Tag: "fragile" at biology news

First clinical trial of gene therapy for childhood blindness

...ouraging that we can deliver genes to an extremely fragile site in the eye without complications." Professor Moore said: "Some indications of the results of the trial may be available within several months. However, the subjects will need to be followed-up to assess the long term effect of the treatment...

Diminishing dinosaur steps saved by laser and laptop

...is MPhil degree project. Karl said: "Due to the fragile environment and the sensitivity of the site we were not permitted direct contact and therefore all measurements had to taken remotely. Dr Manning added: "Laser scanning allowed the rapid, high resolution, 3D digital mapping of an otherwise inacces...

Corals that can fight global warming may one day help fragile reefs

...ies may someday be harnessed to help protect other fragile coral reefs, Harvell said. The head of the Coral Disease Working Group of the Global Environmental Facility Coral Reef Targeted Research Program, Harvell describes these latest findings in detail in the March issue of the journal Oceanography. The ...

NIH researchers discover protein that appears to regulate bone mass loss, the cause of osteoporosis

...cterized by a severe loss of bone mineral density, fragile bones and an increased risk of hip, spine and wrist fractures. The basic mechanism behind osteoporosis involves an imbalance between bone mineral formation and loss, but the detailed biological processes that lead to this imbalance are not completely...

Bats prey on nocturnally migrating songbirds

...hat sea and desert crossings already represent for fragile migratory passerines. Actually, the newly uncovered danger comes from the deep black sky, in the form of a 45 cm wing-spanned aerial-hawking mammal, equipped with sharp canines and an efficient radar system which remains probably largely inaudible to...

Antarctic warming to reduce animals at base of ecosystem, shift some penguin populations southward

...st observers fear. It will make drastic changes in fragile ecosystems throughout the world, especially in the... glacial dynamics of the continent but also on the fragile marine and terrestrial ecosystems that have been thriving there in the past." ...

Speeding 'fingertip' discovery -- 20 years of protein info in 1 place

...s of our genes. “There is evidence of other, more fragile modifications that until now no one has been able to get a handle on because they’re way too hard to work with. Now we have the tools to probe further,?he says. ...

Anti-fungal drug stops blood vessel growth

...erol, causing these primitive life forms to become fragile and break apart. It turns out that itraconazole can block the same enzyme in blood vessels, but the researchers aren’t positive if that’s the reason blood vessels stop growing, because related antifungal drugs had much lower inhibitory effect. “O...

Gold nanoparticles prove to be hot stuff

...s to both apply force to and track the position of fragile biomolecules such as DNA or protein by manipulating a tiny sphere--typically polystyrene--attached to the molecule. The JILA team would like to find new microsphere materials that can be trapped by laser radiation pressure more efficiently, which wou...

Molecular 'marker' on stem cells aids research, perhaps therapies

...ruction or augmentation, or to shore up bones left fragile by age or disease. “With a purer cell population, you should have a more effective therapy,?Dr. Perlingeiro said. The SSEA-4 molecule was known to be on the surface of embryonic stem cells, as well as on embryonic carcinoma cells, the malignant ...

Some butterflies travel farther, reproduce faster

...pupa, so they have to produce eggs quickly. In the fragile world of a butterfly, a day can make all the difference between reproducing and not. The physiological difference The researchers delved into what was behind these differences in egg production and development. They obtained blood samples from ...

Study: Living coral reefs provide better protection from tsunami waves

...findings offer yet another reason to protect these fragile offshore ecosystems. "This study shows yet another way that protecting the environment relates to humanity in a very tangible way," he said. "Villages get built behind coral reefs for good reasons, and this is one of them." Kunkel said that she ...

China's environmental challenges

...tor of at least 1.3, putting the country's already fragile freshwater systems under greater strain. The authors wonder: will China "?.continue down the same road as in the past two decades, or will environmental quality, energy efficiency, and the conservation of resources no longer be sacrificed at the alt...

Radiologists attempt to solve mystery of Tut's demise

... using some metal instruments that broke the thin, fragile piece of bone that lies immediately underneath the bone defect in the skull base through which the spinal cord emerges," Dr. Selim said. Dr. Selim's team did not escape the so-called curse that is said to plague anyone who disrupts the remains of...

NAU researchers chirping over discovery of new cricket genus

...osystems are one of the most poorly understood and fragile ecosystems," Wynne added. "The discovery of a new cricket genus from a northwestern Arizona cave emphasizes how little is known about these ecosystems." Cave ecosystems are poorly understood because they are a relatively new avenue of scientific in...

Loosen up, DNA: Leukemia gene changes genetic packaging

...netic information into our cells while keeping the fragile DNA strands safe. Our DNA contains tens of thousands of genes along the seven feet of DNA that is spooled up very tightly around proteins called histones in the nucleus of nearly every cell in our bodies. The whole structure, called chromatin, looks ...

Global warming may have damaged coral reefs forever

...ted sites. Reduced biodiversity results in a more fragile and less stable ecosystem. Smaller fish have reduced in number more quickly than larger species but their decreased availability has started to have a more lasting effect on the food chain, and this effect is likely to be amplified as time goes on....

Bedsores and bald hides: Novel roles revealed for a 'scaffolding' protein

...icle die too soon, which results in a thin coat of fragile hair, a condition resembling alopecia or thinning, balding hair. That the hair is fragile is not surprising given that K17 is a keratin protein, known to provide structure and strength, says...

Stable polymer nanotubes may have a biotech future

...ort in biochemical applications, but are typically fragile and usually collapse within a few hours. The NIST team developed processes for extending the shelf life of polymer nanotubes--considered essential for commercial applications--and forming sturdy nanotube network structures. First the researchers mad...

Report finds cruise industry is protecting the precious places it visits

...ough cruise tourism has the potential to overwhelm fragile destinations if not managed effectively, the industry is also a great potential ally for conservation, because many cruise passengers are attracted by the opportunity to experience new places and cultures," stated Russell Mittermeier, president of CI...

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