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Tag: "special" at biology news

Computers to save unique type of American red squirrel

... University of Arizona in the US, have developed a special computer model which in time will pinpoint the biggest threats to the rare Mount Graham Red Squirrel. Details of the model are published in the academic journal Biological Conservation. The Mount Graham Red Squirrel, isolated for the last 10,000 y...

Microbes convert 'Styrofoam? into biodegradable plastic

...mental Science & Technology . The microbes, a special strain of the soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida, converted polystyrene foam ?commonly known as Styrofoam??into a biodegradable plastic, according to Kevin O’Connor, Ph.D., of University College Dublin, the study’s corresponding author. The study is a...

Powerful new tool for studying brain development

...pmental stages. Gene expression is visible because special tags called probes bind to messenger RNA (mRNA)--t...ene--and release a signal that can be seen using a special microscope. Gene expression refers to the production of mRNA, which becomes the blueprint the cell u...

Researchers get neurons and silicon talking

...n with neurons possible. Biologically NACHIP uses special proteins found in the brain to essentially glue the neurons to the chip. These proteins act as more than a simple adhesive, however. "They also provided the link between ionic channels of the neurons and semiconductor material in a way that neural el...

A link is found between morphine addiction and the tendency to explore

...he place-conditioning technique. In these tests, a special cage is used that has two very different compartments, with a distinct colour, feel and smell. The animal is placed in a compartment after being injected with the drug and is left to experiment the effects of the drug and associates them with the spe...

Terahertz imaging may reduce breast cancer surgeries

...t by placing a slice of excised breast tissue on a special quartz plate and exposing it to terahertz light, the light waves reflected from the tissue contained unique information about its state. The researchers were able to distinguish both invasive and noninvasive breast carcinomas from healthy tissue. Tw...

Predicting success

...therapy drugs, and this material was injected into special mice with different cancerous growths. The team created computer algorithms (instructions for computers) that allowed them to verify the connection between the amount of material that found its way into the growth and the pressure of the fluids insid...

Boosting newborns' immune responses

...bly, TLR8 stimulators could also be given alone in special circumstances ?to help a baby fight off an infection in progress, or as a preventive measure in the event of a disease outbreak or bio-terrorist threat, Levy adds. Levy's team is uncovering other differences between the newborn and adult immune syst...

Mechanism for memory revealed in neurons of electric fish

... a memory of the sizzling communiqué by turning on special cell membrane channels. The channels give the fish neurons the ability to retain a memory long after its original stimulus is gone. "There is short-term stimulation that results in long-term changes in excitability," says Zakon, professor of neuro...

Bringing the zoos to the zebras

... one from Minnesota Zoological Park will add their special expertise to the Grevy's Zebras project. They will be able to share first-hand knowledge of Grevy's zebra conservation in captivity, and will take home valuable experience with zebra behavior and habitat needs in the wild. Earthwatch has a long tra...

Newly discovered protein kills anthrax bacteria by exploding their cell walls

... are easy to spread, kill effectively and call for special actions by the pubic health system. One of these w...t to find their next target. The bacteriophage use special proteins, called lysins, to bore holes in the bacteria, causing them to literally explode. Fischetti...

Viral protein helps infected T cells stick to uninfected cells

...iness happens because the p12 viral protein causes special adherence proteins found on the surface of T cells to cluster in large groups ?something that normally happens when T cells touch to communicate with one another during an immune response. The findings also suggest that a drug that inhibits the p12...

How nerve cells stay in shape

Nerve cells store and transmit information via special contact sites called synapses. Synapses also play ...eceiving cell (see image 1). Both parts comprise a special set of molecules, which clearly distinguishes them from the rest of the cell. Furthermore, these con...

Animals can change genes quickly to keep up with viral ingenuity

...s race between viruses and their hosts. Studying a special class of genes thought to have evolved in part as a defense system against viruses, researchers have found evidence that these genes are indeed among the fastest-evolving in the genome of the fruit fly, Drosophila. The work is reported by University ...

Sea coral's trick helps scientists tag proteins

... less harmful to living cells and does not require special laser equipment, Konstantin Lukyanov explained. In fact, the light source of the laser-scanning confocal microscopes that researchers commonly use to peer into living cells can activate the tag, which should make the new tool useful to many scientist...

Protein 'nanosprings' most resilient found in nature

...and what makes the structure of ankyrin repeats so special and to demonstrate the functional role of this structure to particular ankyrin proteins, such as those involved in hearing, the researchers said. The team will also investigate whether longer springs would maintain the same elastic properties, a find...

Salmonella caught red-handed

...c path proteins. The scientists compared them with special protein databanks and identified possible points of attack for antibiotics. Bumann and his team then examined what role these proteins play in a Salmonella infection. The scientists turned off genes responsible for the proteins to see how it affecte...

Rare Chinese frogs communicate by means of ultrasonic sound

...rned to China with their recording equipment and a special device that allowed playback of recorded frog calls in the audible or ultrasonic ranges. They observed eight male frogs under three experimental conditions (no sounds, playback of calls containing only audible parts and playback of just ultrasonic fr...

Basic research leads to a novel cancer therapy

...orldwide, research into receptors has focused on a special class of proteins, called tyrosine kinases. They are responsible for causing the received signal to be transduced through a long signalling cascade into the nucleus, triggering cell division and multiplication. Signalling cascades are absolutely nece...

Sun protection for plants

...photoprotective process was found to be aided by a special carotenoid molecule called zeaxanthin and plants with higher levels of this molecule appear to be better protected. Professor Peter Horton, research leader at the University of Sheffield, said, "Plants use a range of processes to adapt to harsh and ...

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