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. Rapid, easy and affordable tests for cancer and avian flu and other infectious diseases move a step closer to patients as DYAMED Biotech Pte Ltd licenses a unique all-in-one automated diagnostic system called MicroKit from Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN). http://www.physorg.com/news152793212.html Chemistry Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:33:59 EST news152793212 Mice whose fat cells were allowed to grow larger than fat cells in normal mice developed "healthy" obesity when fed a high-fat diet, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center found in a new study. http://www.physorg.com/news152471533.html Biology Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:12:51 EST news152471533 A pair of studies, led by Medical College of Wisconsin scientists at Children's Research Institute in Milwaukee, may translate into rapid molecular tests to distinguish between hemangiomas and congenital blood or lymph vessel malformations in infants. Hemangiomas are common birthmarks consisting of benign tumors of blood vessels. The studies appear in the January 29, 2009 issue of the journal Blood. http://www.physorg.com/news152464973.html Medicine & Health Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:23:19 EST news152464973 (PhysOrg.com) -- Anyone who has ever battled a stuck zipper knows it's a good idea to see what's stuck, where and how badly -- and then to pull hard. A Cornell research team's experiments involve the "unzipping" of single DNA molecules. By mapping the hiccups, stoppages and forces along the way, they have gained new insight into how genes are packed and expressed within cells. http://www.physorg.com/news152382840.html Biology Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:34:20 EST news152382840 Two molecular biologists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have uncovered important new details about how a gene mutation causes a cellular editing error that results in a devastating disease called pontocerebellar hypoplasia (PCH). The new findings were published online, ahead of print, on January 25th in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology. http://www.physorg.com/news152373171.html Biology Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:55:59 EST news152373171 Mice with increased levels of a natural brain chemical don`t gain weight when fed a high-fat diet, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found. http://www.physorg.com/news152344953.html Biology Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:03:05 EST news152344953 (PhysOrg.com) -- In On The Origin of Species, Darwin used the image of a tree of life to illustrate how species evolve, one from another. Even today, branches sprouting from lower branches (representing ancestors) is how many people view the evolution of species. http://www.physorg.com/news152274071.html Biology Tue, 27 Jan 2009 10:21:49 EST news152274071 (PhysOrg.com) -- MicroRNAs - one of the tiniest entities in the human genome - are great escape artists. Despite scientists` best efforts to detect and capture them in different tissues, they often manage to make a getaway, sneaking through the tissues` tiny holes before anyone can detect them. But now, by adapting a time-tested histological technique, Rockefeller University researchers have scored big: They have developed a new method to capture microRNAs before they disappear. The work will help researchers better understand microRNAs` increasingly indisputable role in the onset of disease. http://www.physorg.com/news152205350.html Medicine & Health Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:16:25 EST news152205350 Genes that contain instructions for making proteins make up less than 2% of the human genome. Yet, for unknown reasons, most of our genome is transcribed into RNA. The same is true for many other organisms that are easier to study than humans. http://www.physorg.com/news152112434.html Biology Sun, 25 Jan 2009 13:27:47 EST news152112434 (PhysOrg.com) -- To boost our immune system, health experts remind us to get a good night's sleep, drink plenty of fluids and eat a well-balanced diet. Researchers at McMaster University have added a new finding to the list of ways in which we can lead healthier lives. http://www.physorg.com/news151940788.html Medicine & Health Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:47:07 EST news151940788 Smallpox has a nasty history throughout the world. Caused by poxviruses, smallpox is one of the few disease-causing agents against which the human body's immune system is ineffective in its defense. http://www.physorg.com/news151931620.html Biology Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:14:17 EST news151931620 University of Utah scientists identified a worm gene that is essential for damaged nerve cells to regenerate, and showed they could speed nerve regeneration by over-activating the gene - a step toward new treatments for nerves injured by trauma or disease. http://www.physorg.com/news151589222.html Medicine & Health Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:00:06 EST news151589222 An African elephant never forgets - especially when it comes to the loss of its kin, according to researchers at the University of Washington. Their findings, published online in the journal, Molecular Ecology, reveal that the negative effects of poaching persist for decades after the killing has ended. http://www.physorg.com/news151672284.html Biology Tue, 20 Jan 2009 11:12:14 EST news151672284 Scientists have always wanted to take a closer look at biological systems and materials. From the magnifying glass to the electron microscope, they have developed ever-increasingly sophisticated imaging devices. http://www.physorg.com/news151607928.html Biology Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:19:20 EST news151607928 Two Brown University researchers have determined the three-dimensional structure of an enzyme whose presence in the body could help doctors detect cancer earlier or develop more targeted treatments. http://www.physorg.com/news151383325.html Medicine & Health Sat, 17 Jan 2009 02:55:25 EST news151383325 Cornell researchers have provided new insight into the molecular mechanism underlying an essential cellular system. They have discovered how receptors on cell surfaces turn off signals from the cell's environment, a function that is vital for cell functions such as growth, division and death. http://www.physorg.com/news151344416.html Biology Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:06:56 EST news151344416 (PhysOrg.com) -- The same principles that a Biodesign Institute research team has successfully applied to remove harmful contaminants from the environment may