancient, finite hydrocarbons in fossil fuels, according to a team of researchers led by Iowa State University's Jackie Shanks. http://www.physorg.com/news173635525.html Chemistry Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:10:02 EST news173635525 Researchers at Iowa State University have identified an enzyme that helps make tuberculosis resistant to a human's natural defense system. Researchers have also found a method to possibly neutralize that enzyme, which may someday lead to a cure for tuberculosis. http://www.physorg.com/news173628775.html Chemistry Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:00:01 EST news173628775 New research announced today, Wednesday 30th September, by a team of leading scientists working with the UK's national Synchrotron, Diamond Light Source, could have a significant impact on the development and refinement of new eco-friendly pest control methods for worldwide agriculture. http://www.physorg.com/news173452384.html Biology Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:40:01 EST news173452384 A committee of scientists led by Johns Hopkins investigators has published a new guide to the biology, diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer in never-smokers, fortifying measures for what physicians have long known is a very different disease than in smokers. http://www.physorg.com/news172337987.html Medicine & Health Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:20:03 EST news172337987 Previous studies in the field have indicated that East Asia is where the wolf was tamed and became the dog. It was not possible to be more precise than that. But now researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm have managed to zero in on man's best friend. http://www.physorg.com/news171026678.html Biology Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:25:30 EST news171026678 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have for the first time captured elusive nanoscale movements of ribosomes at work, shedding light on how these cellular factories take in genetic instructions and amino acids to churn out proteins. http://www.physorg.com/news170004991.html Biology Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:37:33 EST news170004991 By studying the intricate mechanisms at work in protein production, a Princeton-led team has discovered why certain kinds of antibiotics are so effective. In doing so, they also have discovered how one protein protects against cell death, shedding light on a natural cancer-fighting process. http://www.physorg.com/news169989177.html Biology Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:13:30 EST news169989177 Scientists at Michigan State University have found exposure to the hormone progesterone activates genes that trigger inflammation in the mammary gland. http://www.physorg.com/news169908140.html Biology Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:42:35 EST news169908140 Better tools for manipulating DNA in the laboratory may soon be possible with newly discovered deoxyribozymes (catalytic DNA) capable of cleaving single-stranded DNA, researchers at the University of Illinois say. http://www.physorg.com/news169649497.html Biology Sun, 16 Aug 2009 13:52:05 EST news169649497 Scientists have known for a long time that when DNA is damaged, a key enzyme sets off a cellular "alarm bell" to alert the cell to start the repair process, but until recently little was known about how the cell detects and responds to this alarm. In a study published today in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany, have identified a whole family of proteins capable of a direct response to the alarm signal. http://www.physorg.com/news169403192.html Biology Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:27:06 EST news169403192 (PhysOrg.com) -- Water striders, the familiar semi-aquatic bugs gliding across the lake at the cottage, have a novel body form that allows them to walk on water. This was not always the case. Achieving the gliding ability required the evolution of a unique arrangement of the legs, with the mid-legs greatly elongated. Scientists at the University of Toronto's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology have discovered the gene behind this evolutionary change. http://www.physorg.com/news169379468.html Biology Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:10:01 EST news169379468 New technology designed to analyse large numbers of novel marine microbes could lead to more efficient and greener ways to manufacture new drugs for conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes, flu and other viruses, as well as improving the manufacture of other products such as agrochemicals. http://www.physorg.com/news168858091.html Biology Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:40:01 EST news168858091 As the body creates antibodies to fight invaders, a three-protein DNA repair complex called MRN is crucial for a normal gene-shuffling process to proceed properly, University of Michigan research shows. http://www.physorg.com/news168678106.html Biology Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:50:01 EST news168678106 Certainly there is strength in numbers, but only if those numbers can effectively communicate with one another. Now, a new study finds that administration of a novel small molecule which effectively disrupts a key bacterial communication process protects an animal host from infection. The research, published by Cell Press in the July 31st issue of the journal Molecular Cell, may lead to more effective treatments for bacterial infection that won't encourage growth of treatment resistant bacteria. http://www.physorg.com/news168178708.html Biology Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:20:08 EST news168178708 In the forest's fight for survival, it's the tallest trees that prevail by reaching for sunlight and shading competition. Corn and other plants, too, divert precious energy to grow higher when nearby plants start to encroach. http://www.physorg.com/news167492414.html Biology Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:40:08 EST news167492414 A drug similar to one used in clinical trials for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis has been found to rescue memory in mice exhibiting Alzheimer's symptoms. http://www.physorg.com/news166795943.html Medicine & Health Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:30:02 EST news166795943 Four researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech and their colleagues at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine are advocating the use of systems biology as an innovative clinical approach to cancer. This approach could result in the development of improved diagnostic tools and treatment options, as well as potential new drug targets to help combat the many potentially fatal types of the disease. http://www.physorg.com/news166356650.html Chemistry Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:11:50 EST news166356650 Viruses can cost winegrowers an entire harvest. If they infest the grapevines, even pesticides are often no use. What's more, these chemicals are harmful to the environment. Researchers are growing plants that produce antibodies against the viruses and are thus immune. http://www.physorg.com/news165751593.html Biology Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:07:08 EST news165751593 The University of Manchester and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) have launched a major new e-science resource for biologists - which could accelerate research into treatments for H1N1 flu and cancer. http://www.physorg.com/news165668808.html Biology Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:07:10 EST news165668808 (PhysOrg.com) -- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists' discovery of a cancer-causing gene - the first in its family to be linked to cancer - demonstrates how the panoramic view of genomics and the close-up perspective of molecular biology are needed to determine which genes are involved in cancer and which are mere bystanders. The findings are reported in the June 25 issue of the journal Nature. http://www.physorg.com/news165068004.html Medicine & Health Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:50:04 EST news165068004 In the sense that organisms existing today are connected through a chain of life - through their parents, grandparents and other ancestors - almost a billion years back to the first animals of the pre-Cambrian era, an animal's reproductive cells can be considered to be immortal. These germline cells generate their offspring's somatic cells - other cells involved in all aspects of growth, metabolism and behavior, which have a set lifespan - and new germline cells that continue on, generation after generation. http://www.physorg.com/news163599959.html Biology Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:26:34 EST news163599959 Researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School have discovered a new therapy that shows potential to treat people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a fatal disease and the most common form of muscular dystrophy in children. http://www.physorg.com/news162569608.html Medicine & Health Tue, 26 May 2009 15:15:29 EST news162569608