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Online gamers crack AIDS enzyme puzzle

2011-09-18T15:30:35Z

Online gamers have achieved a feat beyond the realm of Second Life or Dungeons and Dragons: they have deciphered the structure of an enzyme of an AIDS-like virus that had thwarted scientists for a decade.

The exploit is published on Sunday in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, where -- exceptionally in scientific publis...

Natural defense mechanism may fight C. difficile

2011-08-21T10:30:06Z

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A natural defense mechanism used by cells in the gut to neutralize harmful toxins may lead to new ways to fight Clostridium difficile, the most common cause of hospital-acquired bacterial infections, researchers said on Sunday.

Tests of an experimental compound that mimics this defense mechanism that has shown promise in the l...

'Supergene' is key to copycat butterflies

2011-08-12T14:30:27Z

Since Charles Darwin, biologists have pondered the mystery of "mimicry butterflies", which survive by copying the wing patterns of other butterflies that taste horrible to their predators, birds.

The answer, according to a study released on Friday, lies in an astonishing cluster of about 30 genes in a single chromosome.

"We were blown away by what we found," said ...

Lonely planet guide: Planets that have no stars

2011-05-18T15:31:05Z

Astronomers on Wednesday said they had found a previously inconceivable phenomenon: planets that do not appear to be anchored to a host star but instead wander the heavens.

In a two-year scan of the cosmos, 10 planets with roughly the mass of Jupiter, the largest planet of our Solar System, have been found at such enormous distances from the nearest star that some of them could be said to float freely through the CHICAGO (Reuters) - Executives may not be able to beam a full three-dimensional image of themselves across the world just yet but researchers are a step closer to 3-D real-time images, an advance in holographic technology that could make video conferencing far more lifelike.

Nasser Peyghambarian of the Mars that could comfortably house the Grand Canyon.

The Red Planet's northern cap measures around 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) across, with layers of ice and dust stacked up to three kms (two miles...

Hubble catches planet being devoured by its star

2010-05-24T14:16:10Z

The Hubble space telescope has discovered a planet in our galaxy in the process of being devoured by the star that it orbits, according to a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

The doomed planet, dubbed WASP-12b, has the highest known surface temperature of any planet in the Milky Way -- around 1,500 degrees Celsius (2,800 deg...

Warming in Lake Tanganyika highest in 1,500 years

2010-05-16T15:15:56Z

Lake Tanganyika, the second oldest and second deepest lake in the world, is now at its warmest in 1,500 years, threatening the fishing industry on which millions of lives depend, scientists said on Sunday.

The evidence comes from cores drilled into sedimentary layers in the lake bottom that point to climate changes over many centuries.

Tanganyika's surface waters, at 26 degrees Celsius (78.8 degrees Fahrenheit), ar...

Astronomers solve enigma of eclipsing star

2010-04-07T11:16:17Z

Astronomers on Wednesday said they may have explained the riddle of a dimming star that has perplexed skygazers for nearly two centuries.

Located 2,000 light years from Earth in the northern constellation Auriga where it is one of the brightest stars, Epsilon Aurigae has triggered controversy ever since astronomers first noted in the 1820s that its light bizarrely halved in intensity for 18 months.

The phenomenon was later found to occur once every 27.1 years, sparking theori...

Like More Brain Ram?

2010-10-06T01:10:26Z

Like More Brain Memory Today?

If you have a baby-easy strategy to deeply relax that requires 1-2 minutes maximum, you can improve your long-term memory up to 40%. That's a lot

and we know three ways. So what? Relaxation releases chronic stress and even adds

to your mental health and longevity.

Three Facts

1. Fact: deep relaxation helps you receive new informatio...

Quantum Teleportation across the Danube Demonstrated

2010-10-25T09:27:14Z
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First Early Human Genome Sequenced

2010-10-27T07:25:44Z
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A Genetic Determinant of Biological Aging in Humans?

2010-10-27T07:10:41Z
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For the First Time, Researchers Find Longevity Gene That Helps Determine Lifespan

2010-10-27T07:25:42Z
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Skin Cells Converted Directly To Brain Cells, For First Time Ever

2010-10-27T07:25:36Z
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'Elastic water,' but can you drink it?

2010-10-22T15:12:34Z
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Power of genomics cracks soybean code

2010-04-16T07:40:23Z

Scientists on Wednesday unveiled the genome of the soybean, saying it was an achievement that should deepen understanding of one of the world's most important crops, help to boost yields and defend the plant against pests.
The study, published by the British weekly science journal Nature, provides a springboard for research into soy's DNA structure and protein-making machinery, its authors said.
Eig...

Fish out of water: When did animals move to land?

2010-04-16T07:52:00Z

Fossilised footprints, found in a Polish quarry, of an enigmatic, long-extinct creature have prompted palaeontologists to reopen the file of how life in the sea moved to the land.
A key theory in evolutionary biology is that tetrapods -- four-limbed land-loving vertebrates -- emerged from fishes with pairs of lobed fins.
The intermediate stage in the process was fishes called elpistostegids, whose head and body had a tetrapod-like shape but still retained fins instead of hand...

