Better in Biological News

Organic food not nutritionally better than conventionally-produced food

There is no evidence that organically produced foods are nutritionally superior to conventionally produced foodstuffs, according to a study published today in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition . Consumers appear willing to pay higher prices for organic foods based on their perceived h...

New technique can fast-track better ionic liquids for biomass pre-treatments

They've been dubbed "grassoline" second generation biofuels made from inedible plant material, including fast-growing weeds, agricultural waste, sawdust, etc. and numerous scientific studies have shown them to be prime candidates for replacing gasoline to meet our transportation needs. However, ...

New lab test offers better prediction of HIV microbicide safety

July 9, 2009 (BRONX, NY) Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have devised a laboratory test for predicting whether microbicides against HIV are safe for human use. The researchers have also discovered why several supposedly "safe" microbicides made women more ...

Gene expression findings a step toward better classification and treatment of juvenile arthritis

Scientists have discovered gene expression differences that could lead to better ways to classify, predict outcome, and treat juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Eventually such findings could enable doctors to target more aggressive treatment to children at risk of more severe arthritis, while t...

Infant formula adulteration with melamine underscores need for better detection methods

Rockville, Md., June 17, 2009 Following the recent adulteration of infant formula and other milk products with the industrial chemical melamine, the U. S. Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention is holding an international workshop this week to explore better ways to detect deliberately falsified protein ...

Scholar unconvinced new lie-detection methods better than old ones

CHAMPAIGN, lll. When a crime has been committed, the usual modus operandi for police detectives and their fictional counterparts has been to dust the scene for fingerprints. And once they have a suspect in custody, out comes the polygraph, or lie detector. But in today's forensically sophistic...

Understanding plants' overactive immune system will help MU researchers build better crops

COLUMBIA, Mo. A plant's immune system protects the plant from harmful pathogens. If the system overreacts to pathogens, it can stunt plant growth and reduce seed production. Now, University of Missouri researchers have identified important suppressors that negatively regulate the responses of the...

A bad performance is better than no performance at all

The learning of birdsong resembles the learning of speech in humans. Crucial for the process are acoustic perception and the ability to produce sound. Social isolation leads to a disturbed vocal development both in humans and in birds. When children grow up without contact to other humans they ei...

Princeton team's analysis of flu virus could lead to better vaccines

A team of Princeton University scientists may have found a better way to make a vaccine against the flu virus. Though theoretical, the work points to the critical importance of what has been a poorly appreciated aspect of the interaction between a virus and those naturally produced defensive p...

Random picks better than complicated process in gene identification

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Researchers at Purdue University have found a way to save time, money and a little frustration in searches for specific genes that shed light on the biological processes associated with all forms of life. Andrew DeWoody, a professor of genetics, and postdoctoral associate...

People of higher socioeconomic status choose better diets -- but pay more per calorie

St. Louis, MO, May 1, 2009 As people become more educated, studies have demonstrated that they tend to choose foods that are lower in calories but higher in nutrients. They also pay more. In a study published in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association , researchers...

Center to investigate plant cells for better biomass fuels

Cutting edge approaches and methodology employed by plant and molecular biologists, chemists, physicists, material scientists, computational modelers and engineers will be applied to plant cells in the newly funded Center for Lignocellulose Structure and Formation, a Department of Energy, Energy ...

Purdue study finds dairy better for bones than calcium carbonate

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A Purdue University study shows dairy has an advantage over calcium carbonate in promoting bone growth and strength. Connie Weaver, distinguished professor and head of the food and nutrition department, found that the bones of rats fed nonfat dry milk were longer, wider, m...

Plant gene mapping may lead to better biofuel production

UPTON, NY -- By creating a "family tree" of genes expressed in one form of woody plant and a less woody, herbaceous species, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have uncovered clues that may help them engineer plants more amenable to biofuel production. The...

Climate change aims need to be better integrated

This release is available in German . Helsinki/Leipzig. Specific measures to tackle climate change, such as emissions trading, will only be successful if they are coherently supported by other government policies addressing economic and social issues, says a report published today by the ...

The sunlight solution for better health

Sunlight is a vital component of good health. Like plants that thrive in the sun, we humans too depend on sunlight, in our case for the production of vitamin D. In the past few decades, however, cultural trends have steered us away from sun exposure. From fear of the potential dangers of UV radiat...

Regular family meals result in better eating habits for adolescents

Philadelphia, PA, March 9, 2009 Good eating habits can result when families eat together. In the March/April 2009 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior , researchers from the School of Public Health, University of Minnesota report on one of the first studies to examine the lon...

Probing and controlling 'molecular rattling' may mean better preservatives

For centuries, people have preserved fruit by mixing it with sugar, making thick jams that last for months without spoiling. Now scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have discovered* a fundamental property of mixture behavior that might help extend the life of ma...

Preventing rangeland erosion: Developing better management practices in Iran

Madison, WI, February 9, 2009 -- The rangelands of Iran have one of the world's longest history of agriculture development, with a deep tradition of technological developments and knowledge of the soil that has produced centuries of fertile crops. Currently, however, new pressures to feed an incre...

Rot's unique wood degrading machinery to be harnessed for better biofuels production

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.An international team led by scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) have translated the genetic code that explains the complex biochemical machinery...

