Challenges in Biological News

The challenges of avian influenza virus: Mechanism, epidemiology and control

The latest special issue of S cience in China Series C: Life Sciences focuses on the recent progress in the H5N1-related research field. Early 2009, eight human infection cases of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus, with 5 death cases, were reported in China. This again made t...

SRI International receives $100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations grant

MENLO PARK, Calif. May 6, 2008 SRI International announced today that it has received a US$100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant will support an innovative global health research project conducted by Krishna Kodukula, Ph.D., executive dir...

Major international study challenges notions of how genes are controlled in mammals

This release is available in French . Scientists at the Omics Science Center (OSC) of the RIKEN Yokohama Institute in Japan along with researchers from McGill University and other institutions worldwide are challenging current notions of how genes are controlled in mammals. Three years ...

'Climate change: Global risks, challenges and decisions'

Following a successful International Scientific Congress attended by more than 2,500 delegates from nearly 80 countries, preliminary messages were summed up. The conclusions will be published as a full report in June 2009. The conclusions were handed over to the Danish Prime Minister Mr. Anders Fo...

Y chromosome and surname study challenges infidelity 'myth'

Our surnames and genetic information are often strongly connected, according to a study funded by the Wellcome Trust. The research, published this week in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution , may help genealogists create more accurate family trees even when records are missing. It also s...

Experts discuss challenges in integrative approaches to science

With the global challenges that face mankind and the environment, there is a growing sense among leaders in science, public policy, business and education that new, more integrative approaches to science are needed. In turn, these interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches to solving probl...

First-ever socioeconomic study on coral reefs points to challenges of coastal resource management

Washington --- A first of its kind study, "Socioeconomic Conditions Along the World's Tropical Coasts: 2008," reports on the social and economic ramifications of healthy coral reefs in 27 tropical nations and points to the inability of coastal managers to effectively implement decades-old recomme...

Research challenges conventional notions about salmon survival

In a paper published in the open access journal PLoS Biology, researchers used new tagging and tracking technologies to show the surprising result that the survival of juvenile salmon in two major west coast rivers was similar, despite the presence of an extensive network of dams in one river s...

Barcelona Declaration 2008: Challenges and Pathways to Earth Sustainability

The Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), in the celebration of its 20th anniversary, organised a meeting whit a group of international experts to discuss the environmental future of the planet on the 2 and 3 of October. The work of both days is summarized in the Declar...

Meeting the challenges of teaching agriculture

MADISON, WI, September 22, 2008 -- Agriculture in the 21st century is rapidly expanding its "product line," aiming not only to provide society with food and fiber, but also biofuels, bioproducts, carbon storage, aquifer recharge, biodiversity, and still other goods and services. Meanwhile, crit...

New research challenges long-held assumptions of flightless bird evolution

GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Large flightless birds of the southern continents African ostriches, Australian emus and cassowaries, South American rheas and the New Zealand kiwi do not share a common flightless ancestor as once believed. Instead, each species individually lost its flight after diverg...

Ancient 'Nutcracker Man' challenges ideas on evolution of human diet

Tiny marks on the teeth of an ancient human ancestor known as the "Nutcracker Man" may upset current evolutionary understanding of early hominid diet. Using high-powered microscopes, researchers looked at rough geometric shapes on the teeth of several Nutcracker Man specimens and determined tha...

Answering challenges of life in extreme environments research

42 European Experts in the field of life in extreme environments research met on March 18, in the British Antarctic Survey offices in Cambridge (UK) to officially kick off the CAREX project (Coordination Action for Research Activities on life in Extreme Environments). Life in Extreme Environment...

Weird water: Discovery challenges long-held beliefs about water's special properties

Beyond its role as the elixir of all life, water is a very unusual substance: Scientists have long marveled over counter-intuitive properties that set water apart from other solids and liquids commonly found in nature. The simple fact that water expands when it freezes -- an effect known to any...

Triage study challenges notions of emergency medical response to disaster

NEW YORK (Oct. 31, 2007) -- In the face of terrorism and catastrophic natural disasters, modern regional trauma systems that improve survival for critically injured patients are more vital than ever. Yet many fundamental assumptions underlying these systems -- such as the notion that it is im...

Choices and Challenges forum to address nuclear power issue

Blacksburg, Va. -- Choices and Challenges, an annual forum at Virginia Tech with a reputation for tackling controversial issues, will continue the trend with the literally heated and topical subject of "Nuclear Power Reconsidered." This day-long series of panels and discussions will be held on ...

2000-year-old statue of an athlete sheds light on corrosion and other modern challenges

The restoration of a 2,000-year-old bronze sculpture of the famed ancient Greek athlete Apoxyomenos may help modern scientists understand how to prevent metal corrosion, discover the safest ways to permanently store nuclear waste, and understand other perplexing problems. That's the conclusion of ...

Scientists team up in Houston to tackle global challenges

Boulder, CO and Madison, WI -- 12 AUGUST 2008 -- More than 10,000 international scientists, professionals, educators, and students will gather at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on 5-9 October 2008 to discuss the latest research and trends in energy, water resources, climate chang...

Use of nanomaterials in food packaging poses regulatory challenges

Washington, DC Engineered nanoscale materials (ENMs), which contain novel properties that offer potential benefits for use in food packaging, raise new safety evaluation challenges for regulators and industry, according to a report released today by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) ...

Synthetic Biology: funders move to address social and ethical challenges

The report of an independent review of social and ethical challenges associated with research into, and the application of, synthetic biology, is published today (9 June). The report, commissioned by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council's (BBSRC) Bioscience for Society Strate...

