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Georgia Tech Can Solve The Origin Of Life For $1.5 Million

The Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University have received a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to establish "The Origins Project," a center for integrated research, education and public outreach focused on the chemistry that may have led to the origin of life. The center also includes the participation of Spelman College in Atlanta and Jackson State University in Mississippi.

The NSF is supporting The Origins Project as part of an effort to address "big picture" questions in chemistry through the formation of Chemical Bonding Centers (CBC).

Pigs to out-pollute people in China

A report on the Chinese consumption and production of meat was published today at the European Conference of Biotechnology in Barcelona. The report was the outcome of a meeting in Hangzhou, China where experts from all over the world met and discussed the perspectives of the Chinese food production.

Meat consumption in China is expected to reach 73 kilo per person per year in 2020 compared with 26,2 kg in 2004. This increase in meat consumption means that the environmental impact of the Chinese population will double if the rapid growth continues.

How cells from pigs may cure diabetes

Within three years, insulin-producing islet cells from pigs may be used in clinical trials on a path to finally cure insulin dependant diabetes.

This key finding was the discovery of Dr. Bernhard Hering, Scientific Director of the Diabetes Institute for Immunology & Transplantation at the University of Minnesota and his team, who first documented their medical breakthrough in Nature Medicine last year.

Over-prescribing steroids to kids

Drug experts have warned parents and healthcare professionals to double-check if children with allergic conditions such as asthma and hayfever are being over-prescribed corticosteroids. The warning follows research unveiled at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester revealing that many children with multiple allergic conditions such as asthma, eczema and hayfever may be exposed to high, cumulative doses of corticosteroids through co-prescribing of steroid preparations for different conditions.

Constipation - the real impact of keeping silent about the last taboo

Constipation is a condition that we are all familiar with, however, according to new international research from Dulcolax(R), constipation actually affects much more than just bowel movements and can have a severely detrimental impact on people's quality of life, in some cases comparable to that experienced by people suffering from more serious ailments.

How Paleontologists Make Dinosaur Matches From Fossil Tracks

Fossilized footprints are relatively common, but figuring out exactly which ancient creature made particular tracks has been a mystery that has long stumped paleontologists. In the latest issue of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, a team of researchers overcome this dilemma for the first time, and link a fossil trackway to a well-known fossil animal.

Muhammad Ali Nominated for 2007 Nobel Peace Prize

Muhammad Ali, three-time heavyweight boxing champion and one of the most recognized people in the world, is a nominee for this year's Nobel Peace Prize. Co-nominated with Ali is Peter Georgi, Ali's former senior humanitarian advisor.

The nomination is based on Ali's and Georgi's many years of effort to create the Children's General Assembly, a new United Nations-authorized organization that will allow children to promote the following:

Solved: Another Mystery Of Mitosis

Just how a dividing cell rebuilds the nuclear envelope, the protective, functional wrapping that encases both the original and newly copied genetic material, has been a source of controversy for the last 20 years. The answer matters because the architecture established during formation of the envelope is regarded as key to future regulation of gene expression.Image courtesy of Daniel J. Anderson, Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Nation's first clinical trial using T-reg cells from cord blood in leukemia treatment

University of Minnesota researchers have initiated a ground breaking clinical trial to determine the optimal dose and safety of T regulatory cells (T-regs) to decrease the risk of immune reactions common in patients undergoing blood and marrow transplantation.

Ultimately, the researchers hope the experimental cellular therapy will improve overall survival rates for blood cancer patients as well as offer a potential new paradigm for treating autoimmune diseases.

Exercise and yoga improves quality of life in women with early-stage breast cancer

Two studies report that exercise and yoga can help maintain and in some cases improve quality of life in women with early-stage breast cancer. The first study found that resistance and aerobic exercise improved physical fitness, self-esteem and body composition, and that resistance exercise improved chemotherapy completion rates. The second study demonstrated that yoga was particularly beneficial for women who were not receiving chemotherapy during the study period. Both studies will be published online September 4 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO).

Quick microchip test for dangerous antibiotic resistant bacteria

Researchers at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Surrey have developed microchips capable of quickly and cheaply identifying dangerous and drug resistant bacteria in clinical samples, scientists announced today (Wednesday 5 September 2007) at the Society for General Microbiology’s 161st Meeting at the University of Edinburgh, UK, which runs from 3-6 September 2007.

What Happened To The Cherokee?

By 1763, the world of Cherokee Indians in the Southeastern U.S. was in tatters. The French and Indian War had wracked the sprawling Cherokee settlements that stretched from the headwaters of the Savannah River in South Carolina and Georgia to the Overhills towns in eastern Tennessee. Though 75 years would pass before the Trail of Tears would banish the remnants of the nation west to Oklahoma, the tribe watched hopelessly as much of its history rapidly faded.

The Ancient Gene For Lean

Researchers have revealed an antiobesity gene that has apparently been keeping critters lean during times of plenty since ancient times. The gene, first discovered by another team in flies, also keeps worms and mice trim, according to the new report in the September issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press. If the gene works similarly in humans, the findings could lead to a new weapon against our burgeoning waistlines, according to the researchers.

Vitamin C May Hurt, Not Help, Cancer Risk

Fat in the stomach may cause vitamin C to promote, rather than prevent, the formation of certain cancer causing chemicals, reveals research published ahead of print in the journal Gut.

The researchers analysed the impact of both fat (lipid) and vitamin C (ascorbic acid) on nitrite chemistry in the upper (proximal) stomach, which is especially vulnerable to pre-cancerous changes and tumor growth.

Nitrites, which are present in human saliva, and in certain preserved foodstuffs, may be converted to cancer causing compounds called nitrosamines.

Molecular pathway may predict chemotherapy effectiveness

A common molecular pathway could help physicians predict which lung cancer patients will benefit from chemotherapy drugs, according to new research from a multidisciplinary team at the University of Cincinnati (UC).

Known as the retinoblastoma (RB) tumor suppressor, this fundamental molecule regulates cell proliferation in the body. Research has shown that the RB pathway is either entirely inactive or altered in most human cancers. Scientists are beginning to use its actions as a “biomarker” for how tumors will respond to different therapies.