Scientists discover the cellular roots of graying hair
Few things about growing older are asinevitable and obvious as “going gray,?yet scientists have been unableto explain the precise cause of this usually unwelcome transformation.In a report posted today on the Web site of the journal Science,researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children’s HospitalBoston say they have found the cellular cause of graying hair whileinvestigating th...Roots Engage in Underground Chemical Warfare
In addition to providing physical support and taking in nutrients, plant roots secrete a wide variety of compounds that affect other nearby roots, as well as insects and microbes. But because it goes on unseen, bactericidal root activity has not been extensively investigated—until now. Using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, a relative of garden-variety cabbage, Jorge Vivanco and co-workers a...The roots of civilization trace back to ... roots
About five to seven million years ago, when the lineage of humans and chimpanzees split, edible root plants similar to rutabagas and turnips may have been one of the reasons. According to research by anthropologists Greg Laden of the University of Minnesota and Richard Wrangham of Harvard University, the presence of fleshy underground storage organs like roots and tubers must have sustained our a...Two NIH initiatives launch intensive efforts to find roots of common diseases
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the creation of two new, closely related initiatives to speed up research on the causes of common diseases such as asthma, arthritis and Alzheimer's disease. One initiative boosts funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a multi-institute effort to identify the genetic and environmental underpinnings of common...Genetic roots of bipolar disorder revealed by first genome-wide study of illness
The likelihood of developing bipolar disorder depends in part on the combined, small effects of variations in many different genes in the brain, none of which is powerful enough to cause the disease by itself, a new study shows. However, targeting the enzyme produced by one of these genes could lead to development of new, more effective medications. The research was conducted by scientists at...Farm Aid celebrates 20-year journey, heads back to Illinois roots
As indicated by the in an article this weekend on this unique phenomenon, the American farm is not on...NameProtect roots out fake tsunami-related donation sites
Internat...Sleepwalking has genetic roots
Adults who sleepwalk are more likely to have a specific genetic variant of part of their immune system than those who do not. Sleepwalking in adults is quite different from childhood sleepwalking.// It's more likely to lead to injury or violent behaviour, and those affected often have other health problems, like sleep apnoea. A study of 60 adult sleepwalkers in Bern, Switzerland, shows an interes...Roots of polycystic ovarian syndrome traced to mother’s wom
How the daughters develop in their mother’s womb can be an indication of how they may be at risk// from developing polycystic ovarian syndrome. Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a condition that affects about 10% of the women in the childbearing age. This condition is characterized by high levels of male hormones called androgens, with irregular or no menstrual cycles, and with presence o...Mad Cow Disease Has Roots Traceable To Man
Bovine feed, which has got traces of human remains, may be at the root of bovine spongiform encephalopathy or the mad cow disease. A report in the latest issue of The Lancet had forwarded this hypothesis. // The cause of the original case or cases of BSE is currently unknown. Sheep scrapie or a previously undetected bovine transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) that arose spont...Parkinson's Disease Has Genetic Roots
A genetic mutation has been identified by researchers which is responsible for over 20% of the incidences of Parkinson's disease among Jews, North Africans and Arabs.// It was previously believed that genetics had a very minor role to play in the disease. This particular mutation is quite rare where people living outside the Middle East are concerned. Other mutations may be responsible for the in...Australian beauty with roots in India open to acting in Bollywood
Australian beauty with roots in India open to acting in B'wood Sydney, Sabrina Houssami, the beauty queen with roots in India// who will represent Australia in the Miss World contest, says she is open to acting in Bollywood films. The first person of non-Australian parentage to win the Miss Australia title last month, 19-year-old Sabrina was born to an Indian mother and a Lebanese fat...