- New insights into mushroom-derived drug promising for cancer treatment
A promising cancer drug, first discovered in a mushroom commonly used in Chinese medicine, could be made more effective thanks to researchers who have discovered how the drug works. The research was carried out by The University...
(Issue date: 10 January 2010)
- Marseillevirus, a new member of the giant viruses
After Mimivirus, Mamavirus and the virophage, the group of giant viruses now has a new member called Marseillevirus. Discovered in an amoeba by the team led by Didier Raoult at the Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses...
(Issue date: 10 January 2010)
- Study in mice indicates long-term exposure to electromagnetic waves emitted by cell phones may even boost normal memory
The millions of people who spend hours every day on a cell phone, may have a new excuse for yakking. A surprising new study in mice provides the first evidence that long-term exposure to electromagnetic waves associated with cell...
(Issue date: 10 January 2010)
- What came first in the origin of life?
A research published rejects the theory that the origin of life stems from a system of self-catalytic molecules capable of experiencing Darwinian evolution without the need of RNA or DNA and its replication. The research, which...
(Issue date: 10 January 2010)
- Sleeping Beauty Hooks Up with Herpes to Fight Brain Disease
Neuroscientists have forged an unlikely molecular union as part of their fight against diseases of the brain and nervous system. The team has brought together the herpes virus and a molecule known as Sleeping Beauty to improve a...
(Issue date: 10 January 2010)
- Discovery of a new molecular mechanism that guides visual nerves towards the brain
The laboratory of Dr. Frédéric Charron, a researcher at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), has discovered a new molecular mechanism that permits the guidance of visual nerves towards the brain. The research...
(Issue date: 10 January 2010)
- Scientists Crack Mystery of Protein's Dual Function
Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have solved a 10-year-old mystery of how a single protein from an ancient family of enzymes can have two completely distinct roles in the body. In addition to providing guidance for...
(Issue date: 04 January 2010)
- Evolution caught in the act
Mutations are the raw material of evolution. Charles Darwin already recognised that evolution depends on heritable differences between individuals: those who are better adapted to the environment have better chances to pass on...
(Issue date: 04 January 2010)
- Nervous culprit found for Tassie devil facial tumour disease
Cells that protect nerves are the likely origin of the Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) that has been devastating Australia’s Tasmanian devil population, an international team of scientists has discovered. Devil Facial Tumour...
(Issue date: 04 January 2010)
- Researchers use novel "Phase 0" approach to show chlorophyll's effect
A new study has found that chlorophyll and its derivative chlorophyllin are effective in limiting the absorption of aflatoxin in humans. Aflatoxin is produced by a fungus that is a contaminant of grains including corn, peanuts...
(Issue date: 04 January 2010)
- Scientists visualise how a vital hepatitis C virus protein moves along its nucleic acid substrate
By taking three conformational snapshots of a hepatitis C virus motor protein in association with its substrate, researchers at Rockefeller University have provided the first structural explanation of how a representative...
(Issue date: 04 January 2010)
- New interaction for Breast Cancer Gene
Scientists at King’s College London have found that a family of proteins can play a crucial role in repairing DNA damage and help prevent cancer.
The research studied the ways in which cells respond to DNA damage. Failure to...
(Issue date: 28 December 2009)
- UCLA scientists find molecular switch to prevent Huntington's disease in mice
UCLA scientists have identified a molecular switch that prevents Huntington's disease from developing in mice. The discovery suggests a new approach to treating the genetic disorder, which ultimately leads to death in as little...
(Issue date: 28 December 2009)
- Mobilising the repair squad: Critical protein helps mend damaged DNA
In order to preserve our DNA, cells have developed an intricate system for monitoring and repairing DNA damage. Yet precisely how the initial damage signal is converted into a repair response remains unclear. Researchers at the...
(Issue date: 28 December 2009)
- Meddling in mosquitoes' sex lives could help stop the spread of malaria, says study
Stopping male mosquitoes from sealing their sperm inside females with a 'mating plug' could prevent mosquitoes from reproducing, and offer a potential new way to combat malaria, say scientists. The new study focuses on the...
(Issue date: 28 December 2009)
- Research yields new agent for some drug-resistant, non-small cell lung cancers
The ability to make, test, and map the atomic structure of new anti-cancer agents has enabled a team of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists to discover a compound capable of halting a common type of drug-resistant lung...
(Issue date: 28 December 2009)
- Lung cancer and melanoma cancer genomes revealed
Research teams led by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have revealed the first comprehensive analyses of cancer genomes. The studies, of a malignant melanoma and a lung cancer, reveal for the first time almost all of the...
(Issue date: 20 December 2009)
- Umbilical Cord Could Be New Source of Plentiful Stem Cells
Stem cells that could one day provide therapeutic options for muscle and bone disorders can be easily harvested from the tissue of the umbilical cord, just as the blood that goes through it provides precursor cells to treat some...
(Issue date: 20 December 2009)
- Gene Hijacked By HIV Ancestor Suggests New Way to Block Viral Reproduction
An ancestor of the AIDS virus hijacked an entire gene, perhaps from some prehistoric cat it had infected, a gene that makes it much better able to infect humans, according to a recent study. The discovery represents the first...
(Issue date: 20 December 2009)
- Researchers design a tool to induce controlled suicide in human cells
When cells accumulate excessive errors in the proteins they produce, apoptosis is activated, that is to say, a cell suicide programme; however, beforehand the cells attempt to rectify the problem through a number of rescue...
(Issue date: 20 December 2009)
