weigh in Biological News

Children born from frozen embryos weigh more and do better than those born after fresh transfer

This release is available in Spanish . Barcelona, Spain: Children born after a frozen, thawed embryo has been replaced in the womb have higher birth weight than those born where fresh embryos were used, Danish scientists reported to the 24th annual conference of the European Society of H...

Baker Institute study, conference weigh risks for global energy markets

In recent years, a growing scarcity of energy commodities worldwide has heightened concerns about key geopolitical risks and threats, such as conflict in the Middle East, terrorism and resource nationalism. However, a study released this week by Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy ...

Carnegie Mellon scientist uses mass spectrometer to weigh virus particle, von Willebrand factor

BOSTONWith unprecedented sensitivity, Carnegie Mellon Universitys Mark Bier has characterized large viral particles and bulky von Willebrand factors using a novel mass spectrometer. These exciting results may lead to new biological discoveries and represent a step closer to rapid disease diagnosis...

Children who sleep more weigh less

Children who sleep more tend to weigh less than children who sleep less, and they are less likely than their counterparts to be overweight five years later. That’s one of the major findings of a new study published in the January/February 2007 issue of the journal Child Development. Conducted by ...

Eat less, weigh more? Enzyme makes lean mice 'susceptible' to dietary fat

Working with genetically engineered mice, Johns Hopkins scientists have interfered with the brain's ability to control an animal's response to a high-fat diet. The report, to be published in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences online the week of May 1, is based ...

Energy-saving method checks refrigerant level in air conditioners

...the refrigerant and charge it up to specification. To accurately learn how much charge is in the system, you have to remove all of the refrigerant and weigh it, a procedure that requires a vacuum pump and is quite time consuming." The new alternative works by using sensors to monitor the temperature of ...

'Jellyfish joyride' a threat to the oceans

... "The most dramatic have been the outbreaks in the Sea of Japan involving the gargantuan Nomura jellyfish which can grow up to 2 m in diameter and weigh 200 kg." The new research, by Dr Richardson and colleagues at the University of Miami, Swansea University and the University of the Western Cape, h...

Study suggests obese women should not gain weight

... according to guidelines issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). In 1986, ACOG stated, "Regardless of how much women weigh before they become pregnant, gaining between 26-35 pounds during pregnancy can improve the outcome of pregnancy and reduce their chances of having the...

City rats loyal to their 'hoods, scientists discover

...delivery point for grain, likely how Norway rats were first introduced to the city. Norway rats, also called wharf rats, sewer rats or brown rats, can weigh nearly two pounds and transmit a variety of diseases to humans. Despite expensive eradication efforts, the number of rats in Baltimore has remained...

Babies born to native high-altitude mothers have decreased risk of low birth weight

...why babies of Andean descent born at high altitude weigh more than European babies born at altitude. The... for centuries. However, the babies of these women weigh more at birth compared to women whose ancestors ha...study's lead author. Native Tibetan women's babies weigh more than the babies of Han women, a Chinese popul...

Disappearing act of world's second largest fish explained

... detection by humans for millennia," Skomal said, emphasizing that as one of the very largest of marine animals, the sharks grow to over 10 meters and weigh as much as seven metric tons. Skomal said they were "absolutely surprised" when they first received a signal from the tagged sharks coming from th...

First jaguar photo taken at Smithsonian Research Station in Panama

...t there have been very few sightings on Barro Colorado since. The jaguar, a solitary carnivore, is the largest cat in the Americas. Adult males can weigh more than 300 pounds. Strong swimmers, jaguars tend to live near water and often prefer rainforests and seasonally flooded swamp areas. Historically, ...

Study reveals potential to amass more carbon in eastern North American forests

...75 teragrams. The problem, however, is that most of those lands are still being farmed, setting up an interesting dilemma for policy makers: how to weigh the current economic benefit of agriculture against the future environmental benefit of carbon storage. "Because we often forget the invisible serv...