Five Gene Variants May Be Linked to Lung Disease

2010-10-24T10:59:30Z
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New pathway for DNA damage from nano-particles: study

2010-04-16T09:22:50Z

Scientists reported Thursday that nano-particles used in medical applications can indirectly damage DNA inside cells by transmitting signals through a protective barrier of human tissue.
The stunning discovery adds to a growing body of research highlighting proven and potential health hazards from the rapidly expanding universe of engineered objects measured in billionths of a metre.
Nano-scale products already widely in use range from cosmetics to household cleaning products...

Updated map of human genome to help fight against disease

2010-04-16T09:56:34Z

Scientists on Wednesday published the best-ever map of key variations across the human genome, an exploit aimed at honing the fight against inherited disease and gaining insights into our species' odyssey.
The map focuses on so-called copy number variations, or CNVs -- segments in the genetic code that may be deleted or copied.
Such changes, it is thought, can provide clues about a range of diseases and about human evolution.
The research, released by the British

Journal retracts study that claimed to make sperm

2010-04-16T11:03:56Z

Journal retracts UK study claiming to have created human sperm from stem cells
The editor of a scientific journal that published a controversial paper claiming to have created human sperm from embryonic stem cells for the first time has retracted the study.
Scientists at Britain's Newcastle University r...

Space invaders: Asteroid belt has rocks from afar

2010-04-16T11:19:40Z

New theory says asteroid belt is contaminated with icy invaders from beyond Neptune and Pluto
A new astronomy theory says the solar system's main asteroid belt is littered with icy invaders from far away.
The so-called invaders are asteroids that seem more like primitive frozen comets than the baked rocks that make up the overwhelming majority of asteroids between journal Nature.
A supernova occurs when a massive...

Mass of gene clues point to inherited risk for schizophrenia

2010-04-16T11:33:01Z

Three teams of scientists said on Wednesday they had identified hundreds of tiny genetic variants that together account for more than a third of the inherited risk for schizophrenia.
The flaws were netted in a trawl through the DNA of thousands of individuals, in the biggest study yet into the genetic origins of this enigmatic but crippling disease.
Schizophrenia is characterised by hallucinations and delusions, striking around one percent of the population. The disorder emer...

Austrian 'breakthrough' in quantum cryptography

2010-04-16T12:32:48Z

Austrian physicists say a breakthrough in next-generation quantum cryptography could allow encrypted messages to be bounced off satellites, the British journal Nature reported Sunday.
A team from Austria's Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) managed to send entangled photons 144 kilometres (90 miles) between the Spanish islands of

Scientists Discover Potential Tool Against HIV

2010-11-03T09:03:12Z
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Pill Could Erase Bad Memories

2010-10-26T12:03:21Z
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New technique helps painful joint disease

2010-04-16T17:19:11Z

Swiss doctors said on Sunday they had devised a smart microscopic technique that can fast-track diagnosis of people with osteoarthritis.
Their experimental "atomic force microscope" is designed to be minimally invasive and could give patients early warning of problems ahead, according to their study, published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
Osteoarthritis is caused by an erosion of the cartil...

Fruitflies put buzz into Nature vs. Nurture debate

2010-04-16T17:30:31Z

If you could put an animal in a time machine and send it back to live in the distant past, would its DNA evolve in reverse, returning to the genetic code of its ancestors?
The intriguing idea has been tested by scientists in Portugal and the United States, using the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) as the animal, and a laboratory to recreate the conditions of the past.

Purple GM tomatoes may ward off cancer

2010-06-30T15:09:46Z

Tomatoes that have been genetically modified to be rich in antioxidants can give protection against cancer, a team of British scientists has found.
Researchers at the John Innes Centre in Norwich created the crop of purple tomatoes by altering them with genes from snapdragon flowers. In tests, mice that were prone to cancer lived almost a third longer if their diet was s...

Scientists pinpoint genetic driver of narcolepsy

2010-04-16T13:11:33Z

Scientists in Japan have identified a genetic mutation linked to narcolepsy, a disease that can cause someone to doze off in mid-sentence or behind the wheel of a car, a study released Sunday reports.
Other symptoms of the condition, which shows up in late adolescence or early adulthood, include excessive daytime drowsiness, vivid hallucinations on the threshold of sleep, and the sudden, temporary loss of muscle control, often triggered by ...

New gene clues to schizophrenia risk

2010-04-16T16:29:07Z

Three studies published on Wednesday unveil flaws in several chromosomes that highlight an inherited vulnerability to schizophrenia.
Among people with schizophrenia, deletions and duplications are more common in key locations of the genetic code compared to otherwise healthy counterparts, according to the papers, released by the London-based jour...

Exotic matter-antimatter molecule created

2010-11-03T08:49:36Z
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Fused Genes Might Fuel Prostate Tumors

2010-10-23T02:52:59Z
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New site pits 'posted' vs. 'published'

2010-11-03T08:24:00Z
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Britain Early Human

2010-07-07T11:00:42Z
Palaeontologist Simon Parfitt shows an artist impression of a human colony, as he talks to the media at the Royal Institution in London, Wednesday July 7, 2010, about their new discovery of artefacts and fossils found in a United Kingdom river deposit. The finds, revealed in this week's United Kingdom river deposit, during a press conference to reveal the findings at the Royal Institution in London, Wednesday, July 7, 2010. The finds, revealed in this week's Jason Head of Toronto Mississauga University, Canada, on 04 February 2009 shows a python creeping over a vertebra of a 'Titanoboa cerrejonensis', the largest prehistoric snake discovered in Colombia,