On the list of undesirable medical conditions, a parasitic worm infection surely ranks fairly high. Although modern pharmaceuticals have made them less of a threat in some areas, these organisms are still a major cause [...]
Author Archive | University of Georgia
Rabies evolves slower in hibernating bats
The rate at which the rabies virus evolves in bats may depend heavily upon the ecological traits of its hosts, according to researchers at the University of Georgia, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and [...]
24 new species of lizards discovered on Caribbean islands are close to extinction
In a single new scientific publication, 24 new species of lizards known as skinks, all from islands in the Caribbean, have been discovered and scientifically named. According to Blair Hedges, a professor of biology at [...]
Researchers discover ‘green’ pesticide effective against citrus pests
University of Florida researchers have discovered a key amino acid essential for human nutrition is also an effective insecticide against caterpillars that threaten the citrus industry. The Lime Swallowtail, or Citrus Swallowtail, is a well-known [...]
Vaccine attacks breast cancer in mice
Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Arizona (http://www.mayoclinic.org/arizona/) and the University of Georgia (UGA) have developed a vaccine that dramatically reduces tumors in a mouse model that mimics 90 percent of human breast and pancreatic cancer [...]
Scientists develop vaccine that successfully attacks breast cancer in mice
Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Arizona (http://www.mayoclinic.org/arizona/) and the University of Georgia (UGA) have developed a vaccine that dramatically reduces tumors in a mouse model that mimics 90 percent of human breast and …
Researchers define a missing link in how clouds are formed
Scientists have known for two decades that sulfur compounds that are produced by bacterioplankton as they consume decaying algae in the ocean cycle through two paths. In one, a sulfur compound dimethylsulfide, or DMS, goes [...]
UT Southwestern research reveals how cancer-driving enzyme works
DALLAS — May 6, 2011 — Cancer researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center are helping unlock the cellular-level function of the telomerase enzyme, which is linked to the disease’s growth.
Their latest findings, published today in Molecular C…
UGA compound offers new hope for treatment of painful adult shingles
Athens, Ga. — Researchers at the University of Georgia and Yale University have discovered a compound with the potential to be more effective than existing agents in treating the very painful blisters known as shingles — a condition that af…
Researchers find possible new treatment strategies for pancreatic cancer
Athens, Ga. — New University of Georgia research has identified a protein that can be modified to improve the effectiveness of one of the most common drugs used to treat pancreatic cancer.
The research, published in the March edition of the jour…
Discovery of source of glycogen ‘manufacturing’ errors sheds light on fatal disease
Indiana University scientists have solved a perplexing mystery regarding one of the body’s main energy storage molecules, in the process shedding light on a possible route to treatment of a rare but deadly disease in teenagers.
The disease occur…
Climate projections show human health impacts possible within 30 years
A panel of scientists speaking today at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) unveiled new research and models demonstrating how climate change could increase exposure and risk of human illness originat…
Exercise helps overweight children think better, do better in math
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Regular exercise improves the ability of overweight, previously inactive children to think, plan and even do math, Georgia Health Sciences University researchers report.
They hope the findings in 171 overweight 7- to 11-year-…
New UGA research shows people are better at strategic reasoning than was thought
Athens, Ga. — When we make decisions based on what we think someone else will do, in anything from chess to warfare, we must use reason to infer the other’s next move — or next three or more moves — to know what we must do. This so-called recurs…
New research shows how disease-causing parasite gets around human innate immunity
Athens, Ga. — Trypanosomes are parasites responsible for many human and animal diseases, primarily in tropical climates. One disease these parasites cause, African sleeping sickness, results from the bite of infected tsetse flies, putting over 60 …
Experimental treatments for cocaine addiction may prevent relapse
Doctors have used the drug disulfiram to help patients stay sober for several decades. It interferes with the body’s ability to metabolize alcohol, giving a fierce hangover to someone who consumes even a small amount of alcohol.
More recently, dis…
Microbial world’s use of metals mostly unmapped
A new way of surveying microbes for the metals they contain reveals that biologists have been relying on the equivalent of a 15th century map of the world.
It turns out that there are many more metal-containing proteins in microbes than previously…
New analysis may help clarify the role of craving in addiction
Athens, Ga. — Just-published research led by a psychologist at the University of Georgia shows that behavioral economic analysis may lead to an improved understanding of craving for alcohol and other drugs.
This method of studying how craving al…