UIC biologists use DNA to study migration of threatened whale sharks

...annot be assumed to stay in those waters, but may move into areas where they may be in danger." A tropical fish that can grow 50 feet or longer and weigh over 20 tons, a whale shark's range can span oceans. They do not breed until they are about 25 to 30 years old, so it will take a long time for the sp...

Saving energy and the environment with Flywheels

...ngine and alternator) and typically move a shipping container every three minutes. Most of the power is expended in the lift, but since containers can weigh up to 50 metric tons, the descent must be carefully controlled. When a given container is lowered with a strictly diesel-based crane, its potential en...

Study reveals potential to amass more carbon in eastern North American forests

...75 teragrams. The problem, however, is that most of those lands are still being farmed, setting up an interesting dilemma for policy makers: how to weigh the current economic benefit of agriculture against the future environmental benefit of carbon storage. "Because we often forget the invisible serv...

Bone deformities linked to inbreeding in Isle Royale wolves

...sh scientist Raikkonen says. Whether to intervene is a question that should be revisited, the researchers suggest. They are inviting the public to weigh in on the matter, through a blog on their Isle Royale Wolf-Moose Study web site, http://www.isleroyalewolf.org . The decision is complicated, Vuce...

Understanding natural crop defenses

...stitute for Biological Studies and the Institute of Investigaciones Fisiolgicas y Ecolgicas Vinculadas a la Agronoma (IFEVA) has discovered how plants weigh the tradeoffs and redirect their energies accordingly. The same light sensor that detects other plants crowding in and gives the signal to switch ...

'Fattysaurus' or 'thinnysaurus'? How dinosaurs measure up with laser imaging

...values were for body mass. They believe that the lower weight estimates are most likely to be correct as there is no good reason for the dinosaurs to weigh more than they need to as this would affect their speed, energy use and demands on the respiratory system. The team also measured the body mass of ...

Mama whales teach babies where to eat

...the Ocean Alliance's Whale Conservation Institute. Adult southern right whales are up to 50 feet long, and their calves are about 20 feet long and weigh a ton at birth. The whales migrate to their calving grounds in winter, when they fast, and give birth in early spring. Three months later, they tr...

February 2009 Geology and GSA Today media highlights

...e on the island of Tongatapu in the southwest Pacific. In 2007, Frohlich et al. studied these boulders, which have dimensions as large as 9 meters and weigh up to 1600 tons, and concluded that the boulders originated at the shoreline about 120,000 years ago and have since been displaced by a prehistoric ts...

Physical activity may not be key to obesity epidemic

...ries. This difference was not statistically significant. Diet is a more likely explanation than physical activity expenditure for why Chicago women weigh more than Nigerian women, Luke said. She noted the Nigerian diet is high in fiber and carbohydrates and low in fat and animal protein. By contrast, th...

CT scans reveal that dinosaurs were airheads

...ay have played a biomechanical role by making the bones hollow, similar to the hollow beams used in construction both are incredibly strong but don't weigh as much their solid counterparts. A light but strong skull enabled these predators to move their heads more quickly and helped them hold their large h...

Synthetic biology: Is ethics a showstopper?

...drew Maynard. Dr. Caplan is at the forefront of ethicists, theologians, scientists, engineers, government leaders and civil society groups working to weigh synthetic biology's potential risks and benefits. Caplan is the author or editor of 25 books and over 500 articles in professional medical, scien...

Acoustical Meeting, Nov. 10-14, 2008 in Miami, Florida

...y were struck by boats. In 2006, boats plying Florida's bays and inland waterways killed 69 of the large mammals, which are typically 10 feet long and weigh upwards of 800 pounds. The standing response of marine authorities to deaths from boat collisions has been to impose low speed limits on boats. Howe...

Researchers at UH explore patient preferences for personalized medicine

...termine whether a drug is likely to cause beneficial or negative reactions. For instance, Issa said, patients considering pharmacogenomic testing must weigh out such things as the cost of the procedure and whether or not they want their genetic information on file with their insurance companies. "As a f...

Waste from gut bacteria helps host control weight, UT Southwestern researchers report

... slows the movement of food through the intestine, allowing the animal to absorb more nutrients and thus gain weight. Without this signal, the animals weigh less. The study shows that the host can use bacterial byproducts not only as a source of nutrients, but also as chemical signals to regulate body ...

