Vertebrae in Biological News

UNH researchers studying spiny dogfish, Gulf of Maine's mini shark

... blood samples were taken and dorsal fin spines, vertebrae and reproductive organs were brought back to the ... to the structure. So instead, Bubley is using vertebrae to determine their age, a technique typically used on other Elasmobranchs. Two individuals examine vertebrae cross-sections that have been processed to reduce ...

Largest prehistoric snake on record discovered in Colombia

... by its discoverers, the size of the snake's vertebrae suggest it weighed 1140 kg (2,500 pounds) and ... they identified the position of the fossil vertebrae which made a size estimate possible. Now based at ... extrapolated the placement of Titanoboa fossil vertebrae by comparing the fossils' structure to ...

At 2,500 pounds and 43 feet, prehistoric snake is the largest on record

... by its discoverers, the size of the snake's vertebrae suggest it weighed 1,140 kilograms (2,500 pounds) ... extrapolated the placement of Titanoboa fossil vertebrae by comparing the fossils' structure to the vertebrae of today's boine snakes. ...

Pourquie Lab demonstrates role of growth factor in vertebrae formation

... (FGF) in the embryonic process of somitogenesis, an event required for vertebrae formation, in a paper posted to the Web site of the journal Development. ... the clock into positional information, and allows for the formation of vertebrae precursors known as somites. In this paper, the team successfully ...

Clinical trial shows quadriplegics can operate powered wheelchair with tongue drive system

... Foundation. The clinical trial tested the ability of these individuals with tetraplegia, as a result of high-level spinal cord injuries (cervical vertebrae C3-C5), to perform tasks related to computer access and wheelchair navigation -- using only their tongue movements. At the beginning of each ...

Evolution and climate change research advances at Rutgers-Camden

... derived from one. The fish's highly specialized adaptations, from retina to brain, serve as a model for discerning the circuitry of feeding in all vertebrae whose visual traits aren't as clearly segmented. "This fish has much to teach us. It has adapted extraordinarily to a single unique environment. ...

Embryo biopsy does not affect early growth and risk of congenital malformations in PGD/PGS babies

... group, one child suffered from a ventricular septum defect (a heart problem) and another child had hemivertebrae with gibbus (a malformation of the vertebrae causing a hump). One child from the ICSI group born at 39 weeks underwent surgery for an inguinal hernia (a hernia in the groin). In the SC group, a ...

Saltwater sleuths: Seeking clues to help determine the ages of fish and shellfish populations

... cost-effective because there is little processing necessary to collect and process scales. Some species, however, require special attention: baked vertebrae are used to age monkfish, and thin sections of chondrophores, a cavity at the hinge of bivalve mollusks, are used to age surfclams. The majority ...

Stowers Institute researchers identify gene linked to vertebral defects in patient populations

... also known as Jarcho-Levin Syndrome. Spondylothoracic Dysostosis is a rare genetic disorder characterized by distinctive malformations of the vertebrae and ribs, respiratory problems, and other abnormalities. Infants born with Spondylothoracic Dysostosis have short necks, limited neck motion, and are ...

Dinosaur from Sahara ate like a 'mesozoic cow'

... animals posture and behavior. Jaw design was not Nigersaurus only odd characteristic: It had a backbone that was more air than bone. The vertebrae are so paper-thin that it is difficult to imagine them coping with the stresses of everyday use but we know they did it, and they did it well, said ...

Study reveals 2 genes linked to disabling arthritis

... two genes linked to a disabling form of arthritis called ankylosing spondylitis, a painful and progressive disease in which some or all of the spines vertebrae fuse together. The researchers also validated the association of two genes implicated in Graves disease, an autoimmune condition that causes ...

Cytoplasm affects the number of vertebrae in carp-goldfish clones

... Cyprinus carpio, in appearance and in most physical traits. The number of vertebrae in the clones, however, was in the range of the recipient species, ... the body and hence the number of vertebrae. Common carp have 33 to 36 vertebrae in their backbones, while goldfish have 26 to 28. Six of the seven cloned ...

Paleontologists discover new mammal from Mesozoic Era

... lumbar ("waist") vertebrae, unlike most living and extinct terrestrial mammals that commonly have 19 or 20 thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. The extra vertebrae give Yanoconodon a more elongated body form, in contrast to its relatively shorter and very primitive limb and foot structures. The new mammal also ...

Stowers scientists demonstrate mechanism of vertebral formation

... said Robb Krumlauf, Ph.D., Scientific Director. "The findings provide a link between the morphogenesis of the tissue that generates the vertebrae and the periodic production of their precursors." The Snail factors which are known to control the transition of the epithelium to a mesenchyme ...

Gradient guides nerve growth down spinal cord

... to groups of neurons along the length of spinal cord, some of which reach out of the spinal cord. They pass out of the cord between each pair of vertebrae and extend to different parts of the body, for example the hand or foot. Zou and colleagues studied the guidance system used to assemble this ...

Beauty queens urge girls not to sacrifice their bones

... active girls of the same age. "Older people also benefit," he noted, pointing out that "exercising your back during middle-age can help prevent the vertebrae from weakening or fracturing when people get older". The "IOF Beauties and the Bones" event was held in conjunction with the biennial IOF World ...

New method shows it is possible to grow bone for grafts within a patient's body

... bone breaks is to remove small pieces of bone from a patient's rib or hip and fuse them to the broken bone. They use the same method to fuse spinal vertebrae to treat serious spinal injuries and back pain. Although this works well at the repair site, the removal operation is extremely painful and can ...

Vitamin A's paradoxical role in influencing symmetry during embryonic development revealed

... retinoic acid pathway generated an uneven distribution of tissue on the right and left halves of the body. That is, somites (which give rise to the vertebrae and other body structures that are symmetrical) were unevenly distributed on the right and left axis. Normally, equal numbers of somites occur on ...