Researchers have found stronger evidence for a link between a parasite in cat faeces and undercooked meat and an increased risk of schizophrenia. Research published today in Procedings of the Royal Society B, shows how the invasion or replication of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii in rats may be inhibited by using anti-psychotic or mood stabilising drugs.
Tiny chemical cages created by researchers at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, show potential for delivering drugs to organs or tissues where they’re needed without causing harm elsewhere. Tiny chemical cages created by researchers at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, show potential for delivering drugs to organs or tissues where they’re needed without causing harm elsewhere.
Imitation of other species is one of the most intriguing and mysterious aspects of birdsong. Often — as in the case of mockingbirds — there seems to be little connection between what the bird is imitating and what it is doing at that moment. But in the rainforests of Sri Lanka, a bird that travels in mixed-species flocks has learned to use the calls of other species in the same contexts that those species use them.
A component of many proteins has been found to constitute one of the most powerful and resilient molecular “springs” in nature, researchers have discovered. The engineers and biologists from Duke University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute say their discovery could lead to a new understanding of mechanical processes within the living cell. The discovery also could provide potent nanoscale “shock absorbers” or “gate-opening springs” in tiny nanomachines.
NASA will try again today to launch an Atlas V rocket carrying the New Horizons spacecraft. The launch window extends from 1:16 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. EST. The Atlas V is poised for liftoff from Launch Pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. During the first launch attempt on Jan. 17, the countdown was extended several times in hopes that excessive upper level and ground winds would die down. But ultimately, the winds surpassed limits during the final minutes, preventing a liftoff. The spacecraft and launch vehicle remained healthy throughout the countdown, with no technical issues.
China has darkened over the past half-century. Where has all the sunshine gone? The usual suspect, at least to a climatologist, would be cloud cover. But in the most comprehensive study to date of overcast versus cloud-free days in China, a team led by the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, reporting in the current advance online issue of Geophysical Research Letters, has found that cloud cover has been decreasing for the past 50 years.
Through an innovative feat of plant biotechnology and vaccine design, researchers in the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University have successfully turned tobacco plants into vaccine production factories to combat the deadliest form of plague. The vaccine elicits a protective immune response in guinea pigs. The results are considered to be a milestone in the future development of a new vaccine for human use.
Now this is a ski report: Clear skies, no wind, sweet slopes and deep powder–not expected to melt for at least five billion years. Grab your poles and pack your bags. Just don’t forget your spacesuit, because you’re going to the moon.
The ideal substance to prevent cancer would block tumor growth without causing unpleasant or dangerous side effects. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis now report that a compound related to vitamin A shows promise in preventing or slowing tumor growth in mice prone to lung cancer. The compound, called bexarotene, doesn’t cause the severe skin irritations that have limited the use of other vitamin A derivatives in cancer therapies.
The device looks like a runner’s digital watch. Black, plastic and oversized, it dominates mathematician Gary Rosen’s wrist. But what Rosen has strapped on is no simple timepiece. It’s one of the very few prototypes of a computer designed to record, in minute detail and real time, its wearer’s sobriety. Or drunkenness.
People who lack a cell surface protein called CCR5 are highly resistant to infection by HIV but may be at increased risk of developing West Nile virus illness when exposed to the mosquito-borne virus, report researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. The findings may have cautionary implications for physicians who are treating HIV-positive individuals with experimental CCR5-blocking drugs, say the scientists.
In biodiversity hot spots like tropical rainforests, a dearth of pollinators could be putting many species at risk of extinction, according to a new study. The finding is raising concerns that more may need to be done to protect the Earth’s most biologically rich areas. As the number of birds, bees, and other pollen transporters declines around the world, competition for their attention is becoming increasingly fierce for plants that need their services for reproduction–to the point where species in the most fertile areas of the world are struggling for survival.
Using technology that allows DNA from thousands of genes to be collected and surveyed on a 3 x 1½-inch chip, University of Utah medical researchers have confirmed that a region on a single chromosome probably harbors a gene that causes autism. The researchers at the U School of Medicine made the finding by tracing variations in the DNA of an extended Utah family that has a high occurrence of the disorder and whose members are descended from one couple.