one day allow people to clean up the gunk from their bodies -and reverse the effects of aging. The Biodesign Institute, along with partner, the Methuselah Foundation, is working to vanquish age-related disease by making old cells feel younger. http://www.physorg.com/news151344228.html Biology Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:03:48 EST news151344228 Researchers at A*STAR's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) have become the first to discover and characterize a human protein called Bax-beta (Baxβ), which can potentially cause the death of cancer cells and lead to new approaches in cancer treatment. The finding is published in the 16 Jan. report of Molecular Cell. http://www.physorg.com/news151343979.html Biology Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:59:39 EST news151343979 Scientists have identified a new way to inhibit a molecule that is critical for HIV pathogenesis. The research, published by Cell Press in the January 16th issue of the journal Molecular Cell, presents a target for development of antiretroviral therapeutics that are likely to complement existing therapies and provide additional protection from HIV and AIDS. http://www.physorg.com/news151243641.html Medicine & Health Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:07:21 EST news151243641 (PhysOrg.com) -- A comprehensive investigation of plant emissions led by University of South Australia molecular biologist Dr Ellen Nisbet has put pay to the assertion that plants are producing and releasing large quantities of methane into the environment. http://www.physorg.com/news151176747.html Biology Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:32:27 EST news151176747 (PhysOrg.com) -- IBM Research scientists, in collaboration with the Center for Probing the Nanoscale at Stanford University, have demonstrated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with volume resolution 100 million times finer than conventional MRI. http://www.physorg.com/news151073713.html Nanotechnology Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:55:13 EST news151073713 Researchers have long known that some repetitive DNA sequences can make human chromosomes "fragile," i.e. appearing constricted or even broken during cell divisions. Scientists at Tufts University have found that one such DNA repeat not only stalls the cell's replication process but also thwarts the cell's capacity to repair and restart it. The researchers focused on this CGG repeat because it is associated with hereditary neurological disorders such as fragile X syndrome and FRAXE mental impairment. http://www.physorg.com/news150905205.html Biology Sun, 11 Jan 2009 14:06:45 EST news150905205 Now, a pair of Scripps Research Institute scientists has taken a significant step toward answering that question. The scientists have synthesized for the first time RNA enzymes that can replicate themselves without the help of any proteins or other cellular components, and the process proceeds indefinitely. http://www.physorg.com/news150739469.html Chemistry Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:04:29 EST news150739469 Researchers at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have shown that search algorithms used in digital communications can help scientists identify effective multi-drug combinations. The study, led by Giovanni Paternostro, M.D., Ph.D., was published in the December 26, 2008, issue of PLoS Computational Biology. http://www.physorg.com/news150726449.html Biology Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:27:29 EST news150726449 Two previously identified pathways associated with aging in mice are connected, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding reinforces what researchers have recently begun to suspect: that the age-related degeneration of tissues, organs and, yes, even facial skin with which we all struggle is an active, deliberate process rather than a gradual failure of tired cells. Derailing or slowing this molecular betrayal, although still far in the future, may enable us to one day tack years onto our lives -- or at least delay the appearance of that next wrinkle. http://www.physorg.com/news150642332.html Biology Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:05:32 EST news150642332 The first people to arrive in America traveled as at least two separate groups to arrive in their new home at about the same time, according to new genetic evidence published online on January 8th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. http://www.physorg.com/news150642011.html Biology Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:00:11 EST news150642011 (PhysOrg.com) -- Stem cells are the body's primal cells, retaining the youthful ability to develop into more specialized types of cells over many cycles of cell division. How do they do it? Scientists at the Carnegie Institution have identified a gene, named scrawny, that appears to be a key factor in keeping a variety of stem cells in their undifferentiated state. Understanding how stem cells maintain their potency has implications both for our knowledge of basic biology and also for medical applications. The results will be published in the January 9, 2009 print edition of Science. http://www.physorg.com/news150557536.html Biology Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:32:16 EST news150557536 (PhysOrg.com) -- The brilliant afterglow of a powerful gamma-ray burst (GRB) has enabled astronomers to probe the star-forming environment of a distant galaxy, resulting in the first detection of molecular gas in a GRB host galaxy. By analyzing the spectrum of light emitted in the GRB afterglow, the researchers are gleaning insights into an active stellar nursery in a galaxy so far away it appears as it was 10 billion years ago. http://www.physorg.com/news150478619.html Space & Earth Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:36:59 EST news150478619 (PhysOrg.com) -- A mysterious flash of light from somewhere near or far in the universe is still keeping astronomers in the dark long after it was first detected by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in 2006. It might represent an entirely new class of stellar phenomena that has previously gone undetected in the universe, say researchers. http://www.physorg.com/news150472724.html Space & Earth Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:58:44 EST news150472724 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have discovered the atomic structure of a powerful "molecular motor" that packages DNA into the head segment of some viruses during their assembly, an essential step in their ability to multiply and infect new host organisms. http://www.physorg.com/news149344139.html Biology Wed, 24 Dec 2008 12:28:59 EST news149344139