Explores in Biological News

Research explores interactions between nanomaterials, biological systems

The recent explosion in the development of nanomaterials with enhanced performance characteristics for use in commercial and medical applications has increased the likelihood of people coming into direct contact with these materials. There are currently more than 800 products on the market in...

Woods Hole lecture series explores range of scientific topics

WASHINGTON The National Academies announced today this summer's lineup of lectures called Distinctive Voices@The Jonsson Center. The public events in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, feature diverse subjects for those curious about science, technology, and medicine. This year, the program will explor...

New book, 'Untangling the Double Helix,' explores enzymes responsible for maintaining genome integrity

COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y. If it were not for a group of enzymes called topoisomerases, DNA would become a knotted, coiled, dysfunctional mess inside of a cell as it gets twisted, rolled, unzipped, and pulled by the cellular machinery that reads and copies its sequence. Topoisomerases, which are r...

Journal of General Physiology explores mysteries of TRP channels in latest Perspectives series

Despite the large body of literature on transient receptor potential (TRP) channelsion channels that are directly involved in vision, taste, hearing, touch, olfaction, and other sensesvery little is known about their biophysics and protein structure, or the mechanisms that control their gating pro...

Rice psychologist explores perception of fear in human sweat

When threatened, many animals release chemicals as a warning signal to members of their own species, who in turn react to the signals and take action. Research by Rice University psychologist Denise Chen suggests a similar phenomenon occurs in humans. Given that more than one sense is typically in...

Defying the disaster: Researcher explores resilient housing

Researchers at North Carolina State University are determining ways to speed the return of residents to their homes in the wake of natural disasters. The first step is providing better, more accessible information about available tools and technologies to homeowners, builders, architects and o...

Book explores global implications of wildland fire smoke

An international team of scientists offer a compendium of air pollution research in a new book that explores smoke impacts on humans and the environment, while addressing the challenges of finding socially-acceptable uses of fire as a land management tool. The 686-page book includes 26 research...

Technical report explores role of lichens as bioindicators

Lichens are veritable canaries in the coal mine, well-recognized for their ability to signal environmental conditions through their presence and abundance in forest landscapes. So useful are some species of lichens as bioindicators that the USDA Forest Services Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) ...

International symposium explores fire suppression economics

The U.S. Forest Service is hosting an international symposium in Carolina, Puerto Rico, in conjunction with the University of Puerto Rico Graduate School of Planning on April 29-May 2 so natural resource managers from around the world can discuss the escalating costs of suppressing wildland fires....

Research explores role of hydrogen peroxide in cell health

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. Hydrogen peroxide, the same mild acid that many people use to disinfectant their kitchens or treat cuts and abrasions, is also produced by the body to keep cells healthy. Now, researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have solved how part of this complex process...

New report explores tourism's impact on rural Alaska community

A new general technical report published by the Pacific Northwest Research Station examines the growth and development of the tourism industry in Hoonah, Alaskaa Tlingit community located along Icy Strait in the southeast portion of the state. The report, titled Sociocultural Effects of Touris...

Florida Tech explores microalgae for biofuel

Responding to the urgent need for alternative energy, Florida Tech Professor of Biological Science, Junda Lin, has received a $430,000 contract from Aurora Biofuels for large-scale production of microalgae. Successful microalgae production for fuel so far is in small-scale cultivation. Lin will c...

Williams College biologist explores photosynthetic apparatus

The National Science Foundation has announced the award of $263,274 to Williams College biologist Claire Ting. It will support her work in exploring the structure, function and evolution of the photosynthetic apparatus in one of the most important marine primary producers of the world. Her proje...

Avian flu modeled on supercomputer, explores vaccine and isolation options for thwarting a pandemic

Using supercomputers to respond to a potential national health emergency, scientists have developed a simulation model that makes stark predictions about the possible future course of an avian influenza pandemic, given today's environment of worldwide connectivity. The research, by a team of scient...

