Research: Snails were overlooked contributors to marsh destruction
...it. Instead, they crunch up the surface to make it easier for colonization by fungi. In a process described as fungal farming, the snails then eat the fungi. Periwinkle snails normally coexist happily with marsh grasses. But the drought so weakened cordgrass that it began dying off. Snails then moved in, f...New U. of Colorado at Boulder flu chip may help combat future epidemics, pandemics
... better global influenza surveillance by making it easier for more laboratories to swiftly identify severe flu strains, which in turn may aid health officials to stem potential flu epidemics and even pandemics," Rowlen said. The chip, which can be configured to test for all known flu virus strains as well ...ASU researchers 'wire' DNA to identify mutations
... The DNA has properties which make the electrons easier to tunnel through, just like lowering a hill for a...l of the research is to make the measurement steps easier and faster through automation, which will allow many different DNA sequences to be analyzed at once....Setting the standard for computer models of life
... The aim of these annotation schemes is to make it easier for researchers to search models on the basis of their components, to contact the creators of the model if they need more information, and to track the history of a model if it has been modified. MIRIAM's creators include representatives of four ma...New nanosensor uses quantum dots to detect DNA
...uences, making the combined glow even brighter and easier to see. To test the new technique, Wang's team obtained DNA samples from patients with ovarian cancer and detected DNA sequences containing a critical mutation. "This method may help us identify people at risk of developing cancer, so that treatmen...3D ultrasound device poised to advance minimally invasive surgery
... dimensions, the scanner could make such surgeries easier to perform and eventually more precise." Such surgeries also might be cheaper and less traumatic as they could be performed in less time and, in some cases, without the need of general anesthesia, he said. Duke developed the first 3D ultrasound sca...Rare Tibetan antelope listed as endangered
... dimensions, the scanner could make such surgeries easier to perform and eventually more precise." Such surgeries also might be cheaper and less traumatic as they could be performed in less time and, in some cases, without the need of general anesthesia, he said. Duke developed the first 3D ultrasound sca...Swiss researchers develop all-in-one remote control gene expression tool
...e efficiency of the lentiviral vector will make it easier to create transgenic animals used in studying human genetic diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's or Huntington's diseases. The expression of the gene can be turned on and off by feeding the animal an antibiotic. Likewise genes that express path...Pair of studies offer new clues to combat antibiotic resistance
... availability of synthetic precursors will make it easier to study how the gram-positive bacterial membrane ...m-negative bacteria, they are generally considered easier to control with antibiotics. "Antibiotic resistance is a huge problem that is only going to get wor...For one Stanford doctor, the beat goes on during open-heart surgery
... alive, while the doctor sews on new vessels. It's easier for surgeons to perform because they have a stable target. The heart is not moving. In beating-heart surgeries - currently used in about 22 percent of U.S. bypass procedures - a surgeon's ability to stitch vessels onto a moving, blood-filled heart r...Environmental metagenomics diagnosing extreme environments, tapping opportunities for clean energy
...onment for processes that will lead to cheaper and easier to produce biofuels. "Through DNA sequencing and the tools of molecular biology we can generate diagnostic fingerprints, Environmental Genomic Tags or EGTs, that provide a metabolic profile of any environment, even such extreme conditions as acid...Growing crops to cope with climate change
...barley researchers and plant breeders will find it easier to select variations that will thrive in the UK environment but will also flower earlier, coping with hotter summers. Dr Laurie commented, "Although our research has been on barley we know from observation that other crops show similar variation in...Cheaper and simpler keyhole surgery
...developed two instruments which make this approach easier and also cheaper than with existing surgical robotics. Jaspers is awarded his doctorate on Wednesday 22 March at Delft University of Technology. Endoscopic operations (or keyhole surgery) are much less stressful for the patient and give a better cos...Researchers develop portable 'vein finder' for faster, more accurate injections
...ed, the vein finder's accuracy will make treatment easier for hospital patients who need ongoing IVs or blood work. Larsen recalls a hospital stay of his own that required numerous blood tests. This resulted in swelling and inflammation in his arms, making it increasingly more difficult for nurses to find...Formation of cellulose fibers tracked for the first time
...ide. "The more we understand about cellulose, the easier it will be to modify it," said Chris Somerville, director of the Carnegie department. "With this knowledge, we are one step closer to designing energy-rich biofuel crops and improved fiber crops." Cellulose fibers make up a significant portion of th...Researchers test new way to quit smoking
..., it might make the transition to being smoke-free easier because a crucial part of their behaviour has already changed. "Another theory is that the combination of cigarettes with an additional source of nicotine 'saturates' the brain nicotine receptors. Individuals might lose some of their desire for ciga...Deep-rooted plants have much greater impact on climate than experts thought
...n for keeping the surface soil moist is to make it easier for the plant to take in nutrients. "Hydraulic redistribution is definitely related to water, but it can't really be discussed outside the context of plant nutrition," he said. Dawson, Lee and Fung set out to incorporate hydraulic distribution in t...Relationship of brain and skull more than just packaging
...und again and again. Locating reliable markers was easier on the rigid skull than on the brain. Co-author of...er. "We eventually chose brain locations that were easier to identify reliably such as the most posterior point or the centroid of small neural structures." ...Invasive exotic plants helped by natural enemies
...they may not have the right defenses and are often easier prey than the native herbivores' usual meal. Moreover, most previous assessments of this "natural enemies hypothesis," have focused on the effect that specialized insects have on plants. However, Parker notes that insects commonly reduce plant growt...Scientists force viruses to evolve as better delivery vehicles for gene therapy
... making them more virulent, he said that other and easier techniques already allow this frightening possibility. AAV consists of two genes enclosed within a ball, or capsid, of proteins. The capsid proteins are what antibodies recognize, and as a result were the target of directed evolution. To provide the...