Study: urban black bears 'live fast, die young'

... NEW YORK (SEPTEMBER 30, 2008) Black bears that live around urban areas weigh more, get pregnant at a younger age, and are more likely to die violent dea...eavily supplemented by garbage. The authors believe that because the bears weigh more they are giving birth at an earlier age on average when they are betw...

Consumers influence christmas tree styles

...ural, or "open" trees. Open trees have more space to hang ornaments, holding up to two-thirds more decorations than heavily sheared trees, and tend to weigh less than dense trees, providing advantages for growers and consumers alike. Researchers and Christmas tree growers are working to shape Fraser fir...

Genetics reveals big fish that almost got away

...onal Marine Fisheries Service and Projecto Meros do Brazil discovered a new species of fisha grouper that reaches more than six feet in length and can weigh nearly 1,000 pounds. This newly discovered species can be found roaming the tropical reefs of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Was the massive fish hidi...

USGS news: August science picks

...lifornia Prehistoric Packrats Piled Up Clues to Climate Change Parasites weigh In: Small Size Big Impact Unsure about Climate Change? Just ask your Loca...usgs.gov . STORY SEEDS: (points to ponder or investigate) Parasites weigh In: Small Size Big Impact Impacts of parasites on their hosts and ecos...

UNH researchers tag first-ever free-swimming leatherback turtles in New England

...0 kilometers from where she was tagged and the second female swam about 65 kilometers between Tuesday and Wednesday. Leatherback turtles, which can weigh up to 2000 pounds and are warm-bodied, like bluefin tuna, are the largest living reptiles in the world. The most migratory sea turtle species, they tr...

Parasites outweigh predators in Pacific Coast estuaries

... throughout an ecosystem." "Also, no one's considered parasites from the perspective of how much they weigh, because it's always been assumed they weigh almost nothing," he said. "Now we know that's not true." For example, in an estuary there are more kilograms of trematode worms--parasites--than ki...

Study shows parasites outweigh predators

... "Also, no one's considered parasites from the perspective of how much they weigh because it's always been assumed they weigh almost nothing. Now we know that's not true. "For example, in an estuary...

AVAC comments on NIAID decision not to move forward with PAVE 100 Trial

...e to date, and there must be adequate investment by NIAID in this process. "This will not be the last time that the scientific community is asked to weigh in on whether or not an AIDS vaccine trial should go forward. This most recent development should be a guide to NIAID and the entire field on how to i...

Leatherback turtles' newly discovered migration route may be roadmap to salvation

...eters, they have ample choice as far as where in the water column they choose to feed. And considering that they can grow to over 6 feet in length and weigh up to 2,000 pounds, it seems like a safe bet that they're feeding on something. The presence of the longline fishery in the South Pacific Gyre may ...

Weekends slow weight loss, researchers find

...searchers move into the second phase of the CALERIE study, looking at more subjects over a longer period of time, they now recommend that participants weigh themselves daily in order to be more aware of their patterns of weight loss and weight gain, particularly on weekends. For those not in a research stu...

Medicines derived from cannabis: a review of adverse events

...lting from diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, arthritis and fibromyalgia, and also to stimulate appetite and relieve nausea. Physicians must weigh the possible benefits of treatment against the possible side effects in an overall attempt to improve the patient's quality of life. "We have summ...

Technique used in human ankle injuries modified to treat dogs' knees

...owners more than $1.3 billion each year. The new technique is not for every dog. Because surgeons must be able to drill tunnels in the bone, dogs must weigh at least 40 pounds for the Tightrope CCL method to be feasible. In addition, dogs that cannot follow a physical rehabilitation protocol after surgery...

Plague of kangaroos threatens one of Australia's last remaining original native grasslands

...colla) is one of the rarest reptile species in the world. Only a few populations on the outskirts of Canberra have survived. These tiny lizards, which weigh just five grams, are so good at camouflaging themselves that for a long time they were thought to be extinct. That was until 1991 when biologist Dr Wi...