Food biotechnology: real world challenges

Genetically modified crops have been widely adopted by American farmers. In spite of their use in the United States, the European Union (EU) imposed a 6-year freeze (19982004) on growing and importing transgenic crops. In 2002, transgenic food aid to African nations was rejected by the recipient...

iPlant Kickoff Conference at CSHL begins tackling plant biology's grand challenges

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory will host the inaugural conference of the iPlant Collaborative, an NSF-funded, $50 million project to create a virtual center in cyberspace for plant sciences researchers and students. The kickoff conference, titled "Bringing Plant and Computing Scientists Together to...

FDA sees nanotech challenges in every product category it regulates

WASHINGTON, DC—According to Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies Director David Rejeski, “Today, FDA took a step forward in fulfilling its responsibilities for nanotechnology oversight. If nanotechnology regulation was a baseball game, FDA has scored the first run in the first inning. But the agen...

Paper challenges 1491 Amazonian population theories

There's a scholarly debate brewing about whether pre-Columbian Amazonian populations settled in large numbers across Amazonia and created the modern forest setting that many conservationists take to be ‘natural.' This view has become fashionable among many archaeologists and anthropologists, and ...

New study challenges 'critical period' in childhood vision development

Understanding how the human brain learns to perceive objects is one of the ultimate challenges in neuroscience. In 2003, Pawan Sinha, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, launched an initiative with the hopes of shedding some light on the acquisition of visual skills. The goal...

AIDS study challenges conventional treatment guidelines for HIV patients

A newly published study by investigators at the Center for AIDS Research at Case Medical Center, led by Benigno Rodríguez, MD, along with a nationwide team of AIDS/HIV experts, strongly challenges conventional thinking about the role of measurements of the amount of HIV particles in the blood as a ...

Study challenges myth that sex late in pregnancy hastens birth

A new study debunks the widely held belief that engaging in sexual intercourse during the final weeks of pregnancy can hasten labor and delivery. In fact, just the opposite was true in 93 women studied at Ohio State University Medical Center. Women who were sexually active in the final three week...

Report focuses on challenges to unlocking future promise of vaccines

Vaccines have helped eradicate and tame some of history's worst infectious diseases, but there are many more diseases out there that vaccines can help overcome. The challenges society needs to confront to unlock the future promise of vaccines against the plagues of the 21st century are the focus o...

Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative funds Yale project

Yale has been offered $17 million from the Grand Challenges in Global health initiative to genetically engineer mice with immune systems similar enough to humans to aid in testing the safety and effectiveness of potential vaccines. Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Yale proje...

Measurement Challenges In Detecting Cancer Biomarkers

Effective control of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) requires treatment of the sexual partners of infected patients. A new study shows that providing infected men with antibiotics to give their partners is more effective than traditional means of contacting and treating the partners, according...

Scientists find universal rules for food-web stability

...nships between their species remaining constant over relatively long periods of time. Understanding complex systems such as food webs present major challenges to science. They can either be examined by observing natural environments, or by computer simulations. To enable computer simulations of such systems,...

Argonne to showcase science and technology at community open house

...This rare opportunity will allow visitors to see how Argonne, the nation's first national laboratory, is helping to solve some of the world's toughest challenges in energy, environment and national security and learn more about science and technology. Argonne conducts basic scientific research to better unde...

'Green' energy from algae

... In view of the shortage of petrochemical resources and climate change, development of CO 2 -neutral sustainable fuels is one of the most urgent challenges of our times. Energy plants like rape or oil palm are being discussed fervently, as they may also be used for food production. Hence, cultivation of m...

New DNA and RNA aptamers offer unique therapeutic advantages

... made to aptamers to enhance their therapeutic potential, and the different types of aptamers that are currently in development. They also discuss the challenges that must still be overcome for aptamer technology to achieve its full potential. "This is a comprehensive and timely review of aptamer developmen...

Growing evidence of marijuana smoke's potential dangers

... In a finding that challenges the increasingly popular belief that smoking marijuana is less harmful to health than smoking tobacco, researchers in Canada are reporting that smokin...

Plankton Power and RTDC announce proposed algae-to-biofuels pilot facility on Cape Cod

... expertise and resources available at the Cape's two world-leading marine research institutions and facilitate a collaborative approach to address the challenges of efficiently producing commercial quantities of biofuel from algae. "The Cape Cod Algae Biorefinery provides an excellent opportunity to brin...

The way you eat may affect your risk for breast cancer

...re-feeding, Cleary said. In an accompanying editorial also published in Cancer Prevention Research , Michael Pollak, M.D., stated that some major challenges of pharmacologic approaches to cancer prevention and/or treatment include defining the underlying causes and determining the relevance of these calori...

August 2009 Geology and GSA Today media highlights

...rom bacterial sulfate reduction. This is the first documented occurrence of sulfide that is consistently isotopically heavier than coeval sulfate, and challenges our entire paradigm for interpreting the geologic record of sulfur isotopes. Ries et al. interpret this inverted isotopic offset as evidence for extre...

Stem cell research: From molecular physiology to therapeutic applications

... of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's "Grand challenges in Global Health". He obtained $1.9 million for hi...unctional pancreatic islet cells and discusses the challenges for future work[3]. Professor Qi Zhou is assista...and propose possible future directions to meet the challenges of iPS cells for clinical applications[5]. Stem ...

Researchers team up to provide new hope for childhood hunger

...twork of in-country nutritionists to add to the team of Danforth Center scientists already in place. With support from the Gates Foundation's Global challenges Program, the Center's cassava bio-fortification efforts have met or exceeded all targets: The levels of beta-carotene have been increased 30X. ...