UC Riverside psychologist explores human perception, finds 'wow factor'

Faces tell the stories in UC Riverside Professor Larry Rosenblum's ecological listening lab, as volunteer test subjects show that they can "read" unheard speech -- not just from lips, but from the simple movements of dots placed on lips, teeth and tongue. They can also recognize people's voices j...

New study explores beetle species with two forms of females

A fascinating new study from the forthcoming issue of The American Naturalist attempts to explain the mysterious persistence of two forms of females in many diving beetle populations. Their findings have important implications for theories of sexual conflict, which arises when the costs and benefit...

‘Blue Brain?project explores thought at molecular level

Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Danish Committee of Pig Breeding and Production (DCPBP) jointly announce the public release of pig genomic sequences. The released sequence data include 3.84 million pieces of the genomes of five different domestic pi...

Chemical Engineer Kao Explores Antibiotic Synthesis With DNA Chips

Ask Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering Camilla Kao to describe a bacterium, and she'll compare it to a factory capable of producing antibiotics, immunosuppressants and anti-cancer drugs that no chemist can synthesize. Bacteria normally produce antibiotics to inhibit other bacterial strains...

Climbing to new heights in the forest canopy

...n millions of years to accomplish. A recent article by Dr. Sandrine Isnard and Dr. Wendy Silk in the July issue of the American Journal of Botany explores the logistics of this incredible ability. Climbing plants have fascinated biologists, including Charles Darwin, who wrote a provocative essay on the s...

Researchers team up to provide new hope for childhood hunger

...clared Manary's RUTF the most effective method by which malnourished children should be restored to health. Manary's work extends beyond RUTF. He explores the basic mechanisms by which malnutrition compromises human health, gaining new scientific insights to improve and refine his approach to combating m...

Humans lend a hand to critically endangered waterbird

...s by the University of East Anglia (UEA). Published today in the peer-reviewed journal Animal Conservation , the study by UEA conservation experts explores the exact reasons behind the decline of the critically endangered white-shouldered ibis. Funded by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (R...

LSUHSC's Bazan awarded ARRA grant to preserve vision

...erapeutic approaches to heal corneal injuries. The grant was awarded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Dr. Bazan's research project explores the mechanisms of inflammation and repair during corneal wound healing. Sustained corneal inflammation may lead to destruction and corneal ulceration,...

Ecological Society of America announces 2009 award recipients

...ent, link human and ecological systems and advance sustainability science. In a synthesis paper and five original research papers, the special feature explores central factors that contribute to global change, including deforestation, land fragmentation, ecological regime shifts and the loss of ecosystem serv...

Domestication of Capsicum annuum chile pepper provides insights into crop origin and evolution

...scinating glimpse into the past. A recent article by Dr. Seung-Chul Kim and colleagues in the June 2009 issue of the American Journal of Botany explores the domestication of chiles. These hot peppers, found in everything from hot chocolate to salsa, have long played an important role in the diets of M...

Shape matters in the case of cobalt nanoparticles

...behavior. Building on a previous paper** that examined the properties of cobalt formed into spheres just a few nanometers in diameter, the new work explores what happens when the cobalt is synthesized instead as nanocubes. Nanoparticles of cobalt possess large magnetic momentsa measure of magnetic strength...

Scholar unconvinced new lie-detection methods better than old ones

... number of disciplines have come together over the past 50 years to become known as the forensic sciences "whatever that is," she said. The book also explores what Littlefield calls forensic sciences' "interesting relationship with fiction, in particular Sherlock Holmes and 'CSI.' " "Without these stories...

NIH funds work at WPI on regenerating heart tissue and preventing urinary tract infections

...llenged by E.coli and treated with cranberry juice. The goal is to develop a new therapy for UTIs that does not rely on antibiotics. Gaudette's lab explores the potential for human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), which come from the bone marrow, to regenerate cardiac tissue, thereby helping a damaged heart...

