Tag: "force" at biology news

St. Jude study solves mystery of mammalian ears

...s the tufts of cilia downward, which maximizes the force of their vibration. In mammals, both the cilia and...e height of the cilia in the fluid to maximize the force with which the cilia oscillate. That, in turn, would amplify the sound. An opposing group of scienti...

Nicotine rush hinges on sugar in neurons

...d the dots.” The study also represents a tour de force of protein crystallography. Homologs of nAChR had been studied at the atomic scale, but not the receptor itself....

Cells re-energize to come back from the brink of death

... the body, especially as we try to develop ways to force cancer cells without caspase to undergo CICD,” Green said. “Our goal is to find better ways to treat these diseases.”...

Researchers track how spores break out of dormant state

...l spores, researchers have revealed through atomic force microscopy (AFM) the alterations of spore coat and germ cell wall that accompany the transformation from a spore to a vegetative cell. When starved of nutrients Bacillus (rod-shaped bacteria) cells initiate a series of genetic, biochemical and struc...

Simulations unravel outer membrane transport mechanism

...resents the point on the TonB protein at which the force was applied. To view the results of the simulation... between TonB and the luminal domain withstand the force needed to pull the luminal domain downward, away from the barrel" Second, how does the luminal domai...

How sneaky HIV escapes cells

...is team added chemicals to normal human cells that force nearby proteins together into a clump, and this wa...of the cell in exosomes. If they added a tether to force naturally-clumping proteins inside the cell to the membrane, the proteins met a similar exosomal dep...

Crammed with charged DNA, pressure rises inside virus

...on of positively charged ions, the virus could not force all of its DNA into the capsid.” The researchers discovered that the forces in the capsid are slightly higher than predicted by theoretical calculations. They say this may be because the packed DNA is less ordered than assumed in the calculations...

Study shows big power of small RNAs, not just proteins, in halting cancer

...ne 6 by Nature now identifies miRNAs as a critical force behind the anti-proliferation potential of p53. Expression of most miRNAs is reduced in tumors, suggesting that some miRNAs act to prevent tumor formation. By comparing levels of miRNAs in cells with a variety of pre-cancerous genetic lesions,...

Brightening prospects of using fluorescent nanotubes in medical applications

... ultrasound to break apart clumps of nanotubes and force them to dissolve. The result is a dark liquid that is routinely put into an ultracentrifuge that subjects them to forces a few thousand times that of gravity. Centrifuging separates out a number of gross impurities. Hertel’s team discovered that if...

Potent possibilities for parasite attack

...hree species: 'death' of genes seems to be a major force for differences between the parasite genomes. Some genes, however, are evolving rapidly, leading the team to suspect they include key genes involved in interacting with the human host - where the battle between parasite and patient is fought and wher...

Runners -- Let thirst be your guide

...d when a person is becoming dehydrated in order to force the kidneys to conserve water. At rest, a person’s AVP level is low and can be suppressed to zero when sufficient fluids are ingested so that the kidney can excrete, rather than retain, excess water. But AVP levels can rise in people who exercise str...

New technique will produce a better chromosome map

...A simple mechanical vise applies up to two tons of force to each slide, rendering the preparations very thin and high in contrast. This allows the production of much clearer, information-packed images. The technique has other advantages: Because it relies on light microscopy, it is faster and more econo...

Hives ferment a yeasty brew, attract beetle pest

...importance in agriculture as the major pollinating force for much orchard fruit and vegetables. Many of these fruits and vegetables will not produce without honeybees. The small hive beetle can destroy many commercial hives. "If we can find out how this system works, there is a good possibility we will...

Fused nasal bones helped tyrannosaurids dismember prey

...on other animals. "With tyrannosaurs, all the bite force was delivered to the prey," he said. "The T. rex especially had a very strong skull and jaw muscles that would turn it into a zoological superweapon. A medium-sized T. rex had even more skull strength than a larger carnivorous creature, such as t...

Gut research yields new anti-cancer approach

...ls, microtubules expand and shrink to generate the force needed for cells to divide, a basic process in tumor growth. Microtubules are made of two related proteins, alpha and beta tubulin, which pair up to form a chain and then wind into a helix. The current studies found that high-dose PPARgamma inhibitor...

ConocoPhillips establishes $22.5M biofuels research program at Iowa State

...re. Private sector investments will be the driving force behind the development of new industries and technologies, and I'm encouraged that Iowa State and ConocoPhillips are working together to create the right research programs for our state's energy future." "We believe the key to a secure energy futu...

Fighting influenza & co. with 40,000 blood samples

...ver Schildgen explains. In the meantime, a task force from the University of Siena is investigating how the immune response changes on a cellular level in elderly people. Studies with older mice are expected to provide further insights. For these, the University Clinic in Dijon is designing a correspond...

When your brain talks, your muscles don't always listen

...ands of muscle fibers. "Muscles are the driving force behind our movements," Knight said. "Every time th...erformance Lab, Knight has been examining muscular force on a very small scale in the index finger, specifically, the first dorsal interosseous muscle. Locat...

Misclassified for centuries, medicinal leeches found to be 3 distinct species

...reds of scientific publications, into question and force a reconsideration of what scientists think they know about this widely studied species. Siddall and his colleagues examined mitochondrial and nuclear DNA of wild leeches from across their range in Europe, as well as from samples supplied by commer...

Robotic exoskeleton replaces muscle work

...om a computer. Such devices use repetition to help force a movement pattern. The U-M robotic exoskeleton works the opposite of these rehabilitation aids. In the U-M device, electrodes were attached to the wearer's leg and those electrical signals received from the brain were translated into movement by ...

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