Ancient olfaction protein is shared by many bugs, offering new pest control target
In the battle against insect pests, new research indicates that it may all come down to the sense of smell. A group of Rockefeller University scientists who had previously identified a key gene essential for the sense of smell in fruit flies now shows that this gene's function appears to be evolutionarily conserved across very different insect species. Research by Leslie Vosshall's laborat...Researchers find missing genes of ancient organism
Yale scientists report in the journal Nature that the "missing" genes for tRNA in an ancient parasite are made up by splicing together sequences in distant parts of the DNA genome. The research led by Professor Dieter Söll in the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale focuses on the most ancient organism with a known genome sequence. Nanoarchaeum equitans, is a member...Family trees of ancient bacteria reveal evolutionary moves
A geomicrobiologist at Washington University in St. Louis has proposed that evolution is the primary driving force in the early Earth's development rather than physical processes, such as plate tectonics. Carrine Blank, Ph.D., Washington University assistant professor of geomicrobiology in the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences in Arts & Sciences, studying Cyanobacteria ?bac...Scientists find fossil proof of Egypt's ancient climate
Earth and planetary scientists at Washington University in St. Louis are studying snail fossils to understand the climate of northern Africa 130,000 years ago. While that might sound a bit like relying on wooly bear caterpillars to predict the severity of winter, the snails actually reveal clues about the climate and environment of western Egypt, lo those many years ago. They also could s...U-M team recovers ancient whale in Egyptian desert
Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have, for the first time, induced a state of reversible metabolic hibernation in mice. This achievement, the first demonstration of "hibernation on demand" in a mammal, ultimately could lead to new ways to treat cancer and prevent injury and death from insufficient blood supply to organs and tissues. "We are, in essence, temporarily conv...Scientists found ancient Human Germ Killer
A substance that scientists created using information taken from a monkey gene ``dramatically protected'' human cells from the AIDS virus in a laboratory experiment. The researchers believe the substance, which they call ``retrocyclin,'' was once produced naturally in human cells, but was lost to humans because of an ancient mutation. Alexander Cole, a scientist at the University of C...Respecting Dwarfs- A Lesson To Be Learnt From Ancient Egyptians
A retrospective study conducted by researchers from the Georgetown University hospital has revealed that dwarfs in ancient Egypt had received their much-deserved respect. An examination of the biological // remains and other art forms demonstrated that dwarfism was not considered as a form of physical deformity. Infact, ancient Egyptians even worshipped Gods with a short stature. Dwarfs...A Plant Used By Ancient Britons Found To Have Properties To Fight Cancer
Researchers have found that plant ‘Woad’, which was once used as war paint by ancient Britons and Celtic warriors to strike fear into the hearts of their enemies, could now// be used in the battle against cancer It was explained that the plant was used to get blue dye for the war paint is a rich source of a compound that fights breast cancer, scientists have found. They also mentioned...Mining of Ancient Herbal Text Leads to Potential New Anti-Bacterial Drug
A unique Mayo Clinic collaboration has revived the healing wisdom of Pacific Island cultures by testing a therapeutic plant extract described in a 17th century// Dutch herbal text for its anti-bacterial properties. Early results show that extracts from the Atun tree effectively control bacteria that can cause diarrhea, as claimed by naturalist Georg Eberhard Rumpf, circa 1650. He documented his t...Ancient Herbal Text Paves the Way to Novel Anti-bacterial Drug
An exclusive Mayo Clinic partnership has revitalized the healing wisdom of Pacific Island cultures by putting //to test a therapeutic plant extract, details of which were found in a 17th century Dutch herbal text, known for its anti-bacterial properties. Early findings have shown that extracts from the Atun tree was able to control bacteria that triggered diarrhea, as claimed by naturalist Geor...