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. A new study reveals how molecular motors that power important subcellular movements can generate cyclical motion. The research, published by Cell Press in the December issue of the Biophysical Journal, opens a new door to understanding motor molecules by using a computer program that faithfully simulates movement of hair-like cellular projections. http://www.physorg.com/news178985197.html Biology Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:07:28 EST news178985197 In the fruit fly Drosophila, oskar mRNA, which is involved in defining the animal`s body axes, is produced in the nuclei of nurse cells neighbouring the oocyte, and must be transported to the oocyte and along its entire length before being translated into protein. http://www.physorg.com/news178448851.html Biology Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:20:01 EST news178448851 (PhysOrg.com) -- The atomic-level action of a remarkable class of ring-shaped protein motors has been uncovered by researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory using a state-of-the-art protein crystallography beamline at the Advanced Light Source (ALS). These protein motors play pivotal roles in gene expression and replication, and are vital to the survival of all biological cells, as well as infectious agents, such as the human papillomavirus, which has been linked to cervical cancer. http://www.physorg.com/news177954624.html Biology Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:51:16 EST news177954624 (PhysOrg.com) -- Using an RNA-powered nanomotor, University of Cincinnati (UC) biomedical engineering researchers have successfully developed an artificial pore able to transmit nanoscale material through a membrane. http://www.physorg.com/news173367207.html Nanotechnology Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:33:52 EST news173367207 (PhysOrg.com) -- Friction limits the speed and efficiency of macroscopic engines. Is this also true for nanomachines? A Dresden research team used laser tweezers to measure the friction between a single motor protein molecule and its track. The team found that also within our cells, motors work against the resistance of friction and are restrained in its operation -- usually by far not as much though as their macroscopic counterparts. These first experimental measurements of protein friction could help researchers to better understand key cellular processes such as cell division which is driven by such molecular machines. http://www.physorg.com/news169466895.html Biology Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:08:59 EST news169466895 (PhysOrg.com) -- The development of the brain proceeds a little like the European settlement of North America. The earliest pioneers settled on the east coast with subsequent waves of settlers forming communities further and further westward. In cortical regions of the developing brain, generations of young neurons undergo a staged migration as well, with the earliest-born cells staying relatively close to their birthplace and subsequent generations traveling further, ultimately stratifying into six neuronal layers in the mature brain. Now, for the first time, imaging studies have identified the `motors` that propel a unique form of cell migration that creates these layers that underlie the formation of synaptic circuitry. http://www.physorg.com/news167581076.html Medicine & Health Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:40:02 EST news167581076 Every cell lining the small intestine bristles with thousands of tightly packed microvilli that project into the gut lumen, forming a brush border that absorbs nutrients and protects the body from intestinal bacteria. In the June 29, 2009 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology, Matthew McConnell, Matthew Tyska, and colleagues now find that microvilli extend their functional reach even further using a molecular motor to send vesicles packed with gut enzymes out into the lumen to get a head start on breaking down their substrates. http://www.physorg.com/news165488833.html Biology Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:07:42 EST news165488833 (PhysOrg.com) -- Certain fish species blend with their environment by changing color. Sandia National Laboratories researchers have demonstrated that, in theory, they could cause synthetic materials to change color like fish do. http://www.physorg.com/news159198454.html Nanotechnology Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:47:58 EST news159198454 Chemists at New York University and Harvard University have created a bipedal, autonomous DNA "walker" that can mimic a cell's transportation system. The device, which marks a step toward more complex synthetic molecular motor systems, is described in the most recent issue of the journal Science. http://www.physorg.com/news157901839.html Chemistry Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:38:40 EST news157901839 Chemists at the University of Illinois have created a simple and inexpensive molecular technique that replaces an expensive atomic force microscope for studying what happens to small molecules when they are stretched or compressed. http://www.physorg.com/news157558598.html Nanotechnology Sun, 29 Mar 2009 15:17:19 EST news157558598 Specialized motor proteins that transport cargo within cells could be turned into nanoscale machines for drug delivery, according to bioengineers. Chemical alteration of the proteins' function could also help inhibit the growth of cancerous tumors. http://www.physorg.com/news156775386.html Biology Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:43:45 EST news156775386 Researchers at the University of Leeds have made a significant step forward in understanding the causes of some forms of deafness. http://www.physorg.com/news155383453.html Medicine & Health Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:04:49 EST news155383453 (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 A group of Dartmouth researchers has found a new function for one of the proteins involved with chromosome segregation during cell division. Their finding adds to the growing knowledge about the fundamental workings of cells, and contributes to understanding how cell function can go wrong, as it does with cancerous cells. http://www.physorg.com/news150722564.html Biology Fri, 09 Jan 2009 11:22:44 EST news150722564