Molecules that orchestrate the processes of life

...ll magnified 1,000,000 times, the reader is guided through the interior world of cells. In the second edition of his book, author David S. Goodsell explores the ways in which molecules work in concert to perform the processes of living, and how vitamins, viruses, poisons and drugs each have their effects o...

Premier issue of Ecopsychology launched by Mary Ann Liebert Inc. publishers

... the development of his wilderness expedition program at the university and explores the development of an authentic language of human-nature relationships. Mar...Considering the Future." Ecopsychology is a peer-reviewed journal that explores the relationship between environmental issues and mental health and well-be...

CFI awards $854,098 to University of Montreal and partners

... a risk factor for insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. "My research explores a novel hypothesis that high concentrations of LDL particles may be a prom...a total of $909,607. He will advance nutrigenomics research a science that explores the relationship between genes and nutrition. "Daily food intake provid...

New ecopsychology journal will premiere in spring 2009

... New Rochelle, NY, March 20, 2009 Ecopsychologyan emerging field that explores the psychological origins of environmental issues and ways in which ecology and psychology interact on individual, societal, and global levelsis the...

Therapeutic hypothermia is promising strategy to minimize tissue damage

...hus, it is important that basic research studies are continuing in clinical relevant animal models to address these important questions." The issue explores several aspects of hypothermia, including studies in animal models, its use in the operating room, and its role in the treatment of cardiac arrest, st...

Harmonizing biobank research: An achievable world-wide goal

.... It is coordinated by Dr. Jennifer Harris at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and includes 18 partners in 13 countries. PHOEBE identifies and explores key issues to help to ensure that Europe makes best use of its rich array of population-based biobanks and longitudinal cohort studies. The ultimate a...

Musicians have biological advantage in identifying emotion in sound

...s to musicians. "Previous research has indicated that musicians demonstrate greater sensitivity to the nuances of emotion in speech," says Ashley, who explores the link between emotion perception and musical experience. One of his recent studies indicated that musicians might even be able to sense emotion in ...

HSPD-24 White Paper Now Available From WCC Smart Search & Match

...g biometric, biographic, and related contextual data. WCC's new white paper explores the ramifications of HSPD-24 and explores its implications for the matching software that supports these processes, w...

Festschrift Issue honoring Judah Folkman, M.D. in Lymphatic Research and Biology

...and How Do Tumors Stimulate Lymphangiogenesis?," Yihai Cao explains the processes behind increased lymphatic supply to cancerous lesions. Dean Felsher explores the phenomena of oncogene addiction, cellular senescence, and the angiogenic switch in a report entitled, "Reversing Cancer From Inside and Out." In a...

Root system architecture arises from coupling cell shape to auxin transport

...hip to the patterning system of plant shoots, something that had not been realized previously. The paper, by Laskowski, Grieneisen, Hofhuis, et al, explores the architecture of the root system of the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana, a plant with the unusual common name "mouse-ear cress." The authors sh...

Italy's geologic history becomes a personal tale in Walter Alvarez's new book

...book displays a deep interest in the connection between human and geologic history, he has developed a course at UC Berkeley called "Big History" that explores the commonalities in the evolution of the cosmos, Earth, life and humanity and the chance events underlying historical change. "It is fun to think ...

Root system architecture arises from coupling cell shape to auxin transport

...hip to the patterning system of plant shoots, something that had not been realized previously. The paper, by Laskowski, Grieneisen, Hofhuis, et al, explores the architecture of the root system of the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana, a plant with the unusual common name "mouse-ear cress." The authors sh...

Fuels of the future may come from 'ice that burns,' water and sunshine

...he ice that burns" gas hydrates offer a potential new bonanza of natural gas, with rich deposits in the United States and elsewhere. Another segment explores artificial photosynthesis and describes researchers' efforts to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen in order to produce clean-burning hydro...