Physically fit kids do better in school

Cambridge, MA January 28, 2009 A new study in the Journal of School Health found that physically fit kids scored better on standardized math and English tests than their less fit peers. Researchers examined the relationship between physical fitness and academic achievement in a racially and...

Research finds older women who are more physically fit have better cognitive function

New research published in the international journal Neurobiology of Aging by Marc Poulin, PhD, DPhil, finds that being physically fit helps the brain function at the top of its game. An Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Senior Scholar, Poulin finds that physical activity benefits ...

Study shows California's autism increase not due to better counting, diagnosis

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) A study by researchers at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute has found that the seven- to eight-fold increase in the number children born in California with autism since 1990 cannot be explained by either changes in how the condition is diagnosed or counted and the trend shows ...

Male crickets with bigger heads are better fighters, study reveals, echoing ancient Chinese text

Observing and betting on cricket fights has been part of Chinese cultural tradition since at least the Sung Dynasty (A.D. 960-1278). This ancient practice has resulted in quite a detailed list of characteristics that Chinese practitioners think make for champion fighters. "Because money was involv...

Building better bones and tissue in the lab

Tissue engineering holds great promise for the treatment of conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, fibrosis, periodontal disease and traumatic injuries. However, bone and cartilage currently produced in the laboratory don't have sufficient strength to function in the body so they're not clin...

EPA and USDA should create new initiative to better monitor nutrients

WASHINGTON --The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Agriculture should jointly establish a Nutrient Control Implementation Initiative (NCII) to learn more about the effectiveness of actions meant to improve water quality throughout the Mississippi River basin and into the ...

Soybean grant gives researchers tools to unravel better bean

For millennia, people have grown soybeans and turned them into many useful products. But when it comes to understanding why a soybean grows, blooms or produces like it does, researchers are left with unanswered questions. University of Georgia professor Wayne Parrott aims to find the answers w...

Sibling study could lead to better treatments for inherited form of colon cancer

SALT LAKE CITYResearchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) believe they may be one step closer to understanding how certain forms of colon cancer develop. In a study using siblings who have been diagnosed with colon cancer, scientists discovered similarities on a region of a particular chromo...

Sniffing out a better chemical sensor

Marrying a sensitive detector technology capable of distinguishing hundreds of different chemical compounds with a pattern-recognition module that mimics the way animals recognize odors, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have created a new approach for electr...

Men are better at detecting infidelities

UNFAITHFUL women beware. Chances are your male partner is on your case. In fact, he is likely to suspect infidelities even when you have kept to the straight and narrow. The flip side is that to counter this constant vigilance, women may be better than men at concealing illicit liaisons. Paul And...

Building a better bee

DAVIS, CALIF. A UC Davis researcher known for her honey bee line "New World Carniolans" has crossed her bees with their Old World counterparts to enhance their positive characteristics. "The bees are very gentle, very hygienic and very productive, and hopefully will confer increased resistance...

Caltech scientists engineer supersensitive receptor, gain better understanding of dopamine system

PASADENA, Calif.--Genetically modifying a receptor found on the neurons that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine has given California Institute of Technology (Caltech) researchers a unique glimpse into the workings of the brain's dopamine system--as well as a new target for treating diseases tha...

Efavirenz-based initial therapies associated with better outcomes in HIV-infected adults

A study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that HIV-infected patients taking the antiretroviral drug efavirenz were more likely to adhere to treatment and less likely to experience virologic failure and death compared to patients taking nevirapine. Nevi...

Army can boost mission success by better managing

By better managing environmental issues during deployments, U.S. Army units can gain tactical and strategic advantages that will help in combat and post-conflict operations, and boost overall mission success, according to a RAND Corporation study issued today. The study finds that commanders ha...

Monitoring outcomes of suicide attempts in pregnancy can better assess drug dangers

Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC (17 September, 2008) Monitoring the health of children born to women who attempted suicide while pregnant can shed light on which medicines and what doses are particularly dangerous to developing fetuses, according to researchers from Hu...

Gaining a better understanding of kidney diseases

This press release is available in German . Cystic kidney disease, renal fibrosis, or renal cell carcinoma: Many diseases of the excretory organs are characterized by overproduction or on the contrary absence of characteristic proteins in the renal cells. An international research team und...

Fujitsu Scanners Selected as 'Editor's Choice' in Better Buys for Business 2008 Scan-to-File Guide

Fujitsu Production, Network, Departmental and Workgroup Scanners Recognized by the Leading Guide for Office Equipment SUNNYVALE, Calif., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/- Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc., a market leader in document imaging scanners and services, today announced...

A better way to make hydrogen from biofuels

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Researchers here have found a way to convert ethanol and other biofuels into hydrogen very efficiently. A new catalyst makes hydrogen from ethanol with 90 percent yield, at a workable temperature, and using inexpensive ingredients. Umit Ozkan, professor of chemical and biom...

Blood pressure response to daily stress provides clues for better hypertension treatment

How the body regulates blood pressure in response to daily stress is the focus of a study geared toward helping people whose pressure is out of control. "Research shows that two-thirds of patients' high blood pressure is not controlled despite the best efforts of their doctors. That is terribl...

Stent grafts: a better way to treat blunt trauma injuries

FAIRFAX, Va.Endovascular repairfixing an injury in a blood vessel from inside that vesselis a better option for individuals who receive highly lethal injuries from high-speed collisions or falls (together referred to as blunt trauma) and is shown to save more lives and nearly eliminate paraplegia...