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Tag: "critical" at biology news

Marine bacterium suspected to play role in global carbon and nitrogen cycles

...ce of non disease-causing microorganisms and their critical role in our understanding of global environmental cycles. ...

When in danger humans are similar to a deer in the headlights

...d. The authors found that this abrupt reaction, so critical for the survival of some animals, has stayed with humans. Forty-eight male volunteers stood barefoot on a stabilometric platform, to measure balance and body sway, and viewed twenty-four pictures from three different categories. They were: pleasant ...

Hormones and growth: The control of body size and developmental growth rate in fruit flies

...thways that use that information to correctly time critical transitional events during development. The two s... speculated that the timing of ecdysone release is critical in determining both the final body size and developmental rate of an insect. In their new work, Phi...

UIC researchers show protein routes messages in nerve cells

...at the gene we mutated codes for a protein that is critical for getting those receptors to the right place at the right time." Featherstone and his colleagues found that a protein called coracle -- known as 4.1 in humans -- links receptors on a nerve cell's membrane to its internal structure, or cytoskeleton...

Insight into our sight: A new view on the evolution of the eye lens

... in Current Biology, the evolutionary history of a critical eye protein has revealed a previously unrecognized... to form a clear, focused image on the retina. The critical component in focusing is the eye lens, and the physical properties that underlie the transparency of...

AACR Favors 'full spectrum of stem cell research biology'

...gy are: # Human stem cell research will elucidate critical aspects of cell growth and differentiation that are altered during the formation and growth of tumors. # Research on tissue-specific stem cells from adults may reveal the body's innate maintenance and repair mechanisms. # Embryonic stem cells have ...

Bleach found to neutralize mold allergens

...for denaturing or neutralizing mold allergens is a critical step in mold treatment that has not been fully understood. Currently, most recommendations for mold remediation call for removal since dead mold retains its ability to trigger allergic reactions, according to Dr. Martyny. The researchers grew the co...

Several minute intermediate stage in virus-cell fusion discovered; opportunity for drug development

.... It's a crucial point in viral entry because it's critical for the pore to enlarge sufficiently for the genetic material to pass into the host cell." The researchers are excited by this study because even a brief pause during the process by which a virus invades a cell provides a possible new drug target in...

Squeezing out dune plants

...e most likely species to be lost. These plants are critical in the formation of dunes, binding sediments, and ...ring events such as hurricanes. They also provide critical habitat for endangered animals such as the Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii). Accordin...

Muscle repair: Making a good system better, faster; implications for aging, disease

...important Confirming earlier studies indicating a critical role of the plasminogen system in muscle repair, t...lungs and the heart. The plasminogen system may be critical for efficient repair of many tissues and for minimizing scar formation. Koh noted the following spe...

Sugar helps control cell division

...vered that a deceptively simple sugar is in fact a critical regulator of cells' natural life cycle. The discovery reveals that, when disturbed, this process could contribute to cancer or other diseases by failing to properly control the steps and timing of cell division, the researchers say. The findings are...

Newly Discovered Role for Heart Response Enzyme May Yield Better Heart Failure Therapy

...archers have identified a new protein that plays a critical role in enabling the heart to respond to such external stimuli as exercise or stress, as well as in the progressive loss of heart function that is heart failure, the researchers said. Their findings, they said, suggest new approaches to prevent or r...

'Underground' tunnels discovered as means for communication between immune system cells

...on of the immune system, just as gap junctions are critical for the function of cardiac muscle. Exactly how this is so, we don't know," added Dr. Watkins, who also is a professor of immunology. "Further study may help us better understand how they're involved in the local inflammatory response of the immune ...

Huntington's cure in flies lays groundwork for broader treatment approaches

Boosting levels of two critical proteins that normally shut down during Huntington's disease, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have cured fruit flies of the genetic, neurodegenerative condition. Forms of the same proteins-kno...

Traditional models underestimate extinction rates

...of extinction and shows that because they ignore a critical parameter in projecting risk, they underestimate extinction rates. Standard models for predicting extinction assume that population growth and decline are governed by random, or stochastic, variables. But few scientists have actually tested the accu...

Flies on speed offer insight into the roles of dopamine in sleep and arousal

... one of several in a new study that demonstrates a critical role for the neurotransmitter dopamine in the modulation of sleep, wake, and arousal states. The work is reported by Dr. Ralph Greenspan and colleagues at The Neurosciences Institute in San Diego. The researchers found that long, sleepless nights, ...

Weight control protein may yield antiobesity drugs

...esity therapy. The new findings reveal SH2-B as a critical component in maintaining leptin sensitivity, Rui said. Therefore, SH2-B and signaling events regulated by SH2-B may serve as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes. "Because SH2-B sensitizes both leptin and in...

Scientists uncover new clues about brain function in human behavior

...ygdala's response and regulation are thought to be critical to people's social behavior through the monitoring of daily life events such as danger signals. Scientists know from animal studies that damage to the amygdala impairs social functioning. "Social interactions are central to human experience and well...

Researchers discover how tumor suppressor gene works

...rnal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. A critical event in the development of melanoma and other human cancers is the inactivation of a gene known as "p16." Normally, p16 keeps cells from growing rapidly, a condition that sometimes leads to tumor formation. Working with mouse epidermis and cultured ...

Stem cells bring fast direct improvement, without differentiation, in acute renal failure

...F, is as serious as it sounds. An estimated 40% of critical care hospital admissions experience ARF. Estimates of their death rate range from 50% to 80%, complicated by the fact that patients with ARF often simultaneously suffer failure of other major organ systems. The most serious form of ARF is caused by ...

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